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Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest
Rev. Louis Dorn
 Last year the US Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a revised edition of this book of prayers and forms of communal gathering of God’s people when Mass cannot be celebrated because a priest is not available. In some parts of our country the earlier 1994 edition has been in wide usage. In other areas it is practically unknown. The 2006 edition (published in 2007) has a new and expanded Introduction, which gives further guidance for the use of these celebrations and theological underpinnings for their use. Emphasis is laid on SCAP being used in “communities that await a priest and these solutions must be considered temporary.” It is the bishop who decides in each diocese, after advice from the Presbyteral Council, when, where, and how often SCAP may be used on a scheduled basis. He is to consider all other remedies before allowing SCAP. These include whether there are religious priests not assigned to the care of souls available and the frequency of area Masses with a view to freeing a priest to celebrate Mass with a community without its own priest. SCAP is only to be scheduled on Sundays, not as an anticipation event on Saturday evening. It is also the bishop who decides whether the form of SCAP used is to include the distribution of Communion.
Pastors are to inform the bishop about the need for these celebrations. Deacons are “called in a special way to lead these Sunday assemblies.” Well-trained laity may also be delegated to lead SCAP. A deacon vests in alb, stole, and dalmatic and presides from a chair in the sanctuary, but the priest’s chair is always left vacant. Lay persons (religious and seminarians are mentioned directly) must be trained lay leaders of prayer, recommended by the pastor and appointed by the bishop. They may wear vesture suitable for their function or vesture prescribed by the bishop. These leaders are not only to leave the priest’s chair vacant but their “leadership of this prayer is best done from among the faithful.” The lay person may only preach with the permission of the bishop.
Forms given for SCAP include either the Liturgy of the Hours or a celebration of the Word. In both Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer there is one change in the order from the Breviary. The Thanksgiving (Gospel Canticle—Zechariah at Morning Prayer, Magnificat at Evening Prayer) follows the Intercessions, or if Communion is distributed, after Communion. When the form used is a Celebration of the Word, changes have been made to make it more specific that this is not an abbreviated Mass. No entrance procession is permitted. There is a required introduction, sign of the cross, and greeting, and an opening prayer, which may be a seasonal prayer or the opening prayer of the specific Sunday, contained in an appendix in this book. There is no longer a penitential rite. The readings are from the Lectionary for that Sunday. A homily or reflection on the readings follows and then the Profession of Faith and Prayers of the Faithful. If Communion is to be given, the ciborium is brought to the altar then, but the presider goes back to their designated chair, from which the Lord’s Prayer is led. Then he/she goes back to the altar and invites the assembled to Communion. It is then distributed under the single species of the sacred host. In a significant change from the 1994 Ritual an act of Thanksgiving is prayed after Communion. Many had protested that the former position before the Lord’s Prayer and Communion made it too similar to a form of Eucharistic Prayer. Brief announcements, the collection of money, and a prayer for vocations follow before the blessing and sign of peace. A closing hymn may be sung.
While SCAP has been in regular use in some dioceses suffering a shortage of priests many dioceses have only approved its use in “emergency” situations such as the sudden illness of the priest, a visiting priest not arriving as scheduled, or some other unforeseeable situation. It is the decision of the diocesan bishop about the use of SCAP. It is a well-done book, using texts from approved sources, which applies the principles from the document Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass. For this reason it did not have to go through the process of getting a “recognitio” from the Vatican because the significant texts were already approved. The USCCB has published this as a pastoral response to the current clergy shortage and people who experience it regularly or even occasionally seem to value this gift which allows smaller and isolated communities to maintain their identity and gather for prayer and worship.
 Editor’s Note: Earlier this year the US Conference of Catholic Bishops published a revised edition of Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest. NFPC president, Father Richard Vega, asked an NFPC national board member, Father Lou Dorn, to summarize some of the changes in the publication and share them with our readers. Father Dorn is a member of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions. He recommends the FDLC publication Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of Priest: A Pastoral-Liturgical Commentary by Michael Prendergast, as a supplement to the bishops’ publication. The resource can be ordered from the FDLC web site: www.fdlc.org
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