Last week I met with the liturgical leaders of most (but not yet all!) of the Catholic Communities of the Olympic Peninsula. After introductions – we have a lot of leaders across our liturgical celebrations – we talked about the next steps in liturgical planning & celebrations. Not one to miss the opportunity, I talked about the four-fold hierarchy of values: principles, policies, practicalities, and preferences.

Principles refers to a swath of several different sources: the values given to us by canon law, liturgical law, and general Church teaching. These are our highest values – not because they are enshrined in laws human & divine (though they are!), but because they point us Him Who is the source of all that is good, true, and beautiful. Whether they realize it or not, every person has principles that they live or die by, and we want to live according to the highest principles of our faith!

Policies refers to the rules given to us by local authorities. For us here in the Archdiocese of Seattle, we do well to refer often (and bookmark!) Many Gifts, One Spirit – the official archdiocesan policies. These have the force of law locally, except where universal law supersedes them. After archdiocesan policy, we have parish policy – something we’ll be working to compose more formally for our entire parish family.

Practicalities speaks to the reality that what works in one context may not always work in another. The implementation of our principles and policies may look different at Saint Anne in Forks than it does at Saint Joseph in Sequim, and likewise Saint Mary Star of the Sea in Port Townsend as opposed to Queen of Angels in Port Angeles. Practical differences never contradict our policies or principles, but how we implement them must accommodate the needs and differences of each community.

Preferences are just what’s written on the tin: the personal desires of individuals or groups. There will be a good number of circumstances where, while honoring our principles and policies, personal preferences can be given weight. It should be noted that the preferences of the pastor have the most weight! But a good pastor knows that his desires ought not trample those of others without good reason – and there will be occasions when there is room for preferences to be considered and contribute to how we do things.

The key to identifying and articulating our principles – and subsequently forming good policies & practices of our own – is to familiarize ourselves with what we believe! When it comes to the liturgy, there are a great number of good and important resources, but there are several that I recommended to our Liturgy Commission (the proper name for our group) – and I’d like to share that list with you too, so I’ve included it below.

One of the things I emphasized – quite strongly, I might add – was that I am avoiding major changes or policy-setting until we are ready to do it right (and only once!). That means having a clear idea of our principles & policies, being ready to communicate any changes and the rationale(s) to our communities, and preparing our liturgical leaders, deacons, and priests to implement them. Naturally, a crucial question asked at one of our meetings last week was ‘so what’s the timeline?’.

The short answer is ‘it depends’, but the longer answer is that I hope to meet with each liturgical leader (sacristans, EMHCs, lectors, altar servers, ushers, and choirs) by the end of August, with September being when we start implementing any basic changes and lay the groundwork for long-term planning, training, and other work. I’ve asked our liturgy leaders to start putting together their own questions, needs, hopes and concerns – and I’ve already got meetings on the books! Whether you’re a minister or a parishioner interested in any of these areas, rest easy – we’re going to do this deliberately and carefully.

And in the meantime, we’ll all continue our life of prayer & worship as the Lord helps us grow together into one canonical parish! Let’s continue to pray for each other, that His will be done in and for us all.

Father Maurer’s list of liturgical reading & reference

• The Spirit of the Liturgy, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
  • A spiritual exploration of the richness of the liturgy, Cardinal Ratzinger offers a meditation on how our faith is both expressed and deepened in the liturgy. If you read nothing else, read this – you won’t regret it, and it might just transform the way you pray!
• The Roman Missal
  • It is primary source material – the book of prayers and rubrics that guides Mass each day of the year, every liturgical season, and all of the memorials, feasts, and solemnities. When in doubt, checking what the black and red (the colors of the texts and instructions of the Mass, respectively) tell us we ought to do is the way to go.
• The General Instruction of the Roman Missal
  • For anyone looking to understand both the what and the why of the Mass, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (often referred to in shorthand as the ‘GIRM’) is an absolutely necessary reference. Additionally, it has extensive footnotes, which help us understand the history & teaching behind any given instruction
• Musicam Sacram
  • If Mass is the highest form of our prayer, the music that is used there ought to be of the highest quality – and the Church has some ideas about that! Musicam Sacram is not the only document on liturgical music, but it is the best first stop in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and those that followed
• Redemptionis Sacramentum
  • Sadly, the celebration of the Mass is not always approached with full knowledge of or proper intention to fulfill what ought to be done – or what ought not be done at Mass. In 2004 – on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, no less! – Pope John Paul II directed the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith to issue a corrective document. Aptly titled On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist, it is a true via negativa…. essentially, don’t do these things! Again, the footnotes are SUPER helpful, allowing for further reading and greater understanding of the ‘why’ behind what we do – and what we must be sure to avoid doing.
• Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite by Bishop Peter J. Elliott
• Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year by Bishop Peter J. Elliott
• Ceremonies Explained for Servers by Bishop Peter J. Elliott
  • These three books, though each addressing different things (the first more generally about liturgies, the second about the various liturgical seasons, the third about altar servers), they each are invaluable additions to anyone who desires to learn both the mechanics and the spirituality behind our rites. And though Bishop Elliott is not speaking authoritatively (ie, these are not Church documents), his experience and knowledge of the liturgy before and after Vatican II make him a widely respected resource (and he also loves footnotes!).
• Altar Server Manual by Thom Ryng
  • Finally, we have what I think is the finest altar server manual available for the Ordinary Form of the Mass – not only because Thom is a friend of mine (he is!), but because this book has been carefully put together after multiple iterations vetted not only by experts (including Bishop Elliott) but by altar servers themselves! Thom wrote multiple versions of this book before publication, testing it on the servers and learning with each new draft where it needed improvement and additions. It is a fine resource and most excellent guide for any altar server and/or coordinator.