DOMRADIO.DE: Why has it not been permitted to celebrate a liturgy of the word in the congregations on Sunday?
Prof. Dr. Alexander Saberschinsky (liturgical officer in the Archdiocese of Cologne): Since the time of the apostles, Sunday has been celebrated as a Lord’s Day, on which people not only remember Jesus, but also celebrate the Lord’s Supper, i.e. breaking bread and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice of life. Over time, our current mass celebration has developed from this.
The tradition of uniting with Christ in the Eucharist on Sundays was and is the source of the life of the Church. Unfortunately, old habits and traditions no longer work the way they used to. The idea of a parish with a priest and a Sunday mass where everyone gathers no longer works because there are fewer Catholics and priests.
So that the gathering on Sunday is not simply canceled if a Eucharistic celebration is not possible, the Archdiocese of Cologne is now allowing the celebration of the Word of God on Sunday – but only where a mass cannot take place.
DOMRADIO.DE: Does the Archdiocese of Cologne allow this celebration of the Word under all circumstances or are there certain conditions?
Saberschinsky: There is the condition that there is a group of believers who cannot participate in another Eucharist. This is not regulated from above, but must be decided locally.
But the impulse must come from the parish or pastoral unit. There must be people there who see the need and implement the project together with the local committees. This requires a clarification process on site that involves the pastoral services and committees. The Vicariate General will only be informed. We as the archdiocese then support you with training and other assistance.
Alexander Saberschinsky
“Even if a Eucharistic celebration is not possible on site, you are part of this larger Eucharistic community of the church.”
DOMRADIO.DE: Is receiving communion part of the celebration of the Word of God?
Saberschinsky: Yes, there is a special Eucharistic tradition on Sunday. Many believers want to receive communion even if there is no mass. That’s why the approach is to combine the celebration of the Word of God on Sunday with a communion reception. Not only to please believers and meet their needs, but there is also a theological idea behind it. Since we all live from the Eucharist and want to make this clear and tangible on Sunday, the impression should not arise that only the Liturgy of the Word is celebrated as the first part of the mass.
Because even if a Eucharist celebration is not possible on site, you are still part of this larger Eucharistic community of the church, here specifically part of the church in the Archdiocese of Cologne, which lives from this Eucharist. In order to show that the believers are part of the larger Eucharistic community even without an on-site Eucharist celebration, the celebration of the Word of God is expanded to include a communion celebration.
DOMRADIO.DE: But can the host simply be taken out of the tabernacle?
Saberschinsky: I think this will be a stumbling block for many, because this is not planned. Liturgy is not a mental cinema, but lives from experience. Therefore, the host should not simply be removed from the tabernacle, but rather it should be experienced that the community of believers who have come together to celebrate the Eucharist unites with those who have also come together to hear the word of God.
The host should then be “sent” from a neighboring Mass with Eucharist to the celebration of the Word of God in order to make the connection to the Eucharist celebration tangible in the neighboring community.
Alexander Saberschinsky
“We have – I admit – set the bar high, even at the express request of the archbishop.”
DOMRADIO.DE: Is this regulation mandatory or can the host simply be taken out of the tabernacle if no one brings the Eucharist from the neighboring community?
Saberschinsky: Officially, the host should not simply be removed from the tabernacle. I admit that we have set the bar high, even at the express request of the archbishop. We’ll see how this works in practice on site.
DOMRADIO.DE: Only just under 6 percent of Catholics go to mass on Sundays. Shouldn’t one be happy if a liturgy of the word takes place at all, without these complicated regulations?
Saberschinsky: For us it’s about the culture of celebration. The 6 percent of those celebrating will not be deterred, because it will only be more complicated for the communion helper, for example, because he or she has an additional journey. The goal is: The community should be tangible. Therefore, the celebration of the Word of God should be carried out by many ministries, not by one person alone.
This is no different standard than in the celebration of the Mass. The priest should not be the sole entertainer up in the chancel as if on a stage, because the participation of the believers should also be experienced in the mass celebration through the liturgical services. We would also like to see this service carried out by everyone in the Liturgy of the Word celebrations.
There is a leader there who shouldn’t do everything themselves. The leadership is supported by the lectors, the communion helpers, for example when they have to set out to deliver the Eucharist.
Alexander Saberschinsky
“If things like this grow locally, there must have been reasons for it, then you shouldn’t just rule from above.”
DOMRADIO.DE: In the Archdiocese of Cologne there are already celebrations of the Word of God on Sundays. Has this been tolerated so far?
Saberschinsky: This was dealt with in a Rhenish manner. Our archbishop is also from the Rhineland and of course he knows that there have already been celebrations of the Word of God on Sunday. We never talked about it explicitly, but as far as I could tell, he avoided harassing the communities.
If things like this grow locally, there must have been reasons for it; then one shouldn’t just rule from above. This is one of the points that we would like to regulate with this framework and the corresponding handout. We would rather be on the journey with these communities than let them do their thing and look the other way.
DOMRADIO.DE: What support does the Archdiocese of Cologne offer?
Saberschinsky: From October 1st the framework is in place online under the short link: www.erzbistum-koeln.de/wortgottesfeier available. We have also created an explanatory handout. There are also training opportunities for leaders of Liturgy of the Word celebrations. However, registrations for this must come from the parishes, as it should be a joint decision by the parish. As an individual you cannot register privately.
The interview was conducted by Johannes Schröer.
In Christianity and Judaism, liturgy refers to the order of worship ceremonies and the celebration of the service. The term comes from Greek and literally means “public service”. In the Catholic Church, in addition to the Holy Mass, this includes, among other things, the Liturgy of the Hours, the administration of the sacraments such as baptism and marriage, liturgies of the word, benedictions and a church funeral.
