I am pleased to share with you the audio of our monthly parish family townhall gathering. As always, you may watch the video here – and I’ve included the timestamps below for reference & easy access – but the best way to navigate the video is to watch it on YouTube and use the timestamps there.
All of our townhall gatherings have been a blast, but I daresay that this month’s gathering was especially high-spirited. I was particularly edified by the number of questions that prompted us to consider not just the past or the here-and-now but the future of our communities. Of course we need to continue to firm up the foundations of our relatively new parish family – but it was quite lovely to dream about things yet to come! I know I wasn’t alone, because folks ended up sticking around for quite a while afterwards…. and then a few more of us even longer in the parking lot.
If you haven’t already read my recent posts on liturgical changes in our parish family (a prologue, and one focused on communion), please plan on setting some time aside to read those in the near future – these help set the groundwork for current and future liturgical considerations. Due to the greater-than-usual number of liturgically oriented questions (I love it!), I ended up with a lot of homework after the fact. This is reflected in the timestamps (below and in the video description on Youtube). You absolutely do NOT need to read all of them, but if you want to do a deep dive into some (or all!) of the topics discussed, there are documents & books galore to explore.
Our next parish family townhall gathering will be at Saint Mary Star of the Sea parish in Port Townsend on Friday, November 22th from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. As always, all are welcome! I hope to see you there.
The fourth of our monthly parish family townhall gatherings. Held on the fourth Friday of each month and at a different church within the Catholic communities of the Olympic Peninsula, these gatherings are an opportunity for the pastor to provide updates on the state of the parish family and for parishioners to ask questions, receive answers, and offer feedback as we discern how we will become one parish family as part of Partners in the Gospel.
- 00:00 – Recording start and opening prayer
- 00:27 – Disclaimer & explanation of format
- 02:05 – State of and updates about the parish family
- 16:30 – Q&A begin
- 18:05 – When are we supposed to stand at the “Orate, fratres” (“Pray, brethren”) at Mass?
- 19:44 – Brief segue about the values (principles, policies, practicalities, and preferences) that determine how decisions are made (as explained at Father Maurer’s blog – https://fathermaurer.com/2024/08/09/building-up-liturgical-celebrations-in-our-parish-family/)
- 21:56 – Answering the question about “Orate, fratres” – See General Instruction of the Roman Missal, #43 (regarding “Orate, fratres“) and #41 (regarding the unity of the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer (https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/general-instruction-of-the-roman-missal/girm-chapter-2)
- the three books referenced are “Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite”, “Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year”, “Ceremonies Explained for Servers”, all written by Bishop Peter J. Elliott
- 28:22 – Is there any plans about ramps or elevators at Saint Joseph parish?
- 35:29 – A former pastoral council member offers some insight into former investigations into the question of elevator
- 36:24 – Could we get an update on the timeline of the kitchen remodel at Saint Joseph parish?
- 45:27 – a parishioner endorsement of CatholicBrain, pre-K to 8th grade faith formation program
- 50:32 – which relic do we have here at Saint Joseph parish? (Bonus: a brief overview of the consecration of altars)
- 55:00 – a segue on the consecration of bells
- 56:56 – priests are often together for the school Mass, would you (the pastor) consider spreading the priests out to maximize First Friday Mass availability?
- 01:02:24 – why can’t we have the sign of peace at daily Mass?
- 01:05:54 – what is the response of the priest when people come up with their arms crossed at communion? And would it be better for people who are not receiving communion to remain in the pew?
- Father went into great detail on the question of communion time and blessings – this link will go directly to that section in his post: https://fathermaurer.com/2024/10/15/liturgical-changes-within-parish-family-49-communion/#blessingschanges
- 01:11:49 – will we still have a Christmas eve, midnight, and Christmas day Masses?
- the liturgical calendars are coming to our parish family website – but they are currently available in beta form at Father Maurer’s website: https://fathermaurer.com/liturgycalendars/
- 01:15:09 – why does the tabernacle have a cover over it?
- this is actually mandated in the 1967 document Eucharisticum Mysterium, #57, and repeated in both the 1973 document Eucharistiae Sacramentum, #11 and the 1980 document Inaestimabile Donum, #25
- 01:17:34 – when are the Divine Praises supposed to be prayed at Benediction at the end of adoration?
- Father subsequently looked this up in the newly published “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery outside Mass” and paragraph #99 says that “In accordance with local custom, the following acclamation [the Divine Praises] may be sung or said in unison after the blessing with the Most Blessed Sacrament and before placing the Sacrament back in the tabernacle”
- 01:21:03 – is there a reason we don’t have an adoration chapel at Saint Joseph parish?
- 01:31:10 – it was nice, recently, to have the homily offered in both English & Spanish – could this be done in the future?
- 01:38:55 – thanks and closing prayer
I was unable to attend except the last five minutes, but my question would be: could you offer catechesis on the when/why/how of “proper postures” at Mass?
Now back to listening!
Hello Ann,
I’m sorry you couldn’t come for the whole gathering – it was a blast. But we’ll have more in the coming months!
To the question of posture: I’ve been flirting with the idea of doing a series on the entire Mass – from the moment we walk into the church to the end of the closing hymn. That’s a SUPER intensive series idea and I’m not a little intimidated by the work involved, but the more I’ve engaged various specific topics relevant to our communities the more I’ve been attracted to a going for the whole feast! In the meantime, I think I’m going to avoid postures as a topic without local need (ie, clarifying an issue for us in our communities) – from what little I see in my VERY curated social media feeds, there’s a lot of heat on this right now, which rarely allows for helpful conversation or consideration of what really is or isn’t important.
That said, pray for me in this whole Mass series piece. I suspect that this is going to be a project I can’t resist!
Peace,
Father Maurer
Count on my prayers…for all of it!
Dear Fr. Maurer,
I did attend the Town Hall and appreciated your frankness, and firmness in answering the many questions. Regarding the elevator for the church, we on the pastoral council talked about that for almost a year! I believe it was John Nolan who investigated costs and feasibility. The biggest problem was that there was no workable place to install the elevator, if my meory serves.
I noticed in one of your blogs that you spent a week on Shaw Island at Our Lady of the Rock Priory. In 2003, Queen of Angels School took the middle school students, and 5 or 6 parents) to Shaw Island to stay in the guest house (the old one) and the barn, sleeping on the hay. Mother Hildegard made us very welcome. Our curriculum for the visit included religion, science, poetry and gardening (students helped weed various beds).
The timing was to coincide with planet Mars traveling close to Earth, se we brought 4 telescopes. Over the four days, we learned about the Benedictine vocation, the life of St. Benedict (taught by Mother Hildegard), how to breed Llamas ( we helped separate the male from the female in the breeding pen, by forming a long line to hold him back, while the nuns herded the female out of that area, because she was pregnant). We returned the next year and students could hold Isabella, the baby llama recently born.
I mention these trips in case one or two of the teachers (and maybe Ceci) would want to take maybe 7th or 8th grades over there. We did help the sisters with lots of chores. We also took 8th grade to St. Martin’s University as a final retreat before graduation for many years. Parents came along; the abbot and Fr. Killian Malvey made us all very welcome. We prayed the Divine Office each day with the monks. These are experiences that stay with students for a lifetime!
If my health permits, I would be willing to help the school with field trips. Sometimes the hardest part is making all arrangements.
Hello Patricia,
Thanks for sharing these details! In my subsequent conversation with John about the elevator, he shared quite a few obstacles that were in our way – cost actually being the least (though it was $300K-$400K before the prohibitive circumstances around placement – which did indeed end up being the death knell of the idea.
I LOVE the idea of overnight field trips to religious communities for our school children – or frankly, any elements of our parish community. If you’re willing to assist (whether in simply offering information or more active facilitation – as you can!), I suspect Ceci, Garth, and/or Patrick (our faith formation staff member in Port Townsend) would be very interested too.
Peace,
Father Maurer
Dear Father Maurer,
I realize an elevator simply isn’t a possibility at this time. However, I would like to suggest “human” elevators! What I mean is that if needs where known beforehand, volunteers could be asked to do much of the carrying needed to help the women of St. Joseph group. I would be willing to help out, and I would like to ask about joining the group.
Carts are also less expensive than elevators, and can be used to carry large bulky items down the ramps already installed.
I was the one who asked about the relic, and I am saddened to learn we don’t have one. I believe that is important. Perhaps if a new building comes into being, one can be secured.