Choirs in Entrance Processions
Date: January 4, 2025
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: What if anything does the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) say about choirs in entrance processions? My parish choir processes in front of the processional cross and candle bearers. As a Knight of Columbus, I am accustomed to leading processions in front of the cross. But my parish liturgy director is of the impression that the cross and candles should lead all, including choirs, including Knights. My pastor is of the impression that the cross and candles should precede only the clergy, the so-called official party. What are the rules as they apply to choirs and other "unofficial parties" in processions? -- K.M., Bel Air, Maryland
Answer: The GIRM and other relevant documents say practically nothing about choirs in the entrance procession for the simple reason that the liturgical norms presume that the choir is already in its place among the assembly and not taking part in the procession. The GIRM says:
“294: The people of God assembled at Mass possess an organic and hierarchical structure, expressed by the various ministries and actions for each part of the celebration. The general plan of the sacred building should be such that in some way it conveys the image of the gathered assembly. Thus it should also allow the participants to take the place most appropriate to them and assist all to carry out their individual functions properly.
“The faithful and the choir should have a place that facilitates their active participation.”
“312: In relation to the design of each church, the schola cantorum should be so placed that its character as a part of the assembly of the faithful that has a special function stands out clearly. The location should also assist the exercise of the duties of the schola cantorum and allow each member of the choir complete, that is, sacramental participation in the Mass.”
Also, the document on church buildings of the U.S. bishops’ conference, “Built of Living Stones,” states:
“§ 90 § The directives concerning music found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the guidance offered by Music in Catholic Worship and Liturgical Music Today can assist the parish in planning appropriate space for musicians. The placement and prayerful decorum of the choir members can help the rest of the community to focus on the liturgical action taking place at the ambo, the altar, and the chair. The ministers of music are most appropriately located in a place where they can be part of the assembly and have the ability to be heard. Occasions or physical situations may necessitate that the choir be placed in or near the sanctuary. In such circumstances, the placement of the choir should never crowd or overshadow the other ministers in the sanctuary nor should it distract from the liturgical action.”
The above-mentioned document Music in Catholic Worship says the following regarding choirs:
“36. A well-trained choir adds beauty and solemnity to the liturgy and also assists and encourages the singing of the congregation. The Second Vatican Council, speaking of the choir, stated emphatically: ‘Choirs must be diligently promoted,’ provided that ‘the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs.’
“At times the choir, within the congregation of the faithful and as part of it, will assume the role of leadership, while at other times it will retain its own distinctive ministry. This means that the choir will lead the people in sung prayer, by alternating or reinforcing the sacred song of the congregation, or by enhancing it with the addition of a musical elaboration. At other times in the course of liturgical celebration the choir alone will sing works whose musical demands enlist and challenge its competence.”
As can be seen, these documents would tend to presume that the choir is not part of the entrance procession but already in place.
Indeed, this presumption is even stronger in the guidelines for liturgical music of the Canadian bishops’ conference which say: “In keeping with the nature and purpose of the entrance song, it is recommended that the assembly sing the song in its entirety. On occasion, the assembly may alternate with the choir or cantor.” Such support of the choir to liturgical singing would be difficult for a choir in procession.
Nor does the GIRM have much to say regarding the participation in the entrance procession of those who are not acting in a liturgical capacity. This is perfectly understandable as the GIRM refers to universal practice in churches throughout the world, and such participation depends on local circumstances.
Neither do the principal manuals and ceremonial books that have been published in the last few years, such as by Elliott and Caron, contemplate the choir or others entering with the ministers.
We can find some indications on this topic in the norms for Eucharistic processions even though these follow Mass and are not at the beginning. In such cases the procession is led by the cross and candle bearers followed by robed members of solidalities, religious in habits, and clergy in choir dress. In this case the thurifers do not lead the procession but rather go before the Blessed Sacrament.
This at least gives an opening to the possibility of non-liturgical actors being led by the candles and cross in a procession, albeit in a different context.
The liturgical books are also silent regarding the role in a procession for orders of knighthood. This arcane subject is dealt with in some detail in the book The Church Visible, The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church, by James-Charles Noonan Jr., which we have dealt with in an earlier post. They would also be behind the candles and cross but, again, in a rarified context.
The Knights of Columbus are not numbered among the papal orders of knighthood but, in the United States, as a local custom, they often participate as honor guards. In this case they go ahead of the thurifer and the cross and candle bearers.
As a general norm, those who have a specifically liturgical role in the celebration, such as readers, go behind the acolyte who bears the missal, or behind the candles and cross, and in front of any clergy in choir.
The discipline regarding other kinds of ministers in the entrance procession varies from diocese to diocese.
For example, with respect to extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, a brief Internet search would seem to indicate that most U.S. dioceses exclude the participation of the EMHC from the entrance and exit processions. There are a few, however, that contemplate the possibility.
Of those that do allow for EMHC to participate in the processions, there is not much clarity as to where to locate them. Some place them between the altar servers and the readers; others, behind the reader who carries the Book of the Gospels.
All in all, I would say that the ideal is that, although the choir fulfills an authentic liturgical ministry, analogous to the case of the EMHC, it is not of such a nature as to require participation in the entrance and exit processions.
If the procession of the choir can be classed as an authentic and legitimate local custom, then the most logical position for them, from the liturgical point of view, would be to follow the cross, candles, and torch bearers, in the entrance procession.
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