EWTN Mass

[slewi]

Does anyone here watch the Daily Mass on EWTN? I listen to it every morning on my way to work, and have noticed something odd.

The acolytes used to ring the bells at the consecration three times for the Trinity. Right around Lent they started ringing the bells only once, and have been doing so since. I wonder why? Is there something in the Rubrics? I doubt it, but thought I’d ask.

It would seem to me that it is a conscious decision made by someone. They just didn’t change it for no reason. Why would they do that?

Curious.

 

[jbuck919]

No, I don’t watch it every day, but I do rather like the EWTN Mass. If you accept, as I think we must, that every Mass is in the accidents something of a compromise, and that this has always been true, not just recently, then they do a pretty good job. My only objection, and there is no getting around this, is that as a trained musician I can barely tolerate the out-of-tune intonations of the celebrants. If I had a second objection (and I encountered this just the other day watching with my elderly mother), it would be that some of the preachers have fallen into the Catholic bad habit of thinking anyone cares or should care what they say in the homilry after about five minutes, well, give them ten out of charity.

 

[catholicmessage]

If I had a second objection (and I encountered this just the other day watching with my elderly mother), it would be that some of the preachers have fallen into the Catholic bad habit of thinking anyone cares or should care what they say in the homilry after about five minutes, well, give them ten out of charity.

I can’t say I agree with you on this. I have heard homilies that I wished would never end (calling to mind a homily I heard on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter at a local parish). That is how good they are sometimes. Other homilies (not on EWTN) make me cringe due to their theological absurdity (calling to mind a homily given by a deacon after the gospel about the wedding feast at Cana, in which he told the congregation that “Jesus felt guilty, so He decided to perform the miracle”).

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Does anyone here watch the Daily Mass on EWTN? I listen to it every morning on my way to work, and have noticed something odd.

The acolytes used to ring the bells at the consecration three times for the Trinity. Right around Lent they started ringing the bells only once, and have been doing so since. I wonder why? Is there something in the Rubrics? I doubt it, but thought I’d ask.

It would seem to me that it is a conscious decision made by someone. They just didn’t change it for no reason. Why would they do that?

Curious.

Are you sure they haven’t reinstated the three rings now that Easter is upon us? I could easily assume the reduction in rings to be a Lenten discipline.

 

[slewi]

Are you sure they haven’t reinstated the three rings now that Easter is upon us? I could easily assume the reduction in rings to be a Lenten discipline.

Yes, I was hoping it was a Lenten discipline myself. I have been listening intently this week to see if they did reinstate it. They haven’t.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Yes, I was hoping it was a Lenten discipline myself. I have been listening intently this week to see if they did reinstate it. They haven’t.

In that case, I’m just as clueless as you.

 

[kleary]

EWTN adopted the “triple ring at the elevation” from the Tridentine Mass as done by the FSSP. However the FSSP adopted the liturgical custom in Europe for the Tridentine Mass.

However the “Triple ring” at the elevation of the Host and the chalice is NOT even part of the Traditional Roman Liturgy. The rubrics for the Tridentine Mass call for one short ring at the following times:

1. Genuflection of the priest after consecration of the host.
2. Elevation of the Host.
3. Genuflection of the priest after elevation of the Host.
4. Genuflection of the priest after consecration of the wine.
5. Elevation of the Prescious Blood.
6. Genuflection of the priest after the elevation of the Prescious Blood.

Six rings total - not ten.

The “triple ring” at the elevation comes from Europe. It is a custom there and it is kept by the FSSP.

Bottom line is that it is just a custom. Before my parish became “Diocesean staffed” we had a priest from the FSSP as our pastor. He had the servers ring the bell three times at the elevations because that’s how they do it in the FSSP. When Fr. Pasley took over the single ring at the elevations was done- because we wanted to follow the rubrics strictly in that matter.

Anyway EWTN is under close eye of their Diocese. You won’t see much out of line with how Mass is done in your parish soon. Elimination of the “triple ring” can be seen as a further change to make Mass on EWTN like Mass more like Mass at your local parish IMHO.

And as far as bells in the Novus Ordo, they are optional and not required. Maybe someone who knows the rubrics for the N.O. Mass can enlighten us here. It is my understanding that there are 4 rings only- at the Hanc Igetur, elevation of the Host and chalice… and one after the preist receives from the chalice.

Ken

 

[ChristopherM]

EWTN adopted the “triple ring at the elevation” from the Tridentine Mass as done by the FSSP. However the FSSP adopted the liturgical custom in Europe for the Tridentine Mass.

However the “Triple ring” at the elevation of the Host and the chalice is NOT even part of the Traditional Roman Liturgy. The rubrics for the Tridentine Mass call for one short ring at the following times:

1. Genuflection of the priest after consecration of the host.
2. Elevation of the Host.
3. Genuflection of the priest after elevation of the Host.
4. Genuflection of the priest after consecration of the wine.
5. Elevation of the Prescious Blood.
6. Genuflection of the priest after the elevation of the Prescious Blood.

Six rings total - not ten.

The “triple ring” at the elevation comes from Europe. It is a custom there and it is kept by the FSSP.

Ken Just curious as to where you got this information from…

My Daily Missal’s state the bell is rung thrice at each elevation of the Body/Blood…

for a total of ten

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Ken Just curious as to where you got this information from…

My Daily Missal’s state the bell is rung thrice at each elevation of the Body/Blood…

for a total of ten

Do you have the Angelus Press Roman Catholic Daily Missal? Just curious, because I seem to remember mine indicating a triple ring during the elevations as well.

 

[ChristopherM]

Do you have the Angelus Press Roman Catholic Daily Missal? Just curious, because I seem to remember mine indicating a triple ring during the elevations as well.

Yes I do… I have also Checked my other Missals…

Saint Johns Sunday Missal…

The New Marian Missal…

and my kids Missal’s…
My See and Pray Missal

My First Missal

 

[slewi]

My 1962 Saint Joseph’s missal has three bells as well, indicating three rings.

Maybe I’ll just email the friars and see what gives…

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

All the English/Latin missals I’ve seen indicate a triple ring at the elevations. The current GIRM simply says that a bell may be rung, according to custom, and whether the bell is rung once or thrice falls under the category of local custom. I prefer the triple ring myself, but many parishes had their own unique customs. Some larger churches had electric chimes mounted in the sanctuary and controlled by pushbuttons set into the altar steps, and they would ring several notes in sequence. Other parishes had pedestal gongs with three bells that were struck in sequence with a hammer. As long as it is reverent, I don’t think the method of ringing the altar bells is critical. Muffling them after ringing, though, ought to be considered a sin against beauty.

 

[kleary]

Ken Just curious as to where you got this information from…

My Daily Missal’s state the bell is rung thrice at each elevation of the Body/Blood…

for a total of ten

“At each elevation he holds up slightly for a moment the end of the chasuble in his left hand, and rings the bell with his right, either continuously or three times. HE MAY ARRANGE this so that he ring once when the celebrant genuflects, once when he elevates, once again when he genuflects. Since there are two elevations THE BELL WILL BE RUNG ALTOGETHER SIX TIMES.” [Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described - Fortescue and Oconnel P. 93]

So the rubrics state “continuously”, from the time of the lifting of the chasuble until the priest arises from the second genuflection or once at each genuflection and once at each elevation.

My missals show three bells also at the consecration and one bell at each genuflection…but the rubrics as per the 1962 Missale Romanum state as quoted above.

Ken

Ken

 

[totustuus2345]

Benedictus Dominus!

I’m an Altar Boy at my parish, (a very traditional one, with 2 traditional priests) and I have always rung the bells once at the epeclesis and 3 times at both elevations…

XC
Pat

 

[benedictgal]

Actually, if you catch a broadcast of the Papal Masses from St. Peter’s, you will find that the bell (or more like a gong) is sounded three times at the cnosecration of each species.

A priest friend of mine bought a “gong” (abtually a devise with three different bells attached to it) along with a hammer. He had the altar servers ring it three times. Unfortunately, one altar server got very excited and broke the hammer.

 

[Rickwood]

Actually, if you catch a broadcast of the Papal Masses from St. Peter’s, you will find that the bell (or more like a gong) is sounded three times at the cnosecration of each species.

A priest friend of mine bought a “gong” (abtually a devise with three different bells attached to it) along with a hammer. He had the altar servers ring it three times. Unfortunately, one altar server got very excited and broke the hammer.

No, that is incorrect. First, gongs are not to be rung during the Mass. Bells may be rung during the celebration of OF of the Mass. The GIRM says nothing about “gongs”:

GIRM 150. A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful. According to local custom, the server also rings the bell as the priest shows the host and then the chalice.

Second, a bell is indeed rung at St. Pete’s during the celebration of papal Masses.

Before you think “gong” is nothing more than a colloquialism for “bell(s)”, it’s not.

Finally the bell(s) are not rung at the moment of consecration but before (at the epiclesis) and immediately after at both major elevations.

 

[benedictgal]

No, that is incorrect. First, gongs are not to be rung during the Mass. Bells may be rung during the celebration of OF of the Mass. The GIRM says nothing about “gongs”:

GIRM 150. A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful. According to local custom, the server also rings the bell as the priest shows the host and then the chalice.

Second, a bell is indeed rung at St. Pete’s during the celebration of papal Masses.

Before you think “gong” is nothing more than a colloquialism for “bell(s)”, it’s not.

Finally the bell(s) are not rung at the moment of consecration but before (at the epiclesis) and immediately after at both major elevations.

Perhaps you didn’t read my post carefully. The fact remains that I clarified that it was a three-tiered bell, or did you not read this? It sounded like a gong, but, it isn’t a gong.

Just the same, it was rung, rather, hammered, three times until the altar server broke the special hammer. Incidentally, he bought the device in Rome.

 

[Frosty]

At my regular parish, the bell is rung three times at the epiclesis. At the Cathedral, downtown, there are no bells rung by the server, per se. It is the silver bell placed in the spire over the sanctuary of the church It is named in honour of the Apostle of the Gentiles, St. Paul. It is a sacring bell,(sometimes referred to as the Sanctus
bell) and is intended to let anyone outside. know that the consecration is happening. A server will kneel at the left side of the altar, holding an electronic box with a button. When the priest raises the host and the chalice, the server will press the button to ring the bell. A ‘ping’ will sound from the spirelet above the sanctuary. One can hear it from inside the Cathedral also.