great amen

[Life4Christ]

I actually have 2 questions that somebody can hopefully answer for me.

My first question is on liturgy. My wife and I have recently moved. We have decided to join a new parish close to our house. I have noticed that during the singing of the Great Amen, the congregation stands up. It was my understanding that in the Roman rite, the congregation kneels after the Holy, Holy, Holy to the END of the Great Amen. Is standing during the Great Amen acceptable? I always thought the GIRM stated that we could not stand unitl after the Great Amen was complete.

My second question is on the placement of the tabernacle. The church is fairly modern and recently built. The have a large stained glass room directly behind the alter. The problem is the tabernacle is inside that enclosed room and is not visible from the sanctuary. I thought the tabernacle should be at the center of the room, behind the altar, but in plain sight. Can anyone help explain these practices?

Thanks!

 

[Life4Christ]

Am I just being anal?

 

[Brain]

So long as the tabernacle is an an acessable, promonent, and appropriate place its okay. I prefer directly behind the altar, but failing that I have a large (personal) bias to have it somewhere IN the sancturary. To be fair to that design though, I have however seen the outside-of-sanctuary tabernacle done well (it was to the left and in its own “chapel” area but was open to the nave completly).

as for the great amen, you are right in the roman rite we kneel from the sanctus to the great Amen.

 

[Life4Christ]

Brain,

Thanks, but to your knowledge, is it okay to stand while the Great Amen is being sung, or should everyone stay kneeling until it is complete?

And to clarify, the tabernacle “room” I am reffering to is enclosed with a door, only clearly visible unless you enter the small, glass-encased room.

 

[Brain]

i belive that is okay so long as the tabernacle is easy to find and is visible from the nave. though i prefer it being open to the nave, i guess a glass divider woudl also work.

and YES, one MUST kneel until the great amen is FINISHED in the latin rite. exept for the very aged or crippled.

 

[mosher]

The GIRM and other instructions on the Tabernacule state that it must either be in the Sanctuary or in a seperate chapel specifically for that purpose, accessable and organically connected to the main edifice.

 

[irelandsgirl]

In my parish church the tabernacle is at the back of the altar, in clear view for all to see. It usually has a cloth covering it, as is the norm.

A few years ago our Cathederal got refurbished and I remember going there to Mass one evening and thinking for the whole Mass that something was odd or missing - I could not for hte live of me figure out what it was - then I realised. There was no tabernacle on the altar… They have the tabernacle in a seperate ‘prayer room’, that has some seats and candles in it where people can go for quite prayer when there is not a Mass service on.

I always found this extremely odd as the Altar does look somewhat bereft, especially when the previous Altar, complete with tabernacle is now used as a side Altar - it does look a bit odd!