It was an excellent point both times!Not fair, I made that point above
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O
OraLabora
Guest
At our abbey, there are few able-bodied brothers (i.e. monks who are not priests) who can chant the readings; of the handful we have, 3 are 50 or less, the others in their late 80s to early 90s. Of the three under 50, one couldnāt sing to save himself; one was absent, and the other was the acolyte. We have no deacon, our last one having been ordained a priest last summer. So today the first reading was chanted by a priest; and the gospel was proclaimed by another priest. Since itās a conventual and not a parish Mass one cannot just pick a reader out of the nave, especially since the readings are chanted, not simply read.
One does what one has to do and then carries onā¦
One does what one has to do and then carries onā¦
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Gyro
Guest
Hereās how it works at my parish where we have four deaconsā¦
A deacon is an Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist so, if a deacon is present at a Mass - regardless of whether there are other assigned deacons already vested and serving in the sanctuary - that deacon (if there is a need for extra ministers of the Eucharist besides the priest and two assigned deacons) is required to assist in the distribution of the Eucharist; and that āassistingā deacon should (at the very least) be vested in his alb, cincture and stole - 'though not necessarily in a dalmatic. (Iāve observed that this same assisting deacon should also help out as needed in purifying the ciboria, chalices and paten).
Likewise, a deacon who is present at a Mass where other deacons have already been assigned to be the Deacon of the Word and Deacon of the Eucharist, should still assist in his role as Lector, a function proper to his vocation. However, I donāt think he needs to be vested to act in his duty as a Lector/Reader (the titles, apparently, are interchangeable). That way, he can sit with his wife without drawing undue attention to himself (and sitting with oneās wife at Mass is something which is rare in the life of a deacon). My sense is that our deacons truly look forward to the occasional privilege of sitting with their wives at Mass.
A deacon is an Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist so, if a deacon is present at a Mass - regardless of whether there are other assigned deacons already vested and serving in the sanctuary - that deacon (if there is a need for extra ministers of the Eucharist besides the priest and two assigned deacons) is required to assist in the distribution of the Eucharist; and that āassistingā deacon should (at the very least) be vested in his alb, cincture and stole - 'though not necessarily in a dalmatic. (Iāve observed that this same assisting deacon should also help out as needed in purifying the ciboria, chalices and paten).
Likewise, a deacon who is present at a Mass where other deacons have already been assigned to be the Deacon of the Word and Deacon of the Eucharist, should still assist in his role as Lector, a function proper to his vocation. However, I donāt think he needs to be vested to act in his duty as a Lector/Reader (the titles, apparently, are interchangeable). That way, he can sit with his wife without drawing undue attention to himself (and sitting with oneās wife at Mass is something which is rare in the life of a deacon). My sense is that our deacons truly look forward to the occasional privilege of sitting with their wives at Mass.
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paperwight
Guest
Ok, perhaps I should have said they come and stand with the EMHCs and take whatever vessel they are assigned to whatever station needs covering, all the while wearing street clothes and looking just like the others who are doing the same job and whom we call EMHCs.dochawk:
Excellent point.
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