Liturgy and Sacraments

We will faithfully participate in the Church’s liturgical life as the worship of God. We will celebrate liturgies that inspire, unite and transform us to carry out our baptismal mission to “advance the peace and salvation of all the world,” mirroring the zeal, energy and heart of Jesus.

Diocese of Stockton Synod Goal #7

Blessing of the Priest on Priesthood Sunday
for Sunday, October 25, 2009

To be used in all parishes of the Diocese of Stockton, at all Masses.
The “All” portion should be published for the whole community to be able to recite together.

Member of the Pastoral Council:

As we celebrate Priesthood Sunday, it is a good time to remember all that the priests in our lives have done for us, our families and communities. At this time, we would like to take the opportunity to bless Father ______ in a particular way for his ministry here in our midst. I invite you to raise your arms in blessing with me, and to recite the prayer of blessing together.

All:

Holy and loving Father,
to form your people
you appoint ministers of Christ your Son
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today, we offer you thanks for Father ____,
and for his service within our parish.

Bless him and renew deep within him the Spirit of holiness.
By the example of his life, may he inspire others.
Through the grace of the Holy Spirit,
may his preaching bear fruit in our hearts.
May he be a faithful steward of your mysteries.
May his presence in our community continue to lead all of us to you.
And may our love and support of him
strengthen him in his service to our parish.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Urgent News:

Ordering of 2010 LTP Annual Materials: Orders for your 2010 LTP annuals should be sent into the Chancery Office by September 15, 2009. The order form is attached here.

2009 Guidelines for the Celebration of Confirmation: Revised Guidelines for the celebration of Confirmation can be found here. Here is the information sheet that parishes are required to submit to the Bishop 10 days before the Confirmation. NOTE: THIS IS UPDATED AS OF APRIL, 2009. THE JANUARY 2009 EDITION HAD A MISTAKE IN THE SPONSOR SECTION.

Upcoming Events

Weddings Celebrated on August 14 and 15, 2009: This year August 15 falls on a Saturday. As a result, the Solemnity of the Assumption is not a Holy Day of Obligation and weddings may be scheduled. However, they are subject to the rules governing the celebration of Solemnities, in particular the use of the Sacramentary and Lectionary texts for the Solemnity, and NOT for the celebration of weddings. It is very important that couples planning to be married on August 15 be made aware of these requirements as soon as possible so that they are not disappointed later on. Please click here for detailed information on the texts that you are required to use for Mass on these days.

Earlier News that is Still Relevant:

Recognitio of the Roman Missal: As you are aware, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops was recently granted the recognitio for the new English-language translation of significant parts of the Ordo Missae as found in the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, including most of those texts used in every celebration of the Holy Mass. The use of this translation is embargoed until a full translation is approved and given recognitio. The earliest anticipated implementation of this is mid-2011, but it could be later than that. This translation is provided simply for study purposes and for the writing of music. If you are interested in reviewing the study texts of the translation (including Eucharistic Prayers I-IV), they are posted in pdf format at: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/
missalformation/index.shtml.

Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship: The USCCB’s new document on music in the liturgy has been printed and is available for purchase at http://www.usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?sku=7-022. This document is relevant, timely, and helpful to all who oversee or prepare music for liturgical celebrations in parishes.

Purification of Vessels: At the beginning of January, 2008, a memo was sent out to all priests and deacons of the Diocese regarding the purification of vessels. To read that memo, click here.

Bendición al Cumplir Qunice Años/Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday: In August, 2007, the USCCB received approval for the Bendición al Cumplir Qunice Años/Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday. The full text of the approved rite can be found at:
http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/Quinceanera.pdf. Any questions regarding this rite should be directed to the Office for Worship.

Proclaiming the Name of God: The Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments recently issued a directive concerning the manner in which the name of God is rendered in the songs, prayers and readings of liturgical celebrations. The sacred tetragrammaton, usually written as “Yahweh,” is no longer to be pronounced in liturgical settings. Our Jewish ancestors considered the tetragrammaton YHWH to be such a sacred expression of God's greatness that it was deemed unpronounceable, and was usually replaced with an alternate name of God such as “Adonai,” (which translates as “Lord.”)

While this directive may seem new, its aim has roots which date back to ancient times. First-century Greek-speaking Christians, whose Bible was the Septuagint, referred to God by the Greek Kyrios, meaning “Lord.” Latin-speaking Christians replaced the tetragrammaton with the Latin “Dominus,” again translated as “Lord.”

Thus, out of respect for Hebrew tradition, and in faithfulness to our own Christian roots, the tetragrammaton “Yahweh” may not be used in liturgical settings.

In reality, this directive only impacts a small handful of songs currently in use in our worshipping communities. Composers of these pieces have been asked to revise their texts, and publishers will be making the necessary adjustments to their hymnals. Until the aforementioned modifications have been made, these pieces should not be sung at liturgy. For further information or to view the directive in its entirety, please visit http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/NameOfGod.pdf.

 Last Update October 1, 2009