Chrism Mass? Never heard of it?

Don't worry, you aren't alone. I was a Catholic for two whole years before i even heard of the Chrism Mass. As a new Catholic i had weekly sessions with my Spiritual Director Monsignor Brian Arahill up in his room at St. John Vianey house in Ponsonby. In his own words he explained that the Chrism Mass is one of the Church's most beautiful liturgies on it's calendar and believe it or not, most Catholics go through life without experiencing a Chrism Mass.

Every year bishop Pat consecrates oils that are to be used throughout the diocese. At this Mass, priests from all over the diocese gather with their bishop and the faithful to remember the day of their ordinations and also renew their commitment to ministry and service to the Church. At this Mass the bishop also asks the faithful to remember him and his brother bishops in their prayers, so that they may remain faithful to the office of the apostle which Christ has entrusted to them.

The Chrism Mass is usually celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday but can also be transferred to another day during Lent. For the Catholic Diocese of Auckland - the Chrism Mass is always celebrated on the Monday after Palm Sunday every year. So if you haven't experienced the joy of the Chrism Mass, make sure to enter the date in your diary for next year.

The liturgy begins like any other Mass with the Entrance Procession and this year we had 7 Deacons, something like 30 plus Priests - both diocesan and religious and 3 Bishops. Celebrating was Bishop Patrick Dunn (Bishop of Auckland) assisted by Bishop Dennis Browne (Bishop Emeritus of Hamilton) and Bishop Stuart O'Connell (Bishop Emeritus of Rarotonga) all processing in to the hymn "Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of Creation".

From the very beginning in the collect (opening prayer) through to the readings in the liturgy of the word, the word that stands out the most is "anointed" and "anoint" - which is what we use the oils for.

• Oil of the Sick
• Oil of Catechumens
• Oil of Sacred Chrism

We use the holy oils to "anoint" and those that gather to renew their commitments to ministry are also known as "anointed ones" - (well we are all anointed ones) Except priests and bishops are anointed with the oil of sacred chrism at their ordinations. Bishop Pat's homily focused on the verses from the book of the Prophet Isiah where he speaks of the "anointed ones" and pointed out in the gospel of Luke that same phrase of Isiah's referring to it as the "Mission Statement" for the Church.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The liturgy continued on to the liturgy of the Eucharist and again the word "anoint" continued to be the on going theme for the night as pointed out in the Preface of The Priesthood and the Ministry of Priests.

"For by anointing of the Holy Spirit you made your only Begotten Son
High Priest of the new and eternal covenant"

and during the Consecratory Prayer when the bishop and all concelebrating priests pray together:

"Pour out the gifts of your Holy Spirit on our brothers and sisters who will be anointed with it." & "Above all, Father we pray that through this sign of your anointing".

At the end of communion, representatives from each of the diocese's parishes and chaplaincies come forward to greet the bishop and collect the oils. So as you can see, the Chrism Mass is a big deal for the priests of the diocese as they come together to one - recall their ordinations and two - renew their commitment to serve the church and the ministry which has been appointed to them. For those who aren't ordained, the Chrism Mass is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to serve the Church and to faithfully serve our bishops and priests as they serve us.

Phot credit: Rochelle Dias - Auckland Catholic Youth Ministry Office.

For a full album of photos from Monday nights Chrism Mass head to the ACYM Facebook page.

Ascension, Pentecost, Holy Trinity, Body and Blood of Christ | Music Suggestions

Music Suggestions for the following have now been added to our website.

• Ascension
• Pentecost
• Holy Trinity
• Body and Blood of Christ

Click on the link below.

Music Suggestions

Why do you go to Mass?

"The Church earnestly desires that all the faithful be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations called for by the very nature of the liturgy". - Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 14.

Gone are the days where people were expected to just attend Mass to fulfill their Sunday obligation. Some of you might remember what Mass was like pre Vatican II when the assembly had no participation in the Mass at all. The faithful were expected to turn up and watch the clerical show that was going on, in and around the sanctuary and because the Mass was in Latin it meant that a lot more people had no clue on what was being said. Praying the rosary or using prayer books was the only task of the assembly while the priests celebrated the mass quietly to himself.

Of course with the reform of the Church's liturgy, lay people like you and were no longer required just to attend Mass but to fully participate in the celebration of Mass.

You might ask how? Well first of all, following the gestures and postures that we use during the Mass, secondly participate in the singing throughout the Mass, listening attentively to the readings that are proclaimed and the homily that Fr gives, responding to the word of God and affirming your faith in the creed that we recite every week, and responding to the prayers with a meaningful AMEN and then going out into the world and applying everything that you have taken in from the Mass into your daily life to make a difference in the lives of the people that you come into contact with.

Our next issue of "Liturgy" magazine in June will have a deeper look into the role of the assembly and how we are called to participate fully and actively in the Church's liturgies.

If you haven't subscribed the info is below.

Subscriptions

Within NZ
1 copy: $25 per year (4 issues)
3 or more copies $20 per year (4 issues)

Overseas airmail
1 copy: NZ$30 per year (4 issues)

To subscribe email: liturgycentre@cda.org.nz  and receive your first copies free.

Prayers of the Faithful | Holy Week

Prayers of the Faithful for Holy week have now been posted to our website on the link below.


Our Prayers for the Faithful are prepared for Sundays and Solemnities and are available for use and/or adaptation by faith communities.

Liturgy: Prayers of the Faithful

Holy Week and Easter | Fr Rodney Smyth SM

Holy Week & Easter Reflection

PALM SUNDAY

There is a double focus for this celebration:  the procession with palms and the reading of the passion.  While remembering the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, the procession becomes for us a powerful symbol of the pilgrim Church as we enter the church in procession for the beginning of Holy Week.
The Passion this year comes from Matthew’s Gospel.  Matthew gives us a crowded canvas, full of characters and incidents.  No one seems to behave as one would expect.  The Twelve are scattered; Judas betrays Jesus, while Peter denies him.  Pilate protests his innocence but hands Jesus over to death; and Pilate’s wife pleads for Jesus’ life.  The Roman centurion who is keeping guard at the cross is the first to acknowledge what has happened – that the man who has been crucified was truly the Son of God. 

HOLY THURSDAY 

The evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper begins in the usual way but ends in silence after the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose.  No blessing and dismissal, no final hymn.  The Gospel is John’s account of the washing of the feet of the disciples at the last supper.  Then follows our own ritual foot washing, celebration of the Eucharist and transfer of the Eucharist to the place of prayer and adoration which extends into the night.  This is the beginning of the Three Days.  As disciples we are people both of the Eucharist and of service.

GOOD FRIDAY 

The celebration of the Passion of the Lord begins and ends in silence.  The key elements for Good Friday are the proclamation of the Passion from John, the General Intercessions in which we remember the needs of all people in the world, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion.  The colour of the vestments is red, the same as for Palm Sunday.  We do not try to re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus.  We gather to celebrate the mystery of the cross.
The cross is a symbol both of human torture and suffering, and also of Jesus’ fidelity and surrender to his Father even unto death.  The cross is a symbol of the conflict between good and evil and in this conflict the final word is found in God’s word: goodness overcoming evil and life overcoming death.
As disciples we are a people signed with the cross, for the cross is a central symbol of Christian faith.

HOLY SATURDAY

The Easter Vigil is the climax of the Triduum.  It has four parts.  It begins with the lighting of the fire and Easter candle and the proclamation of the Easter message, the Exsultet.  There is an extended Liturgy of the Word with several readings from the Old Testament.  The Baptism Liturgy is central with the blessing of the Easter water and the baptism of adults together with the renewal of baptismal vows of all present.  The Eucharist is then celebrated.

The strong focus on baptism reminds us that we are plunged into the death and resurrection of Jesus at baptism, and here at Easter we renew our identity as being a baptised people.

BACKGROUND NOTES

• The Easter Triduum is the culmination of the entire liturgical year.
• The three celebrations of the Triduum are distinct but closely related liturgies that form a single unit.
• The mood of these liturgies is solemn but not sombre.
• The Triduum is not a re-enactment of historical events. The purpose of these days is our participation in the paschal mystery through sacramental signs.
• The Easter Season comes to an end with Pentecost Sunday.

Preparing our Easter Celebrations

As Lent slowly comes to an end. Our next big focus should be on preparing the liturgies of Holy Week and the mother of all vigils "The Easter Vigil".
Out of all the church's vigils, our Easter Vigil is when time does not matter, when everything we do in the liturgy should be slowed down for the ministers and the assembly to reflect as the Vigil slowly moves to its summit. All Catholics practicing or not should at least try to attend this wonderful service.

Our Easter Vigil is made of Four Parts

First Part - The Blessing of the Fire and Preparation of the Candle/ Service of Light
Second Part - The Liturgy of the Word
Third Part - Baptismal Liturgy and
Fourth Part - The Liturgy of the Eucharist.


1. The Service of Light
Unlike all the church's other Feast Days and Solemnities this particular night starts off in darkness, to reflect on the light the Christ brought into the world. During the service of light, the holy water fonts should be emptied and all the lights of the church should be switched off. The tabernacle should still be empty after the blessed sacrament was removed during the Mass of the Last Supper or Holy Thursday. The Service of Light starts outside the church and Pascal candle is blessed and lit by the priest.

Christ yesterday and today (vertical arm of the cross)
the Beginning and the End (horizontal arm of the cross)
the Alpha (alpha above the cross)
and the Omega (omega below the cross)
All time belongs to him (numeral 2 in upper left corner of cross)
and all the ages (numeral 1 in upper right corner of cross)
To him be glory and power (numeral 4 in lower left corner)
through every age and for ever. Amen (numeral 0 in lower right corner)
Then the priest may insert five grains of incense into the candle in the form of a cross, meanwhile saying:
1. By his holy
2. and glorious wounds,
3. may Christ the Lord
4. guard us
5. and protect us. Amen.

The priest lights the candle from the new fire, saying:

May the light of Christ, rising in glory,
dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.

 After the candle is lit and blessed, those gathered outside should now be starting the procession into the church behind the deacon elevating the Pascal Candle. If there is no deacon then the priest himself will be the one to lead the procession with the Pascal Candle.

Following the procession when everyone has gathered in the church. The Easter Proclamation or the Exsultet is sung. Here is a link to the Exsultet  

2. Liturgy of the Word

During our celebration of the Easter Vigil, a total of nine readings are proclaimed: Seven readings from the Old Testament and Two Readings from the New Testament. Don't worry! not all readings HAVE to be read but if you play a part in preparing for the vigil, at least 3 have to be read from the Old Testament including Exodus 14. The readings that you may choose from are:

1. the story of creation, Gen 1:1-2; 2;
2. Abraham and Isaac, Gen 22:1-18;
3. Crossing of the Red Sea, Exodus 14:15–15:1;
4. Isaiah 54:5-14;
5. Isaiah 55:1-11;
6. Baruch 3:9-15.32–4:4;
7. Ezekiel 36:16-17.18-28;
8. Romans 6:3-11; and
9. Gospel reading Mark 16:1-7.   

Note: The Gloria is sung before the reading of the Epistle of the Romans, and the Alleluia is sung before the Gospel.

3. Liturgy of Baptism
During this time the Easter water is blessed, new members are brought into the Church through baptism, part of the liturgy includes the Litany of the Saints. Afterwards the faithful are blessed with water and all renew their baptismal promises.

4. Liturgy of the Eucharist
So resumes the Mass, with the special prayers inserted during the Eucharist Prayer. The whole church is called to join at the sacrificial table that Christ prepared for us through his death and resurrection.

The Parish Choir

The Parish Choir

By Judith Courtney

We are still basking in the warm glow of David Haas’ visit. In his short time here, he content ranged over many topics. The one I wish to reflect on below, is the role of the parish choir.

It is good for parishes to have choirs. They do many things which assist the development of beautiful liturgy. To be beautiful, liturgy needs to flow. Choirs learn words and music beforehand, eliminating uneasy pauses and uncertain introductions, giving confidence and providing vocal body for the singing assembly. They come to know the Mass, its ebbs and flows and are ready to sing the parts. They brighten the sound of the singing assembly. They sing with the musicians at an appropriate and uniform tempo. They reflect on words and meanings in the songs we sing, they discuss these and they voice this meaning as they sing. They model participation in the Mass.

All of these reasons are important reasons for choirs to be a part of parish life today. But wait, - there is more.

Choirs, according to David Haas, are a mini church, a church within a church. They are visible and model for the rest of the community what a church can be. A choir prays together. Warm bonds develop between choir members – relationships form. Family members become sick and care is extended. People die and the choir grieves together. People have important moments or anniversaries in their lives and they celebrate together. Choirs extend their care to the wider community, singing perhaps at the local hospice, perhaps at a rest-home or retirement village, perhaps at a local prison. As a group they develop a certain strength and this spills over into the wider community and together they provide a variety of assistance whenever they find the need.

Does you parish have a choir? Maybe it is time to form one!

Te Reo Maori Resources

Here at the Liturgy Centre we also have Te Reo resources available for purchase or study.

Every week Pa Mick Ryan makes available Sunday Mass readings in Te Reo Maori which can be accessed by clicking on the link below that will redirect you to our website.

http://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/liturgy/mass-readings-in-te-reo/

You might also want to view the Parts of the Mass in Te Reo on the link below.

Mass in Te Reo

In addition to the online resources for Sundays we also have books and bibles available also.

 Prayers in Common Use
A collection of prayers that are commonly used in our liturgies. Includes The Lord's Prayer - Both the Apostle's and Nicene Creed and devotional prayers in Te Reo with English translation on the opposite page. This book was published by the National Liturgical Commission in Aotearoa - New Zealand.

 Taku Paipera
A contemporary Maori translation of the Lion Children's Bible, that is the only children's Bible in Maori available in New Zealand. It includes all the main stories of both the Old and New Testaments enhanced by colourfull illustrations.

 Paipera Tapu
The bible in Te Reo from beginning to end. This bible was published by the Bible Society of New Zealand.

Maori - English Mass Book
This orange book contains the prayers of the Mass in Maori as well as well known Maori hymns that can be sung at all liturgies.

Music Suggestions for Sundays of Easter | 2018

Our Music suggestions for the Sundays of Easter have just been posted online.

The link is below.

Music Suggestions - Sundays of Easter 2018

Altar Server Trainers/Coordinators Workshop

On Saturday February 24th 2018, the Auckland Liturgy Centre held it's very first Altar Server Trainers and Coordinators workshop at the Pompallier Diocesan Centre in St. Mary's Bay.

The workshop attracted 35 participants representing 24 parishes of the Auckland Diocese. The morning started off with morning tea and a meet and great session in the cafeteria before getting into the workshop.

The three hour workshop was led by Judith Courtney, Tina Coll and Marcelles Amiatu. After a brief opening prayer Marcelles opened up the first session with a brief history of the Altar Server and the important role they played in the early church.
What most people don't know, is that by the 10th century the role of the server became so important in the life of the church that there was an ordination rite introduced especially for the servers. Then as the years have passed by, it has certainly got to the stage now, where it's almost impossible to recruit and retain servers in some of our parishes.

Tina closed the first session with some basic Health and Safety tips for the servers and the ministry guidelines that the Catholic Diocese of Auckland has in place for ensuring the safety of those who work in our parishes both in a volunteering and paid capacity.

In between the first session and second was a 15 minute break that allowed for participants who had never been to Pompallier, to take a tour of the Diocesan Centre led by Rochelle from the Auckland Catholic Youth Ministry. The workshop went very well, prior to the workshop we were predicting that we may only get 12 - 14 people. In the end we had a packed room of 35 participants from the various parishes in our diocese. It was a great chance for the coordinators to be amongst those who lead the same ministry and to also hear and know that the challenges they face in their parishes are the same that others also have. The workshop closed off with some tips for the coordinators on Promoting, Recruiting and Retaining Servers for their parishes.

The Liturgy Centre, will be hosting a follow up workshop for the Altar Server Coordinators and Trainers and will also host another Workshop for parishes that did not get the opportunity to attend.