We had the collection immediately after the adoration of the cross. No announcement or anything; the ushers just walked up after the last person in line.
Ours was awkwardly immediately after the homily, in silence. But then, I think that the veneration of the cross flowed nicely into the preparation of the gifts/altar. I think anywhere you do it, it's going to be awkward. At my last church, we did it *after* the veneration, and either right with or right before the altar stuff.
Thank you. For the last few years, we have been having it after the veneration, which made sense to me, because Offertory on Sunday leads into the sacrifice of the Mass. This year we had the collection after the intercessions, before the veneration, which seemed unfamiliar. But as you said Mara, the veneration flowed nicely into the "dressing" of the altar.
We had the collection directly before the veneration, with the choir singing O Sacred Head Surrounded. Instead of the usual gift proession, the ushers just kept it in back.
We also had the collection right before the veneration. The choir sang God So Loved the World. It worked well because while the collection was taken, the bishop went to the back of the church and prepared to process with the cross.
It's all just a big blur now, but I THINK it was after Communion. Which was confusing in itself. This particular collection is the ONLY time, in the whole year, that you will hear Amazing Grace sung in our little Church. It's a strange little tradition, with a strange little story...
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