Priests outside the sanctuary

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Does anyone know if it is allowable for the priest celebrating the Mass to leave the sanctuary with the Book of the Gospels, holding it over his head on the way to the ambo to proclaim the gospel?
 
marianna said:
Does anyone know if it is allowable for the priest celebrating the Mass to leave the sanctuary with the Book of the Gospels, holding it over his head on the way to the ambo to proclaim the gospel?
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No, next time he does it, grab the book out of his hand and hit him against the side of the head with it. 😃

Gee, do any of you folks have respect for your parish priest?

Jim
 
I have looked at the 25 references to the “book of the Gospels” in the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal. None of them forbid leaving the sanctaury.

From the 2002 GIRM approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“44. Among gestures included are also actions and processions: of the priest going with the deacon and ministers to the altar; of the deacon carrying the Evangeliary or Book of the Gospels to the ambo before the proclamation of the Gospel; of the faithful presenting the gifts and coming forward to receive Communion. It is appropriate that actions and processions of this sort be carried out with decorum while the chants proper to them occur, in keeping with the norms prescribed for each.”

So wanting to make a longer procession for a longer singing of the Alleluia seems reasonable to me.

For the procession it has “slightly elevated” which would rule out carrying it over the head:
“133. If the Book of the Gospels is on the altar, the priest then takes it and goes to the ambo, carrying the Book of the Gospels **slightly elevated **and preceded by the lay ministers, who may carry the thurible and the candles.”

Also: “175. … The deacon signs himself with the Sign of the Cross and responds, Amen. Having bowed to the altar, he then takes up the Book of the Gospels which was placed upon it. He proceeds to the ambo, carrying the book slightly elevated. He is preceded by a thurifer, carrying a thurible with smoking incense, and by servers with lighted candles.”
 
Ummm… When the pulpit is outside of the sanctuary? (A traditional feature of really grand churches…)
 
JimR-OCDS said:
No, next time he does it, grab the book out of his hand and hit him against the side of the head with it. 😃

Gee, do any of you folks have respect for your parish priest?
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Wonderful answer, Jim. Thanks for the smile.
 
puzzleannie said:
why is the ambo outside the sanctuary?
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That’s what I’d like to know. The Ambo is part of sanctuary furnishings.
  1. The sanctuary is the place where the altar stands, where the word of God is proclaimed, and where the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers exercise their offices. It should suitably be marked off from the body of the church either by its being somewhat elevated or by a particular structure and ornamentation. It should, however, be large enough to allow the Eucharist to be celebrated properly and easily seen.115
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*The Ambo
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  1. The dignity of the word of God requires that the church have a place that is suitable for the proclamation of the word and toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns during the Liturgy of the Word.117
It is appropriate that this place be ordinarily a stationary ambo and not simply a movable lectern. The ambo must be located in keeping with the design of each church in such a way that the ordained ministers and lectors may be clearly seen and heard by the faithful.

From the ambo only the readings, the responsorial Psalm, and the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet) are to be proclaimed; it may be used also for giving the homily and for announcing the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful. The dignity of the ambo requires that only a minister of the word should go up to it.

It is appropriate that a new ambo be blessed according to the rite described in the Roman Ritual118 before it is put into liturgical use.*

usccb.org/liturgy/current/chapter5.shtml
 
In my parish church the altar and the ambo are located beside each other with maybe three feet separating them. We have a tiny sanctuary. Our deacon or priest does technically leave the sanctuary with the Book of Gospels to process in front of the altar and ambo before reading the Gospel. This gives us time to sing the Alleluia.
 
marianna said:
Does anyone know if it is allowable for the priest celebrating the Mass to leave the sanctuary with the Book of the Gospels, holding it over his head on the way to the ambo to proclaim the gospel?
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This would be necessary if the ambo is not in the sanctuary! However if he is just making a show by walking around the church to get to the ambo by way of Kansas City, then no, he should take the shortest line from his chair to the ambo.
 
If you are at an Anglican Use parish, the Gospel is read outside the sanctuary after the Cross bearer, Candle bearers, and Thurifer lead the Deacon halfway down the main aisle. The Gospel is chanted.

So, depending on the rite, it may be legit.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
This would be necessary if the ambo is not in the sanctuary! However if he is just making a show by walking around the church to get to the ambo by way of Kansas City, then no, he should take the shortest line from his chair to the ambo.
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Holding high the Word of God and honoring the real presence in the form of the Word proclaimed amounts to “making a show?”
 
Our clergy collect the Gospel book from a little place of reservation (don’t know the term) and with the acolytes, go and collect it, while we sing the allelujah. is this wrong?
 
PaixGioiaAmor said:
Holding high the Word of God and honoring the real presence in the form of the Word proclaimed amounts to “making a show?”
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The way it’s done makes the difference. The Homily can also become a show with the priest running up and down the aisle, flapping his arms looking like a duck trying to take off!!
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
The way it’s done makes the difference. The Homily can also become a show with the priest running up and down the aisle, flapping his arms looking like a duck trying to take off!!
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Fair enough. Good point made.
 
Mr. Lilburne should note that nowhere in the any Roman Rite rubrics does it forbid the priest or deacon to do carthweels after the Gospel, but obviously one wouldn’t/shouldn’t do them.

Leaving the sanctuary like that is gimmicky and tacky…in other words, exactly what some will like to do.
 
AlexV said:
Mr. Lilburne should note that nowhere in the any Roman Rite rubrics does it forbid the priest or deacon to do carthweels after the Gospel, but obviously one wouldn’t/shouldn’t do them.

Leaving the sanctuary like that is gimmicky and tacky…in other words, exactly what some will like to do.
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At other times in the Mass leaving the sanctuary is forbidden, but not for the procession of the Book of the Gospels from the altar to the ambo.
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“154. … The priest may give the sign of peace to the ministers but always remains within the sanctuary, so as not to disturb the celebration. In the dioceses of the United States of America, for a good reason, on special occasions (for example, in the case of a funeral, a wedding, or when civic leaders are present) the priest may offer the sign of peace to a few of the faithful near the sanctuary.”
 
Again, you can quote all you want, but the fact remains, the rubrics do not envisage priests leaving the sanctuary during the gospel procession. Just because something isn’t explicitly banned doesn’t mean the liturgy allows it. You usually like to hyper-obsess over liturgical abuse…sign of peace rubrics are irrelevant here.
 
Since we’re talking about the Book of the Gospels, is it ever permitted for a Lector to process in with the it, in the absence of a Deacon? Our priest had me do this on Sunday, and it seemed strange, but I didn’t question him, because I wasn’t sure.

In Pax Christi
Andrew
 
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