Are these things permitted as the Good Friday Liturgy?

[TomH1]

Today, Good Friday, 10 April 2020, because we could not go to church my wife and I watched the livestreaming of the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and I observed several things I would like to ask about. The Liturgy was celebrated by a men’s monastic community. I am not asking specifically about them but as I saw these things at their celebration it generated the questions which follow. I pose them generically and ask them in connection with the rubrics for this Liturgy and not specifically what this community did.

All the monks wore monastic cowls. None wore Mass vestments. Aren’t red Mass vestments meant to be worn at this Liturgy? (I know not all the monks will be priests but none wore Mass vestments.)

They did not have the Communion Rite. They abbot said this was in solidarity with those of us at home who could not receive communion. That may very well be a nice gesture. Personally, I would have been happier if they had had communion. Can the Communion Rite be omitted? (I don’t know if the recent decree from the Holy See regarding Holy Week and Easter this year permit this.)

Something that struck me as unusual was the organ was played not when they were chanting but just as musical interludes. Shouldn’t the organ only be played today, if at all, to support singing?

At the end of the Liturgy they surrounded the Cross with flowers. I found that very unusual. Has anybody seen that done before?

Maybe I need to see a neurologist or a psychiatrist right now, but can anyone explain why I can smell incense?

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

All the monks wore monastic cowls. None wore Mass vestments. Aren’t red Mass vestments meant to be worn at this Liturgy? (I know not all the monks will be priests but none wore Mass vestments.)

I won’t claim to know what the rubrics allow on this particular item, but I will say I’ve seen many priests of religious communities only wear a stole over their proper attire to the order.

Communion is not required at Good Friday, if I recall correctly (don’t have that in front of me).

Something that struck me as unusual was the organ was played not when they were chanting but just as musical interludes. Shouldn’t the organ only be played today, if at all, to support singing?

Yes, the GIRM does say this.

At the end of the Liturgy they surrounded the Cross with flowers. I found that very unusual. Has anybody seen that done before?

The end of the liturgy doesn’t really quite exist, so it could take on various solemn and appropriate gestures.

Maybe I need to see a neurologist or a psychiatrist right now, but can anyone explain why I can smell incense?

The power of suggestion and desire?

 

[TomH1]

The end of the liturgy doesn’t really quite exist,

That’s quite true, but flowers seems rather unusual on Good Friday.

 

[TomH1]

Communion is not required at Good Friday, if I recall correctly

The Rite says it consists of three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Adoration of the Cross and Holy Communion. It doesn’t say in my missal that Holy Communion is optional. That’s why I posed my original question. I’ve no recollection of ever going and the Communion being omitted.

 

[OraLabora]

The monks at our abbey do not vest as if for Mass. they wear their black habits only. At communion, the priest monks put on their red stoles. There is no conclusion, after the final prayer they exit in a silent procession. Our monks chant a cappella only.

Which brings an Interesting Triduum rubric in the current monastic and the pre VII Roman Divine Office. There’s no hymn, and no doxology at the end of the psalms. There’s no opening or concluding verses. The Office starts Directly on the first antiphon and ends on the conclusion of the collect, after which the monks process out in silence.

 

[27lw]

I’m certainly not an expert, but I believe that some orders have their own liturgical customs.

Catholic order liturgical rite - Wikipedia

 

[TomH1]

They did not kiss the cross. However, at the point where this would normally be done they each went and knelt before the cross for a short period. It was not until the end, after the abbot had said, ‘May abundant blessing …’, that two monks briefly left the church and returned with flowers which they placed in front of the altar then they all left.

Because of how the Church uses flowers I was surprised to see them employed on Good Friday.

 

[TomH1]

do not vest as if for Mass.

Do you know why they do this?

 

[TomH1]

I’m certainly not an expert, but I believe that some orders have their own liturgical customs.

These monks are Benedictines. They have their own proper Office but for Mass and the Sacred Triduum liturgies they use the Roman Rite.

 

[gotDoug]

I watched a livestream of monastic Carmelites having the Good Friday Liturgy. Out of the several Carmelites attending the Liturgy, only the Celebrant vested in the red Chasuble and the Deacon wore the Stole over his Alb. The remaining Carmelites wore what appeared to be a white cope over some black vestment, possibly a cassock or a black alb. Unfortunately, because the camera is all the way by the choir, there is no close up view of their vestments. Therefore, I am not entire sure what the black vestment was, or if the white Cope-like vestment was actually a Cope. The person who gave the homily was wearing that special attire, perhaps their version of a choir dress? However, I am pretty sure that most of them are priests or deacons, because I looked at their Holy Thursday Mass and most were wearing white Chasubles.

 

[TomH1]

The remaining Carmelites wore what appeared to be a white cope over some black vestment,

I am wondering if because of the problems you describe with the actual view and because of the contrast with the white what you thought was black may have been brown: the colour of the Carmelites’ habit. The white garment you will have seen is what I believe is called a mantle. It is worn over the habit in choir. The Carmelites also have a white cloak for use outdoors. That is white in the Middle Ages they got the nickname the White Friars because people saw them in a white cloak. You will find places formerly associated with them called White Friars or Whitefriars.

 

[gotDoug]

I am wondering if because of the problems you describe with the actual view and because of the contrast with the white what you thought was black may have been brown: the color of the Carmelites’ habit.

Indeed, it could have been brown and not black. Unfortunately, because the camera is so far back, it may obscure the colors. Based on what you said, It definitely makes more sense to wear a mantle over a habit as opposed to a cope over a cassock.

 

[OraLabora]

These monks are Benedictines. They have their own proper Office but for Mass and the Sacred Triduum liturgies they use the Roman Rite.

They will have their own customary though, for both Mass and the Office. It will describe levels of solemnity, how to vest, etc. Some variations will be regional. For instance in the Rule of Saint Benedict, “summer” was from the Monday after the Easter Octave until November 1st; to anyone who’s been to Rome it makes sense. I’ve been going to Rome every November since 2014, and there is always a fairly radical and sudden change in the weather somewhere between November 1st and 5th; almost like clockwork.

In Canada, that makes little sense as we sometimes get blizzards in November. So we end “summer” at the feast of the Holy Cross on September 14th.

The liturgical implications of “summer” in the Rule is that in summer, the cowl is only worn at Mass whereas in winter, at Lauds, Vespers and Mass. And in Summer, instead of the second reading being patristic at Vigils (the monastic equivalent of the Office of Readings), a brief scripture reading is used instead on weekdays. On Sundays the regular patristic reading is used. You can also abridge the first reading to just the most significant paragraph or two. I have the Solesmes lectionary and these variants are all in the lectionary. The reason for this is the shorter nights in summer, and Vigils is a nocturnal Office.

Sometimes a priest-monk won’t concelebrate Mass, so he’ll wear only his black habit and cowl and will wear his stole for communion. This most frequently happens with the monk who is confessor and runs into “overtime” if the lineup is long for confession. He never turns anybody away.

The point being, the Benedictines have considerable latitude for arranging their liturgical practices. There are variants between congregations, and between communities within a congregation. Our abbey is of the Solesmes Congregation. They use the Roman definition of “summer” because the French climate resembles the Italian climate. But Canada is allowed its own distinction.

 

[TomH1]

for both Mass and the Office.

I know the Benedictines have their own Office and used the Brevarium Monasticum prior to Vatican II and post-Vatican II monasteries devise their own Office based on the Benedictine Confederation’s Thesaurus. It would not surprise me to learn the Solesmes Congregation used the same Office throughout the entire congregation. I think, but am not certain, that in the English Congregation each monsatery has greater freedom in devising it own Office and is not bound to a common form for the whole English Congregation.

Because I understood the Benedictines used the Roman Rite for Mass, not having their own Rite, they would conform to the GIRM with any adaptations permitted in their country.

They will have their own customary

Can you please confirm that my understanding is correct: Each monastery has its own customary rather than there being one for the entire congregation to which a monastery belongs?

 

[OraLabora]

It would not surprise me to learn the Solesmes Congregation used the same Office throughout the entire congregation.

Actually they don’t. Solesmes and St. Wandrille use the revised Monastic Breviary (same as in the Rule but adapted to Vatican II changes). Fontgombault and Clear Creek (and I think at least one other abbey in France) use the pre-Vatican II Monastic Breviary and the EF Mass. Our abbey, Saint-Benoît-du-lac in Québec, uses monastic Schema B (from the Thesaurus), that is all psalms in one week. Some abbeys (I think mainly women) have retained Prime in the post-VII Office. It really is a mixed bag.

I’ve been to Douai abbey in England; they used sort of a hybrid Office with a combined service of Vigils and Lauds that is on a 4-week schema similar to the Liturgy of the Hours, a mid-day office also on a 4-week cycle, and for Vespers and Compline they use the Antiphonarium Monasticum of 1934 which is on a one-week cycle, with an invariable psalter for Compline.

Can you please confirm that my understanding is correct: Each monastery has its own customary rather than there being one for the entire congregation to which a monastery belongs?

Yes that is correct, because it takes into account local conditions, the primary economic means of sustenance of the community, the layout (e.g. for processions etc.), and other factors that may. It may be based on the mother house of the Congregation (Solesmes for us), but from there, it will be adapted, including the horarium which will have to take into consideration the work schedules and local customs. In Europe for instance, in some places Vespers and dinner is usually much later. At our abbey, Vespers is at 17h followed by dinner. In Rome at Sant’ Anselmo, 19h15 followed by dinner.

Our library contains the Customariums of several monasteries past and present.

 

[TomH1]

Actually they don’t.

I know there are four psalm schemas with the Thesaurus.

So, have I understood you correctly. Solesmes and St. Wandrille do not use the Thesaurus.

I was aware of Fontgombault and its foundations, e.g. Clear Creek, and that they used the Extraordinary Form for the Mass and the pre-Vatican II Monastic Breviary. I should, obviously, have mentioned that rather than expect you to know what was on my mind. :crazy_face:

 

[OraLabora]

I know there are four psalm schemas with the Thesaurus .

They do, they use Schema A of the Thesaurus, which is the schema in the Rule of Saint Benedict (aka Breviarum Monasticum) amended for the post-Vatican II liturgical year. Our abbey uses Schema B of the Thesaurus.

There’s a joke that once a novice has figured out the liturgy, he’s ready for profession.

 

[otjm]

All the monks wore monastic cowls. None wore Mass vestments. Aren’t red Mass vestments meant to be worn at this Liturgy? (I know not all the monks will be priests but none wore Mass vestments.)

It is not a Mass. So it is entirely possible they were not required to wear Mass vestments.

 

[OldCAFMember]

Prior to 1956, only the priest received communion.

 

[TomH1]

It is not a Mass.

I did not say that it was a Mass. I know the unique liturgy for Good Friday afternoon is the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion.

So it is entirely possible they were not required to wear Mass vestments.

At the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday the rubrics prescribe that sacred ministers wear red Mass vestments.