NYAMITANGA PARISH LITURGY COMMITTEE LITURGY GUIDELINES
These guidelines are meant to enable us worship, pray, adore and praise God better and together actively as an assembly of God’s faithful.
LIVING IN CHRIST
These rules and guidelines have been duly reviewed and approved by the Parish Priest and the Parish Council. They serve as the official policies governing the administration and celebration of weddings, Mass intentions, funerals, and other related parish services. All parishioners and applicants are encouraged to read and adhere to these guidelines. Fr. Richard Ssebugwawo, Cathedral Admnistrator
Readers
Readers of the Word of God in Church must do reading practice before a responsible person (instructor) prior to the Function and occasion of either Mass or Service.
Every reader of the Word of God should appear clean, smart and decent in attire and should be confident and audible.
(A) GENERAL GUIDELINES.
- A Catholic shall enter the Church with reverence and all due respect.
- A Catholic shall upon entering a Church make the sign of the Cross with its accompanying prayer.
- Shall genuflect with reverence, revering Jesus Christ in Tabernacle and then take a seat.
- A Catholic shall consider other worshippers and give them a conducive atmosphere to meditate, reflect and adore their Creator.
- No unnecessary banging pews or slumming of kneelers and no stepping on the kneelers.
- No making and receiving phone calls in the Church. Phones must be switched off.
- The dressing code is to be observed seriously. Everybody should endeavour to come dressed decently. No miniskirts or any provocative form of dress.
- No casual conversation/talk while in Church waiting for Mass/ service to begin is entertained.
- No unnecessary movement is allowed in any Catholic Church especially when the word of God is being read, during Homily, when the Eucharistic prayer and any other Priestly prayers or other prayers are being read or recited.
- No ordinary person of which ever rank/title in Society (may be, an Altar Server) is to take a place during Mass in the Sanctuary or in front of a Priest.
Ushering
- The ushers at Hiika, Centre or Parish levels are after proper instruction supposed to know and play their role diligently in Church. They too are to be clean and decent in attire and should be reverent.
Altar Servers
- They must be baptised Catholics and qualified to receive Holy Communion.
- Altar Servers are to be children (below 18 years) and not adults.
- They are to be well instructed in Faith and in serving at the Altar.
- They are to be children of high repute, respectable and of moral integrity.
- They should observe and maintain a posture that is in conformity with the anctuary and serving at the Altar.
- They are to be presentable, clean and smart, attentive and always alert.
- No snickers or sports shoes are entertained in the Sanctuary.
- The Altar servers shall only accompany the Priest reading the Gospel when they bear lit candles.
- Every Local Church in Nyamitanga Parish should have at least two trained Altar Servers with decent uniforms approved by the Parish.
- Only official Church Vestments in a very decent state for Priests, Catechists, Seminarians   and Altar Servers are permitted in the Sanctuary.
- The Ciboria, Chalices, Cruets, Linen etc must all be decent to dignify God.
- There shall always be the Book of the Gospels as part of the Procession (in case there is) accompanied by lit candles carried by Altar Servers.
Hymns
The Hymns for Mass/ Service must be well selected and in line with the Theme of the day. These Hymns must be Catholic in nature and composition and approved to be sung in the Church. They must be of a Catholic character.
Choir
There shall be a Choir for every Church function serving on most occasions voluntarily. Choirs should prepare Hymns well ahead of time and submit a copy to the Sister in the Sacristy here at the Parish and for out stations to the Catechists.
Para liturgicals
- There shall always be silent Meditation and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Friday after 7: 00 O’clock Mass followed by Holy Mass late in the afternoon at 03:00 pm.
- On the same day, Friday, there shall always be administering of the Sacrament of Reconciliation(Confessions) after 07: 00 O’clock Mass.
- Mass schedules in the Cathedral shall be; Monday-Saturday-07:00 am. Monday and Tuesday, Mass shall be in English and in Runyankore the rest of the days.
- On Sundays, there shall be five (5) Masses as follows;07:00 am, 08:30 am, 10:00 am, 11:30 am(English) and 04:00 pm (for children when schools are in session).
- Every after 07:00 am Mass during weekdays there shall be Recitation of the Rosary (not compulsory).
- During the months of May and October, there shall always be Recitation of the Rosary at a time well communicated to the Faithful.
- There shall always be the way of the Cross during the season of Lent at 03:00 pm.
Weddings
Intending couples outside Nyamitanga Parish shall be required to submit a letter of recommendation from the respective Parish Priests.
The marriage fee for such couples shall differ from that of Nyamitanga Parishioners by 100,000= (one hundred thousand shillings) i.e 435,000= (four hundred thirty-five thousand shillings only).
(B) GUIDELINES FOR REQUIEM AND FUNERAL MAASES IN THE CATHEDRAL AND NYAMITANGA PARISH IN GENERAL RESPECTIVELY.
(a) REQUIEM MASSES IN THE CATHEDRAL.
Preamble: These guidelines are put in place to remind ourselves that funeral functions are occasions to give our loved ones a befitting send off. They are occasions of acts of charity, kindness, pity and sacrifice and therefore should not be turned into occasions of punishment to the mourners with very many long speeches and almost endless lists of wreaths.
- It’s courtesy that people come to commiserate with us and we should not take them for granted.
- There’s time for everything, the preacher says, (ECC 3:1 ff). There’s time to bury the dead and time to go back in time to work and get what to survive on for those still living.
- Whose body remains and soul deserve a requiem Mass in the Cathedral?
- A baptised Catholic who has been in good standing with the Church and not living a scandalous life.
- A parishioner of Nyamitanga Parish.
- One who has been supportive to the Church though not living a very good Christian life but has had chance to receive the anointing of the sick in their last hours.
- Any very good Christian outside Nyamitanga Parish, rich or poor materially, whose surviving relatives request for a Requiem Mass in the Cathedral.
N: B. Christians staying and working outside the Diocese and Parish of Nyamitanga and die while there, the relatives need to secure a letter from the Parish Priest of the Parish under which the dead person was counted a member of the faithful, recommending a Requiem Mass or a Christian funeral.
- What is the number of wreaths required to be laid on the casket in the Cathedral?
- Not more than five in number are the required wreaths and persons to lay them.
The persons are;
- The spouse if applicable
- The parents again if applicable
- The children, still again if applicable
- The Church representative (The Officiant)
N: B. In case of another pandemic, then we shall comply with Government SOPS.
- Do we deserve a Litany of speeches/ Eulogies?
- NO. Only three people (counting Heads) shall be given an opportunity to address the Congregation namely;
- A spouse, if applicable
- Children’s Representative, if applicable
- Parent in the case of a child.
- Eulogies/speeches should be written and not lengthy (not more than 10 minutes).
- Time allocated for Mass. Will depend on the Parish Official programmes of the day.
- Choir. The Choir shall be available at a facilitation fee determined by the Parish to mitigate abuse and the bereaved family takes charge of that.
- There shall be a request form to be filled by a representative of the bereaved family.
- This request form shall be filled at least a day before the Requiem Mass.
(b) FUNERAL MASSES/SERVICES IN HOMES.
- Some people who die will deserve a funeral Mass but others shall deserve a funeral service presided over by the Catechist of the area.
- Number 1 under Requiem Mass in the Cathedral also here applies (who deserves a funeral Mass/Service.
- An apostate and any person who when at the time of their passing on shall have changed the religion, the person’s new religion shall preside over the funeral, unless before death, the person not relatives, sends for a Priest to be given the Sacrament of Reconciliation and be received back in the Church.
- The number of wreaths at any given funeral shall be at most ten (10) official ones to be laid by ten heads and groups combined and no recycling. In case of extra wreaths, the MC (Master /manager of Ceremonies) shall just recognise the owners of the wreaths by reading a list.
- Speeches/ Eulogies; In Catholic Christian homes we shall have at every funeral/service, three after the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist or as the service concludes. Some identified people are free to give their Eulogies before the Holy Mass or Service commences.
- Commencement time for funeral Masses or Services in homes.
- Recommended time to begin Holy Mass or Service shall be 12:00 noon with hope to be through with everything by 03:00 pm. This is to give mourners ample time to return home early and to continue fending for their families.
- As per our Catholic Church practice, once Mass has started no more serving of food in and near the area where Mass is being celebrated from.
- The Chain of information when reporting a death case.
- The grieved/ bereaved party or family shall inform the leader of a small Christian community who will in turn inform the Catechist of the area.
- The Catechist who is the right hand of the Parish Priest and Priests serving in the Parish shall inform the Parish Priest, giving with details true information about the deceased and in writing.
- The date of burial remains the arrangement of the bereaved family but the time to start remains as determined and given above by the Parish.
- The MC or MP (Master of Ceremonies/ Program) at every Catholic Christian funeral shall be a Catholic well versed with Catholic practices and norms.
- The Catechist in a given area(Hiika) shall not only be informed about the death of a member of the Church under his/her area of jurisdiction but shall also be fully involved in the funeral preparations most especially Liturgical.
- The Ushers and those involved in funeral preparations including the Catechist, shall ensure and reserve parking space for a Priest coming to preside over near the place where Mass is to be celebrated from. Why? This is because the main Celebrant carries with him what is very necessary for the function. Secondly, sometimes the Blessed Sacrament is not all consumed and there’s no Tabernacle nearby, so the car can in the meantime act as one.