Sanctus Bells: Just More "Liturgy Committee" Sewage?

[Franciscum]

Someone mailed me a page from the “Liturgy Agenda of 11/29/04” produced by our “liturgy committee.”

Apparently some parishioner asked that the ringing of Sanctus bells be allowed at our parish. Even though (s)he did not ask in the most accurate of manners, the committee’s response is amazing. Startling, actually.

The reason I am posting it below is because I would sincerely like to know if the committee is:

a.) Woefully ignorant.

b.) Counting on obfuscation to sell their rancid agenda.

c.) Scholarly and I just can’t seem to follow their argument.

d.) Something else.

I would truly appreciate some constructive feedback. The blue comments below are mine, everything else is re-produced verbatim. My sincere thanks.

BELLS AT MASS: One of our parishioners has sent a letter to Fr. Zephyrin requesting the bells be rung “at the altar during the liturgy of the Eucharist – to alert us at the Sanctus, and ready us at the blessing of the bread and wine mixed with water, and blessing us during the most holy consecration and the revealing to us od the body and blood of Christ.”

The Sanctus Bell: The bell rung during the mass (a practice which began in the sixth century), traditionally at the sanctus, to signal the consecration (“hanc igitur”), institution communion (“domine, non sum dignus”) and in some places again three times before congregation’s communion and the same words,

The GIRM states:

1. Since by nature the celebration of Mass has the character of being the act of a community, both the dialogues between celebrant and congregation and the acclamations take on special value; they are not simply outward signs of the community’s celebration, but the means of greater communion between priest and people.
2. The acclamations and the responses to the priest’s greeting and prayers create a degree of the active participation that the gathered faithful must contribute in every form of the Mass, in order to express clearly and to further the entire community’s involvement.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER:

No 54: (actually GIRM #78) Now the center and summit of the entire celebration begins: namely, the Eucharistic Prayer, that is, the prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. The priest invites the people to lift up their hearts to the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving; he unites the congregation with himself in the prayer that he addresses in the name of the entire community to God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the meaning of the Prayer is that the entire congregation of the faithful should join itself with Christ in confessing the great deeds of God and in the offering of Sacrifice. The Eucharistic Prayer demands that all listen to it with reverence and in silence.

(Now their commentary begins) The eucharistic prayer calls for all to listen in silent reverence, but also to take part through the acclamations for which the rite makes provision. In other words the acclamations take the place of the bells.

Q: How do we address this? (I wonder if the pastor will buy their “argument?” It seems like nothing more than noise to me.)******

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[Stu]

Franciscum:

Someone mailed me a page from the “Liturgy Agenda of 11/29/04” produced by our “liturgy committee.”

Apparently some parishioner asked that the ringing of Sanctus bells be allowed at our parish. Even though (s)he did not ask in the most accurate of manners, the committee’s response is amazing. Startling, actually.

The reason I am posting it below is because I would sincerely like to know if the committee is:

a.) Woefully ignorant.

b.) Counting on obfuscation to sell their rancid agenda.

c.) Scholarly and I just can’t seem to follow their argument.

d.) Something else.

I would truly appreciate some constructive feedback. The blue comments below are mine, everything else is re-produced verbatim. My sincere thanks.

BELLS AT MASS: One of our parishioners has sent a letter to Fr. Zephyrin requesting the bells be rung “at the altar during the liturgy of the Eucharist – to alert us at the Sanctus, and ready us at the blessing of the bread and wine mixed with water, and blessing us during the most holy consecration and the revealing to us od the body and blood of Christ.”

The Sanctus Bell: The bell rung during the mass (a practice which began in the sixth century), traditionally at the sanctus, to signal the consecration (“hanc igitur”), institution communion (“domine, non sum dignus”) and in some places again three times before congregation’s communion and the same words,

The GIRM states:

1. Since by nature the celebration of Mass has the character of being the act of a community, both the dialogues between celebrant and congregation and the acclamations take on special value; they are not simply outward signs of the community’s celebration, but the means of greater communion between priest and people.
2. The acclamations and the responses to the priest’s greeting and prayers create a degree of the active participation that the gathered faithful must contribute in every form of the Mass, in order to express clearly and to further the entire community’s involvement.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER:

No 54: (actually GIRM #78) Now the center and summit of the entire celebration begins: namely, the Eucharistic Prayer, that is, the prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. The priest invites the people to lift up their hearts to the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving; he unites the congregation with himself in the prayer that he addresses in the name of the entire community to God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the meaning of the Prayer is that the entire congregation of the faithful should join itself with Christ in confessing the great deeds of God and in the offering of Sacrifice. The Eucharistic Prayer demands that all listen to it with reverence and in silence.

(Now their commentary begins) The eucharistic prayer calls for all to listen in silent reverence, but also to take part through the acclamations for which the rite makes provision. In other words the acclamations take the place of the bells.

Q: How do we address this? (I wonder if the pastor will buy their “argument?” It seems like nothing more than noise to me.)****

That just seems like one big non sequitur. To follow on where they left off…because Millard Fillmore was the President in a time of no automobiles I shall continue to tie my shoes.

 

[_veritas]

Two things here –

1. The GIRM reference they cite means that the congregation is asked to listen in silence – not that there is to be silence during the whole Eucharistic prayer. That includes listening to sanctus bells rung by an altar server (in silence, w/o complaining about bells ringing ).
2. There is another GIRM section which they fail to cite… (hmm, I wonder why) where it explicitly says that it is in fact permissible to use a bell.

GIRM, section 150:

A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful. According to local custom, the server also rings the bell as the priest shows the host and then the chalice.

If incense is used, a server incenses the host and the chalice when each is shown to the people after the consecration.

Thus, the acclimation in no way is meant to “take the place of the bells” per se – though the bells are indeed optional. This group’s logic is flawed, and they show a distinct lack of understanding (or purposeful “ignorance”) of the GIRM on this matter.

Write them a nice letter, and be sure to CC your pastor, with the appropriate references to the GIRM. However, if the pastor still decides to not use the bells there is nothing that can be done to force him to do it – it is in no way required of him.

+veritas+

 

[mgy100]

I love committees, and this is committee upon committee. I grew up having rang bells all during mass as an Altar boy. I miss those bells, something I grew up with and now don’t hear at all, bell, what’s a bell?

 

[Franciscum]

+veritas+:

Two things here –

1. The GIRM reference they cite means that the congregation is asked to listen in silence – not that there is to be silence during the whole Eucharistic prayer. That includes listening to sanctus bells rung by an altar server (in silence, w/o complaining about bells ringing ).
2. There is another GIRM section which they fail to cite… (hmm, I wonder why) where it explicitly says that it is in fact permissible to use a bell.

Thus, the acclimation in no way is meant to “take the place of the bells” per se – though the bells are indeed optional. This group’s logic is flawed, and they show a distinct lack of understanding (or purposeful “ignorance”) of the GIRM on this matter.

Write them a nice letter, and be sure to CC your pastor, with the appropriate references to the GIRM. However, if the pastor still decides to not use the bells there is nothing that can be done to force him to do it – it is in no way required of him.

+veritas+

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

I have sent a note to my pastor and it does include a reference to GIRM #150.

I do still wonder if the “liturgy committee” is simply not intellectually (and/or educationally) up to speed, or if they are deliberately trying to obfuscate?

In any event, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that they ain’t gettin the job done. We need some real renewal, and it needs to begin with our “liturgy committee.”

It would seem the correct course of action for the “liturgy committee” would be to forward GIRM #150 to the pastor for his decision…