So I am organizing the Altar Servers for Palm Sunday at the student Mass.
We have 5 Altar servers doing the following Lead Altar Server: Oversees all the Altar Servers, takes the bishop’s hat and crosier
at appropriate times, in charge of the sacramentary. Crucifer: Carries Crucifix, receives gifts, does the lavabo.
Thurifer: Deals with incense, helps crucifer with lavabo if needed.
**2 Acolytes: **Carry up candles; prepare the altar w/ Ciborium & Chalices, helps crucifer with anything if needed.
What are the times that the Lead needs to take the Crozier and Mitre? What does he do with them? Is there anything specific the thurifur needs to do?
Taking care of the miter and pastoral staff can be an interesting job.
The Bishop should hand off the staff and remove the miter before he venerates the altar.
He will receive the miter back after the Collect (before the Liturgy of the Word starts).
He will removed the miter when the chant before the Gospel begins, after he blesses the deacon or the priest. He will receive the staff after he traces the sign of the cross on his forehead lips and chest.
He may use the staff for he homily or he may put it aside.
He will remove the miter for the profession of faith.
He will wear the miter for the preparation of the altar, then remove it for the offertory. He will remove the zucchetto after the Prayer over the Offerings.
He puts the zucchetto on after Communion is complete. He puts the miter back on and receives the staff for the blessing at the end of Mass.
This is the proper what of doing it according to the liturgical books. However, each bishop is different in how closely they follow this, and the reasons for that vary.
Also, you didn’t mention if there will be a Solemn Entrance or a Simple Entrance.
Don’t you have two servers who carry the mitre and crosier? They carry it using a veil (vimpa)
The mitre should be removed when the bishop reaches the altar but BEFORE he genuflects/bows.
Replaced when he sits for the readings.
Removed for the Gospel AFTER the blessing of the deacon/priest. Replaced after the Gospel for the homily.
Removed after the homily.
Replaced before the Offertory after the Prayers of the Faithful (if said) while the altar is prepared.
Removed before the bishop begins the “Blessed are you” prayers.
The zuchetto (skullcap) should be removed after the Prayer over the Gifts but before the Eucharistic Prayer.
The zuchetto is replaced when he returns to the chair after the the communion.
The mitre is replaced before he gives the blessing.
The crosier is taken when the bishop reaches the altar.
Given back to the bishop after the triple singing of the cross that accompanies the Gospel.
He may use it also for the homily. It is taken after the homily.
It is given back to the bishop just before he says “May the Almighty God bless you” (i… AFTER “The Lord be with you”, and “Blessed be the name of the Lord”, etc. or the versicles of the solemn blessing)
For the Psalm Sunday Procession/ Solemn Entrance.
The bishop goes to the place where the branches are to be blessed. The mitre is removed and and crosier is taken before he makes the sign of the cross. The crosier is NOT given to him for the reading of the Gospel of the procession - he holds a palm branch. The mitre and crosier may be replaced if he gives a homily. The crosier is taken back before the procession. The bishop holds a palm instead in the procession. The mitre is removed when the bishop reaches the altar and before he bows/genuflects (as above)
This is laid out in the Ceremonial of Bishops. Actually at one or two points, the Ceremonial indicates the bishop should remove the mitre. In Papal celebrations though, it seems the MC/deacon invariably does so.
I’ve scanned the pages of the Ceremonial for you dealing with the bishops Mass and with Palm Sunday. You can go over them and see if there is anything else. If you pm me your email address, I can email it to you.
Don’t you have two servers who carry the mitre and crosier? They carry it using a veil (vimpa)
I wish. It was hard enough to get the University Ministry to approve 5 altar servers. They were just gonna use three like any other sunday! I don’t even know if they have vimpas. I am planning on looking for them. But the communication on this has been horrible. My school doesn’t get off break until Palm Sunday. So most people are gone, and it makes it hard to organize when all are gone.
Not to mention my bishop is not the most traditional. I cant ever remember a vimpa being used… but I have only been to a few Masses with the Bishop. Hopefully the bishop will be brining his crew with him, but at most parish visits he does not.
(Next year I will hopefully be the sacristan for this Mass, and I am going to try and get it up to par with Altar server training and organization.
I’m hoping someone else sees this thread, I wanted to place a follow-up question to it. This thread had most of what I was looking for (serving for a Bishop at Mass), but I’m specifically looking for mitre/crozier rubrics during the actual Confirmation portion of a Confirmation Mass. I’m familiar with what to do during a “regular” Mass with a Bishop.
Since our former Auxiliary officially gets his own See (today, actually!), and our diocese is too large for our principal Bishop, our retired Auxiliary usually comes out to do some confirmations. Unfortunately, they don’t give him a MC, and I feel it would be right to give him the respect due an Apostle, and I would like to be able to fill that role for him.
Last year, he simply put his mitre on and off himself, and had a crozier stand right beside him…it was disheartening to see how poorly he was treated!
(In the following, when I use “given to him” or “taken form him” I mean in whichever customary way, for example, the MC removing it from his head, or whatever)
The bishop would give the homily for the Mass wearing his mitre.
After the homily, he should be handed the staff, and the renewal of baptismal promises takes place.
Then the mitre is removed, and the corsier taken away for “My dear friends, in baptism, etc.”, laying hands and the prayer “All powerful God”
Then, either:
the bishop sits and receives the mitre and the candidates come before him
the mitre and crozier are given to him and he goes to the candidates (more common, I think)
(The chrism is brought ot him during the above)
After the anointing, the staff may be taken away and the bishop cleanses his hands. Then the mitre is removed, and the bishop, standing at the cathedra begins the general intercessions.
When the MC puts the ;bishops miter on him he must be aware that the two tabs of cloth go in the back. Otherwise, the bishop ends up with one over each eye.
I mention this because a friend was MC for the bishop here once, and almost got it wrong. Fortunately he noticed at the last moment and did a quick switch.
In regards to wearing the miter for the preparation of the altar, I take it this assumes he is sitting while the acolyte/deacon/priest is preparing the altar. If he gets up to receive the offering at the entrance to the sanctuary, is he still wearing it and at what point (as MC) should I take it from him?
THEN, at his exit, does he kiss the altar with his miter on and staff in hand?
Does the bishop put the miter back on for the rite of sprinkling?
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