Grassroots Liturgist

“There follows the Rite of Peace, by which the Church entreats peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament.” (CCC 82) What do you make of the Sign of Peace?   What are your feelings when you exchange the Sign of Peace during mass?   What is going on in your heart and in your mind?   Is it just a little light relief from the drama of the Mass unfolding before you?   A chance to greet others or to catch the eye of someone that you haven’t seen for a while? The early Christians exchanged peace during their celebration of the Eucharist, but the practice fell out of use until after the Second Vatican Council. Let’s explore a little what is behind this ancient symbolic act in the holy Mass. Christian peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but rather the unity of spirit and of and purpose under God.   A unity of love f...

I have been very quiet lately for several reasons, one of which being that I have taken on the role of chaplain at a secondary school, specifically with responsibility for liturgy.  It is a lovely school and the pupils are generally very acquiescent indeed.  But there is still the issue of whole-school liturgies - especially whole-school Masses - when there are relatively few baptised Catholics and very few of those are regular Mass attenders. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life (Lumen Gentium No 11).  But this rather assumes that those who join together to celebrate the Mass are, on some level, consciously on a spiritual journey and have a desire to grow ever-closer to Christ.  Clearly, this is not the case with compulsory, all-school Masses.  But like any good teacher when planning a lesson, the school liturgist has to try and meet the pupils where they are and somehow make sure that there is 'something for everyone'.  In a genera...

I  previously mentioned my experiences of the Sign on Peace at youth Masses back in the early/mid-80s.  Although the days of raucously singing "Let there be peace shared among us" have long-since (mercifully) gone, it is still a part of the Mass that I don't feel we quite get right.  Too often it becomes little more than a "good morning" - a chance for limited social interaction.  Indeed, the sound of brief conversation can sometimes be caught. What is it that we should be doing here? The General Instruction tells us that in the Rite of Peace "...the Church entreats peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament." (GIRM 82)  So, in the Sign of Peace we are recognising the union, fellowship, love and dignity that we share as members of the Church.  Our faith is not a 'private love affair' between ourselves a...

One thing that I try to keep to the front of my considerations when planning liturgy is to remember that the music must serve the Mass - the Mass is not there as a vehicle for the music.  To this end it is so important that we understand the Mass more and more - through both study and prayerful participation - so that our music is sensitive to the ebb and flow of what is happening during the Mass. Back in the day, when attending yoof Masses, the "Sign of Peace" was often followed by "Let there be peace shared among us".  It was always sung enthusiastically but (and leaving aside the fact that there is no provision for this in the General Instruction to the Roman Missal) it was a rude interruption on what is a very solemn part of the Mass.  It just doesn't fit!  Immediately following this lively rendition we were expected to behold, in prayerful wonder, the Lamb of God in the Blessed Sacrament.  As human beings we cannot go from such exuberance to such wondrous...