A Tale of Three Masses
I recently spent three weekends in a cluster of parishes, attending and observing liturgies. The community in question consists of four canonical parishes, all sharing the same pastor, parochial vicar and pastoral staff. My goal was to better understand the way liturgical life is impacted by – and can impact in turn – the shift in identity that the act of clustering can cause.
After three weekends, here is a partial list what I observed.
- One of the Masses utilized the first form of the Penitential Act (the Confiteor), another utilized the second form (“Have mercy on us Lord. / For we have sinned against you.” Etc.) and another utilized the third form (the Kyrie alone).
- When approaching the ambo, the lector at one Mass bowed to the altar, at another Mass to the Tabernacle, and at the third Mass to the presider.
- At one Mass the Book of the Gospels was processed and used for the Gospel proclamation. It was not used at the other two.
- At one Mass the priest celebrant was assisted by lay Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, at another the celebrant was the sole minister during the Communion Rite, and at the third the celebrant did not distribute Holy Communion.
- At one Mass the sacred vessels were purified in an extended fashion after Communion and at the other two the vessels were removed and purified after Mass.
- At one Mass the “Hail, Mary” prayer was added at the end of the Universal Prayer. At another Mass the presider led the “Saint Michael” prayer from the aisle after the concluding hymn ended.
The point of the list above isn’t to judge which liturgical or presidential choices are “better.” You might expect to find variants of this type between different parishes, and certainly we have all experienced this diversity of practice ourselves when visiting other parishes. But, here’s the issue – all three of the Masses described above took place in the same parish on three successive weekends. These experiences did not take place in three separate worshiping communities, but the same community from Sunday to Sunday.
We can all agree that some liturgical choices and practices vary by parish. But the question becomes: what is the effect that inconsistent liturgical practice within the same parish can have on a community? How can the formational quality of the liturgy achieve its full effect when the experience and approach change from week to week? How can we foster a culture of reverence when we are unable to maintain consistency? Further, how can we achieve that hospitality and welcome that the Eucharistic Revival and the Synod on Synodality both call us toward?
The reality of changing parish structures – through mergers, clustering, grouping, families of parishes, etc. – is one that faces a growing number of dioceses. The task of pastoral planning is gargantuan and consequential, with many things to consider from property to cemeteries to staff to Mass schedules and the bulletin. What often becomes hidden, however, are basic liturgical considerations that have an outsized effect on whether new iterations of community will succeed.
So, what can pastors and liturgical leaders do? Here are four points to get you started:
- As much as possible, set consistent practices from Mass to Mass and across all worship sites. Using liturgical assessment tools can be really helpful in facilitating this kind of discernment and planning.
Get a primer on liturgical assessment. - Offer liturgical catechesis for all liturgical ministers and the entire assembly. This can and should take a variety of forms, from workshops to bulletin articles to events and more. Liturgy is the most important thing we do; we cannot afford to take our understanding and preparation for granted.
Invest in liturgical catechesis for your community with a formation event. - Utilize a liturgy committee or worship commission. Liturgy is not a democracy, of course, but groups like this can help with the kind of discernment and communication needed for consistency.
Learn how to form an effective liturgy committee. - Connect with others for help. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own, and you shouldn’t try. Finding a thought-partner is a great way to expand your own capacity and creativity while also accessing support and accompaniment.
Get the support you need with ministry coaching.
Through these and other questions, the Center for Learning is here to help. We have a variety of webinars, resources and programs that can help you navigate through the muddy waters of change.
Find out how Center for Learning programs can help your community at learnwithocp.org.