Christmas Proclaimation and Good Friday Cross QUESTION from Smith on September 1, 2002 I just found your site and thought I'd add my 2 cents.
1. The Christmas Proclamation is from the Roman Martyrology which would have originally been sung during Prime on Christmas Eve. Some of the Rites of the Religious Orders (the Norbertines, for example) in the Pre Vatican II days would chant the Geneology from Matthew during the statio (procession line-up) before Midnight Mass. After the changes, with the supression of Prime and the use of Matthew 1 as the Gospel at the Vigil Mass, many of these communities began chanting the Proclamation. This custom was taken into the Roman Rite as an option before the Gloria.
2. The Cross/Crucifix controversy for Good Friday, I think (personal opinion here) is one of those places where no matter what choice the priest makes nothing substantial is really added or subtracted from the liturgy. In my parish we are privleged to have a relic of the True Cross which we attach to a large wooden Cross, in this case, I remember hearing the image of the Crucified would be inappropriate. Also, we were told in the seminary (a fairly conservative one, by the way) that whether one uses Cross/Crucifix, the rubrics are clear that it is the CROSS that is kissed and not the figure of the Crucified
ANSWER by Mr. Jacob Slavek on September 5, 2002 Dear Father,
Thank you for your comments.
Mr. Slavek
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