How often does your priest use incense? (Latin Rite, Ordinary Form)

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My understanding (correct me if I’m mistaken), is that the rubrics allow a priest to use incense at every single Mass if he so desired.
 
Lepanto said:
My understanding (correct me if I’m mistaken), is that the rubrics allow a priest to use incense at every single Mass if he so desired.
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I believe that is the case, but I am not sure where the specific documentation is. At a neighboring parish, the priest there uses incense every single Mass I’ve gone to, and some of them have been weekday Masses.

My own priest uses it I think only on Christmas Eve Mass, maybe (I can’t remember) Easter, and of course funerals…

God Bless!
Ericka
 
I’ve only seen incense used at Christmas Midnight Mass, the Easter Vigil, and the Red Mass that is held at the co-cathedral every year.
 
Usually all the solemnities…this year my priest used it every Sunday in Easter, feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, All Souls Day and Christmas Eve Mass. Actually I’m sure there were a few other Sundays that he may have used it…I just can’t remember now.
 
Our pastor has a thing for making a big division between ‘low’ and ‘high’ Masses. Regular sundays are two-candles on the altar, black cassocks, no incense, no biretta, etc, but solemnities he busts out the incense, 6 candlesticks in the Benedictine arrangement, a biretta, and 10 servers in red cassocks. I do wish he would use incense for regular sunday Masses though, as well as the biretta and candlesticks.(yes it is a OF Mass, there is no EF offered at my parish).
 
I voted- solemnities only- However, there is no right answer above. The priest and deacon do not use incense every Sunday, however they do use it for more than Solemnities. It is used at the Liturgy of the Word with benediction once a week (unless we have a visiting priest on the pastor’s usual day off). And it is used on First Friday devotions.
 
I voted ‘intermittently’. We use it at funerals and the Easter Vigil. We used it on Gaudete Sunday because the Bishop was here and we were celebrating our parish’s 50th anniversary. So many people complained that Fr. refused to use any at Christmas.😦
 
So far I’ve only seen it used once or twice out of a year. It’s understandable though, as we have a higher than usual amount of elderly and it’s not too much of a stretch to think that the incense wreak havoc on their asthma/weak lungs/insert breathing condition.

Or father is just cheap ('scuse me, Frugal.) 😃
 
zab said:
I voted- solemnities only- However, there is no right answer above. The priest and deacon do not use incense every Sunday, however they do use it for more than Solemnities. It is used at the Liturgy of the Word with benediction once a week (unless we have a visiting priest on the pastor’s usual day off). And it is used on First Friday devotions.
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…I forgot to say for funerals, too. There always seems to be more funerals around Christmas time and Easter time.
 
I “think” that the use of incense is required for funeral Masses.
 
we have new priests now so the use of incense may go up. however, it has been so far, used at Christmas and at a funeral.

the average sunday Mass or weekday, will be incense-less.
 
Very rarely used. Maybe at Christmas or Easter. I wish they used it more often.
 
Our parish priest started using incense at every Mass for a few months (it was such a blessing) but he started receiving a few complaints from people that it causes their allergies to flare up. Personally, I think it’s a proxy battle to keep our poor priest from restoring some traditional vitality to the liturgy. After all, he succeeded in moving the cantors from the area near the altar to their proper place up in the loft at the rear of the church. He also now has the senior altar boys wearing surplices. I have hinted to him on occasion how wonderful it would be have an altar rail again, just in case we begin celebrating the EF liturgy on a regular basis! He only smiled at me. He makes me wish I had been a priest.
 
There is nothing mandating or prohibiting the use in the CCC.

Like any discipline I suppose the use of incense depends on the diocese. I think in most dioceses it can be used at the discretion of the priest. However, if the bishop wanted to make a standard for his diocese he certainly could. Although I don’t think that a diocese standard for incense use is very common.
 
As often as he likes. Hopefully often, with an Acolyte, 100% male too! O dear Phemie have I upset you?

Peace,

Gail
 
After a long incense drought (we hadn’t had it since August 15th), my PV surprised all of us (and delighted me) with incense! :extrahappy:

While he was incensing at the offertory, he chanted the Ave Maria in Latin. :extrahappy:

The altar girls were taken aback because they had never served with him when he uses incense. But, it was wonderful watching him swing the thurible up way high. He used to use incense every week when he was rector of the Cathedral. I was so proud of him and made a point of telling him! 👍
 
Lepanto said:
This wouldn’t be in the CCC. This would be in the sacramentary or elsewhere in other liturgical documents.
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That is correct. The CCC is a teaching document while the GIRM and the Roman Missal are the regulatory books (containing the rubrics,norms and prayers) for the Church’s liturgy (mainly the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass).

Incidentally, as I was getting ready for Mass this evening, I managed to catch a bit of the Vespers feed from Rome (encore presentation). It was certainly wonderful watching the incense being used. 👍
 
Every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. OTOH, I have never seen it used at my local geographic parish.
 
benedictgal said:
The** altar girls** were taken aback because they had never served with him when he uses incense. But, it was wonderful watching him swing the thurible up way high. He used to use incense every week when he was rector of the Cathedral. I was so proud of him and made a point of telling him! 👍
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We should be useing correct terms. :hmmm: Where did I hear that before? Shouldn’t it be girl **altar servers **and not “altar girls”?
 
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