Is it okay to insert the Hail Mary into the Mass?

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Hey everyone. Sometimes I go to a week day Mass at a parish near me and the priest leads the congregation in the Hail Mary either directly after the Liturgy of the Word or at the very beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I am not exactly sure where it is that we say this at but I know it’s around in that area. Anyway, is this acceptable? Also, he leads the congregation in the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer after Mass has ended and he is going back to the sacristy. Please help!

Another thing is that he says at the end of the prayer intentions, “If anyone wishes to add their own intentions, you may do so now.” and the congregation will add their own intentions verbally and then everyone says “Lord, hear our prayer.” Is this allowed?
 
Holly3278 said:
Hey everyone. Sometimes I go to a week day Mass at a parish near me and the priest leads the congregation in the Hail Mary either directly after the Liturgy of the Word or at the very beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I am not exactly sure where it is that we say this at but I know it’s around in that area. Anyway, is this acceptable? Also, he leads the congregation in the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer after Mass has ended and he is going back to the sacristy. Please help!
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Both points in the Mass are the same. No, it’s not allowed. Leading the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer after Mass is fine, although someone else could do it as well.
Holly3278 said:
Another thing is that he says at the end of the prayer intentions, “If anyone wishes to add their own intentions, you may do so now.” and the congregation will add their own intentions verbally and then everyone says “Lord, hear our prayer.” Is this allowed?
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Yes, the laity may add their petitions if allowed by the celebrant. This is one place where the celebrant will sometimes lead a Hail Mary as a petition which is quite licit.
 
The time frame you mention “directly after the liturgy of the Word”.

If it is after the Gospel, but before everyone stands up, that is the time for the homily, and the priest has a LOT of leeway there.

The priest may insert a Hail Mary here.

Leading the St. Michael prayer anytime after “This Mass has ended…” is fine, because the liturgy ends there. A recessional hymn is actually outside the liturgy, so the St. Michael prayer is really no different.
 
In pre-Vatican II days, Marian hymns were frequently used in parishes at any time during Mass and this was widely accepted, though I don’t know if it was a sound practice even then. Most Masses these days make no reference to Mary, and some Catholics miss that. Therefore this priest may be trying to refocus attention on praying to Mary.

Having said that, this still look like another example of priestly ego projection, browbeating the congregation into doing what the celebrant thinks is important during Mass. It seems genteel and harmless and traditionally Catholic enough because it is the Hail Mary, as opposed to, say, walking around the altar shouting Hallelujah, but the principle is the same. One of the reasons we have a ritual liturgy and not an ad hoc worship service is so that the right things will be emphasized at the right time and the right place, and the people will not be faced with surprises that they may or may not find appropriate to the day’s worship.

Dear priests: Please say the prayers that are appointed. Say only those prayers, and say them the way they are written. The texts were arrived at after lengthy deliberation by the body of the Church, and you have no right individually to override them. Modern homiletic standards and the Prayer of the Faithful already give you as much leeway as any reasonable person could wish for. You have been spoiled by two generations of congregants who don’t know any better, but you should.
 
Brendan said:
The time frame you mention “directly after the liturgy of the Word”.

If it is after the Gospel, but before everyone stands up, that is the time for the homily, and the priest has a LOT of leeway there.

The priest may insert a Hail Mary here.

Leading the St. Michael prayer anytime after “This Mass has ended…” is fine, because the liturgy ends there. A recessional hymn is actually outside the liturgy, so the St. Michael prayer is really no different.
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Good observation with your first point, regarding the bolded point not only is it fine but it was actually the request of Pope Leo XIII that the prayer be said at the end of every mass after what can only be described as a disturbing vision durring a papal mass. In the Latin Mass I have been attending it is still essentially a part of the Mass, we’re not done until we’ve sade a Hail Holy Queen, Hail Mary, Prayer to St. Michael.

It is my deepest desire that with the new Missal, we might return to this tradition in the OF.
 
If you’re in England and Wales, I think this might be covered in an indult - I believe express permission has been given for the Hail Mary to be included at the Prayers of the Faithful, although I can’t give you a reference for this. In any case, it is a very common practice in this country.

And previous posters are right regarding the St. Michael Prayer - it’s after the end of the liturgy, and in any case follows in a long tradition.
 
Statius said:
If you’re in England and Wales, I think this might be covered in an indult - I believe express permission has been given for the Hail Mary to be included at the Prayers of the Faithful, although I can’t give you a reference for this. In any case, it is a very common practice in this country.

And previous posters are right regarding the St. Michael Prayer - it’s after the end of the liturgy, and in any case follows in a long tradition.
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Ah okay. I am not in England or Wales. I live in the Midwestern United States of America. I am in the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana to be precise. 🙂 Our Bishop is Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger. I have met him before. He is a very nice Bishop and seems to be a holy one as well. 👍
 
Brendan said:
The time frame you mention “directly after the liturgy of the Word”.

If it is after the Gospel, but before everyone stands up, that is the time for the homily, and **the priest has a LOT of leeway there.

The priest may insert a Hail Mary here.**

Leading the St. Michael prayer anytime after “This Mass has ended…” is fine, because the liturgy ends there. A recessional hymn is actually outside the liturgy, so the St. Michael prayer is really no different.
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No.

Following the Gospel is typically a homily. I suppose a homilist could make a Hail Mary the end of their homily but the prayer cannot simply be inserted. It’s not in the Order of the Mass.
 
I’ve gone to a weekday Mass in our school chapel where the celebrant will sometimes (not very often) say at the end of the intentions:* “And we entrust these intentions to Mary. Hail Mary…”*

Is this allowed?
 
Luger said:
No.

Following the Gospel is typically a homily. I suppose a homilist could make a Hail Mary the end of their homily but the prayer cannot simply be inserted. It’s not in the Order of the Mass.
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The priest may insert a “Hail Mary” into their Homily. The Homily is everything the priest says between the conclusion of Gospel and when he sits down for the moment of quiet reflection.

If the priest (or deacon) says or leads, a Hail Mary in that timeframe, it is, by definition, part of the Homily.
 
crazzeto said:
Good observation with your first point, regarding the bolded point not only is it fine but it was actually the request of Pope Leo XIII that the prayer be said at the end of every mass after what can only be described as a disturbing vision durring a papal mass. In the Latin Mass I have been attending it is still essentially a part of the Mass, we’re not done until we’ve sade a Hail Holy Queen, Hail Mary, Prayer to St. Michael.

It is my deepest desire that with the new Missal, we might return to this tradition in the OF.
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Our parish says the St. Michael prayer after the conclusion of Mass, but before the recessional hymn.

In fact, we heard a homily on the importance of that very prayer during noon Mass today ( Feast of the Archangels)

Just an FYI though, even in the EF, the St. Michael prayer is said after Mass. The Mass ends with “Ete Missa est”. The Final Gospel and the St. Michael prayer occur after Mass, even in the EF.
 
Brendan said:
The priest may insert a “Hail Mary” into their Homily. The Homily is everything the priest says between the conclusion of Gospel and when he sits down for the moment of quiet reflection.

If the priest (or deacon) says or leads, a Hail Mary in that timeframe, it is, by definition, part of the Homily.
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Nope – unless he was praying the prayer by himself, which is possible of course.
 
crazzeto said:
Good observation with your first point, regarding the bolded point not only is it fine but it was actually the request of Pope Leo XIII that the prayer be said at the end of every mass after what can only be described as a disturbing vision durring a papal mass. In the Latin Mass I have been attending it is still essentially a part of the Mass, we’re not done until we’ve sade a Hail Holy Queen, Hail Mary, Prayer to St. Michael.
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Another fine tradition burned to the ground by Bolsheviks.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

And yes, the prayers ordered by Pope Leo XIII are most holy and excellent and obedient to be said… and they are to be said after the dismissal and after the Last Gospel.
 
Luger said:
Nope – unless he was praying the prayer by himself, which is possible of course.
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The content of the homily is not regulated. If the priest desires to lead a prayer as part of his homily, he may certainly do so.

Cardinal Arinze himself did something similar when he visted our parish as the keynote speaker for our Lenten Symposium.

He started out, and finished, his homily with “Praise be to Jesus Christ”, to which we all responded “Now and Forever”

Now if anyone should know if the faithful may make response to common Catholic prayer in a homily, it would be him.
 
My Church always prays the Hail Mary on Sundays. After we send up our petitions (“For [insert cause here]…Lord, hear our prayer”), we pray the Hail Mary.
 
Brendan said:
Our parish says the St. Michael prayer after the conclusion of Mass, but before the recessional hymn.

In fact, we heard a homily on the importance of that very prayer during noon Mass today ( Feast of the Archangels)

Just an FYI though, even in the EF, the St. Michael prayer is said after Mass. The Mass ends with “Ete Missa est”. The Final Gospel and the St. Michael prayer occur after Mass, even in the EF.
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Very true on a technical level, I was more commenting from my perspective as a layman =) After all, I sure ain’t leaving before the Hail Mary, Hail Holy Queen & Prayer to St Michael are you?

=D
 
Perhaps if you suggested to him that you’ll lead the congregation in the rosary 30 minutes before Mass, he’d stop the unnecessary adding of prayers to Holy Mass.
 
I have seen a Bishop lead a Hail Mary at the end of the Prayer of the Faithful.
 
A church I occasionally go to recites the Hail Mary after communion.🤷
 
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