Five Things Most Catholics Don’t Know about Celebrating Mass

Almost three years ago, in the letter accompanying the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis asked the bishops of the world “to be vigilant in ensuring that every liturgy be celebrated with decorum and fidelity to the liturgical books promulgated after Vatican Council II, without the eccentricities that can easily degenerate into abuses.”

Leaving aside for a moment the truism that “nobody reads the instructions”, why did Pope Francis ask for fidelity to the liturgical books? He explains:

I am saddened by abuses in the celebration of the liturgy on all sides. In common with Benedict XVI, I deplore the fact that “in many places the prescriptions of the new Missal are not observed in celebration, but indeed come to be interpreted as an authorization for or even a requirement of creativity, which leads to almost unbearable distortions.

So in obedience to Pope Francis and, indeed, in obedience to the liturgical laws of Holy Mother Church herself, let’s take a look at just five things found in the current liturgical books that are often unknown or ignored. 

Specifically, we’ll be looking at the General Instruction of the Roman Missal – the instructions for how Mass is to be celebrated – which was last revised and published in English in 2011. Of course, the General Instruction itself often refers to other documents, and where it does we’ll look at those as well. 

1. Veiling the Tabernacle

We’ll start with the location where the Mass is most often celebrated – the humble parish church.

These days, most parish churches do not have a veil covering their tabernacle. Inside, sure, but not outside. This was once a ubiquitous practice, but no more. Has the tabernacle veil been abrogated? Is it an optional thing? Here’s what General Instruction paragraph 314 says:

In accordance with the structure of each church and legitimate local customs, the Most Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a tabernacle in a part of the church that is truly noble, prominent, conspicuous, worthily decorated, and suitable for prayer.

(Emphasis mine.)

“Worthily decorated” seems open to some interpretation. Fortunately, there’s a footnote attached to this sentence. This refers us to a document called Eucharisticum mysterium, which was issued in 1967¹. Paragraphs 54 through 56 of this document provide instructions on the location of the tabernacle. The following paragraph, no. 57, says, 

Care should be taken that the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle is indicated to the faithful by a tabernacle veil or some other suitable means prescribed by the competent authority. 

According to the traditional practice, a lamp should burn continually near the tabernacle as a sign of the honor paid to the Lord.

(Emphasis mine.)

Since both the veil and the lamp are mentioned, the tabernacle lamp is not to be regarded as a substitution for the veil, but rather an accompaniment to it. So time to put the veil on!

2. Communion-Plates 

Communion-plates – sometimes called communion patens – are those little brass plates on the end of a wooden handle that altar servers hold under the chins or hands of communicants to catch any dropped hosts or crumbs. Many people think that they were abolished by Vatican II, or at least that they are old fashioned and no longer in use. 

Some people even think that they are unnecessary these days, but as most Priests, Deacons, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion can tell you, despite best efforts, the number of hosts dropped to the ground during Communion is distressingly high.

Communion-plates are rarely seen these days, but they are mentioned in the General Instruction in a section called “Things to be Prepared” for celebrating Mass. In paragraph 118, we read the following:

(For clarity and ease of reading on a screen, I’ve added line breaks and bullets after each semi-colon in the list.)

Likewise these should be prepared … on the credence table: 

• the chalice, corporal, purificator, and, if appropriate, the pall; 
• the paten and, if needed, ciboria; 
• bread for the Communion of the Priest who presides, the Deacon, the ministers, and the people; 
• cruets containing the wine and the water, unless all of these are presented by the faithful in the procession at the Offertory; 
• the vessel of water to be blessed, if the sprinkling of holy water takes place; 
• the Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful; 
• and whatever is needed for the washing of hands.

(Emphasis mine.)

It would be pretty weird if the General Instruction told us to prepare communion-plates if we weren’t supposed to use them!

3. Singing the Antiphons

Does Sunday Mass in your parish start with a hymn? Why? Did you know that the Church actually provides scripture to be read or sung during the entrance procession? This is the Entrance Antiphon, which is supposed to be accompanied by a psalm – it works the same way the Responsorial Psalm does.

The General Instruction lays it out pretty clearly in paragraph 48.

(Once again, I’ve added line breaks, this time between the numbered options, so they’re easier to read on a screen.)

In the Dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Entrance Chant:

(1) the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum as set to music there or in another setting;

(2) the antiphon and Psalm of the Graduale Simplex for the liturgical time;

(3) a chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including Psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms;

(4) another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.

If there is no singing at the Entrance, the antiphon given in the Missal is recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a reader; otherwise, it is recited by the Priest himself…

Seems pretty clear. No possibility of using a hymn is even mentioned.

So why do so many parishes start their Masses off with a “gathering hymn”? As it turns out, Rome gave specific permission for replacing the various antiphons with vernacular hymns back in 1958.²

As the revised Missal was being published in 1969, Rome was asked whether or not this instruction still applied. The response reads as follows:

That rule has been superseded. … To continue to replace the text of the Mass being celebrated with motets that are reverent and devout, yet out of keeping with the Mass of the day amounts to continuing an unacceptable ambiguity: it is to cheat the people. Liturgical song involves not mere melody, but words, text, thought and the sentiments that the poetry and music contain. Thus texts must be those of the Mass, not others, and singing means singing the Mass not just singing during Mass.

(Notitiae 5 [1969] page 406)

Did you catch that? Rome thinks that replacing the antiphon with a hymn, no matter how good, is cheating you. 

There are similar rules for the antiphon (and psalm) to be sung at Communion (paragraph 87). Unlike the Entrance Antiphon, however, the possibility of a hymn exists, but it is supplementary and does not replace the Communion Antiphon.

There’s also an Offertory Antiphon, but this is entirely optional (paragraph 74).

For a complete look at the antiphons and where to find them, check out my essay Antiphony Reborn: Singing the Mass Propers.

4. Latin in the Mass

“Latin is so Pre-Vatican II!” I’ve heard this on many occasions, particularly when a priest decides to use the Latin Mass parts – the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei (not to mention the Greek Kyrie Eleison). But in fact, the General Instruction has this to say at paragraph 41:

Since the faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer, according to the simpler settings.

Have you ever recited or sung the Creed or the Lord’s Prayer in Latin? And yet, the Church thinks we should know these!

There’s a footnote to this paragraph that sends us to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 54. This section talks about the desirability of Mass in the vernacular, but it nevertheless includes this very clear instruction: “steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them”.

The footnote also sends us to similar instructions in the various documents that implemented the liturgical reform³. In one of these, Musicam sacram, we find the following instruction:

48. Where the vernacular has been introduced into the celebration of Mass, the local Ordinaries will judge whether it may be opportune to preserve one or more Masses celebrated in Latin—especially sung Masses (Missae in cantu)—in certain churches, above all in large cities, where many come together with faithful of different languages.

So according to the mind of the Church, the problem is not too much Latin in the Mass, but not enough.

5. Kneeling to Receive Communion

The ordinary posture in which we receive Communion is standing. But it’s not the only way.

If you want to, you can kneel.

Again, some folks are going to think that this is some sort of throwback to the days before the Second Vatican Council, or maybe it’s something that you can only do if you attend the Latin Mass. Once again, let’s turn to our old friend, the General Instruction. In paragraph 160, we find this:

The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, March 25, 2004, no. 91).

(Emphasis mine.)

The instruction is very clear that the norm is to stand. But if you wish to kneel to receive, you may.

It’s apparent that the Church wishes to particularly emphasize this point. The relevant document cited is not relegated to a footnote; it’s actually cited in the text itself.

If you don’t count sacred scripture, this is the only inline citation to another document in the whole of the General Instruction.

Now, obviously this requires prudence and discernment. Nobody should receive the Eucharist in any specific way to make a statement or to cause a scene. If you wish to receive kneeling, ask yourself why.

Is it to honour our Eucharistic Lord? Or is it something else? When in doubt, talk to your pastor or your spiritual director first.

In Conclusion

A lot of folks, maybe even you, might think that some of these things are hopelessly old fashioned. But Pope Francis does not agree.

He does not view the modern rites as a break from the Tradition. As he says in the letter accompanying the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes, “It must therefore be maintained that the Roman Rite, adapted many times over the course of the centuries according to the needs of the day, not only be preserved but renewed ‘in faithful observance of the Tradition’”.

1. Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction, Eucharisticum mysterium, May 25, 1967: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 59 (1967), p. 568.
2. That’s pre-Vatican II, for those of you keeping score at home.
3. Inter Oecumenici, September 26, 1964, no. 59: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 56 (1964), p. 891; and Musicam sacram, March 5, 1967, no. 47: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 59 (1967), p. 314.