Diocese of Chalan Kanoa Liturgical Commission: DIRECTIVES FOR LENT AND EASTER

By Pali Isaac Ayuyu

THE following directives to be observed throughout the parishes in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa.

1. Season of Lent – Lent runs from Ash Wednesday (March 1, 2017) until the Mass of the Last Supper exclusive on Holy Thursday (April 13, 2017).Lenten weekdays are not commemorated on solemnities and feast. Ash Wednesday and the days of Holy Week takes precedence over all solemnities and feasts.
2. Lenten Regulations – Fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all 18 years of age and older, who have not yet celebrated their 59th birthday. On a fast day one full meal is allowed. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according o each one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids including milk and juices are allowed.

Abstinence is observed by all 14 years of age and older. On days of abstinence  no meat is allowed. Note that when health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of lent and     Good Friday are days of abstinence.

Note: If a person is unable to observe the above regulations due to ill health or other serious reasons, other suitable forms of self denial are encouraged. Fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are the three traditional disciples of Lent. The faithful and     catechumens should undertake these practices seriously in a spirit of penance and of preparation for baptism or of renewal of baptism at Easter.

Participation in daily Mass and the voluntary observance of fasting are also recommended. Commendable, particularly during Lent, is generosity to the Annual Catholic Charities Appeal, as well as donations to other local and national charities. Also commendable are the traditional Lenten Devotions and various practices of self denial summed up in the Christian concept of  “mortification”.

AREKLON KUARESMA AYUNAT yan ABSTINENSIA

Ayunat: Mietkoles Sinisa yan Bietnes Santo. Unu ha’ na kabales na sentada gi dia. Ayu siha i 21 años asta 59 años idat-ñiha. Fuera di i manmalangu.

Abstinensia: Mietkoles Sinisa yan todu i Bietnes durante Kuaresma yan kon todu Bietnes Santo inklusu. Ti siña chumocho katne. Ayu siha i 14 años para hulo’. Fuera di i manmalangu.

3. Flowers and Musical Instruments – During Lent the altar should not be decorated with flower, and may be played only to give necessary support to the singing. On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, is traditionally known as Latare Sunday, so-called from the first word of the antiphon at the Introit. Latare (“Rejoice”) , taken from the Latin translation Is 66: 10sets a tone of joyful anticipation of the Easter mystery, as does the permitted us the rose-colored vestments.   Likewise, instruments may be played at Mass and the altar may be decorated with flowers.
4. Entrance Rite during Lent – For the sake of unison, all parishes are asked to enter the sanctuary as usual (either silence of with a hymn). The presider after the veneration of the altar simply proceed to the presider’s chair and begin the Mass as usual. Reminder: The singing of the “Gloria” and “Alleluia” are omitted during Lent and resumed Easter Vigil Mass.
5. Apostles Creed and Mystery of Faith – The Apostles is recommended to be used during the Lenten and Easter seasons instead of the Nicene Creed. The second option of The Mystery of Faith is recommended during the Lent and the third during Easter.
6. Baptism during Lent: Nothing in Church Law prohibits infants from being baptized during Lent. Please refer to canon 867,s1 of the Code of the Canon Law (CIC) and canon 1250 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). The reason to delay baptism should be for pastoral reasons when the parents are not yet prepared to profess the faith or to undertake the duty of bringing up the children as Christians. The penitential season of Lent does not qualify as justification to delay or prohibit the baptism of infants. The clergy in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa may not prohibit or delay the baptism of infants during the season of Lent unless there are serious and pastoral reasons to do so as per the canonical norms.
7. Marriages during Lent – Couples are to be reminded that wedding plans should respect the special nature of this liturgical season; they should refrain from too much pomp or display.
8. Veiling of Crosses and Images – As traditionally practiced in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, Crosses and Processional Crosses in the church must be draped with red color on Palm Sunday (March 13) until the conclusion of the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. However, Stations of the Cross and stained glass images should not be veiled. The USCCB aptly describes the practice of veiling as a sort of fasting from sacred images, whereby the fasting culminates in a profound sense of veneration on Good Friday and in a renewed sense of awe at paschal glory on Easter.
9. Disposal of Old Oils and Paschal Candles: A simple and reverent way to dispose of old remaining sacred oils or paschal candles is to have them burned in the pre-Easter Vigil fire. The old oils may also be put into the lamp which burns before the reserved Blessed Sacrament (Ordo pg.93). In addition, the Cathedral will notify the clergy as to when to deposit all glass containers and indisposed sacred oils to the Cathedral in preparation for the Chrism Mass.
10. The Reading of the Passion: Changes to the flow and structure of the Passion Gospel reading on Palm Sunday and Good Friday are hereby prohibited. The Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and celebration of the Easter Feasts (Congregation for Divine Worship, 1988) states in #33: “The passion narrative occupies a special place. It should be sung or read in the traditional way, that is, by three persons who take the part of Christ the narrator and the people. The Passion is proclaimed be deacons or priests, or by lay readers; in the latter case, the part of Christ should be reserved to the priest. The proclamation of the passion should be without candles and incense, the greeting and the sign of the cross on the book are omitted.” While certain sung settings of the passion itself may be appropriate, interjecting hymn texts or otherwise dividing/altering the reading is not. “Passion plays” or its similar genre cannot take place of the proclamation of the passion of the liturgies of holy week.
11. Sacrament of Reconciliation – So that the Christian faithful may be helped to celebrate more fully the paschal mystery and as a way to conclude the Lenten season, each parish should, as far as is possible, celebrate a penitential celebration, both of the individual Christian and the whole parish community. This should take place before the Easter Triduum, and should not immediately precede the evening mass of the Lord’s supper (ordo pg.65)
12. Fonts: Holy Water fonts in churches should not be drained or replaced with any other substance during lent. The season of penance actually benefits greatly from access to the sacramental that reminds us of baptism. Holy water fonts should only be emptied of water during the Sacred Triduum – from Holy Thursday until they are refilled with the water blessed at the Easter Vigil.

THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM

13. Sacraments during the Triduum – Throughout the Sacred Paschal Triduum it is important to emphasize that the sacrament of penance and the anointing of the sick may continue to be celebrated (see rubrics for Holy Thursday, nos. 3 & 4; Good Friday, no.1). Holy Communion may be given to the sick and homebound immediately after the liturgies of Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and only as viaticum to the dying on Holy Saturday.
14. Funeral Mass and First Communion – Funeral Mass are not allowed on Holy Thursday, or during the Paschal Tridumm . (see Ordo page 93) . First Communion is not appropriate at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (See Ordo page 93).
15. Church Bells – Holy Thursday Mass: Church bells are rung during the Gloria at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. Afterwards, the bells should remain silent until the Gloria at the Easter vigil.
16. The Washing of the feet during mass – is to be done by the presiding priest in order to preserve the principal symbolism of the priest (representing Christ) acting in humble service to his Apostles. As such, no more than twelve pairs of feet should be washed. It is not permissible to have any mutual foot-washing, nor any large communal hand/foot washing during the mass. The group whose feet are to be washed represent a cross-section of the local community, therefore, as has been practiced already, woman can participate in the washing of the feet. Pastors/Parish Administrators are reminded that there will be no “kissing of feet”. The rubric simply states, that the “ministers, pours water over each one’s feet and then dries them. The seating arrangements of those selected to be washed is left to the discretion of the Pastor/Parish Administrators to prepare a suitable place.
17. The Transfer of the Most Blessed Sacrament – The Ciborium containing the Sacred Hosts is to be used, not the Monstrance for procession to the place of the repose prepared.
18. Adoration of the Cross – the previous adaption of permitting multiple

Crosses for the adoration by the faithful is discontinued (see no. 19 of the Good Friday rubrics in the Roman Missal). Only one Cross should be offered for adoration. If, because of the large number of people, it is not possible for all to approach individually, two options may be pursued: (1) a larger cross may be approached by the people from the different sides, or (2) the rubric in the roman missal may be observed whereby the cross , after adoration by a smaller representative group of the faithful, is lifted up for a time by the priest to allow all to adore in silence. During the veneration of the cross, any cross containing the relic of the true cross would be ideal, if a parish is fortunate enough to have one. As far as a corpus, it is probably better to have a wooden cross, but having a corpus is not forbidden

FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD – APRIL 14, 2017

19. Good Friday Collection and Procession – the collection of Good Friday will be transmitted to the Vatican congregation for the Oriental Churches to benefit the Catholic Churches and Shrines of the Holy Land. Please submit the Good Friday collection to Mount Carmel Cathedral or Curia office by Monday, April 21, 2014. The local custom of holding Island-wide procession after the Parish Good Friday Services will be held at the Cathedral at 5:00 PM.

 EASTER VIGIL IN THE HOLY NIGHT – APRIL 15, 2017

20. Darkness – Rather than the mere sunset , true darkness is essential to the nature of the Vigil. The Roman Missal states (Easter Vigil Rubrics no. 30 “ The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil must take place during the night, so that it begins after nightfall and ends before daybreak on Sunday.” As per the Ordo (pg.90) the vigil “is not to be celebrated at the time of day that is customary to celebrate the anticipated Sunday Masses”. Even if it is celebrated before midnight, the Mass of the Easter Vigil is a Paschal Mass of the Sunday of the Resurrection (Easter Vigil rubric no.4). Therefore, the celebration of the Easter Vigil is to begin on or after 7:00 PM.

21. The Exsultet – With the new Roman Missal, there have been changes in the text of the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet). The Exsultet must be sung, and must follow the text provided in the Missal. The order of preference for who may chant the Exsultet is: deacon, priest, lay cantor. If a lay cantor does sing it, the omissions in rubric no. 19 of the Vigil must be observed. A recording of the new Exsultet may be heard at http://www.npm.org/Chants/proper.html

22. The Reading of the Word of God is a fundamental part of the Easter Vigil which is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities demands and extended period of time. It is the mother of all Vigils. rubrics no. 20 and 21 for the Easter Vigil instructs that all nine readings should be done so that the character of the vigil, which demands an extended period of time, maybe be preserved. However, where more serious pastoral circumstances demand it, the number of reading from the Old Testament may be reduced. At least three readings should be read from the Old Testament, both from the Law and the Prophets and two from the New (the Epistle and Gospel).

23. Easter Day

Mass should be celebrated on Easter Day with great solemnity. After the homily, instead of the Profession of Faith, the rite for the renewal of baptismal promises and the sprinkling of the people with the water blessed at the Vigil is celebrated.

24. Easter Time

The celebration of Easter is prolonged throughout the fifty days of the Easter Season. This sacred period of 50 days concludes with Pentecost Sunday, when the gift of the Holy Spirit, the beginnings of the Church, and its mission to all peoples and nations are commemorated.

Thank you for your cooperation. Should have any other concerns or questions please don’t hesitate to call me. We hope that these directives will help all the faithful celebrate the paschal mystery with joy and celebration.