By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box
Q: Is there a more appropriate time or way to pray the rosary before Mass? Also, what about public prayers after Mass, such as the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel?
A. These are things the liturgy neither prescribes nor forbids. Both are time-honored prayer practices that fall squarely into the category of popular piety. Customs can vary over time, from country to country and even from parish to parish. That said, I think these well-meant practices should be approached with some careful thought.
Nothing is wrong with praying the rosary before Mass, but I would offer a few recommendations.
First, it should not prevent other people from their own private prayer and recollection prior to Mass. Praying the rosary aloud right up to the time of Mass does not allow people to prepare themselves interiorly for the celebration of the Eucharist. Placed on the scales, the Mass will always outweigh other forms of prayer. Starting the rosary early enough will leave ample time for silence before Mass. A different space, such as a chapel, could also be an option for people wishing to gather to pray the rosary before Mass.
Secondly, there is something of a “butter zone” when it comes to pace and inflection. I have heard rosaries mumbled or barked out at breakneck pace and some that were said so slowly and dramatized as to seem phony. Both ways are distracting and less than prayerful. A natural tone and tempo will be less distracting and may encourage more people to participate.
Some parishes may solve this issue by simply hitting the “play” button on a recorded rosary with the people praying along. This may be helpful for private recitation but it hardly seems appropriate for public recitation of the rosary before Mass. As Catholics, we pray “live” and in real time. In the same way, we don’t allow recorded music for Mass because the lifting up of our voices and playing of instruments is part of our offering.
As for the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel or other additional prayers following Mass, this is a little more complicated. Prior to the reforms of the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council, the prayer to St. Michael was prescribed along with other prayers following a “Low Mass.” Interestingly, these prayers were not prescribed following a “High Mass” and were only added in 1884 by Pope Leo XIII.
These prayers are no longer prescribed in the instructions for Mass. I suppose a person could argue that neither are they forbidden. However, they were dropped intentionally and that says something, given that the rubrics of the liturgy generally tell us what to do, not everything that we cannot do. If we followed this logic, others might come up with all sorts of additions, using the defense, “Where does it say we can’t?”
Someone might also argue that these prayers fall outside the liturgy and so are not governed by the rules of the liturgy. But when they are prayed publicly, especially when led by the priest, they can feel official, required or even imposed. And what about other beautiful prayers from the rich treasury of our tradition? Why not add those? You can see where this soon becomes about the personal piety or preferences of the individual priest.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with the prayer to St. Michael. I probably pray it at least once a day, but I think it can be said as effectively in private while allowing others to pray in their own way following Mass.
(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and vicar general for the Diocese of Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)