COVID-19 Lent, Holy Week and Easter Resources

• Holy Week and Easter at Home to help parishes/families journey through Holy Week 2020 from home
• NEW Mass texts for a Pandemic from the Holy See (4/1/20)
• Second Vatican Decree on Holy Week (3/25/20)
• First Vatican Decree on Holy Week (3/19/20)
  • English
  • Spanish
  • French
• Current RCAB COVID-19 Liturgical Directives and Updates
• 2020 Lent and Easter Guidelines + Easter Vigil Time
  • Contents only apply to aspects of liturgies not superseded by RCAB directives issued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Reminder: When celebrating the 2020 Easter Vigil, as always please take care to begin the liturgy only after dark, and this year that can be when it is dark inside the church, since this year’s liturgy contains no rites to be celebrated outdoors. The time previously set is 8:30pm.
• Additional COVID-19 Resources from the FDLC

Resources and Services 

• RCIA 2020: All info here - Essential information concerning communication on the Rite of Election, registration for the 2020 Rite of Election, and how to request a Book of the Elect for your parish.
• Assistance with learning the Exsultet  and sample recording
• Liturgical Calendar Reminders 
• Epiphany Proclamation 
• Advent Penance Service 
• Liturgical Ministries (Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Readers at Mass):  This office continues to provide support to parishes who are training new liturgical ministers through Archdiocesan Guidelines for Extraordinary Ministers and training materials which can be used in preparing new ministers as well as providing ongoing support to those who have served in the past.  Read the guidelines in Portuguese here.
• Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA):  Oversee the process of initiation for catechumens (unbaptized adults and children of catechetical age) as well for candidates for full communion with the Catholic Church.  Providing support for RCIA teams and directors, with the goal of teaching to use the RCIA to train for Christian life.   
• Sacred Music and the Liturgy:  provide support for parish musicians and to ensure that sacred music is at the service of the Church’s liturgy.  
• Funeral Policy:  Archdiocesan Policy on Funerals as well as Guidelines for Homilies and Words of Remembrance.  
• Baptism and Confirmation Guidelines for Sponsors/Godparents
• Holy Communion in difficult situations:  Celiac Disease, alcohol intolerance and gluten allergies.  Please contact the office for resources and canonical permissions.    
• Liturgical Year:  Annual guidelines for the celebration of the liturgical calendar with particular attention to Solemnities, Feasts, Holy Week Liturgies and the Seasons of Lent and Easter.
  •   Feast of the Presentation of the Lord—Sunday February 2, 2020: Liturgical Notes
• Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar
• Church Architecture and Art:  Provide support for parishes in new construction or renovation/restoration.  Provide approval and recommendation for Archbishop’s approval for architectural plans and sacred art commissions.  
• The Proper Care and Cleansing of Altar Linens & Sacred Vessels in the Archdiocese of Boston
• General Liturgical Inquiries:  e.g., penance services, acolyte training, liturgical books/translations, cremation, altar linens, hymnals, etc.   

Need to Know

The Second Vatican Council states that the celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.   The Office for Divine Worship exists to support the most important activity of the Church, which is the worship of Almighty God and the sanctification of the Christian people.  A parish that strives to evangelize and to form disciples must first celebrate the liturgy well, inviting the faithful to a deeper understanding of the sacred signs (mystagogia).  The first priority of an evangelizing community should be the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist.  The Office for Divine Worship seeks to support this foundational belief and to promote a healthy liturgical life in the parishes, where fidelity to the Church’s legislative norms and liturgical texts is embraced.                 

RCAB Funeral Policy

• RCAB Policy and Instruction on Ecclesiastical Funeral Rites
• Guidelines For Homilies and Words of Remembrance in OCF 

Chants of the Roman Missal

These recordings below are provided for your use as you learn the Chants of the Roman Missal.
Chants of the Roman Missal – Participation Aid  [Missing PDF]

1.  Greeting 
2.  Penitential Act 
3.  Gloria A 
4.  Gloria B 
5.  Credo I 
6.  Credo III 
7.  Orate, Fratres 
8.  Preface Dialogue 
9.  Sanctus 
10. Memorial Acclamation A 
11. Memorial Acclamation B 
12. Memorial Acclamation C 
13. Doxology 
14. The Lord's Prayer 
15. Agnus Dei 
16. Invitation to Communion 
17. Final Blessing 
18. Dismissals  
Office of Divine Worship Saint Cecilia Schola
Richard J. Clark, Director

Many thanks to music ministers from the Archdiocese of Boston who volunteered their time and talent: Allesandra Cionco, Richard J. Clark, Mark Donohoe, Rev. Jonathan Gaspar, Liz Kerigan, Emily Lau, Clare McNamara, Michael Olbash, Elisabeth Pifer, Tanya Skypeck, Jason Villarreal

Additional Resources 

• Archdiocese of Boston Liturgical Directives for the Flu Season