** NOTE: Whenever the SMs are going to do something, they follow their genuflection with a very slight turn toward the Bishop and a very slight bow, as a sign of respect and courtesy to acknowledge the Bishop. **
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PREPARATION:
A prie-dieu is set before the Bishop’s Throne for his use.
Sacristan should determine beforehand whether the Bishop is bringing his own vestments and if so which ones (Sacristan may have to provide either cope or mitre, or both, depending).
If the Bishop is the Ordinary of the Diocese, a seventh candle is placed at the center of the gradine and lit.
THE ENTRANCE:
– The Bishop is the last person to enter, preceded by the Verger and the Bishop’s Chaplain, who line up behind and slightly to the left of the Gospel side half of the lineup.
– MC cues genuflection. ALL genuflect; Bishop retires to the throne, the Chaplain to chair at his right.
GOSPEL PROCESSION:
– TH proceeds to centre, meets As; A/TH/A genuflect together; TH goes to Bishop to have incense charged and blessed. TH gives boat to the Bishop’s Chaplain. TH kneels on the left knee while incense is charged and blessed by the Bishop, then goes to his/her place in Gospel lineup.
– Deacon goes to Bishop for blessing of Gospel Book.
– At conclusion of Gospel, SD proceeds to Bishop, who kisses book where SD indicates. SD, holding closed book on chest, crosses to sedilia after rest of Gospel procession has returned to their places and Bishop has started down to pulpit.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION:
– The Bishop pronounces the Absolution.
AFTER THE PEACE:
– TH leads TT from sacristy to centre. TH and TT genuflect together; TH goes to Bishop for charging and blessing of incense, as above. TH leads TT to rear of church as usual.
OFFERTORY CENSING:
– Deacon censes Celebrant as usual and then goes to Bishop and censes him with 3 doubles. Deacon then censes Bishop’s Chaplain**, then returns to opposite side to return thurible to TH. Censing pattern resumes as usual (TH censes D and SD from side, then MC from centre). (**NOTE: if chaplain is a lay person, he/she is not censed separately; chaplain and MC are censed as a group.)
PONTIFICAL BLESSING:
– After Post-Communion Prayer, SMs remain at Epistle horn, turn to face the Bishop, and kneel on their steps. Bishop goes to High Altar and faces people to give the blessing. After blessing, Bishop retires to throne; ALL stand, SMs go to centre and D and SD go up to top step to flank CEL. D turns and sings dismissal, then turns back to face Altar. SMs to kiss Altar as usual, turn, and descend to pavement for lineup.
RECESSIONAL:
– Same order as at Entrance, with Bishop at end preceded by Chaplain.
Appendix: The Litany in Procession in the Presence of a Bishop
If the Bishop is the Ordinary of the Diocese, a seventh candle is placed in the center of the gradine and lit.
1. When a Bishop is Presiding
At the Entrance, the Bishop is the last person to enter, preceded by the Verger and the Chaplain.
The Bishop goes directly to his throne.
Without reverencing, ALL take their places as usual except for TH who stands to the left of the SD in order to be nearest the Bishop.
At MC’s cue, ALL except A CR A genuflect.
TH goes directly to the Bishop. TH gives boat to Bishop’s chaplain and genuflects on the left knee while the Bishop charges and blesses the incense. TH then closes thurible, rises, goes to the center, genuflects and goes down to choir floor to take his/her place to the west of A CR A, facing altar.
During the Litany, the Bishop is the last person in the procession, preceded by the Chaplain.
At the Kyrie, the altar is censed as usual. CEL hands off thurible to D who censes him as usual, then, retaining the thurible, goes to center and censes the Bishop with three doubles. D then hands off thurible to TH who genuflects and exits as usual.
At the Gospel Procession, TH proceeds to center, meets AA as usual and genuflects on MC’s cue. AA split and TH goes to Bishop, as described above, to have incense charged and blessed.
Deacon goes to Bishop for blessing of Gospel Book.
At conclusion of Gospel, SD brings Gospel Book to Bishop, who kisses it. SD, holding closed book on chest, crosses to sedilia after rest of Gospel procession has returned to their places and Bishop has started down to pulpit.
At the Offertory, TH leads TT from sacristy. TT take places below altar rail, TH in gate. MC cues genuflection. TH goes to Bishop for charging and blessing of incense, as above. Rest of Offertory procession is as usual.
For the Offertory censing, D censes CEL as usual, then retains thurible and goes to center, faces Bishop and censes him with three doubles. D then hands off thurible to TH who censes D and SD as usual. TH then censes Bishop’s Chaplain and MC, in that order, if Chaplain is in Holy Orders. If the Chaplain is a lay person, he/she is censed after the MC. The rest of the Offertory censing pattern is as usual.
After the Post-Communion Prayer, SMs remain at Epistle Horn, turn to face the Bishop, and genuflect. Bishop ascends to High Altar and faces the people to give the blessing. After the blessing, the Bishop retires to the throne. SMs go to center, split, and CEL faces the people and sings the salutation. D faces the people and sings the Dismissal. SD and D ascend to top step to reverence Altar as usual.
The retiring procession is in the same order as the entrance, with Bishop at the end preceded by Verger and Chaplain.
2. When a Bishop is Celebrating
When the Bishop is Celebrant at Mass, there is no Chaplain. The MC and Deacon of the Mass will execute those functions. (See Guidelines for Bishop’s Chaplain for instructions regarding the disposition and handling of miter and crosier.) The Bishop will sit in the Celebrant’s chair at the sedilia rather than in the Throne.
Without reverencing, ALL take their places as usual.
At MC’s cue, ALL except A CR A genuflect.
TH goes to the Bishop. TH gives boat to D and genuflects on the left knee while the Bishop charges and blesses the incense. TH then closes thurible, rises, goes to the center, genuflects and goes down to choir floor to take his/her place to the west of A CR A, facing altar.
All other ceremonials are as usual; when the Bishop is celebrating the only particular mark of honor given is the thurifer’s genuflection when incense is laid on and blessed.
At the conclusion of the Mass the Bishop sings the pontifical blessing from the top step while D and SD split and kneel on their steps as usual.