Anything but Ordinary...

Yesterday, the Church returned to Ordinary Time, but this liturgical season is anything but what we may consider "ordinary."  The recent issue of Liturgy Line, published last week, which includes many resources, liturgical formation opportunities, and information about feasts and rites during this liturgical season, signals toward that reality.  This is a time when we experience order in the liturgical year, a time when we experience Christ walking among us and transforming our lives. Anything but Ordinary.

Typhoon Haiyan

With so many organizations and relief efforts happening to assist those in the Philippines devastatingly affected by the effects of Typhoon Haiyan, all are encouraged to donate through Catholic Relief Services. CRS has also provided some prayer resources that are posted on the Archdiocesan Missions' Office website.

Archbishop Sartain invites everyone to a Mass for the typhoon victims in the Philippines and Vietnam, which will be held at St. James Cathedral at 12:10pm next Friday, November 22nd, the Memorial of Saint Cecilia. This Mass will hit close to home for me because music will be provided by a Filipino Choir, Filipinos of the Chancery and Cathedral communities will be involved as liturgical ministers, and the gospel and part of the Eucharistic Prayer will also be prayed in Tagalog!

And as a side note, many great things were mentioned in the most recent issue of Liturgy Line, including upcoming liturgical courses to deepen our understanding of the Sacred Liturgy, a Liturgy of the Hours retreat with a Benedictine, a number of various resources for the 50th Annversary of the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, and ritual texts for blessing prayers, such as the "Thanksgiving Table Blessing"!

Blessed JPII (On the feast of St. Luke)

On this, the feast of St. Luke, let us hold in prayer the parishioners of St. Luke Parish in Shoreline and their pastor, Fr. Brad Hagelin, as they celebrate their patronal feast day.

Also taking today to note that Tuesday, October 22nd is the optional memorial for Blessed (soon to be Saint) John Paul II. The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship approved insertion of this beloved Pope into the proper calendar of the dioceses of the United States about a year ago.

Here is a link to more information as well as the proper liturgical texts for observance of the Memorial in the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours.

And this fun and also somewhat encouraging autotuned video of a speech Blessed JPII gave to youth. Because the video's theme of love can also be found in the Gospel of Luke in popular passages such as the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan, found in Luke's gospel, focus on Jesus' compassion and love for the weak, the suffering and the outcast. (I had to tie this post back to St. Luke somehow, right?)

What happens at a Catholic Wedding?

The USCCB has put together a great video that walks through the Rite of Marriage, answers questions about Catholic weddings, and provides a wonderful resources for marriage preparation.

"English Mass for Filipino Catholics"

Can someone explain how English Mass for Filipino Catholics: The Meaning of the New Words of the Mass, by Virgilio T.J. Suerte Felipe, is specific to Filipino Catholics (or how is it any different than Mass for Roman Catholics?)

Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace

By now I would think that many of you have heard or read about Pope Francis calling for this Saturday to be a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world.

 Click here for a number of liturgical resources and a memo from Archbishop Sartain and Bishop Elizondo to their brother priests, which gives permission to priests in the Archdiocese to celebrate specific Masses for Various Needs and Occasions at this coming Sunday liturgies.

Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Prayer at a Wedding reception

A friend of mine from Seattle University is getting married this Saturday at the Chapel of St. Ignatius. In addition to asking me to altar serve, last night the bride-to-be invited me to offer a prayer at their wedding reception. Some may see this either as a daunting task with no where to begin or as an opportunity to give a mini-toast on the couple. I, on the other hand, am thrilled at this opportunity to pray the prayers from the Catholic Rite of Marriage.

This prayer at the wedding reception is a great opportunity to incorporate these prayers that were prayed at the Rite of Marriage within a Mass, just hours before the reception, during which many of her guests would have likely tuned out because they were so focused on when the presider would say "you may now kiss the bride!"  

Anyhow, a copy of the prayer will be posted sometime this week.

Liturgy Line

Last week, we published yet another rousing issue of Liturgy Line, our seasonal liturgical resource from the office. The welcome article is from Andrew on the feast of the Transfiguration and a reflection on how we all are invited to see God's glory manifest in all we do.

Join our mailing list, won't you?

More Musings

The long-awaited arrival of the new Archdiocesan Director of Liturgy is here! Andrew was in the office for a few hours last Friday morning to get his id badge, parking pass, finish signing papers with HR, get his computer and email set-up, etc. Tomorrow he'll begin his new ministerial position full-time. But I can already tell why he was the unanimous choice of the search committee! He is a great person and I look forward with even more joy, hope, and excitement in ministering together. Now the real time of transition begins...prayers are appreciated!

But on a lighter note, last Saturday morning we had a moving party for Andrew and his family. We're ever-so grateful for those who took a few hours to babysit his two beautiful children and move furniture, boxes, toys, and some other items. This is just a sneak peak into the "other items" we unloaded off the moving truck and into his family's new home in Shoreline. Pretty neat stuff, if you ask me!

                         



This week is the NPM Convention in Washington, D.C., in which three people (that I know of anyway) from the Archdiocese are in attendance. Please hold them, and all participants in prayer. For those of us who wish we could participate in this national gathering, the Pray Tell blog will be live-streaming some of the sessions.

Here's a very informative summer issue of the liturgy newsletter from Diocese of San Jose Worship Office. I think I have some ideas for the next issue of our very own Liturgy Line. A fun note, last Sunday the 21st, the director of worship for San Jose, Diana Macalintal, made a surprise visit to the Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle. She is the same Diana Macalintal that I had the grace-filled opportunity to have breakfast with one day when at the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim last February.

In the newsletter included a pretty neat podcast from Diana providing a run-down of Pope Francis' encyclical Lumen fidei and what may be important for all who prepare liturgy to know about the document.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Emmett Carroll, SJ, Pastor of St. Cecilia on Bainbridge Island, who died unexpectedly last week. His Funeral Mass will be tomorrow evening, 7:00pm at St. Cecilia. Archbishop Brunett will be the main celebrant and Father Patrick Howell, SJ will offer the homily. Eternal rest, grant unto the soul of Father Emmett, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

The Vision of Forum

I received this email from Jim Schellman of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, which ceases to exist at the end of today. It includes information on the "Friends of Forum" which will continue on the vision of Forum:

"Visit http://friendsofforum.org/ 

-The online presence and legacy site devoted to the vision of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate

-Share what the NA Forum has meant to you

-Access foundational initiation articles

-Find current printed resources

-View the final and past NA Forum newsletters for loads of information and resource reviews

-Utilize discernment charts and overviews of the RCIA

-and more

Friends of Forum is also creating a new Facebook page to continue to support each other in this inspiring and necessary ministry."

Oración para la Elección del Papa

In case you have not seen them already, the USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship has added resources in Spanish for the papal transition.

Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools have permission to download and reproduce any of these graphics, prayers, and bulletin inserts for distribution. Nice print copies are also available for order, through the USCCB.

Let us continue to pray for the Cardinal Electors, Pope Emeritus, our future Pope (just throwing this out there for fun), and for the Church and the world!

Liturgy as Play

While I was a student at Seattle University, I took a course on Ignatian Spirituality with Fr. Pat Kelly, SJ, who has a deep passion for sports and the church.

Next Friday at the Elliot Bay Bookstore in Seattle, Fr. Kelly will be discussing and signing his new book Catholic Perspectives on Sports.

Fr. Kelly, and his knowledge and love for the relationship between sports and spirituality reminds me of Cardinal Ratzinger's book titled "The Spirit of the Liturgy" where he compares the Liturgy to play...but not just any kind of play, rather a special kind of play that has a deep purpose and meaning. Here's a good excerpt:

"Children’s play seems in many ways a kind of anticipation of life, a rehearsal for later life, without its burdens and gravity. On this analogy, the liturgy would be a reminder that we are all children, or should be children, in relation to that true life toward which we yearn to go. Liturgy would be a kind of anticipation, a rehearsal, a prelude for the life to come, for eternal life, which St. Augustine describes, by contrast with life in this world, as a fabric woven, no longer of exigency and need, but of the freedom of generosity and gift. Seen thus, liturgy would be the rediscovery within us of true childhood, of openness to a greatness still to come, which is still unfulfilled in adult life. (14)" 

And to sum it all up, wasn't it Fr. Anthony de Mello, SJ who is known to have said that work becomes spiritual only when it is transformed into play? 

Papal resignation resources from the BCDW

As mentioned on last Monday's post, the Secretariat of Divine Worship has published a more official document titled Liturgical Notes and Resource Materials for Use Upon the Resignation of the Pope, which I hope many find helpful during this time of transition. We are grateful to Msgr. Hilgartner and the Secretariat Staff for providing these resources.

On that note, I wish you a blessed Lenten pilgrimage in these days ahead. May we all continue to follow Christ more closely and love Him more fully as he does each of us.

Pope Benedict XVI resigns

And here I thought the search for a new director of the Liturgy Office for the Archdiocese of Seattle was the big news of this year. (It's all about perspective.) This morning's news of Pope Benedict's resignation, effective February 28th, definitely put our office's own time of transition into a whole new perspective for me.

At this point, the Secretariat of Divine Worship for the USCCB is working on several resources and official documents regarding the Pope's resignation. They hope to have something soon. Until the official day of the Pope's resignation (28 Feb) there will be no change in the Eucharistic Prayers. However, after 8:00pm Rome time on 28 Feb there will be a state called "sede vacante" or "the see being empty" so priests will no longer say the Pope's name in the Eucharistic Prayer after that.

In the meantime, priests are welcome to use the formulary, "For the Pope" from the Masses for Various Needs found in the Roman Missal during an appropriate time. Below are also some sample Prayers of the Faithful from Faith Catholic. Feel free to compose your own as well for your own parish or institution.

The Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions also posted a prayer for Pope Benedict available in English and Spanish.

Let us keep Pope Benedict, the Cardinals who will soon elect a new pope, and the entire universal Church in our prayers and offer thanksgiving for the ministry of Pope Benedict these past eight years.

====================================================================


That the Holy Father finds peace in his decision to resign, and that his courage and strength
of character be a model for the universal Church to be steadfast in following the teachings of
Christ, let us pray to the Lord.

That his Holiness Pope Benedict may know the blessing and love of God during the remaining
years of his life on earth, let us pray to the Lord.

For the Holy Father, that his time of retirement may be restful for both body and spirit, let us
pray to the Lord.

For the Church, that all members unite their prayers in support of the Cardinals as they select
our new Vicar of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.

That all members of the Body of Christ will find hope in the workings of the Holy Spirit as He
guides the Church through this transition of leadership, let us pray to the Lord

That God’s Spirit may guide and inspire our Church during this time of discernment for a
smooth and grace-filled papal transition, let us pray to the Lord.

That the message of Jesus' love for the poor and help for those suffering from injustice will
guide the Church as she moves forward during this papal transition, let us pray to the Lord.

That the Church's College of Cardinals will be true to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as they
prayerfully consider who will next lead our Church, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, you alone know what the Church needs in a new Pope, fill our new Shepherd with your
Holy Spirit of grace, humility, strength and truth, let us pray to the Lord.

Almost Lent already?

All of a sudden, it's February and we're less than two weeks away from the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent! Can't believe that Ash Wednesday, the day where many receive ashes on their forehead, is just around the corner!

Just to add to the reality that Lent is approaching sooner than I thought, yesterday I received an email from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of Divine Worship on this year's Lenten Regulations provided in three languages: English, Spanish, and Polish. 

And the icing on the cake? Today someone asked me if I knew what I was "giving up" for Lent yet. Probably should start giving it some thought and prayer.

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!

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

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.

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!