Who Should Recite "Prayers of the Faithful"?

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Uncle_Norbert

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For most of my 47 years, the Lector has been the one to read/recite the Prayers of the Faithful prior to the Offetory.

Several months ago, Deacons began doing this task.

My question is, was this a Liturgical change, or just something our Pastor did on his own?

The reason I ask, is that one of our Deacons is just horrible with pronouncing names. It’s so bad, that the congregation literally rolls its collective eyes and shakes their heads.

So, before anyone goes to the Pastor with this, I’d like to know if it is Liturgical rule?
 
Several months ago, Deacons began doing this task.

Well, in the Eastern Churches, the various Litanies (corresponding to the Western Prayers of the Faithful) are led by the Deacon, so it only makes sense to me.
 
The deacon is supposed to read the Prayer of the Faithful THat is part of his liturgical role. I suggest that whomever writes the names in does so phonetically.
 
Uncle_Norbert said:
For most of my 47 years, the Lector has been the one to read/recite the Prayers of the Faithful prior to the Offetory.

Several months ago, Deacons began doing this task.

My question is, was this a Liturgical change, or just something our Pastor did on his own?
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It’s not a ‘change’, that’s been the Deacon’s role since at least the 1975 GIRM and I suspect since the start of the Ordinary Rite. Most of us don’t have a deacon so we’re used to a reader doing this.
 
Interesting. Our Parish has had Deacons for nearly 30 years, and only in the last several months, have they started doing the POTF.
 
Uncle_Norbert said:
Interesting. Our Parish has had Deacons for nearly 30 years, and only in the last several months, have they started doing the POTF.
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So the pastor decided it was time to let them do everything that is part of their ministry.

I tried that when we had a transitional Deacon for a year. The readers fought me tooth and nail – they didn’t even want him to carry the Book of Gospels since they’d always done that – and the pastor didn’t support me. He did end up carrying the Gospel Book but he was never allowed to assume his rightful role of announcing the intentions of the Prayers of the Faithful.

GIRM 94. After the priest, the deacon, in virtue of the sacred ordination he has received, holds first place among those who minister in the Eucharistic Celebration. For the sacred Order of the diaconate has been held in high honor in the Church even from the time of the Apostles.82 At Mass the deacon has his own part in proclaiming the Gospel, in preaching God’s word from time to time, in announcing the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, in ministering to the priest, in preparing the altar and serving the celebration of the Sacrifice, in distributing the Eucharist to the faithful, especially under the species of wine, and sometimes in giving directions regarding the people’s gestures and posture.
 
I think intention is that the deacon announce the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful. The clearest statement of this, from the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :

“197. When no deacon is present, the lector, after the introduction by the priest, may announce from the ambo the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful.”

However other parts of the GIRM may suggest this is optional.

“177. After the introduction by the priest it is the deacon himself who normally announces the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, from the ambo.”

It could be that n. 177 is saying “normally” because the Prayer of the Faithful is optional. As it has in n. 69: “It is fitting that such a prayer be included, as a rule, in Masses celebrated with a congregation …”. But no, it has the priest’s introduction, then “normally” the deacon announces the intentions. Its hard to imagine an introduction with no intentions.

“99. The lector is instituted to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture, with the exception of the Gospel. He may also announce the intentions for the Prayer of the Faithful and, in the absence of a psalmist, proclaim the Psalm between the readings.”

Here in n. 99 it is not saying “in the absence of a deacon” as it does for the absence of a psalmist.

Other references suggesting the deacon is the best person are n. 71, n. 94. and n. 171(d).
 
However, during Papal Masses, the laity are the ones who announce the General Intentions, even when there are a plethora of deacons assisting the Holy Father. Now, there is a more practical reason behind all of this because the General Intercessions are announced in several different languages ranging from French to German to English to Chinese to Swahili and every other language under the sun.

Although, interestingly enough, with about two or three deacons on hand for the Mass for the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, the General Intercessions were announced by the parents and/or godparents of the babies the Holy Father had just baptized. Furthermore, these were announced in Italian, a language that, presumably, all of the deacons spoke since the Mass was primarily in that language.

In my diocese, the deacon normally is the one who will announce the General Intercessions. However, there are some whose pronunciation (especially in Spanish) would make one shudder. Of course, out of fairness, there are those of us who manage to stumble through some difficult names and/or words. However, whether it’s the deacon or the reader doing this, we should try our best to review the list before we go up to the ambo. There was one time when a deacon announced the General Intercessions and concluded that we pray for the repose of the soul of Mr. —, and the gentleman was standing right in the front pew.:eek:
 
Phemie said:
I tried that when we had a transitional Deacon for a year. The readers fought me tooth and nail – they didn’t even want him to carry the Book of Gospels since they’d always done that – and the pastor didn’t support me. He did end up carrying the Gospel Book but he was never allowed to assume his rightful role of announcing the intentions of the Prayers of the Faithful.
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Do the readers in your parish at least take seriously their obligation to be competent? It amazes me how often the person reading appears to be looking at the text for the first time (at least the first time that day).
 
CapaxDei said:
Do the readers in your parish at least take seriously their obligation to be competent? It amazes me how often the person reading appears to be looking at the text for the first time (at least the first time that day).
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Most do. But they’ve been at it for years.
 
CapaxDei said:
Do the readers in your parish at least take seriously their obligation to be competent? It amazes me how often the person reading appears to be looking at the text for the first time (at least the first time that day).
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Exactly my point in the OP. If you are a Deacon in a given Parish, shouldn’t you at least TRY to learn the names of your parishoners? Many years ago, when I used to lector, I would always arrive early, scan the notes and readings and ask the Deacon or Priest in the Sacristy any questions of pronounciation that I had BEFORE I went out in front of the congregation.

Not trying to say I’m better than the Deacon, I just feel it’s an issue of preparation.
 
In my parish, if the Deacon is at Mass (we have only one), he reads the Prayers of the Faithful; if he’s not there, the Lector reads them.
 
Uncle_Norbert said:
Exactly my point in the OP. If you are a Deacon in a given Parish, shouldn’t you at least TRY to learn the names of your parishoners? .
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Not when there are 3500 registered families, like my parish. He does the best he can, but…🙂
 
Hello Everybody;
I am a mother of 5! My husband and I own a family business and home school our younger two children.
In our church, no one says a prayer for the unborn, elderly, terminally ill, or death penalty. Ok, you’ve guessed it, we are Pro Life. I have been trying to put together a pro life prayer, during the prayers of the faithful. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I firmly believe, though you think you have an unwanted pregnancy, there is no such thing as an unwanted baby.
Sincerely,
Mary
 
In my parish it is one of the lectors that reads the Prayers of the Faithful.
 
John_Lilburne said:
Its hard to imagine an introduction with no intentions.
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WHile the standard is to invoke a list, I’ve heard at daily masses something similar to:
P: Let us pray in thanksgiving for the example of your saints, as we collect our prayers in silence. For all the saints, and for those intentions held in our hearts, let us pray to the lord…

R: Lord, Have mercy.
 
marykathleen65 said:
Hello Everybody;
I am a mother of 5! My husband and I own a family business and home school our younger two children.
In our church, no one says a prayer for the unborn, elderly, terminally ill, or death penalty. Ok, you’ve guessed it, we are Pro Life. I have been trying to put together a pro life prayer, during the prayers of the faithful. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I firmly believe, though you think you have an unwanted pregnancy, there is no such thing as an unwanted baby.
Sincerely,
Mary
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Two sources … the USCCB’s web site has “Pro-Life Intentions” to be included in the prayers of the faithful …

The Priests for Life web site also has “Pro-Life Intentions”
 
Not only is the deacon to read the intentions they should write them; in the standard structuring. The deacon is the minister specifically ordained to minister to the needy of the parish and it falls to him to bring those needs to the attention of the people. In his absence then the lector can lead the intentions. For all practical purposes the secretary writes them and a lay person reads them because deacons are rarely at every mass. However if I don’t like the wording or wanted to offer a different intention then I would change them as I see fit or include prayers for the vocations and the unborn. Lay readers should never change what has been given to them to read.

PAX
 
Deacon2006 said:
Not only is the deacon to read the intentions they should write them; in the standard structuring. The deacon is the minister specifically ordained to minister to the needy of the parish and it falls to him to bring those needs to the attention of the people. In his absence then the lector can lead the intentions. For all practical purposes the secretary writes them and a lay person reads them because deacons are rarely at every mass. However if I don’t like the wording or wanted to offer a different intention then I would change them as I see fit or include prayers for the vocations and the unborn. Lay readers should never change what has been given to them to read.

PAX
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Evidently you have not seen the canned General Intercessions that OCP prints for the liturgical year. They are not well written and have a subtle hidden agenda. When I’ve planned diocesan liturgies, I always write the General Intercessions, including the introduction and the conclusion.

There is a particular caveat if a bilingual or multi-lingual liturgy is involved. If the deacon is going to proclaim the general intercessions, he should either be fluent in the languages or have another deacon (who is fluent) help out. That is why, in case you have not noticed, at the Masses televised from the Vatican, multiple readers proclaim the languages. Most of the time, they are laity from the various language group, even though there are a plethora of deacons. Chances are the deacons present at the Mass do not know the various languages.
 
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