Holy Ground:
Church and Mass Etiquette
by
Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The
Evangelization Station,
Dear friends and colleagues,
Holy Ground: Church and Mass Etiquette was written out of my love of the Mass and concern
that it should be consistently celebrated in a worthy manner, and without
innovation. It seems to me that over the years, we have lost a sense of the
sacred. Catholic churches are not always recognized as “Holy Ground”; a place
where God dwells and lovingly reaches out to us from the tabernacle. It is my
sincere desire that the publication of Holy Ground: Church and Mass
Etiquette will help develop a new awareness of the sacredness of the space
and the wonder and grandeur of the
$5,000 is urgently needed for the publication of Holy Ground: Church and Mass Etiquette.
If you would like to help, please send your contribution to, The Evangelization
Station,
Thank you, for your love of the
In Corde Jesu,
Victor
From the Introduction:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Mass as the “source and summit
of Christian life” (§ 1324). As such, each and every part of the Mass has been
specifically outlined by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of
the Sacraments in
We
are living in a time when the majesty of the Mass is not always properly
understood, much less appreciated by the laity, and sometimes even by our
priests. It is not uncommon to find a lack of respect for the sanctity of God’s
house and most importantly for His Eucharistic Presence. I do not say that this
is done deliberately; most often, it is done out of ignorance. There is much
confusion among us as to how the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is to be
celebrated. We as Catholics have an obligation to learn our part in the
Eucharistic celebration, in order to heighten our own participation, but even
more importantly, to show proper respect and worship to Our Father in heaven.
Our
late Holy Father, Pope
“This Sacred
Congregation notes with great joy the many positive results of the liturgical
reform: a more active and conscious participation by the faithful in the
liturgical mysteries, doctrinal and catechetical enrichment through the use of
the vernacular, and the wealth of readings from the Bible, a growth in the
community sense of liturgical life, and successful efforts to close the gap
between life and worship, between Liturgical piety and personal piety, and
between Liturgy and popular piety.”
He then went on to say:
“But these encouraging and positive aspects cannot suppress concern at the varied and frequent abuses being reported from different parts of the Catholic world: the confusion of roles, especially regarding the priestly ministry and the role of the laity (indiscriminate shared recitation of the Eucharistic Prayer, homilies given by lay people, lay people distributing Communion while the priests refrain from doing so); an increasing loss of the sense of the sacred (abandonment of liturgical vestments, the Eucharist celebrated outside church without real need, lack of reverence and respect for the Blessed Sacrament, etc.); misunderstanding of the ecclesial character of the Liturgy (the use of private texts, the proliferation of unapproved Eucharistic Prayers, the manipulation of the liturgical texts for social and political ends). In these cases we are face to face with a real falsification of the Catholic Liturgy: ‘One who offers worship to God on the Church’s behalf in a way contrary to that which is laid down by the Church with God-given authority and which is customary in the Church is guilty of falsification.’”[1][1]
“None of these things can bring good results. The consequences are—and cannot fail to be—the impairing of the unity of Faith and worship in the Church, doctrinal uncertainty, scandal and bewilderment among the People of God, and the near inevitability of violent reactions. “The faithful have a right to a true Liturgy, which means the Liturgy desired and lay down by the Church, which has in fact indicated where adaptations may be made as, called for by pastoral requirements in different places or by different groups of people. Undue experimentation, changes and creativity bewilder the faithful. “The use of unauthorized texts means a loss of the necessary connection between the lex orandi and the lex credendi (“What is prayed indicates what may and must be believed”). The Second Vatican Council’s admonition in this regard must be remembered: “No person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove or change anything in the Liturgy on his own authority.’ And Paul VI of venerable memory stated that: ‘Anyone who takes advantage of the reform to indulge in arbitrary experiments is wasting energy and offending the ecclesial sense.’”
These innovative
practices have continued to plague the Church worldwide since Vatican Council
II. More recently, in a December 1998 statement to the Australian bishops, the
Holy Father, referring to this section in Sacrosanctum Concilium stated:
“A weakness in parish
liturgical celebrations…is the tendency on the part of some priests and
parishes to make their own changes to liturgical texts and structures, whether
by omissions, by additions or by substitutions, occasionally even in central
texts such as the Eucharistic Prayer. Practices foreign to the tradition of the
Roman Rite are not to be introduced on the private initiative of priests, who
are ministers and servants, rather than masters of the sacred Rites”.
Noted moral theologian,
Germain Grisez in his three-volume work entitled Living a Christian Life, comments
on this issue of falsification raised by St. Thomas Aquinas:
“To
falsify Catholic worship can be a grave matter. Liturgical worship is the
Church’s act; Jesus and his members share in it. Since they act not simply as
private individuals, but share in the Church’s act, all who play a role in the
liturgy act in an official capacity. Thus, anyone who makes unauthorized
changes in the liturgy or encourages others to make them falsely offers as the
Church’s what in reality is only personal. Insofar as such falsification
modifies authentic Catholic worship, it is a sort of superstition, for even if
the unauthorized change is meant to contribute to genuine worship, the choice
of falsification as a means is incompatible with the reverence essential to
true worship”.
In other words, no person has the right to change any
part of the liturgy for any reason, regardless of intent. Failure of a priest to
conduct the liturgy according to the rubrics violates the rights of the
faithful to one of the goods of the Church.
BOOK REVIEW:
Holy Ground: Church and Mass
Etiquette by Mary Ann Kreitzer,
President, Les Femmes - The Women of Truth.
Human
nature is such that activities we repeat tend to become routine. The one who
does something the first time with attention and diligence, is apt to do it
casually and carelessly after dozens of repetitions. If the activity is
trivial, casual performance doesn’t much matter; but when it has cosmic
significance like the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, indifference and carelessness
toward the sacred mysteries are tragic. Such slovenly participation at
Mass is, unfortunately, common. And so I began Victor Claveau’s book Holy
Ground: Church and Mass Etiquette, with eager anticipation hoping to find a
tool to encourage more respectful attention at
Claveau
has written a little gem to call the Catholic heart to a renewed understanding
and appreciation of the Mass, particularly the Sunday communal celebration. The
book provides a wealth of historical information including the shift in days
from the Jewish Saturday Sabbath to Sunday, the development of the liturgy from
the first century, and the importance of keeping the Lord’s Day holy. He also
focuses on the elements of the Mass and the etiquette of properly preparing and
celebrating. He does it all in an engaging way interspersing quotations from
Scripture, the apostles, the early fathers of the Church, and Church documents.
Sound dry? It’s not. No one who reads this book can ever again take for granted
the central mystery of our faith, the Holy Eucharist.
From
the first page of the book I was fascinated by the description of the
historical development of the
Like
everything else He touched, Jesus put this law into its true position and light.
He rescued it from the hands of the Scribes and Pharisees and showed it as God
would have us esteem it…. He exercised his Lordship, not only by reclaiming it
from Jewish traditions under which it lay smothered and distorted, but by
showing us in his life how we should regard the day—with what works of love and
mercy we should occupy its sacred hours.
The
first third of the book is a walk through the early Church, learning how the
Mass developed following Pentecost. The last two thirds could be described as
“everything you ever wanted to know about properly participating at
Claveau
describes the etiquette of proper celebration of the Mass from how to prepare,
to appropriate attire, to why Catholics genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament,
to the use of sacramentals like holy water, incense, the sign of peace, and the
sign of the cross. He also explains the different elements of the liturgy: the
profession of faith, the preparation of the gifts, the Eucharistic prayer, etc.
If you’ve ever had a question about the Mass, you are likely to find the answer
here clearly and succinctly explained.
Interspersed
in the book are short and fascinating vignettes. For example, Claveau describes
the persecution under Diocletian (4th century) of a group of 49
Christians who illegally participated at the
Another
intriguing story is one told by a priest, Fr. Llorente, S.J. He repeats
an experience shared by a fellow priest. After closing and locking the church
on Christmas Eve after the midnight Mass, the priest returned the next morning
to find many people poorly dressed filling the pews praying in total silence.
When he asked how they got in, a woman replied, “Strange things happen on the
night of Christmas.” The priest checked the doors which were locked and when he
returned, the church was empty. He asked Fr. Llorente for his opinion about
what he had experienced. This is what the priest writes:
‘My
explanation was and still is as follows: Those were dead people who were doing
their purgatory, or part of it, in the church. It is safe to assume that we
atone for our sins where we committed them. Those people were immersed in total
silence. Why? Consider the irreverence committed before the Blessed Sacrament;
how many people act out in church: chatting, giggling, and looking around.
After Mass some people gather in small groups around the pews and turn the
church into a market place with no regard for Christ’s Real Presence in the
tabernacle. Why did they vanish? They did not, they simply became invisible;
but they remained tied to their pews unable to utter one single word to atone
for their disrespectful chatter while living.’
This story addresses one of my pet peeves, i.e.,
treating the church like a social hall before and after Mass. Claveau explains
the reason for silence during parts of the liturgy, but what he says could
equally apply to an attitude of reverent silence before and after Mass:
‘Let there be silence in your soul. Do your best not
to be distracted, or allow yourself to daydream. We must forget about ourselves
and think only of Jesus in the
Silence before Mass offers a time of preparation to
participate well in the Eucharist. Silence after Mass offers a time for
thanksgiving.
There are several particularly useful elements of
Claveau’s book. The table of contents is divided in such a way to make it easy
to quickly search for a particular issue. Do you want to read about proper
reception of the Eucharist, how to make a good thanksgiving, or the rules for
fast and abstinence? Have you wondered about tithing or perpetual adoration?
You can find answers easily by referring to the contents. A glossary in the
back offers a list of common terms that is also helpful.
At a little over 225 pages the book offers a useful
guide and handbook that would be appropriate for RCIA (Rite of Christian
Initiation for Adults), candidates, middle and high school religious education,
or for anyone interested in understanding the Mass better but looking for a
simple and easy-to-read guide. Holy Ground: Church and Mass Etiquette fills
a real need in an age where Catholic ignorance about the Mass is epidemic. I
plan to give it as a gift to my children, godchildren, and friends. Our
greatest gift from God is His Real Presence in the Eucharist. We have a duty to
prepare ourselves to hear Mass well. This treasure of a book offers a true
guide to a closer walk with the Lord through properly celebrating the Holy
Sacrifice of the
Other recommendations:
James
Likoudis - Author and President emeritus, Catholics United for the Faith
(CUF)
“Victor
R. Claveau, MJ has written an impressive and important work that will assist
Catholics to restore the sense of reverence for the offering of the Holy
Sacrifice that is lacking in too many parishes. It constitutes a complete vade
mecum (ready reference) for understanding the meaning of the Mass in all
its parts, and does so with the aid of the writings of the great
theologian/liturgist Romano Guardini, the Fathers of the Church, and directives
of the Magisterium. It presents with great clarity the proper Catholic
etiquette of the laity at Mass involving the proper inner disposition
required and their posture and gestures as prescribed in liturgical
regulations and rubrics. This book will h elp eliminate liturgical
confusion in parishes and is highly recommended not only for lay men and
women but also for priests who will be encouraged to celebrate Holy Mass
without innovation or questionable creativity.”
Rod Pead, Editor, Christian Order,
“After long years of decrying “the
disintegration of the liturgy” as a major contributing factor to the crisis in
the Church, Pope Benedict XVI wasted no time in putting a liturgical
restoration at the centre of his papacy. Moreover, he insists that Western
civilisation itself depends on this revival. For not only is the precise form
and conduct of divine worship essential to a healthy, robust Catholicism,
Benedict rightly states that law and ethics do not hold together when they are
not anchored in the liturgical centre and inspired by it.
“The stakes, in other words, could not be
higher! Hence the zeal and attention to detail which imbues Holy Ground:
Church and Mass Etiquette. Clearly a labour of love, Victor Claveau applies
himself to assisting the Benedictine liturgical restoration with all the
urgency and passion of a first century apostle who, like the Pope, understands
the pivotal role of the liturgy in God’s salvific plan. ‘There is a thought
that needs to be brought home to Americans today,’ he states at the outset, ‘-
God governs the affairs of men. ... But - to have God's help we must pay
some attention to Him. ... Worship, or paying attention to God, is one of the
things that belong to God. ‘Render… to God the things that are God’s’ (Lk
20:25).’ So begins the wholesale re-education of his target audience: the
post-conciliar faithful abandoned to liturgical anarchy in our sanctuaries and
pews. The early chapters, a summary of the biblical roots of Christian worship
and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, will surely open these corrupted hearts and
minds to the selfless liturgical precision demanded by our loving God
over and against the self-serving ‘do-it-yourself liturgies’ (DIY)
of the day. Worth the price of the book al one, this concise and illuminating
biblical history is the crucial foundation of Claveau’s systematic explanation
of the Mass, its conduct and associated ‘etiquette.’ The gravity of the Third
Commandment, doctrines, words, gestures, symbols, dress, comportment,
preparation, rubrics, customs, disciplines, sacramentals, and much more are all
explained with admirable simplicity and brevity - and no punches pulled!
“Correcting the myriad distortions in
liturgical practice, understanding and attitude accrued over four decades of
Modernistic hubris and sacrilege - errors entrenched in countless parishes
worldwide - is a holy and vital task. To that end, Holy Ground is not
only a superb tool for evangelising the liturgically ignorant and misled, but
also a liberating journey home to the Faith of our Fathers: to a Church
of obedience, beauty, unity and peace.
Jerry
J. Usher, President, Third Millennium Media, LLC
Victor
Claveau has produced a work whose usefulness cannot be overstated. As one who
travels extensively, I have the blessing – and, at times, the discomfort – of
participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated in so many disparate
forms that what is experienced is sometimes hard to identify as a “Catholic
Mass.” The variances touch upon virtually every issue raised in Holy Ground.
While the author correctly points out that we are not a people of rigidity
in our expressions of worship toward God, he also rightly brings our attention
back to the importance of the essential elements of authentic worship and why
Almighty God is worthy of our worship. Scripture reveals that when God’s people
worship Him from their hearts, He acts powerfully on their behalf. Given the
direction of our culture and the world around us, now would seem to be a very
apt time for us to rediscover what it means to worship God from our hearts.
Hopefully, Holy Ground will be the necessary catalyst for an
informed and responsible return to proper liturgical devotion. I most strongly
recommend that it be read by all.
In
Corde Jesu, Victor R. Claveau, MJ
"The
first law of history is not to dare to utter falsehood; the second, not to fear
to speak the truth." Pope Leo XIII