Ash Wednesday -A no priest children's service

[Quaere_Verum]

I know that Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. However, our family likes to attend Mass whenever the opportunity arises.

Our DRE has something scheduled for the children - a program or service with distribution of ashes by herself and teachers. A notice went out that stated in bold letters, “Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. You do not have to attend Mass.” I was wondering if there is anything inherently wrong in this service or the way it was presented. Is this something that needs to be brought to their attention, or is it O.K. for those who are attending? The rest of us can go to Mass instead. In other words we all just go our own way.

 

[Kielbasi]

Ashes can be distributed during mass, or outside of mass.

What’s being done here is perfectly copasetic, although apparently you personally prefer it be done a different way.

 

[puzzleannie]

it is entirely appropriate to have a liturgy of the Word led by a deacon or even a layperson, with distribution of ashes. Mass is not required. Most parishes will have at least one or two Masses, and the rest of the services will be ashes only. Our HS service tonight will be led by our transitional deacon, LOW plus ashes. I was going to lead it but because he is in town and volunteered we got lucky. Father is taking care of two parishes, has 2 Masses in each, the rest are services led by deacons or others. 8 services in each parish.

 

[Quaere_Verum]

Thank you for responding Kielbasi & puzzleannie. We’ll be attending Mass not because we’re protesting the children’s service but because we don’t want to pass up the opportunity to attend Mass. I just wanted to know for future reference if this was O.K. Thanks for helping clarify this for me.

In our parish, next to Christmas & Easter, Ash Wednesday Mass is the most highly attended Mass even tough it is not required. I guess I would have preferred a notice that encouraged Mass rather than one that said, **“YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ATTEND MASS”. ** Some people who would have attended Mass may not attend now; instead they’ll go to a service.

 

[MusicMan]

Quaere Verum:

A notice went out that stated in bold letters, “Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. You do not have to attend Mass.” I was wondering if there is anything inherently wrong in this service or the way it was presented. Is this something that needs to be brought to their attention, or is it O.K. for those who are attending? The rest of us can go to Mass instead. In other words we all just go our own way.

There is nothing incorrect about this statement. I have a problem with the presentation. It looks like the goal is to de-emphasize the Mass and try to draw people to their own service. By putting the notice, “Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. You do not have to attend Mass,” in bold letters, it makes the Mass seem like something tedious and that their service would be less troublesome and tedious for the young people. Wrong attitude during this penitential, return to God season, if you ask me.

Besides, why would you want to attend an Ash Wednesday service of ashes if you had the option to go to Mass?

I have no problems with the service or with advertising it, mind you, because sometimes people ARE unable to make it to Mass today… I think the statement in bold letters was out-of-line and in poor judgement.

 

[puzzleannie]

they probably were trying to cut down on the endless phone calls to the parish office asking if it is a holy day of obligation. however since most of the people who call all day never read the bulletin, because they never attend church except on ash Wed, the phone calls still go on so it did not serve the purpose.

 

[Brendan]

MusicMan:

There is nothing incorrect about this statement. I have a problem with the presentation.

I agree, that’s why I would say that there was nothing unfactual about the statement, but lots that was incorrect.

 

[decn2b]

Quaere Verum:

I guess I would have preferred a notice that encouraged Mass rather than one that said, **“YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ATTEND MASS”. ** Some people who would have attended Mass may not attend now; instead they’ll go to a service.

This is a really really bad thing for your DRE to do.Borderline sacrilige. Of course AW is not a holy day of obligation…however your DRE posting such nonsense makes me wonder why he/she doesn’t also just post somthing like WE HAVE FREE WILL YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO TO MASS EVER OR EVEN BELIEVE IN GOD.

Our DRE would be fired for making an overt implication coercing people not to attend the supper of the LAMB.

 

[MusicMan]

In a perfect situation, the parish in question would have at least a pastor and a parochial vicar, and would have the priestly manpower to have several Masses that day for the general public and then a special one for the religious education students. Depending on your parish situation, an evening Mass where students could attend may not have been an option, and this service put on by the religious educators was the best situation possible.

It is entirely possible that we are seeing malice here where none was intended. As a public school teacher, I always try to present information in a way that reduces confusion and is easy for parents and students to understand. As I get phone calls for clarification, I always think about how I could better present the information. It is likely that after several years of having this prayer service, the DRE noticed that many parents were calling to find out if Ash Wednesday was a Holy Day of Obligation and if their children had to go to Mass in addition to the service during their regular religious ed., so the DRE just presented that information on the flier in a way that would cut down on confusion.

A lot of us are reading more into this than MAY be there. I don’t think providing this information on the flier is inappropriate, but perhaps the DRE should find a better way to present it so that people don’t construe the flier as “downgrading” the Mass to something less important.

I seem to notice on these Forums that we have a “Catholic Utopian Ideal” that we all seem to hold on to, and when it is not met, we scream abuse at the top of our lungs. Unfortunately, not all of us have a perfect parish with a pastor, a vicar (or several), and a deacon, where the sacraments and services can be ministered in the most “correct” way possible. We must always be working towards this, but we need to be looking at the big picture to see why it’s not happening and what we can do to achieve it.

 

[John_Lilburne]

The 1975 Roman Missal has: “The blessing and giving of ashes may be done outside Mass. In this case the entire liturgy of the word should be celebrated: entrance song, opening prayer, readings and chants, homily, blessing and giving of ashes, general intercessions.” (The Sacramentary, 1985, Catholic Book Publishing Company, New York, page 78).

Two things indicate that a priest should do this. Firstly, the blessing of the ashes is part of the ceremony. Secondly, the use of the word “homily”.

But in the USA there is an approved edition of the Book of Blessings, with the ceremony for Ash Wednesday. The Ash Wednesday ceremony is not part of the Vatican’s original Book of Blessings (called “De Benedictionibus”). But the Vatican approved its inclusion in 1989.

In the introduction to this ceremony it has:

"1656. … The blessing and distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday normally takes place during the celebration of Mass. However, when circumstances require, the blessing and distribution of ashes may take place apart from Mass, during a celebration of the word of God. …

1. This rite may be celebrated by a priest or deacon who may be assisted by lay ministers in the distribution of the ashes. The blessing of ashes, however, is reserved to a priest or deacon."

(From the Book of Blessings, Liturgical Press, ISBN 0-8146-1875-8, page 621).

So it should be in Mass. If not possible, the priest or deacon should have a Liturgy of the Word. If not possible, a lay minister should use previously blessed ashes.

So I think it is reasonable to be concerned that when the newsletter was published it was known that a priest or deacon would not be available. There was a decision to promote the least preferred option.

 

[decn2b]

MusicMan:

I seem to notice on these Forums that we have a “Catholic Utopian Ideal” that we all seem to hold on to, and when it is not met, we scream abuse at the top of our lungs.

Look, a DRE that makes a statement that more or less overty encourages not attending mass by posting a big note to me is not minor “violation” of your so called “Utopian ideal” that you imply we have here on this forum. I have no idea where you are from but if you were raised in my diocese like I was during the 70’s and early 80s you would feel like I do. We have lost nearly two Generations of Cathlics because of the minimizing of the sacred. To many of us this website and Forum is the medicine that we need. When a DRE posts a note with the implication that we don’t need to be burdened by somthing not required so its ok to skip the event. What are the children to think when an employee of the Church who is responsible for their faith formation uses language saying you don’t have to attend. To me it sends a message to the kids that going to Mass is an unfun thing and on AW you can get out of it because it is not an obligation.I can think of a thousand better ways of putting it… How about putting up a note that says…** even though Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation…WE have the opportunity to do so at our parish tonight. Come one come all and give thanks at this Sacred Celebration on the Lambs supper that we are blessed with the opportunity to attend this beutiful Mass.**

 

[MusicMan]

decn2b:

Look, a DRE that makes a statement that more or less overty encourages not attending mass by posting a big note to me is not minor “violation” of your so called “Utopian ideal” that you imply we have here on this forum. I have no idea where you are from but if you were raised in my diocese like I was during the 70’s and early 80s you would feel like I do. We have lost nearly two Generations of Cathlics because of the minimizing of the sacred. To many of us this website and Forum is the medicine that we need. When a DRE posts a note with the implication that we don’t need to be burdened by somthing not required so its ok to skip the event. What are the children to think when an employee of the Church who is responsible for their faith formation uses language saying you don’t have to attend. To me it sends a message to the kids that going to Mass is an unfun thing and on AW you can get out of it because it is not an obligation.I can think of a thousand better ways of putting it… How about putting up a note that says…** even though Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation…WE have the opportunity to do so at our parish tonight. Come one come all and give thanks at this Sacred Celebration on the Lambs supper that we are blessed with the opportunity** to attend this beutiful Mass.

I would recommend you take a moment and reread my post, and if you plan to be a deacon, you might want rethink how you plan to deal with people in your ministry. I think we’re on the same side here…

I don’t know if this DRE wrote the information on Ash Wednesday to minimize the sacred or not. My point is that there are a great many reasons why a DRE would handle the situation that way, and we don’t really know why they did it the way they did. I hope the OP will ask this DRE and then share with us, because I’m curious too.

This Forum DOES hold to a Catholic Utopian Ideal, and I respect and appreciate it. It’s good spiritual medicine for me to. But the bottom line is that out in the actual practice of the faith, it doesn’t always happen. Priests and deacons are human beings and in a lot of dioceses they have more work on their plate than they should. It is a fact that while many dioceses DO have sufficient numbers of priests, others have a significant shortage. Rules vary from diocese to diocese, but the standard rule is that a priest may say no more than three Masses a day and five Sunday Masses (including Vigils or anticipated, as the terms go), a weekend.

Giving this DRE the benefit of the doubt, it is entirely possible that by the time the religious ed classes met, the pastor of this parish had already said three Masses that day and couldn’t say Mass. Maybe there was no vicar to help. Maybe there was no deacon to lead the service. Maybe this priest was pastor with NO other clergy to assist and this was the best the parish could offer. What if the priest gave his PERMISSION for the DRE to write on the flier in bold letters that one didn’t have to attend Mass on Ash Wednesday because he knew he would be unable to offer Mass at a time when all the religious ed students could attend? What if it was only worded that way to make sure that everyone understood what their obligations for that day were?

 

[decn2b]

MusicMan:

I would recommend you take a moment and reread my post, and if you plan to be a deacon, you might want rethink how you plan to deal with people in your ministry.

Ok I re-read your post.

Now I am scratching my head at why you think that I implied we might not be on the same side?

I think we contstantly need to contemplate on how we “deal” with people. With that in mind, my opinion of the worst kind of minister is the one without a spine. I don’t claim to possess all truth. But sometimes the truth isn’t fluffy duffy and any attempt to fluff it can do serious harm.

I don’t agree with you that the IS a utopian Catholic forum. That is a matter of opinion.