Dear Parishioners,

Lent is just about upon us. Ash Wednesday is this week March 5th . Note that we are asked to fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday. Masses are at 9 AM OLF, Noon and 6 PM at SJ. Stations will be offered Friday of Lent at OLF at 4 PM, and SJ at 6 PM. There will be a potluck at OLF afterwards, and a soup supper or fish fry at SJ depending on the week. See the bulletin for details.

I want to share some important information with you all about something we will be experimenting with this Lent. I would like to invite parishioners to experience the Mass celebrated in what is called Ad Orientem. The phrase is Latin for towards the east. Today, we use that term to refer to the priest standing on the same side of the altar as the people for the Eucharistic Prayer part of the Mass (the part of Mass where the priest is saying the prayers at the altar. Essentially the priest has his back to the people, and he faces the tabernacle and the crucifix).

For many centuries this was the custom of the Catholic liturgy. After the 2nd Vatican Council there was a shift towards what is called Versus Populum “facing the people”, which is what most parishes have today. This is when the priest stands on the opposite side of the altar and faces the people while praying the Eucharistic prayer.

Either option is a legitimate option currently in the Roman Rite of the Mass. However, some people prefer one way or the other. I’d like to give my parishioners an opportunity to experience both and see how it feels.

On the 3rd Sunday of Lent we will have both Masses at St. Joseph celebrated Ad Orientem so everyone can have a chance to experience it. Then the next two weeks of Lent, at SJ we will have the 8:30 AM Versus Populum and the 10:30 AM Ad Orientem. Since at OLF you can have both options already at the same time, I will simply continue as we normally would at the Saturday Masses at OLF.

We will have a survey before we start this experiment to get a sense of what people think before, and we will have a survey after Lent is concluded, to see if people think any differently about it. This will give me a sense of where people are at. I’ve been asked by some to offer Mass Ad Orientem. Depending on how people respond, it will help me to know if this is something we should do more or if the request for Ad Orientem (valid as it is) isn’t really something we need to worry about at this time.

Mass in Ad Orientem has been a part of the tradition of the Catholic liturgy for centuries, so it is a part of our heritage. We don’t need to have an opinion on it. I think it’s helpful to experience it so that we can be okay with either option, and it is certainly okay to have an opinion. I hope after this experiment is done, I can host a little discussion and hear more of what your thoughts are. I imagine most people wouldn’t take interest enough to come to a meeting, thus I think the survey is helpful. However, it might help me flush out more of how people experience both options to have a chance to discuss face to face.

I’ll be talking a bit more about this in these next few weeks so that you have a chance to be ready. I want to caution you from making broad assumptions. This truly is an experiment to help us better understand this legitimate option of the celebration of Mass.

Here’s a schedule for how the process will unfold: (note bolded Masses are the ones that will be Ad Orientem)

- March 1st- 2nd: talk about Ad Orientem in homily

- March 8th -9th: bulletin article on Ad Orientem

- March 15th -16th: bulletin article touching on Ad Orientem

- March 22nd -23rd: 4 PM Mass OLF both options (Ad Orientem and Versus Populum) as per usual, both Sunday Masses at SJ celebrated in Ad Orientem posture.

- March 29th -30th: 4 PM OLF both options as per usual, 8:30 SJ celebrated Versus Populum, 10:30 SJ celebrated Ad Orientem.

- April 5th: Men’s retreat Bishop celebrating 4 PM at SJ Versus Populum, 4 PM OLF both options as per usual,

- April 6th: (no 8:30 SJ Mass) 10:30 SJ Mass celebrated Ad Orientem.

- April 11th -12th: all Masses back to Versus Populum, (Survey at all the Masses regarding Ad Orientem experience).

- Thursday May 1st: have a meeting to discuss the whole experience, get feedback and look at survey results.

In Christ,

Fr. Eli