"Ecumenical Ash Wednesday Service"

[Insomniac]

With a Methodist minister as the presiding cleric. Ashes will be applied.

As a Catholic, is it licit to attend such a service/receive ashes from a Methodist?

 

[WhollyRoamin]

Weird. Don’t bother.

 

[benedictgal]

Is this going to be in a Catholic Church? Even though there doesn’t necessarily have to be a Mass for the distribution of Ashes (it is done as a Liturgy of the Word), but, even at that, it just doetn’s jibe.

Even though Redemptionis Sacramentu speaks to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I would think that this section is applicable, especially if the Protestant minister intends to preach:

1. Preaching
   [161.] As was already noted above, the homily on account of its importance and its nature is reserved to the Priest or Deacon during Mass.260 As regards other forms of preaching, if necessity demands it in particular circumstances, or if usefulness suggests it in special cases, lay members of Christ’s faithful may be allowed to preach in a church or in an oratory outside Mass in accordance with the norm of law.261 This may be done only on account of a scarcity of sacred ministers in certain places, in order to meet the need, and it may not be transformed from an exceptional measure into an ordinary practice, nor may it be understood as an authentic form of the advancement of the laity.262 All must remember besides that the faculty for giving such permission belongs to the local Ordinary, and this as regards individual instances; this permission is not the competence of anyone else, even if they are Priests or Deacons.

I would forego attending this and find a Catholic Church that will be having a bonafide liturgy, whether it is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or a Liturgy of the Word with the Distribution of Ashes.

 

[armywife]

There was a weird think like this once when we were stationed in Germany. The priest invited the Lutheran minister for the noon mass. Father still said Mass, but the Lutheran minister helped distribute ashes. That I was ok with, but Father then let this minister distribute communion and give the final blessing. I remember thinking, what the !@#$ is going on here!

It only happened one time, so I’m guessing people complained.

 

[benedictgal]

There was a weird think like this once when we were stationed in Germany. The priest invited the Lutheran minister for the noon mass. Father still said Mass, but the Lutheran minister helped distribute ashes. That I was ok with, but Father then let this minister distribute communion and give the final blessing. I remember thinking, what the !@#$ is going on here!

It only happened one time, so I’m guessing people complained.

That was a huge no-no. In fact, it counts as a grave violation, per Redemptionis Sacramentum:

1. Graviora delicta
   [172.] Graviora delicta against the sanctity of the Most August Sacrifice and Sacrament of the Eucharist are to be handled in accordance with the ‘Norms concerning graviora delicta reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’,280 namely:

a) taking away or retaining the consecrated species for sacrilegious ends, or the throwing them away;281
b) the attempted celebration of the liturgical action of the Eucharistic Sacrifice or the simulation of the same;282
c) the forbidden concelebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice with ministers of Ecclesial Communities that do not have the apostolic succession nor acknowledge the sacramental dignity of priestly Ordination;283
d) the consecration for sacrilegious ends of one matter without the other in the celebration of the Eucharist or even of both outside the celebration of the Eucharist.284

Even when there are ecumenical services in a Catrholic Church, like the one that the Holy Father celebrated while he was in New York, he was the presider. The Protestant ecclesial communities were the guests. Words were exchanged, but, that was the extent of their participation.

Now, when the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I participates in a ceremony wiht the Holy Father, both preach. We recognize them as a Sister Church who is not yet in full union with us. While neither concelebrates with the other, there are certain allowances for both to participate in each other’s liturgies.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

The campus ministry where I used to attend had an ecumenical Ash Wednesday service on campus. The Catholics, Episcopalians, and Lutherans came together for a Liturgy of the Word and distribution of ashes. They traded off each year who would do the readings or lead the music.

It was a wonderful experience for the people attending. There are so few opportunities to come together with people of other Christian faiths. And it was a wonderful witness to the campus. Everyone left the noontime service with ashes on their foreheads and were visible for the rest of the day.

Ashes aren’t a sacrament so you don’t have issues of whether someone can receive communion or whether there’s a valid priest available.

 

[Erich]

Ashes aren’t a sacrament so you don’t have issues of whether someone can receive communion or whether there’s a valid priest available.

Neither is Liturgy of the Hours a sacrament. About 4 months ago, our parish started offering a first-Sunday-of-the-month evening LotH sung prayer using the music of Taize; banners are hung from our perimeter fence at the entrances to the parking lot a week in advance advertising “Taize Sung Prayer / Sunday 7:30 PM / All are welcome” or something to that effect. We’ve had several members of local Protestant congregations come up to us saying they came the first time because “it was the first time they had ever been invited to any kind of service at a Catholic church” and they have looked forward to coming every month ever since.

 

[WhollyRoamin]

The ecumenical services are hardly anything more than novelties. Novelties are fine at the ice cream store, they are not appropriate for the Almighty.

If you’re Catholic, go to Catholic services.

 

[pnewton]

Ashes aren’t a sacrament so you don’t have issues of whether someone can receive communion or whether there’s a valid priest available.

Non-Catholics can receive a sacramental. As long as this is not done in the context of the Mass, it is not illicit. The blessing of the ashes, however, I believe must be done by a priest. In any case, why would a Catholic want to go somewhere beside a Catholic Church this most important of days.

Maybe if you went to such a service for a pastoral type reason in addition to your Mass…?

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Maybe if you went to such a service for a pastoral type reason in addition to your Mass…?

Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. It’s not required to go to Mass at all that day. Nor is it required that someone receive ashes.

 

[tee_eff_em]

…And you gotta be careful just whom you’re ecumenicaling up to…

It could one of them evangelical communities that’s into full-immersion imposition of ashes.

tee
who is kidding

 

[pnewton]

Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. It’s not required to go to Mass at all that day. Nor is it required that someone receive ashes.

I am aware of that, but neither it is required to go to ecumenical services. I guess I can’t fathom why a Catholic would prefer a weak shadow to the Living God.

 

[Jsmith17]

If a Lutheran is presiding then the ashes may not even be a sacramental… they have to be blessed by a priest with valid holy orders, which Lutherans don’t have.

I would only attend if it was the only place to recieve ashes. If there’s a real Catholic church nearby, I’d go there.

 

[armywife]

The strange thing about my situation is that it wasn’t announced that it was going to be an ecumenical service. I just showed up the noon mass to receive ashes and got a surprise. This particular priest had been pulled from retirement twice since the Army is so short of priests.

There were many times where I went to mass at the German or Italian churches, just so I wouldn’t have to deal with some of his antics. But that’s another thread.