What To Do When There Is No Priest

Since the Catholic Church has yet to solve its priest shortage problem by admitting married men and women into its ranks, we thought we would bring you these resources as a public service because, lay brothers and sisters, the task of leading the Sunday liturgy will fall increasingly to you.

FREE RESOURCES:

From the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa:

• Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: An Overview



• Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: Sunday Worship: The Mass vs Celebrations Without a Priest



• Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: The roles of those who participate in Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest



• Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: Forms of the Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest

From The Catholic Liturgical Library: Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest (Office of the Congregation for Divine Worship, 1988)

In Spanish/En Español: Directorio Para las Celebraciones Dominicales en Ausencia del Presbítero ( Congregación para el Culto Divino, 1988)

From the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia:

• Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest



• Discernment Process for Selecting a Lay Leader of Prayer



• Outline for a Liturgy of the Word With and Without Communion



• Outline for Morning Prayer and Liturgy of the Word With and Without Communion



• Script for Celebration of SCAP

From the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa (These planning sheets for SCAP are intended for use with the second edition (2007) of the ritual text.):

• Planning Sheet for SCAP: Word Service



• Planning Sheet for SCAP: Morning Prayer



• Planning Sheet for SCAP: Evening Prayer



• Planning Sheet for a Weekday Liturgy of the Word with Communion

PUBLICATIONS:

From the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest (English/Spanish, 2007, $59.95) -- for details, see Fr. Louis Dorn's review of this resource on the National Federation of Priests' Councils Web site.

From the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions: Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest, Revised Edition: A Pastoral-Liturgical Commentary, by Michael Henchal and Michael R. Prendergast (2007 revised, $12)

From Resource Publications: Leading The Assembly in Prayer: A Practical Guide for Lay and Ordained Presiders, by Michael J. Begolly (2008 revised, $24.95)