Rules for when the Advent Wreath should remain lit

[kinderbueno]

Hello all, sorry for the long post, I just want to get the context right. Also, I don’t post very often!

Filling in (trying, at least) for my recently departed father who served well our rather large parish as its senior sacristan for 35 years (I’ll gush all about him if anyone wishes to hear more), I had never seen him so perturbed as in these most recent years when the recently hired director of music ministry who is also the parish “liturgist” – IMHO given carte blanche over all things liturgical – has made and continues to make change after change to the liturgy (mass & otherwise). Nominally, the changes are stamped in an effort to do things more liturgically correctly. Practically, I have seen things change at the parish that I’ve never seen in any church I’ve ever been.

Among other questionable things (which I’ll certainly post when I need a sounding board), while preparing for the second of four morning Sunday masses during Advent, I extinguished the lit Advent candles, as there was at least 30 minutes before the next mass, and the servers customarily extinguish the altar/ambo processional candles. I’ll re-light with about 5-10 minutes before the next mass starts.

The aforementioned proceeds to tell me to re-light the Advent candles immediately, saying nothing about the altar candles, stating these should remain lit during the entire schedule of masses in the morning (forget the fact that we also have a Sunday evening mass). I wanted to ask about his source, but being the “junior” guy, I just nodded, finished what I was doing, then lit the candles again…but something just didn’t sound right.

The last I checked, there really isn’t anything from CDW that I could find governing Advent candles to this extent. I’m finding more that Advent wreaths are more or less secondary custom and extra-liturgical anyway. Am I missing something?

Does anyone know any more about Advent Wreath candles in this way?

Thanks in advance! -MG

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

To the best of my knowledge, the advent wreath is a devotional designed primarily for home use, not a matter of dogma. Therefore, there would be no regulations on it in GIRM or anyplace else. We extinguish ours at my new parish, and we exitinguished it between Masses at my old parish- and everyplace else I’ve been where an advent wreath as been employed during Advent.

 

[John_Lilburne]

USA Book of Blessings:
“1513 When the Advent Wreath is used in church, on the Second and suceeding Sundays of Advent the candles are lighted either before Mass begins or immediately before the opening prayer; no additional rites or prayers are used.”
(Book of Blessings, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1875-8, page 573.)

For the First Sunday of Advent there can be a blessing of the wreath during Mass. It comes after the General Intercessions (i.e. Prayer of the Faithful). After this blessing “The first candle is then lighted.” (page 575).

There are no specific instructions on when to extinguish the candles. It would be a local decision, depending on things like how long the candles will last, whether wax is dripping, etc.

 

[THurifer2]

There is no need for a liturgist… A Chior director should lead the choir. I have been a Catholic for 40 years and have NEVER belonged to a parish that had a liturgist. THey are NOT needed.

 

[Phemie]

There is no need for a liturgist… A Chior director should lead the choir. I have been a Catholic for 40 years and have NEVER belonged to a parish that had a liturgist. THey are NOT needed.

They are if you have a pastor that CARES nothing about liturgy & rubrics and a choir that KNOWS nothing about liturgy – the case in my parish.

 

[THurifer2]

They are if you have a pastor that CARES nothing about liturgy & rubrics and a choir that KNOWS nothing about liturgy – the case in my parish.

The choir only needs to know when to sing and what to sing. Nothing more.

 

[Phemie]

The choir only needs to know when to sing and what to sing. Nothing more.

And if they know nothing about liturgy? That means you get hymns at inappropriate times: penitential hymns at Communion, marriage hymns at a Sunday Mass, etc. Every parish needs someone with a background in Liturgy, I don’t care what name you give them.

In our parish the pastor couldn’t name you a document and couldn’t care less about Redemptionis Sacramentum, the CSL or the GIRM. He doesn’t care what is sung, as long as there is singing, and he had no qualms about applauding the choir after Midnight Mass – even though all they did was sing 4 standard Christmas carols and played canned Christmas music for 20 minutes before Mass (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire…, etc).

 

[Jean_Anthony]

This thread is closed. Thank you all.