BEST PRACTICE
Immediately after the baptism, musicians may lead the community in an acclamation. Te ritual book has always offered a selection of these, but now one of them will appear in the text as a reminder: “Blessed be God, who chose you in Christ” (323).
Te Liturgy of the Eucharist
Mass resumes when the explanatory rites conclude (328). Te priest should become familiar with the missal’s ritual Mass For the Conferral of Baptism. It suggests prefaces and offers proper formulas for intercessions within the four main eucharistic prayers. If he uses the Roman Canon, he actually names the godparents within the heart of the prayer. Tis practice probably stemmed from adult initiation, where the names of the parents would matter less than the names of those who had sponsored the newly baptized.
Other points of emphasis
Musicians may be interested in a few other aspects of the new book that do not bear directly upon their ministry as musicians, but address circumstances they sometimes encounter.
Greater attention has been paid to gender-inclusive language in the translation. For example, while anointing with the oil of catechumens, the priest or deacon used to say that the Son of God came “to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness, and bring him into the splendor of your kingdom of light” (49). Now he says that the Son came “to bring the human race, rescued from darkness, into the marvelous kingdom of your light.”
At the Ephphatha, the minister used to proclaim that Jesus “made the deaf hear and the dumb speak” (65). In the United States, the word “dumb” is considered offensive. (Te same is not true in some other English-speaking countries, which explains how the word first appeared in this prayer.) Te translation has changed to proclaim Jesus who “made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Deacons assisting at a baptism during Mass have a secondary role because the priest presides over the entire ceremony. Te Church’s law does not clearly state that a deacon may baptize (or witness a marriage) during Mass. Yet sometimes it seems desirable for him to do so: He may be the infant’s grandfather; he may have prepared the couple for marriage; he may speak a language that the family knows but that the presider does not. In those instances, it is advisable for the deacon to obtain permission from the bishop to preside for such a ceremony within Mass.
Te one who confers baptism “should strive above all to be courteous and affable to everyone” (7). A similar rubric appears in other ritual books, such as the Order of Celebrating Matrimony and the Rite of Penance. It makes a person wonder if the group preparing these rituals after the Second Vatican Council included bishops tired of hearing complaints about grumpy priests, or people who themselves had suffered from discourteous ministers. Even though these words are directed to pastors and others who preside over these rites, they supply a reminder for all ministers. Even musicians “should strive above all to be courteous and affable to everyone.” Tis will help seal a beautiful celebration and provide a subtle though sincere message of evangelization. When we gather for sacraments, we celebrate them. Our hearts should be happy.
Parents are happy at the birth of a child, and the Church is happy to introduce that child to sacramental life in Christ.
Fr. Paul Turner is pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri and director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph. He is a prolific author and
presenter, particularly on the liturgy and sacramental celebrations. He will give one of the plenum addresses at NPM’s 2020 convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
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