Saturday, November 25, 2006

Interview Involving a Success Story!
Last month I published this article about a liturgical abuse in my parish that I believe is very wrong. This abuse is commonly called "Fractioning". This means that at mass when the wine is received in the flagons it is not immediately poured into separate chalices but is consecrated in the flagons and then poured into separate chalices. However, after consecration the wine is no longer wine, but is our Lord's Precious Blood. Therefore there is danger of spilling the Precious Blood. In fact, the Church a few years ago put out a document called Redemptionis Sacramentum which stated: "[106.] However, the pouring of the Blood of Christ after the consecration from one vessel to another is completely to be avoided, lest anything should happen that would be to the detriment of so great a mystery. Never to be used for containing the Blood of the Lord are flagons, bowls, or other vessels that are not fully in accord with the established norms." Anyway, the author of Mysterium-Fidei has recently stated that his parish used to do this but has now stopped. I have interviewed him and he has provided the following answers:


Q. 1. Your article on Mysterium-Fidei on how a liturgical abuse at your parish stopped is very exciting! Please explain to your knowledge how this abuse started, in your parish.

A. About 6 months ago, our bishop sent a seminarian to Delta to assist our pastor during the Holy Week Liturgies. Now, our pastor did not want the seminarian to feel like he had nothing to do, so he allowed him to fraction the wine [Precious Blood], thinking this was just one more thing. (Please understand, our pastor did not mean bad by this.) Prior to this event our pastor did not fraction.

Q. 2. Why do you think this abuse continued even after Rome put out Redemptionis Sacramentum stating that fractioning was to come to an end?

A. Rome put this document out, because it knew that the Precious Blood was being spilled often. So, they figured that if the wine was poured during the Offertory, than if it was spilt, "O well, it's just wine!" Now, before our pastor started fractioning, the Precious Blood had not been spilled, but after he started, it has been spilled 7 times.

Q. 3. What happened that caused the fractioning to come to an end?

A. Well, after much controversy in the parish, the priest was notified by about 10 people, urging him to stop this act which was a sin against the Precious Blood. The priest felt pressured and decided to change his mind. The secondary thing that changed his mind was that it was less time consuming to do it the correct way.

Q. 4. What advice would you give to others who have similar abuses in their parishes that want to do something?

A. Please, I beg you, don't run in like a lion. Charity above all. First pray, and then talk to your liturgist, and if that doesn't work, talk to the priest himself. Give him the reasons, and show him the document. Be persistent, but not pushy! If this doesn't work, than you can always go to your local ordinary. While the Congregation for Divine Worship is another step, it is unlikely they will take this matter as a "gravatori delictica." If nothing happens, go back to step one: pray. Pray for conversion of heart.


Just as an update as to the situation in my parish: I have written my liturgist and I am going to be talking to her next week. Please pray all goes well!

Copyright 2006 Our Lady of Sorrows inc.

2 comments:

Matthew said...

Excellent news! The liturgy is thankfully improving.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the Sacred Liturgy is improving. Now we just need to get that pastor to stop saying, "Eucharistic Ministers" and start saying "Extraorindary Ministers of Holy Communion." Any adive on how to do that one? We want to make the Sacred Liturgy par excellence. God bless, and keep up the real liturgical renewal.