Leonine Prayers Permissible?

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mattwcu

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Hello,

Just a quick question. Is it licit for a priest to, as a matter of devotion for his parish, or for the intentions of the Church, to recite the Leonine Prayers after Mass? It seems to me this might be a good thing for a parish to do in these times. Or perhaps they would add these as part of the petitions after the Creed?

thanks!
 
mattwcu said:
Hello,

Just a quick question. Is it licit for a priest to, as a matter of devotion for his parish, or for the intentions of the Church, to recite the Leonine Prayers after Mass? It seems to me this might be a good thing for a parish to do in these times. Or perhaps they would add these as part of the petitions after the Creed?

thanks!
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Even though they were required they always took place after Mass. So, it would most likely be permissible after Mass today. It would not be permitted for a priest to add them to the Mass somewhere.

At the parish I attend they are used after the Extraordinary Form Low Masses. But in addition to that, since the year 2000 after every Mass, Ordinary Form and Extraordinary Form, Sundays and weekdays, everyone kneels and prays together an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be for vocations.

I don’t think it is any coincidence that more vocations come out of this parish than any other in the diocese.

James
 
mattwcu said:
Is it licit for a priest to, as a matter of devotion for his parish, or for the intentions of the Church, to recite the Leonine Prayers after Mass? It seems to me this might be a good thing for a parish to do in these times. Or perhaps they would add these as part of the petitions after the Creed?
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I don’t know exactly what is permissible during the General Intercessions, since that’s the least regulated part of the liturgy there is.

As for praying something after Mass, as of 1964 (Liturgicae Instaurationes, n. 48), the Leonine prayers were “suppressed”. I’m puzzled about that, though, since they were a post-Mass prayer, and it strikes me as odd that the Church would prevent a parish from praying those prayers after Mass. I would also argue that the suppression of those prayers was relevant only to the liturgy as celebrated until the promulgation of the new Order of Mass.
 
Since it happens after Mass, I cannot see where an objection would be.

We say the St. Michael prayer as a parish after Mass. In addition, a parish near where I used to work had an 11:30 daily Mass that I often attended. Since Mass finished up around noon, the priest lead the Angelus after Mass.
 
japhy said:
I don’t know exactly what is permissible during the General Intercessions, since that’s the least regulated part of the liturgy there is.

As for praying something after Mass, as of 1964 (Liturgicae Instaurationes, n. 48), the Leonine prayers were “suppressed”. I’m puzzled about that, though, since they were a post-Mass prayer, and it strikes me as odd that the Church would prevent a parish from praying those prayers after Mass. I would also argue that the suppression of those prayers was relevant only to the liturgy as celebrated until the promulgation of the new Order of Mass.
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The suppression was of the obligation to pray the Leonine prayers.

Technically after Mass, you could say any prayer you want. In mine, for example, on Tuesdays the novena to St. Anthony follows immediately. Next week, when the Novena for OL Perpetual Help begins, the prayer “O Mother of Perpetual Help”, 3 HM’s, etc. will be said after the Masses.
 
Brendan said:
Since it happens after Mass, I cannot see where an objection would be.

We say the St. Michael prayer as a parish after Mass. In addition, a parish near where I used to work had an 11:30 daily Mass that I often attended. Since Mass finished up around noon, the priest lead the Angelus after Mass.
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In the Tridentine mass, those prayers were the last prayers of the mass, at least that’s how it appeared to us. I don’t remember if the priest gave the final blessing before or after them. At the time of the change, I understood those prayers were no longer to be part of the mass since they were a fairly recent addition and didn’t relate to the Eucharistic sacrifice. Of course, they could have been said by the people after the priest had left the sanctuary. In the example you mention, it is obvious that the Angelus isn’t part of the mass.

In the OF mass, I suppose those prayers could be said after the priest has given the last blessing and he or the deacon announces the mass is ended and we give the response. Or is the entrance procession the final part of the mass?

In my parish when we have a novena, the priest and servers process out and those people who need to leave do so, then the pastor comes back in and we have the novena. The mass and the liturgy of the hours are liturgy, the official prayer of the church. The other prayers are private devotions.

Would it be appropriate perhaps to have those prayers during that time following communion when announcements can be made? That seems to be a short break after which the liturgy resumes.
 
I guess I should clarify, I am attached to the Extraordinary Form, and was confirmed there too last year. The blessing comes after the Ite Missa Est and then the Last Gospel, THEN the Leonine prayers.

In my question, I was referring to the Ordinary Form.
 
Claire_from_DE said:
In the Tridentine mass, those prayers were the last prayers of the mass, at least that’s how it appeared to us. I don’t remember if the priest gave the final blessing before or after them. At the time of the change, I understood those prayers were no longer to be part of the mass since they were a fairly recent addition and didn’t relate to the Eucharistic sacrifice.
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They were never considered to be a part of the Mass even though they were obligatory after Low Masses.

They were prayed after the final blessing.
Claire_from_DE said:
In the OF mass, I suppose those prayers could be said after the priest has given the last blessing and he or the deacon announces the mass is ended and we give the response. Or is the entrance procession the final part of the mass?
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The Mass is over with “The Mass is ended”. Any final hymn or procession is not considered to be a part of the Mass (GIRM 90).
Claire_from_DE said:
In my parish when we have a novena, the priest and servers process out and those people who need to leave do so, then the pastor comes back in and we have the novena. The mass and the liturgy of the hours are liturgy, the official prayer of the church. The other prayers are private devotions.
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That seems like a very sensible way to do things.
Claire_from_DE said:
Would it be appropriate perhaps to have those prayers during that time following communion when announcements can be made? That seems to be a short break after which the liturgy resumes.
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That probably wouldn’t be allowed.

Nevertheless, the priest must remember that he is the servant of the Sacred Liturgy and that he himself is not permitted, on his own initiative, to add, to remove, or to change anything in the celebration of Mass.
(GIRM 24)

I know of a parish that adds prayers right before the final blessing. But, instead of anything resembling the Leonine Prayers the pastor has instituted a “Stewardship Prayer” where everyone is forced to pray that they will give more of their “time, talent and treasures” to the parish. :rolleyes:

James
 
As for praying something after Mass, as of 1964 (Liturgicae Instaurationes, n. 48), the Leonine prayers were “suppressed”.
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My turn to nitpick: Liturgicae Instaurationes, which was promulgated in 1970, did not mention the Leonine prayers. The Leonine prayers were in fact formally suppressed by article 48k of [Inter Oecumenici](http://forums.catholic-questions.org/Inter Oecumenici) of 26 September 1964, which took effect on 7 March 1965.
 
I know a few parishes that say either the Leonine prayers or something else such as the Angelus or Salve Regina after Mass as a private devotional thing. For that matter EWTN does it after their daily NO Mass, and I’ve never known them to put a foot wrong liturgically.

I can’t imagine there’s any way that they could be supressed except if they’re meant to be part of the Mass (and how can one tell anyway, unless perhaps they’re done before the recessional hymn or something?)
 
I have been talking to the president of my liberal arts college, Fr. John Fleming, about the liturgical reforms that the Holy Father is beginning to implement. He claims that Benedict XVI may reinstate the Leonine Prayers as ordinary to the Novus Ordo mass as a way to reduce the differences between the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms.
 
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