Liturgy committees

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moira7

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Why do parishes have liturgy committees? The liturgy is not supposed to change so what’s the purpose?
 
I think their job is to plan what music to use for each Mass
but I think some interpret it to ideas like putting sand in the holy water fonts or pots of cactus around the altar during Lent or maybe throwing in a little liturgical dance:(

In one church I saw the The Liturgy Planning Committee was responsible for the following: Studying the Scriptures and chosing a focus for the Liturgical seasons. Planning special liturgies such as penance services and Holy Week. Catechizing the community on scripture and on changes in liturgy.

Not sure how qualified one had to be to catechise others on scripture and liturgical changes - sometims I think some committees interpret this as being able to make their own liturgical changes too.

Frankly I think there is a mindset that to be participating in the Church these days “everbody gotta have a job” - you have to be an usher, or a greeter, or an EMHC or a lecter or sing in the choir or teach or serve on some committee or volunteer in the office or school or on the Parish Council, etc.
 
In my parish, the liturgy committee spends a lot of time planning for ‘special’ liturgies like the Easter Vigil and various rites that are to be celebrated during a Sunday Mass. A lot of planning goes into timing and logistics. They address training and concerns of altar servers, lectors, EMHCs, and the choirs. They generally chose the form of the penentential rite to be used and decide which Eucharistic Prayer to use. And yes, they do discuss seasonal Church decorating. Our pastor attends meetings to find out what is going on but as long as the Mass doesn’t get “too long” he is happy to delegate such tasks.

The liturgy director (who at the moment is also choir director) and the liturgy coordinator are responsible for writing the weekly petitions, picking optional readings, marking the proper pages in the Sacramentary, chosing the music, and creating a weekly ‘script’ so priests, deacons, lectors, and musicians stay coordinated.
 
While I can see this can be of great assistance to the pastor, I can also see that what is called liturgial abuse in the Catholic Church lies directly on the shoulders of these committees.

It is often asked on this forum why the Pastor does not correct this and that abuse but I can see that over the years he probably has rightly or wrongly put his trust in the liturgists and the committee to read and do the right thing. This does not remove the responsibility from him but it might explain why he does not even realize the right thing may not being done.

I am not referring to your parish but it may explain what has happened in many over the years.

I did wonder who chose the Eucharistic prayer said and wonder why it is so often #2.
 
To directly answer your question of “why” the liturgy committees exist; because Church law currently requires it. I don’t have my copy of the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church with me so I cannot cite the canon for you.
 
My parish is NOT a TLM parish, and as far as I know, it does not have a liturgy comittie, though it has a parish council. In the end the pastor is the cheif liturgist of the parish, and he has the final say.
 
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moira7:
Why do parishes have liturgy committees? The liturgy is not supposed to change so what’s the purpose?
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What’s the purpose? To give the laity something to do. In my parish, the liturgy committee puts together a handout that supplements the missalette, which obviously isn’t good enough by itself. The handout links each reading to a social justice theme, i.e, adequate prenatal care, relaxing immigration laws, etc. It then re-writes the responsorial psalm. The liturgy committee writes the prayer of the faithful.

The family life liturgy committee plans the plays, stories and other entertainment including liturgical dancing for the family life mass.
 
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condan:
What’s the purpose? To give the laity something to do. In my parish, the liturgy committee puts together a handout that supplements the missalette, which obviously isn’t good enough by itself. The handout links each reading to a social justice theme, i.e, adequate prenatal care, relaxing immigration laws, etc. It then re-writes the responsorial psalm. The liturgy committee writes the prayer of the faithful.

The family life liturgy committee plans the plays, stories and other entertainment including liturgical dancing for the family life mass.
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:eek: Talk about planned liturgical abuse.

Also, in my old parish, I tried to get on the liturgical committee to represent the Church’s views and stop the abuses and they (the committee itself) refused my membership even though the pastor said it was open to all members.
 
“Also, in my old parish, I tried to get on the liturgical committee to represent the Church’s views and stop the abuses and they (the committee itself) refused my membership even though the pastor said it was open to all members”

Ditto although my knowledge of the appropriate liturgy is extensive that was the problem - I am viewed as a “trouble maker” in that parish now.
 
JNB AND MUTANT - Mutant, can you please give us the canon requiring it.

JNB - The Latin Church is not the TLM but is a term used to designate the Catholic church of the Latin Rite (which is the NOM) rather than the Eastern Church - which uses the Eastern Rites.

So - if there is a canon saying that the Latin Church should have a Litugical Committee and one’s parish does not, then they are in violation of Canon Law.
 
Canon Law only requires a finance committee.

Can. 537 according to these same In each parish there is to be a finance council which is governed, in addition to universal law, by norms issued by the diocesan bishop and in which the Christian faithful, selectednorms, are to assist the pastor in the administration of the goods of the parish, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 532.

Parish councils and liturgy committees may be a good thing, but they are not required by canon law
 
Thank you for your answers. I asked because our liturgy committee seems to run the parish especially now that we have no resident Pastor. We share with another Parish. I’m in the choir but they choose the music (we recently lost our very talented director and musician) and their choices are much too modern for our “mature” choir. None of us wants to sing “teen” music. We want traditional hymns. Our choir has gone from about 30 members at Christmastime to about 10. I keep hanging in there but get more discouraged and depressed at each rehearsal. I keep telling myself that I’m there to worship and then receive Christ but I usually leave Mass upset. Not a good thing. Sorry. I guess I went from liturgy committees to complaining. HELP!http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon9.gif
 
In my parish the liturgy committee actually helps the pastor by setting up workshops and retreats for cantors, lectors, etc. They also help in studying what is and is NOT permitted during liturgies ( no liturgical dances or Mother God here:eek: ). Sometimes when the effort is put forth to understand the guidelines they are easlier to follow. It seems like a lot of ya’ll assume it is negative if the laity is invloved. What gives?
 
It’s fine when the laity is involved but not fine when they want to take over. And especially not when they are 5 or 6 liberal progressives who want women priests (and that’s from a nun), puppet shows, and teens invited to stand around the alter during the Consecration. UGH!
 
Dawn - we are basing our distrust of laity-controlled Liturgy Committees based on 40 years of experience in most cases.

As with any individual experiences, there are exceptions and your particular committee sounds well-informed and functioning probably as the committee is supposed to function. Perhaps liturgical abuse is not a problem in your parish either but you can see by the multiple posts in this forum that it is in many parishes and I think it is fair to say that many priests just trust the committee without getting involved themselves.

Nothing offered here as opinion is absolute. If someone cites chapter and verse of a Church document then you can rely on that just as your committee does when guiding the liturgy. But even then, there is risk of misinterpretation in some poorly written documents.

Example would be the recent GIRM changes. We were given instructions in our parish that we must remain standing following communion until all had received. I questioned this after reading the following

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continued
POSTURE AFTER COMMUNION
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The new GIRM provides that the faithful should “sit while the readings before the Gospel and the responsorial psalm are proclaimed and for the homily and while the Preparation of the Gifts at the Offertory is taking place; and, as circumstances allow, they may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed” (43).

Regarding sitting or kneeling during the silence after Communion, some interpreted this as meaning that the faithful should stand until the last communicant had received Communion, which was contrary to the traditional practice of the faithful assuming their preferred postures immediately upon returning to the pews.

A controversy ensued, in which Francis Cardinal George, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Liturgy, queried the CDWDS:

“In many places, the faithful are accustomed to kneeling or sitting in personal prayer upon returning to their places after having individually received Holy Communion during Mass. Is it the intention of the [new Roman Missal] to forbid this practice?”

The response was as follows:

“Negative, et ad mentem [No, and for this reason]. The mens [reason] is that the prescription of [GIRM] no. 43 is intended, on the one hand, to ensure within broad limits a certain uniformity of posture within the congregation for the various parts of the celebration of Holy Mass, and on the other, to not regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free” (responsum of Francis Cardinal Arinze, June 5, 2003 [Prot. 855/03/L], as published in the July 2003 BCL newsletter).
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Emphasis is mine and of course this means I can continue to kneel after receiving communion if I so choose and I do.
 
In my parish, no one on the liturgy committee to my knowledge has any formal training in liturgy.
 
Most dioceses do have a diocesian liturgy office to provide guidance to the individual parishes. Hopefully it is loyal to the magisterium and wants to help the local parishes as much as it can.
 
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