Blessed Christmas to all of you!
While Christmas is one of the most beautiful and holy seasons of the liturgical year, it is most upsetting that several priests and liturgical gurus find it necessary to make the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass an exercise in creativity.
The situation that the OP described is one such example. As other posters have indicated, the short answer to the OP’s questino is NO. Redemptionis Sacramentalis makes this very clear that only those who have received Holy Orders (deacon, priest and bishop) are to proclaim the Gospel.
Regarding the latitude for Children’s Liturgies that puzzleannie indicated, while this latitude may exist, the Directory for Masses with Children maintains that the integrity of the Mass must be followed:
- It is always necessary to keep in mind that these Eucharistic Celebrations must lead children toward the celebration of Mass with adults, especially in the Masses at which the Christian community must come together on Sundays. [19] Thus, apart from adaptations that are necessary because of the children’s age, the result should not be entirely special rites, markedly different from the Order of Mass celebrated with a congregation. [20] The purpose of the various elements should always correspond with what is said in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal on individual points, even if at times for pastoral reasons an absolute identity cannot be insisted upon.
Furthermore, the adaptations to which puzzleannie refers are made when children comprise the majority of the faithful present for the Mass, such as when the Holy Sacrifice is celebrated in a parochial/Catholic school. However, when adults comprise a majority of the faithful, the celebrant cannot use the Eucharistic Prayers for Children. He must use either the four regular canons, the ones for reconciliation, or the two so-called Swiss canons. The Eucharistic Prayers for Children must only be used when children make up a majority of the faithful at Mass.
What the OP described certainly does not conform to the rubrics of the Mass. While the Gospel readings for Palm Sunday and Good Friday are such that they are written in dialogue form, such a rendition of the Gospel is permitted only for those two days. At all other times of the year, the Gospel must be proclaimed by a deacon, priest or bishop.
The pastor should be told, in as respectful a tone as possible, that what he did (although well meaning), was a misguided attempt at “active participation”. Active participation doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to “do” something up on the altar. By praying (vocally or silently) and following the Mass, you are engaged in actively participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
and speak very loudly over the mic.