Ash Wednesday Without a Priest

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I went to a service on Wednesday and was a bit confused about the service. It was not a full mass. There was one gospel reading and a psalm, plus the distribution of ashes, of course.

My confusion sprang from the fact that a priest did not head up the service. It was headed by the pastoral associate (who is a woman). She was assisted by two other women, who are the directors of faith formation.

Is this okay? Is there some prescribed format for Ash Wednesday services that was neglected here? I have never been to an Ash Wednesday service like this.
 
It was not a Mass, therefore perfectly acceptable. That is assuming that the ashes were blessed by a priest prior to the service. Laypersons are allowed to distribute the ashes but not to bless them.
 
Yes, the ashes were previously blessed by the priest. Thank you very much for the reassurance. It was just out of the ordinary from what I had previously experienced. I wanted to confirm that it was okay; if it wasn’t, I would have said something. You have saved me from making an idiot out of myself. 😃
 
My parish had three Masses that day, as well as two Liturgy of the Word services, similar to yours. The Liturgy of the Word services were done by deacons.

All services, including Masses, wer packed to overflowing, and our church seats over 1,400 people.
 
Kanda said:
I went to a service on Wednesday and was a bit confused about the service. It was not a full mass. There was one gospel reading and a psalm, plus the distribution of ashes, of course.

My confusion sprang from the fact that a priest did not head up the service. It was headed by the pastoral associate (who is a woman). She was assisted by two other women, who are the directors of faith formation.

Is this okay? Is there some prescribed format for Ash Wednesday services that was neglected here? I have never been to an Ash Wednesday service like this.
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Ashes can be imposed within a Liturgy of the Word. The Bishop should have provided a clear outline and instructions for this where there would not be a priest available.

However only a priest or deacon can bless the ashes. So either they were blessed by a priest or deacon at another parish, or there should not have been a service. A Layperson cannot bless the ashes.(99.9% sure)
 
It is interesting how parishes are packed on Ash Wednesday (not a holy day of obligation) and not on Sunday. I wonder why that is?
 
Gentile said:
It is interesting how parishes are packed on Ash Wednesday (not a holy day of obligation) and not on Sunday. I wonder why that is?
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Ashes, palms and throats Catholics. They turn up when something cool is given out. Tragic, but true. They also blend in with Christmas and Good Friday Catholics.
 
In the USA the Book of Blessings has a ceremony for distributing ashes outside of Mass. It has only been approved for the USA and is not in the Latin edition of this book. So the ceremony cannot be used in another country, like Australia. It has:

“1658 If already blessed ashes are brought to the sick, the blessing is omitted and the distribution takes place immediately after the homily. The homily should conclude by inviting the sick person to prepare himself or herself for the reception of the ashes.
1659 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 the ashes, however, is reserved to a priest or deacon.” (Book of Blessings, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1875-8, page 621)

The ceremony is written so a lay person can be the presiding minister, for example:
“1662 A lay minister greets those present in the following words:
Praised by the God of grace, mercy, and peace. Blessed be God for ever.”

This varies from the instruction in the 1975 Roman Missal:
“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.” (Roman Missal, Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, 1985, page 78).

The 2002 Roman Missal seems to have the same thing. It could be argued that it overrules the Book of Blessings for the USA, since it is a more recent instruction. It has in Latin:
“Benedictio et impositio cinerum fieri potest etiam extra Missam. Quo in casu praemittitur Liturgia verbi, adhibendo cantum ad introitum, collectam, lectiones cum suis cantibus, ut in Missa. Sequitur deinde homilia et benedictio atque impositio cinerum. Ritus concluditur oratione universali, benedictione ac dimissione fidelium.”
(Missale Romanum, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2002, ISBN: 8820972719, page 200.)

The word “benedictio” means “blessing” – indicating that the ashes are to be blessed in the ceremony outside of Mass.

Another issue is whether a priest or deacon was present at the ceremony. In that case it would be wrong for the pastoral associate to preside. It has in the General Introduction to the Book of Blessings about lay people being allowed to lead ceremonies, but then has:
“18. … But whenever a priest or a deacon is present, the office of presiding should be left to him.”
 
An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion may be deputized to impose ashes but not bless them. They should not be used if, there are a sufficient number of clergy available.
 
Kanda said:
I went to a service on Wednesday and was a bit confused about the service. It was not a full mass. There was one gospel reading and a psalm, plus the distribution of ashes, of course.
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I should point out that the Lectionary indicates that if the distribution of ashes occurs outside of Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, with the readings for Ash Wednesday, should be part of the service. This appears to not have happened in your case.
 
MusicMan said:
I should point out that the Lectionary indicates that if the distribution of ashes occurs outside of Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, with the readings for Ash Wednesday, should be part of the service. This appears to not have happened in your case.
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The Lectionary has:
“ASH WEDNESDAY
When the blessing and distribution of ashes is done apart from Mass these readings may be used for a liturgy of the word before the blessing of ashes.”
(Lectionary Volume 1 Study Edition, Collins Liturgical Australia, 1983, ISBN 0 00 599764-X, page 187).

It uses the word “may” which suggests flexibility in the choice of readings.

The Book of Blessings ceremony, approved for the USA, seems to say just one reading. It has:

“1665 A reader, another person present, or the minister reads a text of sacred Scripture.
Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the prophet Joel:
2:12-18 …”
After the text of the reading it has:
“1666 Or:
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 - *Be reconciled to God, now is the acceptable time.
*Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 - Your Father, who sees all that is done in secret, will reward you.
1667 As circumstances suggest, the following responsorial psalm may be sung, or some other suitable song.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Psalm 51”
After the text of the psalm it has:
“1668 As circumstances suggest, the minister may give those present a brief explanation of the biblical text …”.
(Book of Blessings, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1875-8, pages 623-624).

So someone following this book, not looking at the Lectionary, would believe they should only do one reading, which should be before the psalm.

It is interesting note that the Lectionary does not envisage a separation of the blessing of ashes from the distribution of them. It has “When the blessing and distribution of ashes is done apart from Mass these readings may be used for a liturgy of the word before the blessing of ashes.” This highlights how unusual the Book of Blessings ceremony approved for the USA is.
 
John_Lilburne said:
The Lectionary has:
“ASH WEDNESDAY
When the blessing and distribution of ashes is done apart from Mass these readings may be used for a liturgy of the word before the blessing of ashes.”
(Lectionary Volume 1 Study Edition, Collins Liturgical Australia, 1983, ISBN 0 00 599764-X, page 187).

It uses the word “may” which suggests flexibility in the choice of readings.
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Your lectionary is out of date, and is the one for Australia. Do you have the current one for the US?
 
MusicMan said:
Your lectionary is out of date, and is the one for Australia. Do you have the current one for the US?
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I agree it is for use in Australia, not that it is out of date. I have the Latin edition, with the rubric I quoted in Latin.
 
MusicMan said:
The current Lectionary went into use in the US in Advent of 1998.
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Then Australia beat the USA by 15 years in publishing an approved translation of the 1981 Lectionary for Mass (the second edition of the Lectionary).

An Australian Cardinal, James Knox, was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and signed the decree for the 1981 Latin Edition of the Lectionary on 21 January 1981. He was also Archbishop of Melbourne.

So perhaps Australia had more resources and enthusiasm and so published its second edition of the lectionary sooner than the USA.
 
The Australian approval for the 2nd Edition of the Lectionary was more remarkable than I realised.

The altar edition was published in 1981. Vatican approval for Australia was given on 12 June 1981 (Prot number CD 2188/80). The Latin edition decree was on 21 January 1981, just 142 days before.

Since then no other Australian translations of liturgical books have been approved (at least from what I can tell by what has been published).

The decree for the 2002 Roman Missal is dated 20 April 2000, that is 2505 days ago.
The Caeremoniale Episcoporum was on 14 September 1984, 8202 days ago.
The De Benedictionibus (or Book of Blessings) was on 31 May 1984 – 8308 days ago.

So if an Australian Book of Blessings were approved today, it would have taken more than 58 times as long as it took to approve the Lectionary for Mass, 2nd edition.

Another litugical book awaiting translation in the Roman Martyrology, I am unsure of the date for the most recent Latin edition.
 
I was wrong in writing that since the approval of the 1981 Lectionary for Mass “… no other Australian translations of liturgical books have been approved …”.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults has the Latin decree of 6 January 1972 and the Australian translation approval of 20 June 1986, which was 5279 days later.
 
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