Breaking Open the Opening Prayers

Is it challenging to listen to some prayers of the Mass that don't have any punctuation or that may seem to go on and on without making any logic until the celebrant says those famous words "for ever and ever" which signals the assembly that it's almost time to sit down to listen to the Word of God?

Thanks to the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose's Office of Worship blog, (which I enjoy following) here's a website from the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) that breaks open the opening prayers of the Mass, which is now known as the Collect.

The Collect is that prayer at the beginning of Mass after the celebrant says "Let us Pray" thus helping to remind the assembly of God's presence among us. The Collect express and summarize the character or focus of the Mass. (General Instruction of the Roman Missal #54)

Hopefully this resource will be a good way for all of us to pray with the entire Body of Christ during Mass, Sunday after Sunday, and to break open the prayers of the people, especially in this Year of Faith. You may even like to use it somehow in a gathering such as a bible study, confirmation or RCIA session, or committee or staff meetings!

Throat and Candle blessings

Although this coming Sunday we celebrate the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the blessing of throats may be given on Sunday by a priest or deacon, (or lay minister who follows the rites and prayers designated for a lay minister and does not make the sign of the cross for the blessing) in honor of St. Blaise, whose feast day is February 3^rd. Legend has it that a boy who had a fishbone stuck in his throat was brought to St. Blaise and when the boy was about to die, St. Blaise healed him.

Within Mass, the blessing follows the homily and general intercessions (or for pastoral reasons may take the place of the final blessing of the Mass.)

Outside Mass, it is preceded by a brief celebration of the Word.

At Morning or Evening Prayer, it follows the reading, responsory and homily.

If, for pastoral reasons, each individual cannot be blessed in the usual manner, a priest or deacon may give the blessing to all by extending his hands, without crossed candles, over the people while saying the prayer of blessing.

The formula for blessing is:

"Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit."

And of course, who can forget Candlemas Day! Also known as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, celebrated this Saturday, February 2nd, on when candles are traditionally blest (and if lucky enough, used in procession!)

 

Liturgy Director job opportunity

6 months after the former Liturgy Director retired and 4 months after our Associate Director resigned and took a job as the Director of Worship for the Diocese of Metuchen in New Jersey, we finally have a new and improved restructured job description for the Liturgy Director for the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Know anyone that may be interested in serving the liturgical leadership and the Church of Western Washington (and in being my boss?)

If you prefer something on a more local parish level, the NPM chapter for the Archdiocese keeps a list of job opportunities, although all of them related to pastoral music.

Behold...

Behold, the Lamb of God...(or Pac-Man?)

Just a fun picture from today's Mass, courtesy of our parochial vicar for St. Paul Parish, on this 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

LMI week three

The Liturgical Ministries Institute courses are going strong with a steady group of about 15 attendees at each of the courses...there are still a few more courses left if you're interested in registering.

Just this morning, Fr. Bryan Dolejsi, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese and chaplain for Kennedy Catholic High School gave an informative and engaging presentation on the Theology of the Eucharist. He is one of the (if not THE) humorous and dynamic presenters I have experienced. Next week, he'll be tackling the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and outlining specific parts of the Mass. All are welcome to register, or you may simply show up and register on-site at Holy Family Parish in Kirkland.

Master of Ceremonies workshop

The Office of Liturgy is sponsoring a workshop for those who are interested in learning more about the preparations by the Master of Ceremonies when a Bishop comes to celebrate Mass at your parish or faith community.

Join 80+ liturgical leadership from all over the Archdiocese to learn more about the Mass with a Bishop celebrant.
 

The presenter is Reverend Steve Sallis, pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Bellevue and the interim director of our office.
 

Saturday, February 9th
9am-Noon
Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue.

More information and to register.

More pictures

As promised in my last post, here are additional pictures from a busy MLK weekend:

Mass for Life (St. Martin University - Marcus Pavillion)

NPM Seattle Chapter's Choral Reading Session presented by Michael Connolly

slight tangent - I posted some pictures from last Saturday's Mass in Thanksgiving for the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr (celebrated the day after the reading session, two days before I left to start setting up for the Mass for Life) but those pictures don't compare to the ones taken by Maria Laughlin of St. James Cathedral...they're posted on the Cathedral's website, and if you look closely, you'll see my sister and me.    (pictured with Deacon Lamar during the gospel procession)

MLK Mass pictures

This morning was the Mass in Thanksgiving for the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here are some pictures from the celebration. Enjoy!  

[coming up, pictures from last night's NPM Seattle Chapter's choral reading session with GIA, presented by Shelton, WA native Michael Connolly (whom I just found out also served in the Liturgy Office back in the '70s) and next week's Mass for Life)]

 

 

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Today the Church begins to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Here is the site for the week from Seattle University's School of Theology & Ministry.
Here are some events going on throughout Seattle.

The World Council of Churches also has prayers and reflections on this year's theme based on Micah 6:6-8: "What does the Lord require? Only to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (and in five different languages)

The Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University will host the Countywide Prayer for Christian Unity on Tuesday, January 22nd at 7:00pm. The week will conclude with an ecumenical prayer for Christian Unity on Friday, January 25th at 6:30pm. Father Michael G. Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral, will be joined by leaders of different downtown congregations.

The following Masses for Various needs and occasions may also be celebrated throughout next week, as appropriate and allowed:

• Mass for Unity of Christians #17
• Evangelization of Peoples #18
• Persecuted Christians #19

Mass & March for Life

On the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States,
all dioceses of the US observe a day of prayer for legal protection of unborn children on Tuesday, January 22nd.

This year's Archdiocesan Mass for Life, renews commitment in raising awareness of the tragedy of abortion and the important need for a culture of life. The Mass will be followed by a March at the state capitol in Olympia at Noon. Everyone is being encouraged to bring a rose.

Here's a video message from Archbishop Sartain on human dignity and end of life issues.

St. Kateri: Mass of Thanksgiving for her canonization

Image of the 8' icon of St. Kateri
that will be blessed on the 26th

In Thanksgiving for the Canonization of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lummi Tribe and St. Joachim parish will host a Mass and lunch on Sat. Jan. 26th at the Lummi Community Center near Bellingham. Mass begins at 10:00am and all are welcome to join with Jake Finkbonner in this joyous celebration.

At the Mass, Archbishop Sartain will also bless this pictured icon of Saint Kateri. When I first saw this beautiful icon in person at St. James Cathedral, I was blown away at it's height. It's about 8 feet tall! In deciding when the unveiling and blessing of this icon would be during the Mass, we thought it would be awkward if it was kept veiled all throughout the Mass, because of the great suspense of what was behind the huge cloth...so we decided it best to bless the icon immediately after the greeting.

(Extra) Ordinary Time

Today marks day three of Ordinary Time. But of course, nothing is ordinary during this liturgical season. In fact, I find it to be a great opportunity to be creative and use any of the 34 formularies in the Roman Missal for Sundays in Ordinary Time as well as any of the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions and Votive Masses, as pastoral needs may suggest. (and as liturgical norms allow, of course)

In fact, just today at the Chancery Chapel, the celebrant selected the prayers for the Votive Mass for Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest.

Liturgy and the Flu

With news of major outbreaks of and even deaths from influenza (the flu) these past few weeks, thought it best to post a couple of informative reminders addressing the liturgical implications of the transmission of dangerous pathogens.

Although created a few years ago with the outbreak of H1N1, the USCCB published a helpful Q & A on the flu and the liturgy.

Around that same time, the then Archbishop of Seattle, Alex J. Brunett also sent a memo to the priests and pastoral coordinators of the Archdiocese, encouraging them to be vigilant and conscious of the liturgical practices of their assembly, especially in this peak of the flu season.

Sandy Hook shootings: one month later...

Today marks the one month anniversary of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school that left 20 children and 6 adult faculty dead.

Here's an article that shows an interesting perspective on the deadly massacre: one that serves as a reminder to continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who minister to those affected by the Sandy Hook shootings, including Msgr. Weiss and Father Luke.

Although after the Christmas season, this could mean so much now more than ever! A simple word of encouragement, a letter of support, a card of appreciation, and even a moment of prayer can bring so much hope and consolation to a town still grieving.

GIA choral reading session

 

The Seattle Chapter of NPM is sponsoring a choral reading session this Friday the 18th. This is an opportunity to experience seasonal choral offerings as well as take a sneak peek at the content of the next generation of GIA hymnals. Please join us and invite your fellow music leaders!

Fri, Jan 18th at 7:00pm

St. Ignatius Chapel at Seattle University

Music directors, choral directors, accompanists, choir members, instrumentalists - all are welcome! 

Pre-registration is encouraged by emailing Paula Schmitz, secretary of the Seattle Chapter of NPM.

 

For more information on the Seattle Chapter of NPM, including pictures from their previous events, check out their website.  They do wonderful work and are open to suggestions for events, resources and their arms are always wide open for new members and ideas!

Liturgy Line

Our office publishes a seasonal liturgical resource called Liturgy Line every couple of months. Here's the one for this coming Ordinary Time, just released last week.

Didn't receive this email? Want to receive all the latest liturgical events and resources in the Archdiocese? Subscribe to our email listserve!

Year of Faith resources

In this Year of Faith, the Vatican has approved a new Holy Mass for the New Evangelization. There’s

also a Year of Faith Hymn that all are welcome to use and download the score to. The Mass formularies are available in various languages, in case your pastor wishes to celebrate this Holy Mass in Hungarian or Croatian. [I’m surprised (maybe a little disappointed) it’s not available in Tagalog.]

The Archdiocesan Year of Faith website also has some pretty neat resources, including various events, prayers and sample intercessions, information on plenary indulgences, and more.  Take some time to browse around the site!

Mass of Thanksgiving for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., people from across the Archdiocese of Seattle will gather on Saturday, January 19th, 11:00am at St. James Cathedral to honor him. 

Archbishop Sartain will celebrate a Mass in Thanksgiving for the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in celebration of the presence of African and African American Catholics in the Archdiocese of Seattle. My sister, Valerie and I have been going to this Mass for a couple of years now, and it's an inspiring celebration.

This year, I was invited to proclaim a prayer of the faithful in Tagalog (each prayer will be proclaimed in a different language), and Valerie will be one of the candle bearers! We're very excited and honored that each of us are able to have a liturgical role in this year's celebration.

Here are pictures from last year's Mass, courtesy of St. James Cathedral website. Featured towards the bottom of the site is a fun video clip as well.

All are welcome to join in this celebration!         Hope to see you there!

Music and the Rites of Holy Week webinar

The National Association of Pastoral Musicians is sponsoring a series of webinars on Music and the Rites of the Church. The next one is being offered on Thursday, January 24 on the Rites of Holy Week.

The webinar will be presented by Mr. Paul Inwood, Director of Music and Liturgy for the Diocese of Portsmouth in England on Thursday, January 24, at 2:00 pm et, 1:00 pm ct, 12:00 noon mt, 11:00 am pt. 

You may register online this one session for just $25. You may also take advantage of generous discounts for groups. 

Can’t view the webinar at the scheduled time? No problem. Take advantage of the option to purchase a recording of this and other webinars. See www.npm.org for more details.

Evangelization: Acts of Love

Deacon Mark Kiszelewski

Just had dinner with Deacon Mark Kiszelewski before he heads back to the seminary for his final semester of studies. Mark was ordained to the diaconate last August and is currently studying at Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corner, WI.

During Mass, when he receives the gifts of the people, Deacon Mark briefly greets the people bringing up the bread and wine, asking their names and where they are from, and giving them a blessing before returning to the altar to prepare the chalice. In this simple greeting, Deacon Mark demonstrates God's love to those who bring up the gifts on behalf of the entire Church.

During times of desolation, Mark continues to be a source of encouragement and support for me. His sense of humor always brings a smile to my face, even during challenging times in my life. He was one of the first people I called when the evil spirit plus the pressure of our office transition got the best of me this past fall. Before we spoke, he led a prayer over the phone to begin the conversation which was so grace-filled. These simple acts of prayer demonstrate how Mark offers everything he does for the Lord.

May we all find ways to evangelize, through simple acts of love...both in our worship and in our daily lives.

P.S. Please continue to pray for Deacon Mark Kiszelewski and all of our seminarians in the Archdiocese.

Happy Three Kings!

"Nativity of the Homeless" scene, outside Christ Our Hope
Catholic Church on 2nd Ave in downtown Seattle.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of The Epiphany of Our Lord, we recall the journey of the three magi to the child Jesus. In the gospel reading from today's great feast, we learn a lot from the three wise men's journey.

They were persistent in their search for Jesus: "Where is the newborn King of the Jews?" they asked. Using King Herod's words, they searched "diligently" for the child. No matter where we are in our vocation to follow Christ, we must continue to search for Him in our lives.

Upon finding the child, they opened their treasures and offered them. We too are called to give of ourselves to Christ and offer up all that we have for his greater glory.

During the wise men's journey, they were also open to change after a warning not to return to King Herod. We too, must be open to the will of God in our lives.

Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning "to reveal." The events of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man.

What gift will be bring to the infant Christ? How can we experience Christ's revelations in our lives?

USCCB launches Catechetical Website on the Mass

The USCCB has launched a new catechetical website on the Mass, as part of its effort to engage the New Evangelization with three focuses on Faith, Worship, and Witness.

Divided into sections similar to the Roman Missal, Third Edition, the Mass website offers various articles, background materials, and frequently asked questions. The Secretariat of Divine Worship hopes to add additional content to keep the pages fresh. In preparation for catechetical efforts surrounding the future Misal Romano, Tercera Edición, a Spanish version of the Mass website is also now available. These pages will be expanded as proximate preparation for the introduction of the Misal Romano begins.

Living Liturgy

Today was the Funeral Mass for Marilyn Maddeford, the long-time secretary for Archbishop Raymond G. Hunthausen. 

In his homily, Father Michael G. Ryan described Marilyn as someone who truly embodied the Word of God. “When I think of Marilyn,” Father Ryan continued, “ I think of holiness and happiness.”When speaking with his brother priests and Marilyn's close friends, Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, after the Prayer after Communion, said that he heard nothing but “praise and thanksgiving” for Marilyn. 

Archbishop and Father Ryan’s words brought to mind Marilyn as a person who lives the liturgy.

Liturgy does not simply describe the worship of the people, but it can also refer to our response to the Sacred through acts of praise and thanksgiving in our day-to-day actions.

Like Marilyn, may we continue to exemplify holiness and happiness, not only in our worship, but in our lives, knowing that God is always at our side.

Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord.

and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May she rest in peace. Amen.

May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.