Why would multiple ministers ever use the ambo at once?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DavidFilmer
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DavidFilmer

Guest
In the Introduction to the Lectionary (#34), we read:
In order that the ambo may properly serve its liturgical purpose, it is to be rather large, since on occasion several ministers must use it at the same time.
Click to expand...
I don’t remember ever seeing such a situation. Most ambos that I have seen are not large enough for more than one person to use.

Assuming the ambo was large enough, what occasion would see multiple ministers using it at once?
 
I have seen it where two cantors are chanting the psalm from the Ambo.
 
Are we forgetting Passion Sunday and Holy Thursday. Every parish I have lived in has divided the lengthy Gospel reading into parts; narrator, Jesus and other speakers. My Sunday Missal also has this division of the Gospel. It precludes at least 3 at the ambo and it is how I have always seen it done.
 
There are times when the deacon is with the priest celebrating Mass, and when the bishop comes to our parish, he and our pastor concelebrate the Mass…

For major feast days, for funerals of important people, and other reasons, more than one priest may concelebrate. We just don’t see it as often because of the shortage of priests.
 
yukonbrad said:
Are we forgetting Passion Sunday and Holy Thursday. Every parish I have lived in has divided the lengthy Gospel reading into parts; narrator, Jesus and other speakers. My Sunday Missal also has this division of the Gospel. It precludes at least 3 at the ambo and it is how I have always seen it done.
Click to expand...
I have always seen this done where the priest, taking the part of Jesus, does so from the presidential chair, the narrator from the ambo, and the speaker from a second temporary podium. I can’t imagine 3 individuals sharing the ambo and doing so gracefully in a way that doesn’t take away from the solemnity of the Passion reading.
 
St_Francis said:
There are times when the deacon is with the priest celebrating Mass, and when the bishop comes to our parish, he and our pastor concelebrate the Mass…

For major feast days, for funerals of important people, and other reasons, more than one priest may concelebrate. We just don’t see it as often because of the shortage of priests.
Click to expand...
They don’t usually go to the ambo together, though.
The only times I can think would be Palm/Passion Sunday and Good Friday for the reading of the Passion. Someone else had mentioned cantors singing the Psalm.
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
I have always seen this done where the priest, taking the part of Jesus, does so from the presidential chair, the narrator from the ambo, and the speaker from a second temporary podium. I can’t imagine 3 individuals sharing the ambo and doing so gracefully in a way that doesn’t take away from the solemnity of the Passion reading.
Click to expand...
I have seen it done that way as well but more commonly all three at the ambo, matter of regional tradition I suppose.
 
Phemie said:
They don’t usually go to the ambo together, though.
The only times I can think would be Palm/Passion Sunday and Good Friday for the reading of the Passion. Someone else had mentioned cantors singing the Psalm.
Click to expand...
I have seen two cantors at the ambo chanting the Easter Sequence. (This was before we had a deacon who was capable of chanting it.)

I have never seen multiple people at the ambo for the passion. Those roles were usually divided up between ambo, presidental chair, cantor’s stand, and if necessary, another location.
 
yukonbrad said:
I have seen it done that way as well but more commonly all three at the ambo, matter of regional tradition I suppose.
Click to expand...
So they take turns stepping up to the mic? There’s no other way it could be done in our parish or any other that I’ve been in in recent years.

I should say that that’s often what happens when they have a few kids do the intercessions at First Communion or a few relatives doing the intercessions at a funeral. No more than one person can fit at the ambo at any given time.
 
SMHW said:
I have seen two cantors at the ambo chanting the Easter Sequence. (This was before we had a deacon who was capable of chanting it.)

I have never seen multiple people at the ambo for the passion. Those roles were usually divided up between ambo, presidental chair, cantor’s stand, and if necessary, another location.
Click to expand...
Yes, the Passion at our parish is usually Ambo, Altar, Lectern.
 
Phemie said:
So they take turns stepping up to the mic? There’s no other way it could be done in our parish or any other that I’ve been in in recent years.
Click to expand...
Our ambo is big enough for two people to be side by side but it’s close quarters. I have mostly seen husband and wife cantor duos or two women duos. I suppose two small men could fit…
 
Phemie said:
So they take turns stepping up to the mic? There’s no other way it could be done in our parish or any other that I’ve been in in recent years.

I should say that that’s often what happens when they have a few kids do the intercessions at First Communion or a few relatives doing the intercessions at a funeral. No more than one person can fit at the ambo at any given time.
Click to expand...
Mic? Only the cathedral in Whitehorse has need of a microphone/ sound system. Most of the parish/ mission churches up here in the Yukon are small - I mean small! So now imagine three at the ambo - yeah it does get crowded but somehow we seem to manage.
 
Before someone asks “how small” take a look yourself. Go to www.whitehorsediocese.com and click on parishes to see some pics. A couple were actually made from salvaged army quonset huts from when they built the Alaska hwy during WWII.
 
yukonbrad said:
Before someone asks “how small” take a look yourself. Go to www.whitehorsediocese.com and click on parishes to see some pics. A couple were actually made from salvaged army quonset huts from when they built the Alaska hwy during WWII.
Click to expand...
I’ve seen pics “Our Lady of the Way” before. Lovely, intimate little church.

I guess ‘small’ is relative. As churches go, I consider ours small, but then I look at your Cathedral and it seems to be about the same size, and the building interior looks very similiar, with those ship ribs across the top.
 
I liked the picture of the Bishop ice fishing, and was reminded that the Bishop follows in the footsteps of St. Peter, the Fisherman.
 
Small is relative. In the Yukon most communities are smaller than 1000 people (Whitehorse has 30,000, Dawson and Watson Lake around 1500 each comprise the larger communities; not to mention Fort Nelson BC which is in the dioceses). So small 60 seat or so churches are quite common and yet again during certian masses we manage to fit 3 around the ambo. It may seem more appropriate to have people read from thier seats (after all we have the same text in the Sunday Missal) but acorrding to our Bishop (who is in town this weekend - I’ll mention the comments to him, he’ll get a laugh out of the “walking on water quip”) he feels it provides a certian measure of dignity to have the Gospel read in this fashion from the ambo - it all comes down to regional practice in the end.
 
yukonbrad said:
Small is relative. In the Yukon most communities are smaller than 1000 people (Whitehorse has 30,000, Dawson and Watson Lake around 1500 each comprise the larger communities; not to mention Fort Nelson BC which is in the dioceses). So small 60 seat or so churches are quite common and yet again during certian masses we manage to fit 3 around the ambo. It may seem more appropriate to have people read from thier seats (after all we have the same text in the Sunday Missal) but acorrding to our Bishop (who is in town this weekend - I’ll mention the comments to him, he’ll get a laugh out of the “walking on water quip”) he feels it provides a certian measure of dignity to have the Gospel read in this fashion from the ambo - it all comes down to regional practice in the end.
Click to expand...
At Mass it’s never appropriate to have the people read from their seats.

I’m still wondering, outside the Passion, why would you need three people around the ambo during Mass? There is no other reading that would/should be read by more than one person.

Outside of Mass, I can see two people during the examination of conscience at a Penitential Service.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top