Bishop Nkea gives directives on Eucharistic Liturgy in Mamfe to mark the first anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination, the Bishop of Mamfe, His Lordship Andrew Nkea, has published his first Pastoral Letter giving directives on how the Eucharistic Liturgy should be celebrated in Mamfe.

In a 13-point document entitled, Directives on the Liturgy published on August 23, 2014, Bishop Nkea states that the Pastoral Letter is to help the faithful of Mamfe to worship God in the right way as a diocesan family as the Church orders. The Bishop condemned some liturgical aberrations he has observed in the diocese and directed as follows:

It is not accepted for a priest to intone another song(s) after the entrance hymn before starting Mass.There should be no running around the church to announce lectionary procession before it begins. The announcement of lectionary procession should be done at the back of the church before the procession. When the Lectionary has been handed to a main celebrant the people who processed with it should bow and return to their seats quietly before the readings.

That Christians should listen to the Word of God as it is being proclaimed during Mass without flipping and reading through their newsletters. A minute of silence should be observed after the first and second readings and after the homily. The Responsorial Psalm should be taken from the Lectionary and should correspond with the readings.The Creed should be sung or recited and when sung it must be solemn and not a period of dancing.

The Offertory Procession should begin with altar gifts. The assembly is not expected to stand during this procession.The duplication and improvisation of many offertories during Sunday liturgy is not allowed.

There should be two collections on Sundays and Holidays of Obligation. Exception could be during Harvest Thanksgivings and fund-raising for particular projects.

Singing and dancing during offertory must be reverential, and songs without sound theological teaching should not be used. Communicants should not dance to go and receive communion.

Seminarians or Temporary Professed Religious should not distribute communion in Mamfe Diocese without a special faculty from the Diocesan Bishop.Only Priests are allowed to bring or take the Consecrated Hosts to the Tabernacle and during that moment, no one should stand as they have just received Jesus.

Perpetually Professed Religious are not allowed to expose and repose the Blessed Sacrament in chapels without the expressed permission of the Bishop.

Priests should celebrate Mass with reverence and follow the Rubrics strictly without turning Mass into some wild Pentecostal concert.

Announcement during Mass should be brief and when coming to Mass, Christians, especially the youth, must dress decently and not wear things that expose their bodies or cause distractions.

Composers and music directors should compose new ordinary parts of the Mass according to the New Translation of the Roman Missal. However, in Mamfe Diocese, the ordinaries of the Mass that were in use before the New Rite can still be used at Mass as they were composed.

Abridged version from the Bishop’s Pastoral Letter