We need a new introduction

[Sarabande]

We say welcome to St.------- church. Today is the 8th Sunday in ordinary time and the presider at today’s mass is ------------------. **We ask you to please turn off all cell phones and pagers and refrain from texting or using any electronic devices (we have found this necessary as some people acutally talk on their phone, text and kids play video games). **Our processional hymn is … found on page 333 in the hymnal. Please stand.

we feel it is necessary to announce the priests name since we get many visiting priests. The cantor does this introduction.

It is just so sad and unfortunate that many people in your parish, and probably other parishes, play video games, text message and talk on the phone during mass that you have to even announce it. Nothing is sacred anymore.

 

[seagal]

Some may see that as begging for applause, something you don’t need at that point in the Mass.

Our priest is fairly new and I know they do this at his old parish. I think the idea is to be more community minded. I can see that side of it, it makes it seem more like a community if you know the names of the people you see.

At least we don’t get “This week’s Mass is brought to you by our sponsor…”

 

[Cathryn]

Our parish has just started using introductions similar to what’s been posted already read by the lector. Along with the priest’s name they also include the names of the altar servers, the lector, the choir director and the Eucharistic ministers.

This sounds like a theatrical performance, not the Mass. At my parish these roles are all posted in the vestibule with the names of who is serving at each Mass, if anyone wants to know who is serving. This all makes it sound like it is so everyone gets recognition for what they are doing. The best reason to serve is to do it not for recognition, but for the privilege of serving God. In reality, it is not even necessary to know the name of the priest since he is in persona Christi.

 

[TimothyH]

Ring-a-ring… Then the lector says…

St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church welcomes you to todays Eucharistic celebration, the source and summit of our faith. Out of respect for those who are praying we ask you to please silence all electronic devices and cell phones. For the safety of our facility, we ask that parents please escort children under twelve to the restrooms and remember that the cryroom is available for those who need it. Let us greet our celebrant, Father John, assisted by Deacon’s Miguel and Stephen, as we sing number 546, Holy God We Praise Thy Name.

Father announces the liturgical date at the opening of the Mass by saying, “As your Pastor I would like to welcome you to today’s celebration of the Eucharist on this 8th Sunday in ordinary time. Let us begin this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as every good Catholic begins every prayer of the Church, in the name of the Father, and of the Son… etc.”

Our Parochial Vicars might say something like “Welcome to this celebration of the Eucharist on this 8th Sunday in ordinary time. Believing in the living presence of Jesus Christ, let us begin this holy sacrifice of the Mass in the name of the Father, and of the Son… etc.”

Typing that out makes me want to go to Mass.

Say what you want about our announcement and I’ll reply that the fact that there is standing room only at our Masses reflects the reverence with which they are celebrated. No matter what the announcement is, it’s still better than some Evangelical pastor wearing Levi’s, topsiders and a fashionably untucked shirt with the sleeves rolled up yelling, “All riight! Give it up for the band!. How about that drum solo, huh!? You guys ROCK, praise God.”

-Tim-

 

[CatholicZ09]

Our introduction is usually like this. I’ll use yesterday’s for an example:

We ask that you please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices at this time.

Good morning/afternoon! We gather as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ today to celebrate the liturgy for the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture Synopsis can be found in the Breaking Bread Hymnal on page 39. Today we are reminded to seek first the kingdom of God, and how God is the rock of our salvation, our refuge, and our strength.

This Mass is being offered for the repose of the souls of (list names here). May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Our presider for this liturgy is (list name here), and our processional hymn can be found in the Breaking Bread Hymnal. It is hymn number (list number), (list name), (repeat number, stressing each digit).

 

[CatholicZ09]

Our introduction is usually like this. I’ll use yesterday’s for an example:

We ask that you please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices at this time.

Good morning/afternoon! We gather as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ today to celebrate the liturgy for the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Scripture Synopsis can be found in the Breaking Bread Hymnal on page 39. Today we are reminded to seek first the kingdom of God, and how God is the rock of our salvation, our refuge, and our strength.

This Mass is being offered for the repose of the souls of (list names here). May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Our presider for this liturgy is (list name here), and our processional hymn can be found in the Breaking Bread Hymnal. It is hymn number (list number), (list name), (repeat number, stressing each digit).

 

[japhy]

I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but how many people here have actually sung an entrance hymn which “greets the celebrant”?

Greeting the priest is not the function of the entrance hymn. Its purpose is not to greet the priest, but rather “to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, [and] introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical season or festivity.” (GIRM 47) The greeting takes place after the Sign of the Cross.

 

[MarkThompson]

In reality, it is not even necessary to know the name of the priest since he is in persona Christi.

It is also not necessary to be able to see him, or to have the Mass in anything but Chinese, or to have pews and heating during the winter, or not to have jackhammering going on across the street. But even things that aren’t strictly necessary can be pleasant and useful, don’t you agree?

 

[baltobetsy]

I’m the Saturday cantor, and because I’m a stickler for exactitude, I say:

Good afternoon and welcome to XXXXXXX. Father X will celebrate the Mass of the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time. Our processional hymn is number 325, “Title, title, title.” Please stand.

If the congregation were younger, wealthier and larger, I would ask them to turn off their cell phones and mobile devices. As it is, I’m pretty sure the organist and I are the only ones carrying them.

 

[JustAnotherThou]

It is also not necessary to be able to see him, or to have the Mass in anything but Chinese, or to have pews and heating during the winter, or not to have jackhammering going on across the street. But even things that aren’t strictly necessary can be pleasant and useful, don’t you agree?

I agree with you. I attend Mass at a large Basilica with MANY priest, it would be nice to know who is whom. Plus I didn’t know the correct pronunciation of some of their names until someone else said them

Now when I was a member of a smaller 1 priest parish, I would have said what is the point, unless there was a visiting priest.

 

[TheMc]

I’m the Saturday cantor, and because I’m a stickler for exactitude, I say:

Good afternoon and welcome to XXXXXXX. Father X will celebrate the Mass of the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time. Our processional hymn is number 325, “Title, title, title.” Please stand.

If the congregation were younger, wealthier and larger, I would ask them to turn off their cell phones and mobile devices. As it is, I’m pretty sure the organist and I are the only ones carrying them.

That is basically what we use at our parish, except that we drop the reference to the celebrant, except in the case of a visiting priest.

On any normal Sunday, we either have the rector of the cathedral, or the bishop, and they are easy to tell apart:

Rector:
Parish Vestments (gothic, nothing too spectacular)
Tall
No Pontificals
One MC
spoken ordinary

Bishop
Spectacular Roman Vestments
Decked out in all the pontificals
MCs w/ lace all over the place
Chanted ordinary

The one exception to the rule is on larger feasts, holy week, ordinations, etc… there is no announcement because all the music and other info is in a one-time-use booklet that everyone was given at the doors. Then the musicians just start the hymn/introit when we are ready, and everyone stands.

 

[Joannm]

I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but how many people here have actually sung an entrance hymn which “greets the celebrant”?

Greeting the priest is not the function of the entrance hymn. Its purpose is not to greet the priest, but rather “to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, [and] introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical season or festivity.” (GIRM 47) The greeting takes place after the Sign of the Cross.

That you for saying this. It is one of my biggest pet peeves. We are not greeting the priest, we are making the transition from the secular into the sacred by uniting our voices in song, preparing to celebrate the sacred mystery.

But this introduction always reminds me of the old joke (OK it may be just a liturgists’ joke) where the cantor stands up and says "Let us greet our celebrant by sining “Hail Holy Queen.”

 

[Sarabande]

I agree with you. I attend Mass at a large Basilica with MANY priest, it would be nice to know who is whom. Plus I didn’t know the correct pronunciation of some of their names until someone else said them

This is very true. We used to be parishioners at a parish that had 6 priests, 3 of whom were from India and Africa. You really didn’t know how to pronounce their names unless it was announced who was saying the mass.

Now when I was a member of a smaller 1 priest parish, I would have said what is the point, unless there was a visiting priest.

Where we are now, we only have one priest, so we never announce who is saying the mass. We have yet to have a visiting priest, so I don’t know how that will be handled. Although in the parish where I spent half my childhood which only had one priest for three churches, if there was a visiting priest, he would usually introduce himself I think during the homily or right before the actual mass began. Then, when the Franciscans helped out the parish, we never knew who they were until after the mass.

 

[TheMc]

But this introduction always reminds me of the old joke (OK it may be just a liturgists’ joke) where the cantor stands up and says "Let us greet our celebrant by sining “Hail Holy Queen.”

Hahaha! I have to tell that to some cantor friends of mine!

 

[John_Lilburne]

…Does the church have any guidance on the introduction?..

I am not aware of any encouragement to have announcements before the Entrance Hymn. The emphasis is on prayer and silence. So if they were considered necessary, I would encourage them to be short and to the point.

The GIRM refers to an introduction to the Mass. But it is after the hymn, the procession, the Sign of the Cross and the greeting.

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :

“50. … After the greeting of the people, the priest, the deacon, or a lay minister may very briefly introduce the faithful to the Mass of the day.”

“105. The following also exercise a liturgical function:
b. The commentator, who provides the faithful, when appropriate, with brief explanations and commentaries with the purpose of introducing them to the celebration and preparing them to understand it better. The commentator’s remarks must be meticulously prepared and clear though brief. In performing this function the commentator stands in an appropriate place facing the faithful, but not at the ambo. …
d. Those who, in some places, meet the faithful at the church entrance, lead them to
appropriate places, and direct processions.”

Near the back of the Roman Missal there are prayers under the heading “PREPARATION FOR MASS”, in Latin “PRAEPARATIO AD MISSAM” (Missale Romanum, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2002, ISBN: 8820972719, page 1289). These are the Prayer of St. Ambrose, Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas, Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary and one called “Formula intentionis”. The last one is intended for priests, beginning: “My purpose is to celebrate Mass and to make present the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ …” (Daily Roman Missal, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, New Jersey, 1996, ISBN 0933932588, page 1961).

Silence is encouraged before the Mass, from the GIRM: “45. … Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence to be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner.”

A particular time in the Mass is given for announcements, from the GIRM: “166. When the prayer after Communion is concluded, brief announcements to the people may be made, if they are needed.”

 

[Philomeena]

I cannot stand the introduction at my parish-it consists of some bad mini-exegesis about the readings, an admonishment to not allow your children out of your sight, rules about cellphones, when to leave mass, etc. I time my arrival to miss it.

 

[roveau]

All these detailed descriptions of what you all do at the beginning of the Mass makes me realize that I haven’t been paying enough attention.

We know that the Mass is about to begin when the reader welcomes us to church and he/she gives an outline of all the readings we are to get later.

The priest and servers then process down the centre aisle as we sing the entrance hymn. The priest tells us what Sunday it is and welcomes us to the Mass after the sign of the cross.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

John Lilburn that you for your imput especially the guidance. Like it or not we will have an intro - thus make the best one I can. Roveau it has long been my contention that most people at Mass tune ours out as it has been the same form for 10 years that I know of. Our paster has been here three years and has tuned it out due to it being painful.

Thankfully we do not greet our neighbors at this time or sing an entrance hymm to the celebrant. We are a conservative parish.

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. Sorry I could not reply yesterday but our connection was lost.

 

[zab]

We don’t have any introductions at our parish. And with our present pastor, there is no announcing of hymns either. And there are no announcements at the beginning of Mass. Our pastor had bells installed on the walls, one bell at the side entrance for the short procession at week day Masses and at set of bells at the back of the nave when they process in on Sundays and all high Masses. When it is time for Mass to begin, the altar server rings the bell. The organist up in the choir loft hears the bell ringing and begins to play… We have a reader board for the hymns.

 

[idrum677]

Our parish has just started using introductions similar to what’s been posted already read by the lector. Along with the priest’s name they also include the names of the altar servers, the lector, the choir director and the Eucharistic ministers.

I:banghead: It’s not about me. I:banghead: It’s not about me. I:banghead: It’s not about me. :banghead: It’s not about…I:banghead: