What functions may an instituted acolyte perform in the Liturgy? Can he expose the Blessed Sacrament? Should he wear a cope?
In 1973, Pope Paul VI replaced the minor orders which were received by students training for the priesthood with admission to candidacy for Holy Orders, and the ministries of lector and acolyte. These are considered as lay ministries, though few dioceses institute lay people to these ministries except those who are in priestly formation. (One reason may be that Pope Paul reserved these ministries to men.)
The acolyte assists the priest and deacon especially in the celebration of Mass. He serves at Mass (a function that is normally carried out by others if there is no acolyte) and is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion ex officio. If extraordinary ministers are required for the distribution of Holy Communion, the acolyte should be deputed to this function before others. He may also purify the sacred vessels after Holy Communion.
If there is no priest or deacon available, it is legitimate for an acolyte (or indeed a specially commissioned extraordinary minister) to expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. I have not found any particular instruction for what the acolyte ought to wear for this. According to the general practice of the Church, it would seem appropriate for him to wear an alb or a cassock and cotta. Although the cope is used by acolytes (and sometimes by lay people) for some functions at pontifical Mass in the extraordinary form, and for some processions and at the divine office in both forms, I doubt the suitability of an acolyte wearing a cope to expose the Blessed Sacrament since, in the absence of the priest this is not a solemn exposition.
Since Pope Paul decreed that the functions of the subdeacon are included in those of lector and acolyte, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei has confirmed that the practice of an acolyte carrying out the functions of the subdeacon at High Mass in the extraordinary form may be tolerated. This would be particularly appropriate if it made it possible to celebrate High Mass rather than simply a Missa Cantata.
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11 comments:
Back in the 1980s the E&W bishops got an indult allowing Communion in both kinds at all Masses indiscriminately. At the same time they discouraged intinction as allowed in the GIRM because they positively wanted large numbers of female EMHC (Women and girls were not permitted to serve at the altar at that time). That is why there are few instituted Acolytes; that is why sparsely-attended weekday Masses in Westminster Cathedral regularly employ no fewer than two female EMs in blatant defiance of Redemptionis Sacramentum; that is why a lot of us prefer the Oratory.
I am one of those men who is also an Instituted Acolyte. The Archdiocese of Perth, Western Australia has had Acolytes since 1974. The then archbishop was Archbishop Goodey and it was said, at the time, that he chose to have acolytes, rather than extraordinary ministers, because he was not going to have women on the altar.
His successor immediately introduced extraordinary ministers.
I was instituted in 1975 and was one of the second batch of acolytes which the Archbishop instituted.
We all wear albs and cinctures. I have never worn a cope and I have never had the opportunity to act as a subdeacon at a Solemn Mass, much as I would have been delighted to have had that opportunity.
I have always cleansed the sacred vessels at Mass except once, when a visiting priest told us all, that acolytes no longer had that privilege and insisted on doing it himself.
Most interesting. I thought that there would be acolytes in the world somewhere. You would be most welcome to subdeacon at Blacken but I appreciate that it is rather more than a bus ride away :-)
ah yes, EMHCs - on occasion when I attend the OF (also in Australia) the separate communion of the EMHCs takes, it seems, almost as long as the communion of the rest of the faithful ...
Are you saying that an acolyte i.e a layman, could act as a sub deacon in a traditional latin high mass? This seems like an abuse to me, regardless if Eclessia dei authorised it and is one of the reasons the SSPX always warned people away from indult masses. There was a risk that liturgical practices or rather abuses, like these would be allowed. I'm glad it can only be men, but that doesn't counter balance the desacrilisation.
This unfortunately adds fuel to the fire of why the SSPX tells people not to attend indult masses. Namely that liturgical abuses designed to desacrilise the mass are allowed, even in the traditional latin mass. I cannot think that many who regularly attend a traditional latin mass would be particularly pleased about laymen being in the sanctuary, even more so having laymen touch the sacred vessels.
Pardon me if I add a further comment about being an Acolyte. Perhaps "Ora P.N" should consider why it is only men who can become acolytes. It is one of the old "Minor Orders" and because of this, there has always been a doubt as to whether it is part of the priesthood and, as you know, the priesthood is reserved for men only. Hence, acolytes can only be men.
Another feature is that once having been "Instituted" it is for life, just as the priesthood is "for life". Again, this is tied to the link of the acolytate with the priesthood. Those people who are EHMCs are appointed for a finite number of years and must be re-appointed if it is wished for them to carry on.
Since, as I said, I was instituted in 1975 you can work out that I have been an active acolyte for close to 37 years. We do get asked every five years or so if we want to carry on since there can be many reasons why a particular acolyte wishes to stop active ministry. I am over 75 years of age and I have not been "retired".
Laymen have long been in the sanctuary. My 1948 Fortescue speaks of the role of servers assuming that they will usually be laymen or boys.
The servers do not touch the sacred vessels at low Mass but the MC certainly does in preparation for High Mass.
It was also allowed at that time for any cleric to substitute for the subdeacon.
The change is that Pope Paul VI abolished the tonsure. But that means that even subdeacons in the FSSP, the ICKSP etc. are not strictly clerics.
I don't think that this concession of Ecclesia Dei is anything to do with desacralising the Liturgy.
Apologies for commenting twice btw I thought my first comment hadn't lost.
What I will say is that I was taught that touching the sacred vessels was reserved to at least a sub deacon, that is a 'proper' sub deacon, someone who is in the minor order of sub deacon and the reasons for this are obvious. It follows on from the principle that bar extreme necessity only consecrated hands should touch the sacred vessels, the host and so on. Servers of course are not an issue, so long of course as they are male, but they are not touching anything sacred strictly speaking.
This kind of change is up there with allowing laymen to purify the vessels without the justification of necessity and as was pointed out by cardinals bacci and ottaviani is part of the desacrilisation of the mass that they criticised in their short critical study, I believe Iota Unum also mentions it so I am hardly alone in my assertion.
Regardless Fr I just thought I'd voice an objection with all due respect to you fr and the holy work you do.
JMJ - it was always recognised that the MC would prepare the chalice and arrange it on the credence table before High Mass, or on the altar before Missa Cantata. I think there was a custom of not actually touching the chalice itself except through the veil but I'm not sure if this applied to the MC himself.
There are particular rules for someone who is not actually a subdeacon. The 1948 Fortescue says that he does not wipe the chalice or pour water into it at the offertory, he does not touch the chalice after he has brought it to the altar and he does not clean the chalice after the ablutions. However he does arrange the chalice, veil it and carry it back to the credence.
So I don't think that having a substitute for subdeacon is on a par with lay people purifying the vessels - an abuse that has been specifically reprobated by the Holy See even in the Novus Ordo.
Thank you also for your kind words.
Unless I'm greatly mistaken it was allowed for quite some time. If the MC didn't actually touch the chalice directly, i.e there was a cloth etc... then I think my point stands.
Regardless my point was simply that those who are attending a TLM would not take kindly to this and many would regard it as a liturgical abuse. I can certainly see behind it the spirit of reducing the sacredness of the whole matter on a par with having lectors, EMHC's and so forth. More than anything I'm surprised that eclessia dei said such a thing.
Anyway I shan't derail this any further, God bless Father and thank you for the blog.
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