Experience at OF Mass

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Today I went to the local OF and no one voluntered to do the readings. the priest just sat at his chair expecting someone to go to the lectern but after 10 seconds he did the readings and the responsorial Psalm.

Since I was sitting in front I could have done it but I refused since I think that is really the priest’s role to say the readings and not the laity.

There were about 10 people present for the Mass.
 
a83192 said:
Today I went to the local OF and no one voluntered to do the readings. the priest just sat at his chair expecting someone to go to the lectern but after 10 seconds he did the readings and the responsorial Psalm.

Since I was sitting in front I could have done it but I refused since I think that is really the priest’s role to say the readings and not the laity.

There were about 10 people present for the Mass.
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The reading of the OT (on Sundays which the EF does not have) and the NT Epistle and responsorial Psalm is properly the “office” of the laity not the clergy. Why doesn’t your parish schedule readers for the Mass as it should? I have seen priests do all the readings simply to save time during the week and that’s bad form.
 
ElToro said:
The reading of the OT (on Sundays which the EF does not have) and the NT Epistle and responsorial Psalm is properly the “office” of the laity not the clergy. Why doesn’t your parish schedule readers for the Mass as it should? I have seen priests do all the readings simply to save time during the week and that’s bad form.
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I can’t say I’ve ever been in a parish that scheduled weekday readers. There’s always a person in my parish who will get up to read on weekdays. They decide day to day among themselves who will do the readings at that Mass.
 
I don’t see why one would think its the priest’s job to do the readings. Traditionally there’s a minor order of the lector who does the readings. It was never the priest.

Actually, if you have a full complement of clergy at Mass, the priest actually does NONE of the readings, including the Gospel. The Gospel of course is proclaimed by the Deacon.
 
Phemie said:
I can’t say I’ve ever been in a parish that scheduled weekday readers. There’s always a person in my parish who will get up to read on weekdays. They decide day to day among themselves who will do the readings at that Mass.
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Mine does – 90 days out for weekdays and Sundays. It’s part of a jobs program for a “coordinator.”

That may not be common, but I can’t say that I have been to many Masses (or any kind) where someone did not agree to read before the Mass began.
 
ElToro said:
Mine does – 90 days out for weekdays and Sundays. It’s part of a jobs program for a “coordinator.”

That may not be common, but I can’t say that I have been to many Masses (or any kind) where someone did not agree to read before the Mass began.
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When I was the secretary, Sunday readers were scheduled for at least 2 months at a time, 90 days over the summer, but since I’ve left for another job and they chose not to replace me, it’s been month to month and often at the Saturday evening Sunday Mass only one reader is scheduled for both readings, the Psalm and the Prayers of the Faithful.
 
Phemie said:
When I was the secretary, Sunday readers were scheduled for at least 2 months at a time, 90 days over the summer, but since I’ve left for another job and they chose not to replace me, it’s been month to month and often at the Saturday evening Sunday Mass only one reader is scheduled for both readings, the Psalm and the Prayers of the Faithful.
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I can even tell you right now who will be reading at the coming Easter Vigil Mass and Midnight Christmas Mass – the “coordinator” and her closest friend! 😉
 
ElToro said:
I can even tell you right now who will be reading at the coming Easter Vigil Mass and Midnight Christmas Mass – the “coordinator” and her closest friend! 😉
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Oh dear. We always put a sign-up sheet for Christmas and Holy Week and I always made sure to look at the previous two years’ schedules to avoid having the same people read at Midnight Mass & the Vigil. Of course if the same persons volunteered each year there wasn’t much choice.

I remember being taken to task by one annoyed reader who was given the same Passion section to read two years in a row. That was before we got our new Lectionaries and the Passions were divided between 5 readers (J, N, S1, S2, S3) rather than 3 as we have now. S2 only had a few lines to read and the guy was royally p****d that he was only getting a few lines to shine with (whatever happened to the idea that you’re at the service of the Liturgy, not vice versa?). The next year I made him the Narrator, fighting my strong desire to simply leave him out.😃
 
Phemie said:
I can’t say I’ve ever been in a parish that scheduled weekday readers. There’s always a person in my parish who will get up to read on weekdays. They decide day to day among themselves who will do the readings at that Mass.
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Mine does. Readers and servers are scheduled for both weekday Masses.
 
There is nothing wrong with the priest reading the readings. The GIRM writers know perfectly well that it’s an old and laudable way of doing it.

There is nothing wrong with a Catholic cleric, not a priest, reading the readings.

There is nothing wrong with laypeople (religious order or otherwise) reading the readings; it’s a lot less iffy than the EMHC position at Mass.

There is nothing wrong and nothing virtuous in not doing the readings, whether or not the priest asks you to do them personally or as part of a group. We have perfect freedom to discern whether or not to exercise the option of reading or not. Ushering was also a clerical job for centuries (at least, the male ushers/porters for the male part of church; the female seating side had female porters that weren’t clerical, to spare the men blushes).

Honestly, I’m saddened that these things have to be said. I’m sure Father at that daily Mass wasn’t angsting about it.
 
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