Dear Friends,
I write to you as I am just returning from my annual retreat, which is something that the Church asks priests to do each year. These were beautiful days of silent prayer and friendship with the Lord that have renewed me in my call to be your pastor.
You may be noticing a few changes in the arrangement of the sanctuary and the celebration of Mass in the coming weeks, so please let me give you some more context on these changes:
· The chairs where the priest and deacon sit during Mass have been moved a bit. This change is primarily for two very practical reasons. (1) The former placement of the chairs made it almost impossible for the priest and deacon to pay attention to the reading being proclaimed at the ambo. This is basically the only time that the priest sits during the Mass. We are all called to listen attentively to the Word of God, and this new placement will help me to do this better. (2) I am also trying to devote more energy and time to working with our altar servers so as to have our young people engaged in what is happening at Mass. Formerly, they were always sitting behind the priest and at a great distance. This will let me sit closer to them and give them instruction as needed.
· The credence table (where the gifts for Mass are prepared) has moved to the left (ambo side) of the sanctuary. This makes it so that the altar servers can participate more in what is happening at the altar as they go back and forth to the deacon (who stands on that side of the altar).
· Our lectors will begin to be in the liturgical procession at the beginning of Mass, which signifies the importance of their role in the liturgy of proclaiming the Word of God. When there is no deacon present, they will also carry the Book of the Gospels in the procession.
· Our extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion will be coming up to the altar at a slightly different moment – after the priest has received Holy Communion.
· I am asking our ushers to refocus their ministry toward greeting and welcoming people as they come to celebrate the Eucharist with us.
Finally, the biggest change you will see is the reception of Holy Communion under both species beginning on November 4th and 5th. This will be the first time since the pandemic that we have offered the Blood of Christ to the faithful. As you know, the Catholic Church teaches that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ present under the appearance of bread and wine. Having both available for the faithful offers us a fuller sign of the presence of Christ with us, but the Church is clear that the fullness of the Body and Body of Christ is contained in either the Consecrated Host or in the Chalice. If you choose to receive the Blood of Christ, please remember that you are invited to make a bow of your head in reverence before receiving and that you take care when handing the chalice back to the minister.
It is my sincere hope that these and other changes to our liturgical celebrations will help to bring us into deeper communion with Jesus Christ, who draws us all to himself.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Thomas J. Byrne