Welcome to the Office of Sacred Worship
for the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin
Today's
Mass readings.
Today's
saint.
*Gregorian Chant
Introit Project*
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Year for Priests Indulgence
From the April 25 Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary
A. Truly
repentant priests who, on any day, devoutly recite at least morning Lauds or
Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament, exposed for public adoration or replaced
in the tabernacle, and who, after the example of St John Mary Vianney, offer
themselves with a ready and generous heart for the celebration of the
sacraments, especially Confession, are mercifully granted in God the Plenary
Indulgence which they may also apply to their deceased brethren in suffrage,
if, in conformity with the current norms, they receive sacramental confession
and the Eucharistic banquet and pray for the Supreme Pontiff's intentions.
Furthermore the Partial Indulgence is granted to
priests who may apply it to their deceased confreres every time that they
devoutly recite the prayers duly approved to lead a holy life and to carry out
in a holy manner the offices entrusted to them.
B. The
Plenary Indulgence is granted to all the faithful who are truly repentant
who, in church or in chapel, devoutly attend the divine Sacrifice of Mass and
offer prayers to Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest, for the priests of the
Church, and any other good work which they have done on that day, so that he may
sanctify them and form them in accordance with His Heart, as long as they have
made expiation for their sins through sacramental confession and prayed in
accordance with the Supreme Pontiff's intentions: on the days in which the Year
for Priests begins and ends, on the day of the 150th anniversary of the pious
passing of St John Mary Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month or on any
other day established by the local Ordinaries for the benefit of the
faithful.[…]
The Plenary Indulgence will likewise be granted to the
elderly, the sick and all those who for any legitimate reason are confined to
their homes who, with a mind detached from any sin and with the intention of
fulfilling as soon as possible the three usual conditions [sacramental
Confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer in keeping with the intentions of
the Supreme Pontiff, as well as being completely unattached to any form of sin],
at home or wherever their impediment detains them, provided that on the
above-mentioned days they recite prayers for the sanctification of priests and
confidently offer the illnesses and hardships of their lives to God through Mary
Queen of Apostles.
Lastly, the Partial Indulgence is granted to all the faithful every time they devoutly recite five Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glorias, or another expressly approved prayer, in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to obtain that priests be preserved in purity and holiness of life.
St. John Vianney Holy Cards
Available
In conjunction with the Diocesan Televised Mass
Apostolate, the St. John Vianney Holy Card below has been produced for the Year
for Priests. If you or your parish are interested in obtaining a number of
these cards, please contact the
Office of Sacred Worship.
HIGHLIGHTING THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LITURGY
There are a number of ways offered us by the Church that are meant to enhance the celebration of the Liturgy of the Word in the celebration of the Mass that might be considered during this Pauline Year with its emphasis on the Word of God; the three options below (there are more) are found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass. The liturgy, recall, makes use of sacramental signs and symbols to convey and foster the unseen truths of faith. These normative options are meant to do the same; by them, the importance of God’s word is shown, and at the same time the love we have for it is deepened.
1. Sing! Citing—appropriately—St. Paul, the GIRM tells us: “The Christian faithful who gather together as one to await the Lord’s coming are instructed by the apostle Paul to sing together psalms, hymn, and spiritual songs (cf. Col 3:16). Singing is the sign of the heart’s joy (cf. Acts 2:46). Thus St. Augustine says rightly, ‘Singing is for one who loves.’ There is also the ancient proverb: ‘One who sings well prays twice’” (n.39). There are various occasions in the Liturgy of the Word where singing can be included:
At the introduction and conclusion to the readings: “A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.” “The word of the Lord.” “Thanks be to God.” (Lectionary for Mass, n.18) Many common song books also contain music these dialogues, although these texts can be sung even on a single note. Even a cantor or minister other than the reader him or herself may sing these parts.
Profession of Faith (GIRM, n.36). This may seem a lot to sing, but the Creed is one of the most important parts of the Liturgy of the Word. By it, we respond to all that we have been told by God in his revealed word. Since this response is so important (credo in Latin is a contraction of two smaller words, cor, meaning heart, and do, meaning to give), it is entirely fitting that we signify this importance through song.
Prayers of the Faithful (GIRM, n.36, 138,)
Even the readings themselves (Lectionary for Mass, n.14)
2. Gospel procession. “The reading of the Gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy itself teaches that great reverence is to be shown to it by setting it off from the other readings with special marks of honor…[to] acknowledge and confess Christ present and speaking to [us]” (GIRM, n.60). The Gospel Procession—utilizing the Book of the Gospels, candles, incense— symbolizes this truth of faith. For a full description of the Gospel Procession, see GIRM, n.131-134; 175.
3. Silence. The Liturgy of the Word takes the form of a dialogue: God speaks to us, we listen, and then speak to God. An essential ingredient to this dialogue is listening in silence and meditation. “During the Liturgy of the Word, it is appropriate to include brief periods of silence, accommodated to the gathered assembly, in which, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the word of God may be grasped by the heart and a response through prayer may be prepared. It may be appropriate to observe such periods of silence, for example, before the Liturgy of the Word itself begins, after the first and second reading, and lastly at the conclusion of the homily” (GRIM, n.56).
DVD FEATURING THE STAINED GLASS OF THE TV MASS' CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL
In Union With the Whole Church:
Saints Among Us
In
an effort to strengthen the bonds of our Diocesan TV Mass community, Bishop
Listecki is offering a DVD on the saints featured in the Chapel of Christ the
King. “In Union with the Whole Church: Saints Among Us” is a beautiful
presentation and explanation of the 18 nave windows in the clerestory of the
Chapel. Familiarity with the Chapel fosters the unity of the Diocesan Church,
especially viewers with the Bishop; familiarity with the saints strengthens
further the bonds with the larger Church, the entire Mystical Body of Christ.
The DVD is free for those who make--or who have made--a donation of $50 to the TV Mass apostolate; it is also available for purchase at $20. Please contact the TV Mass, PO Box 4004, La Crosse, WI 54602; call 608.791.0161; or email the Sacred Worship Office to place an order or for more information.
This image of Christ the Priest appears in stained glass in Christ the King Chapel, home of most of the Televised Masses.
Vatican approves new english
translation of the order of Mass
The following is from the August
2008 issue of the Committee on Divine Worship Newsletter
On June 23, 2008, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirmed the text of the Order of Mass I, passed by the USCCB at their June 2006 plenary assembly in Los Angeles.
In the letter to Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., USCCB President, which accompanied the decree, the Prefect of the Congregation, Francis Cardinal Arinze, discussed the recognitio and the necessity of catechesis regarding the new translation. The recognitio has been granted at this time so that formational materials can be prepared for both clergy and the faithful, and that musical settings of the revised texts of the acclamations and other texts meant to be sung can be composed. The text of the Ordo Missae is available now for these purposes, but the text has not yet been promulgated for liturgical use and cannot be used at this time for the celebration of the Mass.
Adaptations to the Order of Mass I have yet to be decided by the Congregation. Among others, these adaptations include the addition of Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again as an option for the Mystery of Faith, additional texts for the priest's use in the Act of Penitence, the introduction to the Lord's Prayer, and dismissal of the people, and the insertion of texts for the Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling with Holy Water, customarily found in an Appendix of the Roman Missal, in the Introductory Rites of the Order of Mass.
What most people, both clergy and the faithful alike, will notice first in the revised texts is the heightened style of language, which results from a more literal translation of the original Latin text. The Ratio Translationis explains: "The unique style of the Roman Rite should be maintained in translation. By 'style' is meant here the distinctive way in which the prayers of the Roman Rite are expressed. The principal elements of such a style include a certain conciseness in addressing, praising and entreating God, as well as distinctive syntactical patterns, a noble tone, a variety of less complex rhetorical devices, concreteness of images, repetition, parallelism and rhythm as measured through the cursus, or ancient standards for stressing syllables of Latin words in prose or poetry" (n.12).
The texts of the revised translation of the Roman Missal are marked by precise vocabulary and a grammatical structure that is based on the Latin text. In addition, many biblical and poetic images, such as "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof" (Communion Rite) and "from the rising of the sun to its setting" (Eucharistic Prayer III) have been restored.
For more information on the revised translations, including FAQ's and a list of changes to the people's parts, see the USCCB's Committee on Divine Liturgy website.
Singing the Prayers of the Liturgy
How does one sing the presidential prayers of the liturgy? While there
are many ways and different resources for leaders of prayer to singing the
orations of the liturgy, the following examples are one of the simpler ways to
proceed. Arranged by Father Samuel Webber for the Diocese of La Crosse,
these examples enhance the celebration of the liturgy by adding beauty and
solemnity.
A Guide to Singing the Presidential Prayers, compiled by the Office of Sacred Worship, provides some information on why it is important to sing such prayers in the first place, a explanation of what is meant by the presidential prayers, some advice on how to sing prayer texts, and tones provided by Fr. Webber.
The samples are from the Sundays of Advent. Click on the particular Sunday for sheet music, and at the top of each sheet is a hyperlink to the audio file.