Dear Parishioners,

Continuing to reflect on those liturgical gestures that are reserved to the priest celebrant at Mass, there is a sub-category of these gestures that pertain to the sacred elements alone, i.e., the bread and wine before or after the words of consecration.

Dear Parishioners,

Continuing my reflections on the liturgical gestures that are woven throughout the Mass, it is important to take note of those that are particular to the priest celebrant. One of these is The Kiss. Just as a kiss in ordinary moments of life is an expression of loving affection, so too in the Mass. At the beginning of each Mass, after the ministers enter the sanctuary, the priest (and the deacon) reverences the altar table with a kiss. They will do the same at the end of the Mass before they recess. Some people believed the altar was kissed because relics of saints were enclosed on the top of it, that portion of the altar called the mensa.

Dear Parishioners,

In my bulletin article from last week, I began a series of reflections on liturgical gestures focusing mainly on the Sign of the Cross and the various times and ways this embodied action is woven throughout the Mass. This week I invite us to consider another gesture in the Mass, namely Striking One’s Breast.

Dear Parishioners,

In my remaining weeks at St. Joan of Arc Parish, I would like to share some insights on a number of the fundamental components of the liturgy such as gesture, posture and vesture. These components are not unique to Roman Catholic worship, nor are they exclusive elements in any organized religion. They are some of the basic building blocks of all ritual language, religious or secular.