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A n s w e r G u i d e
Changes in the Mass
American Catholics are concerned about changes that
are happening in the Mass. This guide covers the principal
changes.
One of the key documents governing the way in
which the Mass is celebrated is the General Instruction
of the Roman Missal. It contains basic directives
instructing priests and other ministers in how the Mass
is to be celebrated. The previous edition of the GIRM
was released in 1975, but in 2000 Pope John Paul II
released a new edition, which was slightly modified in
2002. This new edition of the GIRM was substantially
the same as the prior one but had many small changes
made to improve the quality of liturgical celebrations
and clarify matters that previously were ambiguous.
Most national conferences of bishops petition
Rome for local adaptations of the liturgy to be used
in their countries. Rome must approve these adaptations
before they have force of law. The United States
had such a set of adaptations under the 1975 GIRM,
but they needed to be redrafted and resubmitted with
the release of the new GIRM. Consequently, the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops proposed
and submitted to Rome a set of national adaptations
for use in the Latin-rite dioceses of the United States.
These adaptations were approved and incorporated
into the American translation of the GIRM.
This translation was approved and went into force on
March 17, 2003. It is now liturgical law in the United
States and is presently being implemented in dioceses
across the nation. The following represent some of the
most often asked about changes in liturgical law.
PLACEMENT OF THE TABERNACLE
The basic provision made for the placement of the tabernacle
is as follows: In accordance with the structure
of each church and legitimate local customs, the Most
Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a tabernacle
in a part of the church that is truly noble, prominent,
readily visible, beautifully decorated, and suitable for
prayer (314).
More specifically: It is more in keeping with the
meaning of the sign that the tabernacle in which the
Most Holy Eucharist is reserved not be on an altar on
which Mass is celebrated. Consequently, it is preferable
that the tabernacle be located, according to the
judgment of the diocesan bishop, (a) either in the
sanctuary, apart from the altar of celebration, in a
form and place more appropriate, not excluding on an
old altar no longer used for celebration; (b) or even in
some chapel suitable for the faithfuls private adoration
and prayer and that is organically connected to
the church and readily visible to the Christian faithful
(315).
While not providing a single placement for the
tabernacle in all churches, this clarifies a point that
previously had been ambiguous in the law: who gets to
decide upon the placement of the tabernacle. The
answer is that the diocesan bishop does, within the
limits specified above.
SILENCE IN CHURCH
Some have questioned whether the custom of observing
silence in churches is to be retained, particularly
before Mass. The new GIRM commends this
practice:
Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable
that silence be observed in the church, in the
sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so
that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred
action in a devout and fitting manner (45).
THE SIGN OF PEACE
In many places the faithful have been perplexed about
the priest being able to shake hands, hug, or otherwise
exchange a sign of peace with numerous individuals in
the congregation. To prevent this from happening, the
new GIRM specifies:
The priest may give the sign of peace to the ministers
but always remains within the sanctuary, so as not to
disturb the celebration. In the dioceses of the United
States of America, for a good reason, on special occasions
(for example, in the case of a funeral, a wedding, or
when civic leaders are present) the priest may offer the
sign of peace to a few of the faithful near the sanctuary
(154).
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION
For some time the Holy See has been concerned about
the overuse in America and other countries of extraordinary
ministers of Holy Communion. These are individuals
other than bishops, priests, and deacons who
distribute Communion to the faithful.
In many places extraordinary ministers have been
used in ordinary circumstances. To facilitate this they
are sometimes referred to simply as Eucharistic ministers
(not a title used for them in Church documents)
or as special ministers rather than extraordinary
ministers.
To prevent the overuse of extraordinary ministers,
the new GIRM provides that the priest may be assisted
in the distribution of Communion by other priests
who happen to be present. If such priests are not present
and there is a very large number of communicants, the
priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist
him, e.g., duly instituted acolytes or even other faithful
who have been deputed for this purpose. In case of
necessity, the priest may depute suitable faithful for
this single occasion (162).
In some places extraordinary ministers have been
encouraged to gather around the altar before the
distribution of Communion and even to receive Communion
before the priest does. To prevent this, the new
GIRM provides that these ministers should not
approach the altar before the priest has received
Communion, and they are always to receive from the
hands of the priest celebrant the vessel containing
either species of the Most Holy Eucharist for distribution
to the faithful (162).
UNIFORMITY OF POSTURE
The 1975 GIRM contained a directive stressing the
congregations uniformity of posture and directing the
faithful to follow the instructions they were given at
Mass regarding what posture to assume. This directive
was intended to help implement the changes in posture
that accompanied the reform of the liturgy after the
Second Vatican Council.
However, numerous ministers at Mass took it as an
opportunity to mandate their own preferences for the
congregations posture and instructed the faithful to
adopt postures contrary to those provided for in the
law. To rectify this problem, the new GIRM specifies
that the faithful should follow directions if they are in
accord with the law. The revised directive reads:
With a view to a uniformity in gestures and postures
during one and the same celebration, the faithful
should follow the directions that the deacon, lay minister,
or priest gives according to whatever is indicated in
the Missal (43, emphasis added).
STANDING AT THE ORATE, FRATRES
In many parishes implementing the new GIRM, the
faithful have been advised to begin standing slightly
earlier in the liturgy of the Eucharist than had previously
been the case. Under the prior law, the faithful
were directed to stand from the prayer over the gifts
to the end of the Mass, except at the places indicated
later in this paragraph (1975 GIRM 21).
The new GIRM gives the appearance of directing
them to stand slightly earlier, from the invitation,
Orate, fratres (Pray, brethren), before the prayer over
the offerings until the end of Mass, except at the places
indicated below (2000 GIRM 43).
The Orate, fratres is the prayer at the beginning of
the liturgy of the Eucharist where the priest says,
Pray, brethern, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to
God the Almighty Father. From the way the relevant
paragraph in the new GIRM is written (this is not an
American adaptation but what is in the original GIRM
itself), it appears that the faithful are directed to stand
at the beginning of the Orate, fratres.
This is usual in that the faithful do not normally
change posture in the middle of such a prayer.
Whether it was Romes intent to have them do so is
unclear. It is possible that future clarifications from
Rome will establish whether the new GIRM intends the
faithful to stand at the beginning or just after the Orate,
fratres and its response (which was the designated
point under the prior law). Until such clarifications are
made, parishes seem within their rights to ask the
faithful to stand at this earlier point.
KNEELING DURING MASS
The 1975 GIRM provided for the faithful to kneel
from after the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) to after
the Great Amen. Though it was the American custom
to kneel also after the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God),
this was not provided for in the law, though Rome in-dicated
that it did not object to the practice.
The new American adaptations now expressly
provide for kneeling after the Agnus Dei, though the
local bishop may choose to suspend this practice. The
current law regarding when the faithful should kneel is
as follows:
In the dioceses of the United States of America,
[the faithful] should kneel beginning after the singing
or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the
Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion
by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of
people present, or some other good reason. Those who
do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the
priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful
kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the diocesan bishop
determines otherwise (43).
POSTURE AT COMMUNION
One of the most controversial American adaptations
concerned the posture of the faithful when receiving
Communion. Traditional practice allowed for communicants
to receive either kneeling or standing. If they
received Communion standing, they should show
another sign of reverence for Christ in the Eucharist.
The new GIRM specified the following:
The norm for reception of Holy Communion in
the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants
should not be denied Holy Communion
because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be
addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with
proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm. When
receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows
his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of
reverence and receives the body of the Lord from the
minister (160).
When the U.S. bishops proposed this adaptation,
the Holy See insisted on the provision that the faithful
who choose to kneel not be denied Communion.
Following the release of the old GIRM, many faithful
who chose to kneel were denied Communion or
otherwise harassed regarding the practice, and Rome
received numerous complaints.
In response the Congregation for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments published in the
November-December 2002 issue of its official journal,
Notitiae, a notification that it considers any refusal of
Holy Communion to a member of the faithful on the
basis of his or her kneeling posture to be a grave violation
of one of the most basic rights of the Christian
faithful, namely that of being assisted by their pastors
by means of the Sacraments.
The CDWDS further stipulated that there should be
no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for
Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting
a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out
of the persons unrepented public sin or obstinate
heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared.
Finally, the notice declared that priests should
understand that the congregation will regard future
complaints of this nature with great seriousness, and if
they are verified, it intends to seek disciplinary action
consonant with the gravity of the pastoral abuse
(letter of Jorge Cardinal Medina Estvez, July 1, 2002
[Prot. n. 1322/02/L]).
MANNER OF RECEIVING COMMUNION
Although liturgical law in the United States for
decades has provided that the faithful may receive the
host on the tongue or in the hand (at the communicants
discretion), in many places the faithful report
being denied Communion on the tongue.
The new GIRM specifically provides that the
consecrated host may be received either on the tongue
or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant.
When Holy Communion is received under both kinds,
the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the
precious blood (160).
POSTURE AFTER COMMUNION
The new GIRM provides that the faithful should sit
while the readings before the Gospel and the responsorial
psalm are proclaimed and for the homily and while
the Preparation of the Gifts at the Offertory is taking
place; and, as circumstances allow, they may sit or
kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion
is observed (43).
Regarding sitting or kneeling during the silence after
Communion, some interpreted this as meaning that the
faithful should stand until the last communicant had
received Communion, which was contrary to the traditional
practice of the faithful assuming their preferred
postures immediately upon returning to the pews.
A controversy ensued, in which Francis Cardinal
George, chairman of the Bishops Committee on Liturgy,
queried the CDWDS: In many places, the faithful are
accustomed to kneeling or sitting in personal prayer
upon returning to their places after having individually
received Holy Communion during Mass. Is it the intention
of the [new Roman Missal] to forbid this
practice?
The response was as follows: Negative, et ad
mentem [No, and for this reason]. The mens [reason] is
that the prescription of [GIRM] no. 43 is intended, on
the one hand, to ensure within broad limits a certain
uniformity of posture within the congregation for the
various parts of the celebration of Holy Mass, and on
the other, to not regulate posture rigidly in such a way
that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be
free (responsum of Francis Cardinal Arinze, June 5,
2003 [Prot. 855/03/L], as published in the July 2003
BCL newsletter).
PURIFICATION OF VESSELS
Regarding the cleansing of the chalice and other ves-sels
used at Mass, the new GIRM provides that the
sacred vessels are purified by the priest, the deacon, or
an instituted acolyte after Communion or after Mass,
insofar as possible at the credence table (279). This
would exclude the use of extraordinary ministers of
Holy Communion from purifying the vessels.
However, since the initial release of the GIRM the
USCCB has received an indult from the CDWDS that
allows extraordinary ministers to purify the vessels in
some circumstances. According to the indult: For
grave pastoral reasons, the faculty may be given by the
diocesan bishop to the priest celebrant to use the
assistance, when necessary, even of extraordinary
ministers in the cleansing of sacred vessels after the
distribution of Communion has been completed in the
celebration of Mass. This faculty is conceded for a
period of three years as a dispensation from the norm
of the [new General Instruction] of the Roman Missal
(letter of Cardinal Medina Estevez, March 22, 2002
[Prot. 1382/01/L]).
From the phrasing of the indult, it would appear
that the faculty can be extended by the bishop to
individual priests only when there are grave pastoral
reasons, such as the physical inability of the priest to
stand for the period needed to purify the vessels or
the unavailability of deacons or acolytes to perform
the function. The indult is due to expire in 2005 unless
it is renewed.
DEALING WITH PROBLEMS
Mass may not be celebrated contrary to the provisions
of liturgical law. To do so is liturgical abuse. Some
general advice can be offered for people when they encounter
liturgical abuse:
- Determine whether a genuine violation of the
law is occurring. Sometimes what appears to be
an abuse is not.
- Determine how serious the abuse is. There may
be larger issues at a parish that should be dealt
with before the particular abuse is addressed.
- If action should be taken immediately, approach
those directly involved in the abuse. Be unfailingly
polite and kind when discussing the matter
with them.
- If you are told that the pope or the bishop has
authorized the practice in question, ask to see the
document that gives the authorization.
- If the action is an ongoing abuse, consider
whether recourse should be taken to higher
authority. Be prepared to document the abuse
with specifics: who committed it, when, how
often, and what specifically was done.
FURTHER INFORMATION
A brief guide cannot cover all the changes dealt with in
the new GIRM, but additional resources are available:
- To read a copy of the American GIRM in its entirety,
see the U.S. bishops web site:
www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanien.shtml
- To read a copy of the 1975 GIRM or to read documents
bearing on the interpretation of the GIRM,
see Catholic Answers liturgy section:
www.catholic.com/library/liturgy
- Look for the forthcoming revision of Jimmy
Akins Mass Confusion: The Dos and Donts of
Catholic Worship, which will offer a thorough guide
to current law regarding the celebration of the Mass.
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