Faith

Here are six more ideas to help prune your sacristy, parish, and personal libraries.

Father Robert M.
O'Grady

Here are six more ideas to help prune your sacristy, parish, and personal libraries. Keep in mind that there are pastoral ministers and parish staff, not only clergy, who may need to have access to these and other texts.
"Order of Celebrating Matrimony" came into mandatory use in the United States in 2016, replacing the previous version, which had been in long use. There are multiple changes in this new book and additional options. All those who are involved in the remote and proximate preparation of couples for marriage in the Church need to review or better study this book.
There are three options for the actual celebration: within Mass -- preferred but not required for two Catholics; without Mass -- for marriage between a Catholic and baptized non-Catholic, and an option for two Catholics; and for a wedding of a Catholic and an unbaptized spouse, which cannot be celebrated at Mass.
New scriptural readings and optional cultural adaptations have been added, as have the new and improved translations of the prayers, including the nuptial blessings.
The recording of the marriage in the parish register and the notification of the parishes of baptism about the marriage -- even if the parish of baptism is the same as that of the marriage -- should be done very soon after the marriage.

"Order for the Baptism of Children" was revised and implemented for mandatory use in 2020. The new book has a much more user-friendly layout and introduces some additional scriptural and liturgical texts.
There are rites for various occasions of baptisms, e.g., for several children (first and preferred), for one child, and a helpful appendix special to the United States version for the celebration of baptism within Mass.
This book is used for the celebration of the baptism of infants and children. Children who have reached the age of reason, i.e., celebrated the seventh birthday, are adults as regards initiation and so another of the new books, "Order of the Christian Initiation of Adults," includes them.
The introductory section serves as an excellent source for pastoral ministers not only in preparing the celebration but for the catechesis prior to baptism and the follow-up and ongoing formation in the parish.
The information collected prior to the celebration of a baptism should be recorded as soon as possible in the parish baptismal register.
"The Order of Penance" became mandatory in 2023. The three different rites are: reconciling individual penitents, reconciling several penitents with individual confession and individual absolution, and reconciling several penitents with general confession and general absolution. A careful reading of both the introductory material and the third rite mentioned will indicate that this rite cannot be used without the permission of the diocesan bishop and under very determined and restricted circumstances.
The usual celebration of this sacrament is individually -- penitent and priest. The other sacraments prefer a communal celebration. The confidentiality, or as it is also called "seal of the confessional," obviously demands the individual celebration of penance. This is also why there is no record of the celebration of this sacrament, and no certificates can be issued.
In 2024, a revised "Order for the Christian Initiation of Adults" was issued and replaced the previous version. This large volume contains all the information a parish initiation team, which would include clergy, religious, laity, and catechumens' sponsors, will need for the process of initiation.
The whole series of stages or steps has individual ritual moments. These should be celebrated publicly but not always at Mass.
In this very brief introduction to this book, none of the complexities and variables an initiation team would face can be properly addressed. The formation of catechumens, the liturgical preparations, and the canon law affecting all these soon-to-be Catholics are all in this book. However, no member of an initiation team can just pick it up and start with it. Genuine familiarity with the book -- its layout, table of contents and the contents in general, the canonical statutes in it -- cannot be emphasized enough.
As with all the sacraments except penance, recording of the celebration of the initiatory sacraments -- baptism, confirmation, Eucharist -- must be made in the respective sacramental registers of the parish.
Also in 2024, "Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery outside of Mass" came into force for the United States. This very long-titled book provides prayers and directions for Holy Communion distributed outside of Mass, as well as devotions associated with the Holy Eucharist. Here you will find rites for adoration, Eucharistic processions, and Eucharistic congresses.
Earlier this year, on Easter Sunday 2026, the revised "Order for the Anointing of the Sick and their Pastoral Care" entered our liturgical library. There are many changes, especially in the layout of the various rites within the book. This ritual book is for use by bishops and priests, but again, all those associated with the Church's ministry to the sick should be familiar with it.
Several different publishers have issued versions of these texts. Some are bilingual (English and Spanish); some are large print; some are pocket-sized. All are new and require the attention of the whole Church.

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