Lay cantor chanting the Exsultet allowed to incense Paschal candle?
  • balaanghuni
    Posts: 27
    When a lay cantor sings, out of necessity, the Præconium Paschale (Exsultet) at the OF Easter Vigil, should the same cantor also incense the book and the candle?
  • PaxTecum
    Posts: 314
    Definitely not. Only a priest or deacon can use incense. Don't have resources in front of me at the moment but can do that a bit later
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 998
    Msgr. Peter Elliott explains: "If a lay cantor sings the Exsultet, the celebrant does not impart his blessing. Moreover, the cantor does not incense the book or the candle, and the words in brackets "Therefore, dearest friends..." and "The Lord be with you" are omitted." (Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year, p. 140)
    Thanked by 2PaxTecum balaanghuni
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    Only a priest or deacon can use incense
    Except that in the OF incense is now allowed at low Mass, and if lacking a deacon, the thurifer will incense first the celebrant, then concelebrants, and then the faithful. And cover the lack again at the elevation. But this does not give license to a cantor.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • RomanticStringsRomanticStrings
    Posts: 339
    But this does not give license to a cantor.


    Would that be "lincense"?
    Thanked by 1balaanghuni
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,325
    Hahahaha!
  • balaanghuni
    Posts: 27
    Only a priest or deacon can use incense
    Except that in the OF incense is now allowed at low Mass, and if lacking a deacon, the thurifer will incense first the celebrant, then concelebrants, and then the faithful. And cover the lack again at the elevation. But this does not give license to a cantor.


    But, in both EF (Sung Mass) and OF, why does the thurifer incense the Host and Chalice at the elevation even if a deacon is present?
  • balaanghuni
    Posts: 27
    @smvanroode — I do not have a copy of Msgr. Elliott's book that you quoted from. Is there some official Roman document that talks about situations like this?

    The 2011 Roman Missal explicitly intructs that the blessing "May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips..." is omitted if the Proclamation is made by someone who is not a Deacon. Also to be omitted are a portion of the invitation beginning at "Therefore, dearest friends..." and the greeting "The Lord be with you."

    The Missal does not say anything about omitting the incensation of the book and the candle if a lay cantor sings the Exsultet. The book could have stated so, if it wanted to, as in the case about the blessing and the words to be omitted.

    If neither priest nor deacon chant the Exsultet, should there be incensation of the book and candle at all? I suppose that the incensation is integral to this rite, especially since this is the first and only time at the Easter Vigil that the Paschal candle is honored with incense. Can the incensation of the book and candle be done by the priest instead, even if a lay minister proclaims the Exsultet? If so, this would prove consonant with rubric #6 in the order of the Easter Vigil, which states: "The Priest is usually assisted by a Deacon. If, however, there is no Deacon, the duties of his Order, except those indicated below, are assumed by the Priest Celebrant or by a concelebrant." Although, I would find it odd, since the ritual seems to parallel that of the proclamation of the Gospel.

    I meet a similar conundrum in the rubrics for the procession with the Paschal candle. Rubric #15 states: "...The Deacon or, if there is no Deacon, another suitable minister, takes the paschal candle and a procession forms...." I believe that "another suitable minister" here can be a concelebrant or a lay minister. But, who chants the "Lumen Christi" if a lay minister carries the Paschal candle?
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