Maybe there are priests who wish to be suspended. All they need to do is preach 6 minutes and the 5 minute limit homily gestapos will report you to the bishop:
From CNA:
Priests in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe have been warned that they could lose the faculty to preach if they give homilies longer than five minutes. The archdiocese told CNA the restriction is part of the archdiocesan response to the coronavirus pandemic.In the memo, sent July 31, archdiocesan vicar general Fr. Glennon Jones said that the archdiocesan chancery had “received reports of some homilies going on for well over the 5-minute limit set by the Archbishop.”“This not only increases exposure time [of the coronavirus] to others, but increases the discomfiture of many congregants, to the point of some not attending Mass because of it.”“If such homilies continue, [Archbishop John Wester] will consider severer [sic] actions for subject clergy,” Jones wrote, “up to and including possible suspension of the faculty to preach.”The warning was part of a series of “periodic communications” from the chancery regarding pastoral and sacramental practice in the Santa Fe archdiocese during the coronavirus pandemic.Since May 16-17, churches in the archdiocese have been allowed to reopen for the public celebration of Mass in line with phase one of the governor’s reopening guidelines, allowing for attendance set at 10% of building capacity.Under the guidelines posted on the archdiocesan website, various restrictions on the celebration of the liturgy remain in place, including a prohibition on congregants singing.The time limit on homilies of five minutes referenced in the July 31 memo appears to have been preceded by a relaxation of the posted guidelines, which state that homilies be “very brief,” and “three minutes max.”
26 comments:
Too authoritarian? No.
It's not authoritarian at all.
Priests can, if they try, say what needs to be said in 5 minutes.
Unless, of course, they think the liturgy is about them, their personality, or their eloquence and erudition.
One of the many reasons I gave up on NO mass is the boring homilies. The best homilies I’ve heard in years is Father Patrick May. Take that old guys.
We need more St. John Vianney’s.
Relaxed from 3mins to 5mins?.....what are they trying to do there? Bore people to death who might otherwise have survived the pandemic?
My suggestion is that the diocese show their true pastoral zeal tenfold in preserving the all important main church mission of health and wellness of congregants, by limiting congregations to 1% of capacity, which will both reduce complaints tenfold, and reduce by tenfold those who die of boredom weekly. A win-win for everybody.
Let’s say a priest preaches for exactly 5 minutes in praise of Joe Biden’s pro choice agenda and Fr. Martin’s LGBTQ+++ ideologies, like Fr. Martin and Joe Biden, does he get a pass?
I have to agree with Father Kavanaugh on this one. And I think 5 minutes is generous.
Back in 2012 when my father passed away my family "Volunteered" me to give his eulogy. The funeral director took me aside at the wake and made it clear that our Pastor does not like eulogies and I had exactly 3 minutes to say what I needed to. I freaked. Everyone in the family of course had a story they wanted included, and many suggestions on which aspects of his personality should be highlighted. Add to that that I was a grieving daughter who had never done a eulogy and it could have been a recipe for disaster. What saved me? The 3 minute time limit. It forced me to get to the HEART of who he was immediately and without fanfare. And by all accounts afterwards, I did well.
I firmly believe that a priest can sum up the readings and give a very effective homily in 5 minutes.
Like Father Kavanaugh said:
Priests can, if they try, say what needs to be said in 5 minutes.
Unless, of course, they think the liturgy is about them, their personality, or their eloquence and erudition
Given the quality of most of the homilies we hear nowadays, a 5 minute limit would be welcome.
I think it should be between 5 and 7 minutes. When I was in the seminary giving practice homilies, our homiletic professor would ring a bell after 5 minutes and we had to sit down finished or not. Of course we were docked on our grade if not finished. He said, in practice, that on any given Sunday it should be between 5 and 7 minutes. I’ve tried hard over the years to maintain at least a 7 minute homily although sometimes I go to 10 minutes. .
As far as eulogies by family or friends, I have a general rule that these are not allowed in my parish at the Funeral Mass. if it is to be done, it should be at the Vigil for the Deceased. For most of my priesthood, I have allowed it but most are absolute disasters, are very secular sometimes praising immorality (I had one son gush over his father’s adultery over the years, given his age). I used to ask that these go no longer than 3 minutes only to have some go 15 minutes and used for therapy for the one giving it who could not contain their tears. The Funeral Mass just simply isn’t about eulogies or a celebration of the person’s life, good, bad and ugly. It is about commending the souls of the faithful departed to a happy repose, pure and simple.
Just last night I had a wake service. On Saturday I met with the young man’s parent to plan the funeral Mass. All was taken care of, the program printed, only to have another relative from another state send an email of all the music she wanted in the Mass and then the cherry on the top was to have this person ask me last night at the wake if a person could give a eulogy at the Mass in the morning. I had to say no to the grieving relative. God only knows who the person is that would give it, how long they would go and what praise they would heap on the soul of the departed.
I like your parish rule on eulogies. Given my own experience it also caused me to take a look at "whats the point". Frankly, I don't see much of any because as you say, The Funeral Mass just simply isn’t about eulogies or a celebration of the person’s life, good, bad and ugly. It is about commending the souls of the faithful departed to a happy repose, pure and simple. Just to add....the eulogy often comes in my parish right after Communion and in my own experience detracts from the "Final Commendation" because people are so focused on the persons life after the eulogy that they will not be focused on "May the Angels lead you into Paradise".
Just my thoughts.
The thing is that there was a very nice crowd, mostly non Catholic (which is normal for southern Catholic funerals) at the Vigil for the Deceased at the funeral home chapel. If I had be asked at the pastoral meeting I had with the family, I would have suggested that eulogies be given after the Vigil for the Deceased Prayer Service which occurred during visitation. I started it at 7 PM and finished in about 12 minutes. They could do whatever they wanted after that with a variety of people saying something. That is where the “eulogy” belongs and emotional therapy too.
I think I rarely speak for 10 minutes, but it does happen from time to time.
Eulogies by friends and/or family members can be tricky, but I do allow them. I require that the text be written and no longer than two double-spaced typed pages. Having the text keeps the speaker on track and can keep it from being too long.
The most unusual request I encountered was by a brother of the deceased who asked if he could use his phone during the funeral home service so their ailing father could listen in from home. (This was before camera phones.) I agreed. When we started the service, the son walked right up to me and held the phone next to my head, in the position one would hold it himself for a conversation.
Oh, Lordy! I had already agreed, so....
Father McDonald,
A priest friend of mine who taught homiletics at the seminary said 5-7 minutes was the most appropriate length for the homily so you are in good company. This priest’s sermons were a joy to listen to. He was a millionaire’s son who walked away from a fortune to serve Our Lord
This wasn't a funeral, but at a Nuptial Mass homily, the wedding photographer kept walking back and forth in front of me at the ambo taking pictures of the congregation and the bride and groom in the sanctuary. It completely distracted me and caused my blood pressure to rise. I hate calling out someone and embarrassing them publicly, but I had to stop my homily and ask him to sit down as he was a terrible distraction to me and everyone else at the wedding. today, many people lack a sense of propriety or manners.
Another funeral eulogy disaster in one of my parishes, the husband of the deceased asked a concelebrating priest to read a letter he had written about his wife and marriage. The priest who read it, did not read it ahead of time as the husband gave it to him as we entered the church for Mass. Basically the letter read: I loved you even if you did not love me and were in love with another man. I forgive you because I loved you... or words to that effect. I was astonished, dumbfounded and shocked at this happening at holy Mass.
Father McDonald,
The letter you mentioned was shocking and must have been a terrible blow to the family. That "husband" could not have used a more inappropriate venue to vent his feelings.
IMHO: sermon’s should be brief to keep a Catholic Mass Catholic. One wouldn’t want a priest preaching for so long that his sermon becomes the focal point of the Mass. Therefore five minutes can almost seem properly traditional, even if the authoritative bishop is liberal.
No he didn't....I bet that priest is still kicking himself to this day for not reading that letter in advance of reading it.......
Well, Father, apparently no homiletics professor has made any inroad with our Polish priests who have served locally over the years. The shortest homily length has been 20 minutes, often near 30. Our present pastor (a very good priest BTW) is some better, but still averages 20. Sooo, our average main Mass runs 1 hour and 20 minutes. Long for little kids especially.
I think the 5-7 minute rule makes eminent sense at the typical Sunday Mass because there is such a wide range of ages. Maybe in a University setting a slightly longer time might work if it is genuinely needed to make the homilist's point, but 20 minutes or more is just too long
Years ago, at a funeral at my aunt's parish (a large Roman Rite parish in a suburb of a midwest city), the priest gave a sermon on the virtues of the deceased, telling the people what a good man he was, et cetera.
The family was surprised at what the priest was saying, and consternation in the pews became noticeable.
Finally, one of the sons of the deceased got up out of the pew and walked right up to the lectern while the priest was still talking and, to the priest's horror, told the priest that the deceased was his mother, not his father.
I don't know how the priest was able to finish the funeral.
YIKES, YIKES AND YIKES. When I was at our cathedral, an elderly monsignor who I assisted with the funeral Mass kept referring to the deceased by the wrong name and family members were correcting him from their pews! He was hard of hearing and I think I had to go and tell him the correct name. You want to crawl into a hole at these happenings.
At a wedding ages ago, probably one of my first, I welcomed everyone to the marriage of "Joseph and Sally."
I mentioned them by name once or twice in the homily. "Sally and Joseph."
When it came to the vows, I said, "Repeat after me... I, Joseph, take you Sally..."
And the groom said, "I, JOHN, take you Sally..."
Yes, I needed that hole to crawl into....
I have been called so many names I am relieved if is merely Anglo-Saxon.
5 to 7 minutes? Sounds like "liturgical overregulation". I can live with 10 to 12 minutes---more than that under exceptional circumstances.
I would prefer to look at it not as regulation but as "discipline on the part of the celebrant. It goes back to what Father Kavanaugh said right at the beginning:
Priests can, if they try, say what needs to be said in 5 minutes.
Unless, of course, they think the liturgy is about them, their personality, or their eloquence and erudition.
Fr. Michael Kavanaugh said..."At a wedding ages ago, probably one of my first, I welcomed everyone to the marriage of "Joseph and Sally." I mentioned them by name once or twice in the homily. "Sally and Joseph." When it came to the vows, I said, "Repeat after me... I, Joseph, take you Sally..." And the groom said, "I, JOHN, take you Sally..." Yes, I needed that hole to crawl into.."
Lol.
We had a Panachida for my father-in-law one day, and Father kept referring to him as "Your servant Daniel."
The problem is that my FIL's name was Bernabe.
After Liturgy, chuckling, I pointed out to Father that he was releasing the wrong person from purgatory. Nodding towards the altar, he replied, "Well, HE knows who I meant."
Lol.
DJR - I attended the funeral of a priest from the local Episcopal DIocese of Georgia at one of their local churches. The celebrant, also a priest of this diocese, used the wrong name several times until a member of the family stepped up to correct him!
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