Why does the Bishop preach his homily sitting down?

"Is Bishop McGrath feeling okay?" "Why doesn't he stand up to do his homily?" "Maybe he's just tired."

I hear those comments often after a big diocesan liturgy like the Chrism Mass. Here and at other more solemn liturgies, the Bishop will usually give his homily sitting down. But don't worry. He's not tired, and he's doing just fine.

The reason a Bishop preaches while seated is because of the chair. It's not because it's a particularly comfy chair (some Bishops' chairs look downright hard and uncomfortable!). The chair of a Bishop at his cathedral is a special symbol of the Bishop. This chair, the "cathedra," is what gives the cathedral its name. A cathedral is the place where the cathedra is permanently located.

Cathedra means "chair" in Latin and "seat" in Greek (kathedra). You can spot the cathedra because it usually has the coat of arms of the diocese and the Bishop near it. Only the Bishop is allowed to sit in the cathedra because this chair is the sign of the Bishop's office and the unity among all the parishes in the diocese. If the Bishop is not present and another priest presides at Mass in the cathedral, he must sit in a different chair.

From the cathedra (or in Latin, "ex cathedra"), the Bishop exercises the three primary responsibilities of his office: "The office of Bishop as teacher, sanctifier, and pastor of his Church shines forth most clearly in a liturgy that he celebrates with his people" (Ceremonial of Bishops, 11).

This doesn't mean that the Bishop can't teach, bless, and lead from anywhere else. But the cathedra is a primary symbol of his office and of his responsibility to the diocese. From the cathedra, the Bishop teaches, presides at prayer, and stands as the leader of all the faithful in the diocese. And because the liturgy is the source and summit of the Church's activity and power, the people of the diocese gathered around their Bishop at his chair is a powerful sign of the presence of Christ.

The Bishop at his chair is also a sign of the Church's unity because the Bishop is our connection to all the other dioceses around the world and to the first among Bishops, the Pope. The Pope is the Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, and he too has a cathedra in a church called the Cathedral Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

When the Bishop is seated at the cathedra, especially when he is preaching, he is fully exercising his office, especially the role of teaching:

The Bishop as herald of the faith leads new followers to Christ. As their authentic teacher, that is, one invested with the authority of Christ, he proclaims to the people entrusted to him the truths of faith they are to believe and to live by. Under the light of the Holy Spirit the Bishop explains the teachings of faith, bringing forth from the treasurehouse of revelation new things and old. He works to make faith yield its harvest and, like the good shepherd, he is vigilant in protecting his people from the threat of error. (Ceremonial of Bishops, 15

The Ceremonial (the Church's guidebook for any liturgical celebration with a Bishop) then states that "the office of preaching is proper to the Bishop, so that other ordained ministers fulfill this office only in his name," and "[u]nless he decides that some other way is preferable, the Bishop should preach while seated at the chair, wearing the miter and holding the pastoral staff" (17).

The Bishop, and through him all the priests and deacons of a diocese, are special signs of Christ. So when we look at the Bishop at his chair, we see Christ who is our Teacher, High Priest, and Good Shepherd.

Take a virtual pilgrimmage of the cathedrals in California at this very interesting and beautiful site.

Eight items necessary for flawless Lenten environment

Lent calls us to clear away the things that distract us so that we can focus on the intense, retreat-like atmosphere of the season. Here are eight items necessary to help you prepare a great Lenten environment.

1. Clean and clutter-free pews, vestibules, sanctuaries, and reconciliation rooms.



2. Water in all the fonts.



3. A dignified Book of the Gospels.



4. A dignified Book of the Elect and a place to highlight it.



5. If possible, incense (the good stuff), fresh charcoal, and a beautiful thurible and stand.



6. Fresh candles, especially for the fourth Sunday of Lent.



7. A substantial cross (preferably the one to be venerated on Good Friday), especially for the final week of Lent (cf., Liturgical Music Today, 48).



8. A moment of substantial communal silence and stillness before Mass.

And some things to use less of:

• sand


• cactus


• dead, dried, or fake things


• oil lamps shaped to look like candles


• rocks in the font


• sand in the font


• banners with symbols or words on them


• vestments with symbols or words on them


• altar and ambo cloths with symbols or words on them

The Liturgy Files: Can you put fish in the font?

Part of my job is to answer email (I receive and send at least 50 emails a day....sheesh!). Some of these emails are simple Q&A. In these Liturgy Files, I'll share some of the most helpful Q&As.

Today's note is actually an email the United States Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy (BCL) received in their inbox. I will have to file this in the "Don't Do This!" section of the Liturgy Files. Hat tip to Fr. Chris at Santa Teresa.

Q: Our church was recently renovated. Our pastor has made certain changes, among them, fish have been placed in the water of the baptismal font. Is it appropriate? I have never seen this in any other parish.

A: Click here to read the BCL's answer.

Immersion Fonts and Baptism

Did you see this excellent article by Kim Vo in the April 16, 2007, edition of the Mercury News? She gives a good overview on the increasing use of immersion fonts in the Diocese of San José.

Six environment ideas for unifying the Easter season

The Easter season lasts from Easter Vigil to Pentecost. That's seven weeks of trying to keep up the enthusiasm and joy of Easter Sunday! How can you use the liturgical environment to unify the season as well as to keep the sense of Easter through the entire 50 days? Here are some ideas.

1) Overlap colors, for example,

• Keep some red from Palm Sunday to Holy Thursday
• Transition the red from Thursday to Friday, but add some white
• Continue the red and white from Friday and add gold or yellow
• Keep some element of red throughout Easter to Pentecost

2) Keep the font decorated throughout the season including Pentecost. Leave the Easter Candle lit at every gathering and in a prominent place.

3) Have the neophytes wear their baptismal garments every Sunday of Easter.

4) Keep your church doors, inside and outside and on all doors on the church property, decorated throughout the season with festive wreaths or ribbons.

5) Leave symbols of the Triduum out, for example, bowls and pitchers near the font, the cross venerated on Good Friday placed outside and decorated. What other symbols were used during Triduum which can be displayed or used during Easter?

6) If you have a projection systems, show pictures of what happen at Easter Vigil throughout the Sundays of Easter as people are gathering. Include pictures of the neophytes.


Other ideas:

1) Remove tacky foil and price tags from flower pots and put them in terra cotta pots (large and small)—maybe even paint the pots with Easter designs—or large baskets. Don’t create an “altar rail” with them. As Peter Mazar said, “They’re not cabbages.” Bunch and layer them at main focal points: font, ambo, candle.

2) Add height to floral arrangements by using peacock feathers or pussy willows.

3) Incorporate some of the Easter Vigil decorating into the rite itself, for example, during the Gloria, Gospel Acclamation, preparation of gifts, have persons process in banners and flowers to place throughout the worship space.

4) Give an icon of the Resurrection prominence, if you have one, or highlight a stained glass window with the resurrection scene.

5) Use incense throughout; use green sprigs for sprinkling throughout.

6) Make sure sacristans and altar servers light other candles from the Paschal Candle.

7) Consider using origami, such as paper cranes. Parishioners can make some and bring them each Sunday to add to the environment.

8) Decorate trees, indoors and outside, with Easter eggs.

9) Decorate parking lot lights, add outdoor banners, use wind catchers and kites.

10) Decorate the assembly area: on columns, overhead, at windowsills.

To Veil or Not to Veil: Statues and Crosses during Lent and Passiontide

Prior to the revision of the Roman Missal (Sacramentary) in 1970, crosses and images were covered with veils during Passiontide which is the last two weeks of Lent, starting from the end of the Mass for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent. Crosses remained covered until the adoration of the cross at the Good Friday liturgy, and images were uncovered at the beginning of the Gloria at the Easter Vigil.

After 1970, the practice was left up to the decision of each episcopal conference. (The bishops of each country make up that country’s episcopal conference. In the United States, our episcopal conference is called the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or USCCB.) The rubric in the 1970 missal which is in current use says that the practice “may be observed, if the episcopal conference decides.”

Since 1970 in the United States, the practice of veiling crosses and statues was not allowed since the USCCB had not voted on the issue. In their April 1995 newsletter, the United States Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy said that “[i]nvidual parishes are not free to reinstate the practice on their own.”

With the revision of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), the USCCB, in 2001, approved adaptations specific for the United States. One of these adaptations included a rubric that said: “In the Dioceses of the United States of America, crosses in the church may be covered from the conclusion of the Mass for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent until the end of the celebration of the Lord’ Passion on Good Friday. Images in the church may be covered from the conclusion of the Mass for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.” The adaptation was later recognized by the Vatican.

This rubric, however, does not appear in the newly revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal because the Bishops determined that it was more appropriate as a rubric for the sections designated for the Easter Triduum in the upcoming revision of the Roman Missal, or Sacramentary. (If you go to the current Sacramentary and the section for the Easter Triduum, you will find several rubrics there specific to the Triduum that do not appear in the GIRM.)

Therefore, the new U.S. rubric allowing for the veiling of crosses and statues during Passiontide appears only in the as-yet unfinished English translation of the Sacramentary which is not in use anywhere in the United States.

Some will interpret this as saying that the current rubric holds—that crosses and statues are not to be veiled. This could be a valid interpretation since one cannot practically implement a rubric that has not yet been published.

Others will say that the new rubric went into effect as soon as the GIRM adaptations for the United States were promulgated in April 2002, even though it does not appear in the current ritual books. This too could be a valid legal interpretation.

However, in either case, the fact remains that the practice is not mandated by the United States Bishops, but simply allowed. It is not an obligatory practice, and parishes that choose not to veil crosses or statues during Passiontide are certainly following liturgical law.

Practically speaking, if your parish is only now deciding to veil statues and crosses, it may be better to wait to implement this practice until next Triduum when you can have better preparation for it as well as catechesis for the assembly.

Also, in either case, it is never allowed to veil crosses or statues throughout the entire season of Lent. (Nor is it allowed to empty the font of holy water during the season of Lent.) Crosses and statues may only be veiled during Passiontide—from the end of the Mass for the Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent to Good Friday (for the one main cross to be venerated) and the beginning of Easter Vigil for images.

The Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts provided by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship in 1988 states that after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, “[i]t is fitting that any crosses in the church be covered with a red or purple veil, unless they have already been veiled on the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of Lent” (57).

Note that in the rubric concerning the veiling during Passiontide, there is no mention of color of veils. If you will be veiling statues and crosses during Passiontide, make it easier for yourself and your environment team, and use shades of purple or red that would complement well with your Triduum environment.

Chrism Mass - Purchasing New Vessels

If you need to purchase new Holy Oil Vessels, we recommend vessels from Meyer-Vogelpohl. The most common style vessel used in our diocese is their MV200 or MV201 set. You can get more purchasing information on this set by clicking here.

However, your Holy Oil vessels need not be limited to this style of vessel. Here are some things to consider when deciding on purchasing a vessel for your oils.

Beauty and Dignity
Any vessels used for liturgy should be beautiful and dignified. They should show care in craftsmanship and appropriateness for its liturgical use. Clear glass is good because you can see the oil, but vessels with some colored glass can also show off the oil. Plastic vessels are not appropriate. Well-crafted and dignified metal containers might be appropriate, but they may be more difficult to clean than glass containers.

Liturgical Use
These vessels are not simply pieces to be admired in an ambry (a niche or box in a sanctuary wall where holy oils are stored; usually placed near the baptismal font) like museum artifacts but are meant to be used during liturgies of anointing. Therefore, parishes should have at least one set of vessels that can be carried and held easily during a liturgy. If larger vessels are kept in an ambry, then smaller portable vessels can be filled from them.

What do OC, OI, SC, OS mean?
These are acronyms for the three different types of oils used:

• Oil of Catechumens
  
  OC - Oleum Catechumenorum or
  OS - Oleum Sanctum
  
  
• Sacred Chrism
  
  SC - Sanctum Chrisma
  
  
• Oil of the Sick
  
  OI - Oleum Infirmorum

Older vessel sets used the initials SC for Sacred Chrism, OI for Oil of the Sick (infirm), and OS for Oil of Catechumens. Newer sets have changed OS to OC for Oil of Catechumens. In any case, you should be able to distinguish which oil is in which vessel. Most parishes use vessels marked with SC for Chrism, OI for Oil of the Sick, and OC for Oil of Catechumens.

What do you do with old Chrism oil?

Find out here in this post from previous years.

Now that's incense!!

Thanks to Melissa for sending me this idea for what I want for Christmas next year!



Mass at Santiago de Compostela

Fair Trade Palms for Palm Sunday

Make a commitment to justice this Holy Week by purchasing fair trade palm fronds for Palm Sunday. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is promoting palm harvesters from Mexico and Guatemala by encouraging churches to purchase eco-palms--fronds harvested in an ecologically and socially sustainable way.

Learn more about the program and how to purchase these fairly traded palms at this web site.

Disposing of Old Holy Oils

As with the Paschal Candle, ideally the Holy Oils given to each parish by the Bishop at the Chrism Mass are completely consumed through their normal use in anointings during the year. The new oil received at the current year's Chrism Mass replaces the oil from the previous year.

When there is Holy Oil left over from the previous year, it should be disposed of with care and reverence.

One way is to burn the old oils. This may be accomplished by reverently burning them in the Easter Fire at the Easter Vigil or at some other appropriate time. It is not fitting that the Holy Oils be burned along with trash or other non-religious refuse. Cotton balls or another absorbent fabric can be used to soak up the oil. The cotton is then burned and any ashes buried into the ground near the church.

The Archdiocese of Seattle has some good guidelines on how to do this. Click here to see their guidelines on disposing old Holy Oils.

Another option is to use a sacramental oil burner. Meyer-Vogelpohl has one that is beautiful enough to use as a tabernacle lamp or for ritual prayer. Click here to see more details about this sacramental oil burner.

Disposing of Old Paschal Candles

The Paschal Candle holds a pre-eminent place among all candles used in church, for it is a symbol of Christ and is "the light of Christ, rising in glory," scattering "the darkness of our hearts and minds" (Sacramentary, The Easter Vigil, 12). In the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet), the Paschal Candle is called a "pillar of fire" (reminding us of the Israelites flee from Egypt [Ex 14:21]) that mingles with the lights of heaven and "glows to the honor of God." Contrary to the multitude of Easter lilies that appear in churches during this time, "the Easter Candle is the Catholic Easter symbol" (The Lent Triduum, and Easter Answer Book, Paul J. Niemann).

At the beginning of the Easter Vigil, a new Paschal Candle is lit from the Easter fire and is marked with the signs of Christ, Alpha and Omega—"Christ, yesterday, today, and for ever"—for "all time belongs to him" (Sacramentary, The Easter Vigil, 10). The numbers of the current year are also inscribed into this candle, acknowledging that the present time is united to and part of the story of salvation that culminates in Christ.

For this reason, a new Paschal Candle must be used at the Easter Vigil, and this same candle is used throughout the entire year until the next Easter Vigil.

So what should be done with last year's Paschal Candle?

Ideally, each year, the candle should be completely consumed through its normal use in the Church's liturgies: lit at every liturgical celebration during the Easter season until Pentecost Sunday; lit at every Baptism and funeral during the year.

When this is not possible, Paschal candles that no longer correspond to the current liturgical year for which they were blessed can be reverently disposed of by burning them in the Easter Vigil fire. Remove any metals such as pins holding the incense grains, and add it to the fire on Saturday before the fire is blessed. The priest might make a brief comment about the fire and the Paschal Candle to prepare the assembly for the lighting of the new Candle.

Do not burn the Paschal Candle with trash or non-religious refuse.

The wax may also be melted down and made into other candles used for prayer, or the melted down wax may be buried in sacred ground. Break the re-solidified wax into small pieces, place it in a container, and bury it where it will not be stepped on. Another option is to check with the company that made your candle. Sometimes they offer to take your old candles in return for credit on future candles.

When the Paschal Candle no longer looks like a candle—that is, it is melted wax, has been damaged beyond use, or is broken into bits—it no longer holds the blessing and sacred use for which it was first intended. This is true for all sacramentals and sacred objects. (In a similar way, when consecrated wine no longer looks like or serves as wine—having been diluted to the point of being water, no longer having the alcoholic content of wine, or having become vinegar—it is no longer considered appropriate for Communion.) Yet this does not mean that these should be treated with any less care than when they were in their original form. The means of their disposal should communicate reverence for what they had been, and even then, be a reminder of Christ to whom all these things lead us. Thus, burning in the Easter fire seems to be the easiest as well as most reverent way of disposing of old Paschal candles.


FILED UNDER: LITURGY

Removing Holy Water from the Baptismal Font during Lent

One practice that has become somewhat popular is to remove the water from the font or cover the font completely during the Lenten season. While this may be a dramatic sign of thirsting and dryness, this practice does not in fact support one of the main themes of Lent: “Lent is marked by two themes, the baptismal and the penitential. By recalling or preparing for baptism and by repentance, this season disposes the faithful…to celebrate the paschal mystery. The baptismal and penitential aspects of Lent are to be given greater prominence in both the liturgy and liturgical catechesis. Hence, more use is to be made of the baptismal features proper to the Lenten liturgy” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 109).

The Congregation for Divine Worship (the Vatican committee that oversees all things liturgical) issued a response in 2000 to a request for clarification on this issue. In their response, they say that removing holy water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in particular, for two reasons:

1. This is an issue of custom, not law, and so the liturgical laws in place do not address this recent innovation. However, this practice "is contrary to a balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts."
2. The fasting of Lent does not include fasting from sacramentals, such as the use of holy water.

The response continues: "The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e. Good Friday and Holy Saturday)."

In light of CSL’s statement and encouraged by the Congregation for Divine Worship, removing water from the font or preventing the faithful from touching the water in the font would be detrimental to the sign of baptism that is a focus of Lent. The baptized remain a baptized people throughout all of Lent. We do not pretend to be unbaptized along with the catechumens, just as we do not pretend that Christ is not risen during Holy Thursday or Good Friday. Our Lenten practices should more explicitly emphasize our baptism so that we can recognize those areas in our lives when we are not living out the promises of that baptism. What the faithful should be hungering and thirsting for is not the symbol of their baptism but rather a world in which the faithful living out of that baptism is evident. For the catechumens, their hunger for baptism may even be heightened when there are full fonts of water, just as a person who fasts is more aware of their hunger when food is placed before them.

It would be appropriate, as is our Church's tradition, to remove the water from the font after the Holy Thursday celebration, keep it empty during Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and fill it with new water at the Easter Vigil. One possible lenten option is to use a smaller piece of purple fabric that does not fully cover the font but adds some color to the area. In this way, the lenten color signifies the season while the water in the font is still accessible as a reminder of baptism for the faithful.

FILED UNDER: LITURGY

Advent Basics: Getting Back to Liturgical Essentials

De-Clutter your church to let its primary purpose shine through


Clean up the vestibule area of your church.
Remove old flyers, bulletins, and pamphlets. Organize the area so that the first thing people feel when they walk in is welcome. The primary purpose of this area is for gathering and welcoming people. Make sure there is enough room for this purpose. Move extraneous things like tables of books and leaflets away from gathering and walking spaces to another area where people can browse and learn more about the community through pictures and announcements. Organize these materials neatly.

Clean up the choir area.
Avoid storing books and equipment here because the primary purpose of this area is first of all worship. Even if the choir is in the loft where no one can see them, the place where the choir exercises its ministry should look like a place that enables reverent worship. It’s hard for choir members to genuinely pray at Mass if the place where they pray looks more like a storage area.

Clean up the sanctuary area.
The primary purpose of the sanctuary area is for the presidency of the assembly’s worship, the proclamation of God’s Word, and the celebration of the Eucharist. Therefore, the primary objects that should be prominent in this area are the altar, the ambo, and the presider’s chair. Everything else is secondary. Remove extraneous tables and chairs. Put only the altar cloth, corporal, bread and wine, and Sacramentary on the altar. Do not put water glasses for the presider, papers with Mass announcements or intentions, candles or flowers, or envelopes with Mass stipends or prayers on the altar. If the presider needs water, use a side table. Mass announcements or intentions should be in the bulletin or in the presider’s or commentator’s binder. Candles and flowers should be freestanding, placed away from the altar so that the celebrant, deacon, and other ministers can easily prepare the cups and plates for Communion without twisting around candle and flower stands. Also, be careful that the placement of decorations does not act as an altar rail, dividing the “holy space” from the “not holy space.” Envelopes with Mass intentions are seen most visibly during November when the dead are remembered. It is good to remember the dead, but do not place these envelopes, no matter how nicely decorated with ribbon, on top of the altar. This looks too much like our medieval practice of purchasing indulgences. If you want to display these envelopes, put them with the Book of the Dead, or at the baptismal font, on in the shrine of your parish patron saint.

For Your Reading: To Crown the Year

To Crown the Year: Decorating the Church Through the Seasons
By Peter Mazar, Art by Evelyn Grala
Liturgy Training Publications, 1995

This is a classic workbook for all who prepare the church building for prayer. Each chapter looks at a different liturgical season and gives creative ideas and suggestions for capturing the unique quality of each season while connecting the whole year together. As a music director, I used this book a lot to help me get a sense for the mood of each season so that the music I chose could complement the visual environment of the assembly. There are many drawings to inspire and guide your environment teams. Peter’s #1 tip in his Advent chapter: “Clean and simplify the whole place.”

Creating a Liturgical Environment: Planting Spring Bulbs

I am the worst gardener. Over the years, I’ve killed two cacti, a jasmine bush, and several potted plants. But I have had some success with bulbs. A few weekends ago, I planted a few dozen purple and blue hyacinths, anemones, tulips, and crocus. If all goes well, and the squirrels don’t steal them away during the winter, the bulbs should bloom in the spring, right in time for Lent.

Contrary to our typical desert-dry liturgical image of the season, Lent coincides with spring when the daffodils and other bulbs planted before the winter frost begin to bloom. In the Bay Area, the shift to spring isn’t so dramatic. But in other geographical areas, spring is the most turbulent, wettest time of the year. Winter snows persist and spring storms attack the tender buds and shoots of young plants and bare trees. In this hostile environment, calves, lambs, and other newborns fight to make it to the more gentle days of early summer.

In a similar way, the church’s most vulnerable—the Elect—are fighting their own spring battle. During Lent, the Elect, their godparents, and the church community begin an intense discipline to prepare for the Easter celebration at which the Elect will be baptized. This discipline includes intensified prayer, fasting, and works of charity and justice.

The church sees itself as a participant in the great drama and struggle between good and evil, between God and the devil. From this perspective, this period of Lent and this intense preparation by the Elect is somewhat like the final moments before a great battle, and it may be when the Elect and the church are at their most vulnerable. When faced with the awesome invitation to baptism in the midst of so much pain and suffering in one’s life and in the world, it can be easy to lose heart and lose faith. In a way, it is like an engaged couple with cold feet before their wedding day: Will I be worthy enough for this person? Can I stay faithful when society makes it so easy to not be? Am I making the right choice? Is this really what I want? Thus, it is no accident that Lent takes place in spring.

For this reason, the church prays fervently for the Elect in rites called Scrutinies. Through these rites on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent, the church prays that God will strengthen the good things that have been growing in the Elect’s faith life and will remove the barriers that keep the Elect from trusting completely in God. During this period, there are also other prayers, blessings, and anointings for the Elect to give them the courage they need to profess their faith in God and make it through to the other side of those baptismal waters.

Planting purple and blue spring bulbs might not reflect the deeper struggle that Lent evokes. But preparing soil, planting seeds, paying attention, and waiting in joyful hope is a very eucharistic act. Plant your purple and blue bulbs now, at home and around the church, so that when spring comes, your environment might also participate in Lenten spring with all the Elect and the church.

Small changes make a big difference

It's amazing how a little thing like color can change your mood. Someone told me that the dark background in the previous blog seemed depressing, and it was too hard to read some of the links. So here we are with a brighter color for your newsletter. I like this one, so I won't change it unless you think something else would be better.

I guess this is one of those "catechetical moments." The environment in our churches, whether we intend it or not, affects our mood. Simple things like--

• cleaning out the clutter in the vestibule,
• taking down outdated flyers from bulletin boards,
• removing trash from pews,
• putting away unnecessary tables from the sanctuary,
• throwing out dead flowers,
• and straightening chairs--

can effect a subtle change in the "mood" of your liturgies. It would be great if we could change the environment of our churches as easily as it is to change the colors of a blog. Until then, pay attention to the little things. It just might make all the difference.

FILED UNDER: LITURGY