Carol Services

[asb]

Our parish has a Carol Service at the end of Advent, with a Nativity Play. In the traditional "Anglican" lessons-and-carols format, thee are several readings from the Gospels, with usually only the last (John 1) being read by a priest. What are the rules in the RC church regarding lay-people reading the Gospel at a "non-liturgical" service please?

Presbyter, if you are lurking anywhere, PLEASE come back - we miss you!!!!!

[Psalm Project]

As far as I am aware, a gospel reading may be read by a lay person when it is not in the context of a mass (when only the presiding priest may proclaim it) -
I suppose, out of courtesy and local tradition, the local priest would be asked to read it at a service other than mass - like your carol service.

On the subject of carol services... Why not design a service based on the 'O Antiphons' during Advent. The focus is then 'looking forward' - Nativity plays and such (including many carol services) have Jesus born and weaned (no disrespect intended) well before the event itself. Surely this panders to our commercial attitudes. For the past four years I have designed such a service based purely on the O antiphons - you will be pleasantly surprised at the extent of the literature for this theme, much of which is traditionally familiar. No 'Joy to the World' or Hark the Herald' before the event PLEASE!

[nazard]

I have never seen anything preventing or even discouraging lay people, or even pagans, from reading the gospel out loud outside mass. That would be the exact opposite of what the church wants, and would prevent schoolteachers from reading the gospels to their pupils, which would be ridiculous.

When I contribute to an Advent Carol Service I always try to treat it as a lesson (in the educational sense) where we set out to tell the story of salvation up to the visit of the Magi. I try to stick to story telling carols and leave the great celebratory ones for Christmas.

It is a problem getting people to celebrate Christmas during Christmas rather than Advent. Just try suggesting that the office Christmas dinner is held in the days after Christmas to get some funny looks. Explain Advent is a time of prayerful preparation and people will think you are mad. Stick with it, be mad for Christ!

[Southern Comfort]

As far as I am aware, a gospel reading may be read by a lay person when it is not in the context of a mass (when only the presiding priest may proclaim it)

Not quite. Every week, in parishes all over the world, the Gospel is proclaimed by someone other than a priest or deacon - in a Liturgy of the Word with Children, which is certainly in the context of a Mass.

Responding to the question, there is absolutely no reason why a lay person cannot read a gospel reading at a carol service. The impact, for example, of a female reading the Annunciation reading can be quite profound.

More provocatively, I agree that services during Advent should be about the time of preparation/anticipation/waiting, and not simply a Christmas carol singalong before the fact. Many schools have already grasped the idea that anticipating Christmas by having a Christmas production during Advent is as much a misfit as singing Easter Hymns would be during Holy Week. The same should be true of parishes. More than a few have an extended Liturgy of the Word at the front end of their Midnight Mass, with lessons and carols then, but not before then.

[asb]

As far as I am aware, a gospel reading may be read by a lay person when it is not in the context of a mass (when only the presiding priest may proclaim it)

Not quite. Every week, in parishes all over the world, the Gospel is proclaimed by someone other than a priest or deacon - in a Liturgy of the Word with Children, which is certainly in the context of a Mass.

Responding to the question, there is absolutely no reason why a lay person cannot read a gospel reading at a carol service. The impact, for example, of a female reading the Annunciation reading can be quite profound.

More provocatively, I agree that services during Advent should be about the time of preparation/anticipation/waiting, and not simply a Christmas carol singalong before the fact. Many schools have already grasped the idea that anticipating Christmas by having a Christmas production during Advent is as much a misfit as singing Easter Hymns would be during Holy Week. The same should be true of parishes. More than a few have an extended Liturgy of the Word at the front end of their Midnight Mass, with lessons and carols then, but not before then.

Thank you for all the replies. We have a half hour service of carols and readings before Midnight Mass. The Carol Service was introduced a few years ago at the request of the chairman of the PPC as "something for the children". I raised the Advent point, but everyone was happy to pre-empt Christmas, including the then PP. The current PP is not awfully happy about it, but goes along with it to keep some people quiet - especially a few "mums" who think that the Mass should be an "entertainment" to encourage their children to come. My PP and I are apalled that these parents seem to allow their children to decide whether to come to Mass or not throughout the year. (Going off topic here I'm afraid - may need "splitting"!)

They expect "Family Masses" to contain "child-friendly" music that does not need to reflect the theme of the day or season. I hold out against this at some cost to my popularity.

Back to the carol service, there are never any families at Mass on the Sunday morning it is held, as "you can't expect them to come twice"

[docmattc]

As far as I am aware, a gospel reading may be read by a lay person when it is not in the context of a mass (when only the presiding priest may proclaim it)

In fact the presiding priest is actively discouraged from proclaiming the Gospel at Mass if other clergy are present: GIRM:
"The readings, therefore, should be proclaimed by a lector, and the Gospel by a deacon or, in his absence, a priest other than the celebrant."

Hearing comments about keeping Advent as Advent is music to my ears. I agree wholeheartedly. The secular world (in which church goers get swept up too much) celebrates Christmas starting about now and ending on Boxing Day. We need to reclaim Christmastide!

[Gabriel]

No 'Joy to the World' or Hark the Herald' before the event PLEASE!

Where I am we have an Advent Carol Service - well that's what I prepare and what it's called on the leaflet but it usually in the Newsletter as a Christmas Carol Service. However for a number of years we have used 'O little town' as a final hymn so there is a Christmas feel but the words are 'just before', last year we used 'Joy to the world' because again it can be sung from an Advent viewpoint, in my view.

There is I think a larger issue. This is a student chaplaincy and I have a nagging question whether some of those who come, who might well not darken the door of a church over Christmas, are missing the proclamation of the Christmas gospel. It's actually a question of evangelisation. There is much anecdotal evidence of people not knowing even key events of the gospel. A carol service, wherever, could easily be moment for evangelisation, for inviting someone to come to church.

I also wonder in the most severe view of demarking Advent & Christmas if there is not a danger of lapsing into 'historicism'. Though we might not sing Easter hymns in Holy Week nor we do not pretend that Jesus has not risen yet either. Liturgy is not a serial with a cliff hanger and a wait until the next episode to see if...

I need to reflect more on our current practice on the first point and see how much our practice tends towards the second.

[contrabordun]

Gabriel's post brought back memories - Oxbridge terms being a mere 8 weeks long, and College Prayers being at the start of the week, and undergraduate organ scholars and choir members liking to play at being Kings, I'm sure I once played for Christ the King at the Chaplaincy one morning and sang in a full blown 9 Lessons and Carols ("at this Christmastide let it be our care and delight to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem.... etc etc) that same afternoon.

[pirate]

... and undergraduate organ scholars and choir members liking to play at being Kings...

Had to read that twice. Earlier mentions of nativity plays had me thinking along quite different lines.

[contrabordun]