Are these liturgical abuses?

[CyberSaint]

I attended Mass at Our Lady of Consolation in Merrillville, IN, Saturday, July 2nd. This was my first time worshiping in Merrillville, as I am a St. Louis, MO native, and only visit Merrillville infrequently. The Mass I attended seemed so incorporate several liturgical irregularities, including:

1. the congregation remained sitting until AFTER they said, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you…”
2. rewording of “From east to west” to “from the rising of the sun to its setting” in what I believe was Eucharistic Prayer III
3. the congregation remained standing after the Sanctus and throughout the Liturgy of the Eucharist until the priest sat down

I thought the liturgy had to be practiced according to the GIRM in all Catholic churches, and yet this church seemed to deviate from the GIRM in these areas. Would you please clarify things for me?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

CyberSaint:

. . .

1. the congregation remained sitting until AFTER they said, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you…”
2. rewording of “From east to west” to “from the rising of the sun to its setting” in what I believe was Eucharistic Prayer III
3. the congregation remained standing after the Sanctus and throughout the Liturgy of the Eucharist until the priest sat down

. . .

IF they stood from the Sanctus till after the distribution of Communion, how were they sitting for the “Lord, I am not Worthy”?

 

[mosher]

1. Yes, unless the local Bishop has given discression out of prudence so that a smooth transition can happen from the method that you described to what is currently the norm under the GIRM. My parish still sits through that portion because the Archbishop does not want too much changed too fast for prudence sake.
2. Some of the Eucharistic prayers are similar in woding so this could have been one of optional ones. However if it is a sunday mass there is a mandate to only used EP I and III. So, yes it is an abuse.
3. I think I know what you are saying here and again the anwser is yes. In the Latin Rite we kneel for the EP in the US it is from the conclusion of the Sanctus to the end of the Great Amen.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

2. rewording of “From east to west” to “from the rising of the sun to its setting” in what I believe was Eucharistic Prayer III

Just as a point of clarification, this is actually what the Latin says for this prayer. The “east to west” is the result of the ICEL translation.

Deacon Ed