|
Postures
The information below was shared by Julie Roth, Director of Worship & Music at all the masses on Pentecost Sunday.
Hello! Pentecost weekend (June 7-8, 2025) is the weekend that begins a series of short instructions on posture changes, that is, how we as an assembly stand, sit, and kneel together as a praying people.
First of all I want to accentuate your importance as an assembly, a people gathered together for the liturgy. You are important and your participation is paramount: It is what makes the liturgy happen!
Here are a few quotes that are important when looking at our snapshot of the liturgy today:
“Christ is really present in the assembly gathered in his name, in the person of the minister, in his word, and indeed substantially and uninterruptedly under the Eucharistic Species” (#38 GIRM).
“Great importance should therefore be attended to the use of singing in the celebration of Mass” (#40 GIRM).
“Common bodily posture to be observed by all those taking part is a sign of unity” (#42 GIRM).
“The faithful should stand from the beginning of the entrance song until the end of the collect” (#43 GIRM).
We already do these, yet at St Patrick there is a tendency at the beginning of the liturgy to turn and look at the priest as the opening song starts. This action came from a long time ago before and slightly after the church was built at St. Patrick. People were to turn and greet each other- the assembly, not the priest- as there was not a gathering space and/or the congregation didn’t know each other. Over time, the reason for turning has been lost.
Since that time, we have the great blessing to install screens, which have the words of the songs.
The Opening Song’s job “is to unify the congregation coming together as one, establish community, and prepare us for the Word of God” (#46 GIRM). When we go to other places in the Archdiocese, the faithful are oriented facing the front of church. One key point: we don’t turn and watch the priest go out. We stay facing forward, singing and relishing our celebration we have had.
Here is a quote you will hear me say in an upcoming week that the Director of the Office of Worship of the Archdiocese of Louisville said in a recent article: “While there may be merit, it is not the practice of most churches in the U.S. and is consequently confusing to visitors” (Archbishop Fabre). Visitors have come up and asked why we turn to the back of church away from the screens.
We have a great gathering space where we greet and welcome other parishioners and visitors. Upon entering church, we see even more people and greet them on our way to our seat. We have the welcoming community down pat!
This weekend we start the change where we stand at the greeting of the cantor or priest, face forward at the beginning of our liturgy, and join in the opening song or prepare for our celebration at the procession and heartily take part in our responses and songs.
Sources:
General Instruction of the Roman Missal. CATHOLIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, 2021.
Fabre, Shelton J. “Sharing in the Dignity of the Image of God.” Archdiocese of Louisville, p. 4, May 14, 2025.
McAllister, Marnie. “Sit, stand, kneel — Archdiocese of Louisville to adopt new postures for Mass.” The Record, May 15, 2025. https://therecordnewspaper.org/sit-stand-kneel-archdiocese-of-louisville-to-adopt-new-postures-for-mass/
| 
