GIRM and Posture

[Andreas_Hofer]

So, assuming we weren’t at the same funeral – no grandchildren serving as readers at the one in Caseville – what the heck is going on in Saginaw??

That poor diocese was saddled with a “creative” bishop for many years and it will take some time to undo the damage. Old habits die hard (especially if backed by a rogue ideology in some places) and the new, high-quality bishop can’t be at every parish every Sunday to clean things up.

As far as implementing the GIRM posture norms in general, I would say that most dioceses and pastors have never once bothered to really inform the faithful of what the expectations are, so those who have taken the initiative on their own obey the GIRM as best they know how, and those who have not taken the initiative also do their best - they are just entirely ignorant of what they’re supposed to be doing so omit it in good faith.

 

[benedictgal]

That poor diocese was saddled with a “creative” bishop for many years and it will take some time to undo the damage. Old habits die hard (especially if backed by a rogue ideology in some places) and the new, high-quality bishop can’t be at every parish every Sunday to clean things up.

As far as implementing the GIRM posture norms in general, I would say that most dioceses and pastors have never once bothered to really inform the faithful of what the expectations are, so those who have taken the initiative on their own obey the GIRM as best they know how, and those who have not taken the initiative also do their best - they are just entirely ignorant of what they’re supposed to be doing so omit it in good faith.

I’m afraid to say that BAD habits die even harder.

 

[bakhita]

I am in the Saginaw Diocese and have visited several parishes in the past few months. There seems to be a lot of confusion about posture during the Mass.

• At one parish, all stand during the entire consecration
• At another parish, all kneel during the consecration
• At one parish all remain standing until everyone has received communion
• At another parish, everyone kneels until all have received communion

Nobody seems quite sure of what to do. Visiting a parish that was recently renovated (and that now has kneelers) I found that everyone remained standing throughout the consecration–no kneeling whatsoever. I thought that if the parish had kneelers, they were supposed to kneel now.

 

[MICATH]

I am in the Saginaw Diocese and have visited several parishes in the past few months. There seems to be a lot of confusion about posture during the Mass.

• At one parish, all stand during the entire consecration
• At another parish, all kneel during the consecration
• At one parish all remain standing until everyone has received communion
• At another parish, everyone kneels until all have received communion

Nobody seems quite sure of what to do. Visiting a parish that was recently renovated (and that now has kneelers) I found that everyone remained standing throughout the consecration–no kneeling whatsoever. I thought that if the parish had kneelers, they were supposed to kneel now.

And at one parish (the Cathedral) that I visited recently, everyone does something different. Most everyone stood during the consecration, but during communion, there was every option being exercised; standing, sitting, kneeling, mass confusion and very distracting.

What parish was recently renovated and added kneelers?

 

[bakhita]

And at one parish (the Cathedral) that I visited recently, everyone does something different. Most everyone stood during the consecration, but during communion, there was every option being exercised; standing, sitting, kneeling, mass confusion and very distracting.

What parish was recently renovated and added kneelers?

It was St. Agnes in Freeland. Though the kneelers were on their new pews, nobody was using them.

Wasn’t the bishop’s director of liturgy (perhaps I’ve got the title wrong) recently appointed as rector of the cathedral? You’d think he’d be able to educate us on what the proper posture is.

 

[Lepanto]

It was St. Agnes in Freeland. Though the kneelers were on their new pews, nobody was using them.

Wasn’t the bishop’s director of liturgy (perhaps I’ve got the title wrong) recently appointed as rector of the cathedral? You’d think he’d be able to educate us on what the proper posture is.

Maybe I missed it elsewhere in the thread…but did the priest ask the people to kneel at the appropriate times during the Mass?

I wouldn’t count on the presence of kneelers alone to do the job. The people have to be taught.

 

[Phemie]

While individual parishes may have, Canada as a whole hasn’t – the official position is that the GIRM will not be implemented until the publication of the new Roman Missal.

It’s very confusing when the ORDO consistently refers to a document which no one has.

I shouldn’t be surprised, in my diocese Redemptionis Sacramentum has been deliberately ignored and refering to it at a liturgy committee meeting earned me a rebuke from the priest.