Do you have the option of attending a parish that is in keeping with your understanding of Abuse-Free and Liturgically-Correct?

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Here is what Canon Law says about it:

“When the need of the Church warrants it and ministers are lacking, lay persons, even if they are not lectors or acolytes, can also supply certain of their duties, namely, to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside offer liturgical prayers, to confer baptism, and to distribute Holy Communion, according to the prescripts of the law.” -Canon 230.3

There are guidelines to follow. It isn’t just “the priest’s call” whenever.
 
Mary did you know during mass is fine. But the hallelujah thing isn’t.
 
JulianN said:
Right. And he determines if the need requires it.
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Come on, you can argue that all day long. When an EMHC stands next to the priest to distribute Communion when there are 10 people in the pews you know that’s an abuse.

The original document allowing EMCHs listed when they were allowed. 3 subsequent documents have reiterated the situations when it’s allowed in exactly the same term.

Healthy priest and 10 communicants doesn’t meet the standards for an EMHC unless that EMHC is ministering the Cup.
 
Nobody said anything about 10 communicants.

But if the priest, who is the chief liturgist for the Mass, isn’t the one who determines the need for EMHC, who is? Someone in the pews?
 
That’s actually one of the issues we’ve run into with me not being Catholic…I (we) can’t be part of the ministries at my wife’s church because I’m not Catholic (TBH, they gave me one choice…music, I’ve never been a musician).

She’s currently looking for a parish where I can be more of the community/life of the parish.
 
JulianN said:
Nobody said anything about 10 communicants.

But if the priest, who is the chief liturgist for the Mass, isn’t the one who determines the need for EMHC, who is? Someone in the pews?
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Sometimes just good old common sense.
 
But whose? Who is the final arbiter of the liturgy in a parish?
 
I will be honest: I go to my parish to receive the sacraments of Eucharist and confession. I really get no other spiritual fulfillment there. It’s like living in an apocalyptic wasteland and having to go to the one shady guy who can provide you the life-saving medicine you need: it’s not ideal but necessary to survive. I just learn the theology and teachings on my own, from reading Scripture, works of the Saints, and relying on some good websites. To me, my parish is basically a pharmacy for sacraments, as terrible as that sounds.
 
I think this was the OP’s original question- why do you continue going to this parish? Is there no other parish within reasonable distance that would be more spiritually fulfilling? Perhaps not, but that’s the thread’s question. By the way, this is so sad 😞.
 
The pastor makes the final decision but the guidelines don’t have to specify a ratio in order for his decision to be liturgical abuse. The spirit of the law and common sense would suffice in this case.
 
I am a pianist/organist who plays as an act of service at my home parish whenever I am asked (by the parish Music Minister, a hired staff member). I end up playing once or twice a month, and I consider it an honor and I practice in advance.

I play for pay at other parishes in our city at their invitation when I am available (I also work in a hospital, including on weekends).

And I play for pay Protestant churches at their invitation and when I am available.

I do not have a music degree, but I am a skilled pianist nevertheless with over 50 years of church music experience, as well as secular music experience (local community theater, accompanying soloists and groups at our local music club, accompanying several local secular choirs, etc.)

I am really puzzled by this phrase “these people come when they choose to.” Can someone please explain how this works?

It’s been my experience over all these years that volunteer church musicians are part of a church choir or at least are vetted by the church music minister (hired staff member) or the pastor of the church. In Catholic parishes, musicians are generally members or past members of a church choir, or involved the city’s Catholic high school choir (excellent, BTW), or are members of a college choir during their college years.

They sing or play for Mass at the request of the staff Music Minister, who organizes all the parish music for several months in advance. We already have our schedule through Ordinary Time, and will probably receive our Advent schedule in the next few weeks.

The parish choir sings at the 9:30 a.m. traditional Mass (the largest attendance of any of our parish masses). Since it is a volunteer choir, not everyone shows up every week, but generally speaking, the Music Minister knows when members are out-of-town or sick or working, and he will select the anthem based on this knowledge.

The Contemporary Choir sings at the 11:00 a.m. folk Mass (the second largest attendance of any of the parish masses), and it’s the same arrangement–the Music Minister generally knows who will be there and who won’t.

The Children’s Choir sings once a month at the Sat. evening Mass, and it is a parish school requirement that the children sing at a certain number of Masses. The CC has around 60 members, so there is usually a nice number of singers. The school music teacher knows who has been excused from singing for each Mass, so there are no surprises.

A wonderful young man who plays beautiful piano arranges the musicians for the Sunday evening Mass, and he knows in advance who will be there.

So how exactly does this method of “whoever shows up” work? I don’t see how this can be sustained because surely there are Masses where no one shows up! Is there no music minister or staff member who vets and schedules accompanists and singers in advance?

In all my years, I have never worked in a church that does not schedule musicians in advance.
 
So again–Do you have the option of attending a parish that is in keeping with your understanding of “abuse-free” or “liturgically-correct”?

Or maybe I should phrase it this way-- are you stuck for some reason in a parish that, according to your understanding, allows liturgical abuse on a regular basis and demonstrates no willingness to correct those things that you understand to be liturgical abuses?

If you cannot leave that liturgically-abusive parish, may I inquire, if the reason(s) are not too personal, what the reason(s) are that you remain in the liturgically-abusive parish?
 
So do you have the option to attend another parish that is in keeping with your understanding of abuse-free and liturgically-correct?

If not, may I inquire, if it’s not too personal, why you don’t attend another parish?
 
Before this thread continues, I just want to make it clear that i am NOT advocating the mindset that many Protestants have–“church-hopping”; , i.e., attending church after church seeking a “perfect” church where they will be “fed” and where everything is compliant with their personal preferences.

I was Evangelical Protestant for the first 47 years of my life, BTW, so I know well this behavior.

I think it’s fine for Catholics to explore the many options in their city to experience the richness of the variety of liturgies approved by the Catholic Church. That’s not what I’m talking about when I say, “church-hopping.”

What I mean by “church-hopping” is “joining”(officially or unofficially–it varies with different denominations) with a church or parish and getting involved with various classes and ministries and making friends–and then quitting that church and all those ministries and most or all of the friends to move to another church–and repeating this over and over again in a never-ending “church search.”

I am NOT advocating this when I ask why people don’t find a parish that is in keeping with their understanding of abuse-free/liturgically-correct.

I think it’s understandable when a parish truly practices genuine abuses (spelled out clearly by various official Church documents) that a Catholic would want to leave that parish and be somewhere “safe.”

The word “abuse” has a connotation of “harm.” and I can see why someone would want to get out of harm’s way.

I can even understand why someone might admit that their parish doesn’t really practice “liturgical abuse,” but it is not comfortable for them nevertheless, perhaps because of a musical style that doesn’t feel comfortable to them. I often wonder why these people don’t seek out a parish that is a better fit. I think they would be happier, or at least, less unhappy.
 
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