Chapel Guidelines

GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNITY CHAPELS

IN A PARISH

INTRODUCTION

This booklet containing the Guidelines for Community Chapels in a Parish is for application in the Archdiocese of Cebu only. This is in response to the issues raised during the Congress of the Laity (2003), and to curb abuses committed by unscrupulous individuals to the detriment of our practice of the faith, and to eradicate misconceptions regarding these houses of prayer. These guidelines do not apply to chaplaincies or chapels of religious houses.

I. DEFINITION

A chapel is a place of worship whether for public or private use.

A. KINDS OF CHAPELS

There are 2 kinds of chapels treated in these guidelines:

1. The private chapel
2. The community chapel in a parish.

1. THE PRIVATE CHAPEL

A private chapel is a chapel not recognized by the parish priest as a community chapel in the parish. It is not approved by the ecclesiastical authority as such.

The Holy Mass cannot be celebrated in a private chapel except in the following cases:

1. A devout Catholic is sick, disabled or aged and cannot on his/her own normally go to Church. A Mass may be celebrated for him/her and his/her family on a special occasion with the approval of the parish priest.
2. During the wake of a Catholic dead, a Mass may be celebrated in the private chapel with the approval of the parish priest.[1]

2. THE COMMUNITY CHAPEL IN A PARISH

A community chapel in a parish is a chapel recognized as such by the parish priest. A private chapel becomes a parish community chapel when it is so recognized as such. It becomes an extension of the parish church.

Since it is under ecclesiastical authority, it is under the jurisdiction and control of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu represented by the parish priest. Thus, its functions and use are analogous to the parish church. The programs of the Archdiocese are going to be implemented in it.

The community chapel in a parish is a house of worship primarily reserved for divine worship open to all Catholics who want to join in the celebration of the Sacraments therein. It is however, intended to serve most especially the families surrounding it.

It is also a place where religious activities such as seminars, recollections are conducted. It is where activities for the development of the community are held, and where community members can share their time, talent and treasure with God and their neighbors, provided all these have the permission of the parish priest.

II. REQUIREMENTS FOR RECOGNITION

The following are the requirements for a chapel to be recognized as a community chapel in a parish:

1. Legal Requirements
2. Structural Requirements
3. Organizational Requirements
4. Canonical Requirements

A. THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

The jurisdiction and control of the chapel must be given to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu in any of the following legal ways.

1. Deed of Donation where the land and chapel building thereon is given to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu.

2. Deed of Usufruct where the possession and use of the land and chapel building thereon is given to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu but the actual ownership is retained by the owner. [2]

3. If, however, the two preceding legal requirements could not be made (like those chapels built on subdivision and government lots), a Memorandum of Agreement made between the concerned legal personality and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu can be executed.

4. An exception can be made for a chapel that could not meet the legal requirements stated above, for one reason or another, but which has had a long tradition of devotion among the people. In such a case, the parish priest may give his approval, with due consideration of the people’s devotion.

5. For new chapels, however, the above provisions (a,b,c) must be followed.

Only the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu can be the Donee or Usufructuary in any legal document involving parish community chapels. The parish priest cannot serve as the Donee or Usufructuary, nor can he sign any Memorandum of Agreement.

B. THE STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS

The following are the minimum structural requirements:

1. The chapel must be adjudged to be worthy of the dignity of a house of God and a place for worship.
2. The altar must be permanent and used only for the Eucharistic sacrifice.
3. It must have one crucifix and one image of the patron saint of the chapel and an image of the parish patron saint.
4. It is advisable to have a storeroom for statues and other chapel artifacts.
5. The chapel must have a door which can be locked to secure the integrity of the place.
6. It is the parish priest who decides as regards the worthiness of a chapel as a House of God.

7. where a long tradition has been established in a chapel “quita y pone”[3], the parish priest may grant permission for novena and fiesta masses.

C. THE ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

1. The chapel members are identified and registered in the chapel registry. A copy must be furnished to the Parish. The list must be updated regularly. A community chapel must have at least 30 adult members (18 years old and above). The children of chapel members will also be registered. Care should be taken that they will be catechized properly by chapel catechists. The training of chapel catechists will be one of the objectives of chapels.

2. The chapel boundaries must be set and the organizational set up established.

3. In cases of a newly-formed chapel, community members must assemble and form a consensus on their choice of a patron saint.

4. The chapel orientation seminar shall be given to the chapel members. It is especially designed to teach people about:

a. Their patron saint and the history of their community.

b. The nature of the parish church and community chapels as well as the role of chapel members and parishioners. This is to avoid the possibility of using the chapels for unholy purposes.

c. The organization of families as Basic Ecclesial Communities. This is to implement the program of the Church as evangelized communities.

d. The boundaries and organizational set up of the chapel community.

5. The election of chapel officers.

6. Oath taking of chapel officers in the chapel. This Sacred Oath of Humility and Obedience to the Catholic Church is a promise by the chapel officers to take their duties seriously otherwise they will be answerable to God.

7. Chapels commonly known as constructed because of rivalry will not be recognized.

D. CANONICAL REQUIREMENTS

The canonical requirements consists of the following:

1. After the legal and organizational requirements are complied with, the official blessing is conducted. This is the foundation day of the chapel and has the status of a fiesta. The people should know how beautiful the privilege it is of having a chapel recognized by the church.

2. While the permission of the local Ordinary is required for the celebration of the Mass and other sacred functions in a parish community chapel, this is implicitly given by the official blessing of the parish community chapel.

3. The blessing of the parish community chapel will be in accordance with Canon 1229.

4. After the blessing, the Chairman of the Temporalities Ministry will submit to the parish priest, an inventory of all the properties that belongs to the parish community chapel. Private property will not be included in the said inventory and they cannot be housed inside the chapel.

5. The blessing of the parish community chapel should be done during its first official Mass.

III. THE CHAPEL OFFICERS

The following shall constitute the Chapel Pastoral Council:

The Executive Committee:

1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Auditor

The WESTY Committees:

1. Worship

Chairman

Secretary

2. Education / Formation

Chairman

Secretary

3. Service

Chairman

Secretary

4. Temporalities

Chairman

Secretary

5. Youth

Chairman

Secretary

IV. QUALIFICATIONS OF CHAPEL OFFICERS

1. The following are qualifications of the officers of the Chapel Pastoral Execom:

1. 1. A practicing Catholic.[4]
   2. A bona fide member (an actual resident of the community).
   3. shall have attended the chapel orientation seminar.[5]
   4. active in parish and/or chapel activities.[6]

2. The following cannot be elected to the chapel and its structures:

a. Not a practicing Catholic.

b. An elected government official (National, Region, City, Town, Barangay)[7]

c. Has shown behavior contrary to moral standards, or is a member of Masonic and anti-catholic sects.

3. Elected officers of the chapel pastoral council who intend to run for government office shall tender their resignation upon filing their certificate of candidacy.

4. Only one member of a family[8] shall be elected to the Chapel Pastoral Council.

5. Elections that are not in compliance with these provisions may be declared null and void by the parish priest.

V. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHAPEL OFFICERS AND MEMBERS

The chapel officers and members will be responsible for their chapel.

1. They will protect the rights and existing norms of the Church over the chapel.
2. They will make sure that no protestant sect, cult or religious denomination will use the chapel to teach their doctrines or proselytize the Catholics.
3. They will make sure that the chapel will not be used for seminars that are anti-life, anti-family and anti-God, such as the promotion of contraceptives, abortion and sexual promiscuity.
4. They are duty-bound to keep the Parish Priest informed of all activities conducted in the chapel in order to avoid abuses mentioned above.
5. They must coordinate with the Parish Priest to implement the programs of the Church.
6. They must prepare the people for the mass and must see to it that a considerable number of adults[9] are able to participate in the celebration.
7. They shall see to it that no evening dance/disco will be held the night before the fiesta.
8. They shall see to it that only religious symbols will be displayed in the chapel.
9. Failure to comply with these provisions can be ground for the revocation of the Church’s recognition of the chapel.
10. The parish community chapel president or his representative will represent their chapel in the chapel leaders’ meeting:

a) to report stages of implementation of church programs.

b) to update its members.

VI. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARISH PRIEST TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY CHAPELS IN HIS PARISH

The parish priest shall be responsible for the following:

1. The spiritual formation of the Chapel Community.
2. The celebration of the mass in the community chapel. The celebration of the mass in the community chapel is the primary responsibility of the parish priest. Any priest invited to celebrate mass in any community chapel for whatever occasion must seek the explicit permission of the parish priest.
3. Catechesis on liturgical reforms and pastoral policies.
4. The implementation of policies and the imposition of corresponding penalties for violations.
5. Determine whether a community chapel complies with the requirements as stated in these guidelines.
6. See to it that the integrity of the community’s sound traditions are preserved. Thus, no priest may arbitrarily change the traditional date of the community chapel fiesta.

VII. THE HOLY MASS IN GENERAL

1. Every celebration of the Holy Mass in a parish community chapel is open to all. No one should be barred from joining a Mass being celebrated in a parish community chapel. However, only Catholics can receive Holy Communion.
2. No person, family, organization or the like should lay claim to the celebration of a Mass and bar others from attending the same.
3. In principle, Sunday mass must be celebrated only in the Parish Church. However, for pastoral reasons, a Sunday mass may be celebrated in a parish community chapel provided an agreement has been made between the parish priest and the chapel community.
4. No mass will be celebrated if the community insists on holding the disco/dance the evening before the fiesta.

VIII. THE MONTHLY MASS

1. Subject to the discretion of the parish priest, a monthly Mass may be celebrated regularly in a chapel.
2. Some considerations may include:
   1. The difficulty of people to come to the parish church due to distance or inaccessibility.
   2. The poverty of the people who may find it difficult to pay the fare.
   3. The promotion of BEC in the community

IX. THE NOVENARIO AND THE FIESTA MASS

A. THE LITURGICAL YEAR

1. Parish chapels must respect the liturgical calendar. Chapel members must be made to understand the cycle of the seasons of the Catholic Church including all the feasts.

2. Sunday masses must be in the Parish Church. Chapel Fiestas that fall on a Sunday or other solemnities of the Lord, i.e. Paschal Triduum, may be moved to some other day in coordination with the Parish Priest.[10]

B. FIESTA MASSES

1. The fiesta of a new chapel must not rival or conflict with the fiesta of an older chapel to which they were former members. A chapel which will insist on rivalry or conflict will not be recognized by the Church.
2. The traditional date of the community chapel fiesta must be respected. No priest may arbitrarily change the traditional date of the fiesta. It is possible that a communal event has been the basis of the present celebration. This celebration, pertaining to a genuine communal experience of devotion, may be permitted.
3. When the parish celebrates its fiesta, all parishioners celebrate and this includes all members of all community chapels in the parish. A chapel fiesta must not conflict with the fiesta of the parish church, however. If the parish celebrates its fiesta on June 28, for example, the parish community chapel must not celebrate its fiesta on the same date. It would be more convenient if their fiesta will not fall on the fiesta of the parish church.
4. Where a newly-constituted community is still deciding on what day to celebrate their fiesta, it would be good for fiestas to be held on a certain day of the week than for it to be on a certain date of the year. If a fiesta is held every first Saturday of the month of June or every 2^nd Monday of the month of May, then it will never fall on a Sunday. But if a fiesta is scheduled on a certain date of the year, it may fall on a Sunday and will become a source of conflict. The policy still stands that if a chapel fiesta falls on a Sunday it will be celebrated on the Saturday before it or the Monday after it.
5. The policy against the holding of Miss Gay or Macho Gay contests or any program or presentation that caters to unwholesome sexual interest such as bikini opens and strip contests stands.
6. No Mass will be celebrated in a parish community chapel that will violate the clear policies of the church such as the non-holding of a disco or other activity that will affect the attendance of the people for actual celebration of the fiesta Mass.

X. FUNERAL MASSES AND WAKES

1. Funeral Masses and wakes for the dead can be held in a parish community chapel.
2. On the occasion of funeral Masses and wakes for the dead care should be taken that the sacredness of the place will be preserved. Gambling and drinking should not be allowed.
3. Permission for the use of the chapel for funeral Masses and wakes shall be agreed upon by the chapel officials with bias in favor of the poor.

XI. HOLY MASS AND THE NON-CATHOLIC DEAD

1. Since the Sacraments of the Catholic Church are only for its members, Holy Mass can only be celebrated for a Catholic dead in corpore presente.
2. In cases where the deceased belongs to another faith, Mass may be celebrated for them in church, in corpore absente. We can pray for our separated brothers and sisters but because they do not believe in our Church and our sacrament, they cannot avail of them.
3. Only the deceased belonging to the Catholic Faith may lie in state in a community chapel.

XII. THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

1. The proper place for the Sacrament of Baptism is the parish church.
2. Subject to canonical and parish requirements, any child of a Catholic parent can be baptized in a parish community chapel.
3. The annual baptism in a parish community chapel will usually be held during the fiesta of its main or principal patron.
4. The parish priest can according to his discretion make other baptismal schedules in far-flung parish community chapels.
5. Parents of the child and the baptismal sponsors are required to attend the Pre-Jordan Seminar for that purpose according to existing practice.

XIII. THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

1. The proper place for the Sacrament of Marriage is the parish church.
2. Subject to canonical and parish requirements, a Catholic marriage may be celebrated in a parish community chapel according to the discretion of the parish priest.

XIV. SEMINARS, RECOLLECTIONS, RETREATS

AND OTHER RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

1. According to the availability of parish recollection teams, a parish community chapel is entitled at least to two recollections:

1. 1. Advent Recollection
   2. Lenten Recollection

2. Special seminars, recollections, retreats and other religious activities can be made in a parish community chapel for the benefit of its members.

XV. KASAULOGAN SA PULONG (KSP)

1. Catholic Lay Ministers have been installed in parishes to celebrate the paraliturgy of the Celebration of the Word (Kasaulogan sa Pulong or KSP) for Sundays in parish community chapels. This is the primary reason of the institution of the ministry of the Catholic Lay Ministers.
2. The following are the requisites for a Sunday and Monthly KSP schedule in a chapel:
   1. not easily accessible by transportation, and
   2. the poverty of the chapel members.

XVI. THE CHAPEL PROFILE

The following shall constitute the Chapel Profile to be submitted to the Parish Pastoral Council for safekeeping:

1. Name of Chapel
2. The Chapel Officers: Senior
3. The Chapel Officers: Youth
4. Mode of Election
5. Who were the previous chapel officers?
6. When was the change of officers made?
7. Who started the construction of the chapel?
8. Who is the owner of the land who will donate it to the church?
9. When was this given to the church?
10. Why was this chapel built?
11. Why was this particular patron saint chosen?
12. Why was this date or weekday chosen to be the fiesta day?
13. Who are the families who want this chapel to be recognized by the parish church as a parish community chapel?
14. Borders and map

XVII. CHAPEL FUNDS

1. In principle all funds generated from the celebration of the sacraments in the parish community chapel belongs to the parish church.
2. Funds generated by the chapel community through fund raising activities belongs to the chapel organization.
3. Funds raised by the chapel organization should be used only for purposes related to the upkeep of the chapel and the spiritual good of the community. For this reason, the parish priest must be informed and updated of the chapel organization’s plans and projects.
4. The chapel officers must present an annual financial report to the Parish Priest.
5. Chapel funds that exceed P10,000.00 must be deposited in a bank, with the Chapel President, Chapel Treasurer and the Parish Pastoral Council Temporalities Chairman as co-signatories.
6. Chapel Property Custody belongs to the chapel organization officers. Images of saints, especially of the chapel patron, must be donated to the organization. For this reason, votive offerings, candle offerings and the like belong to the chapel organization.
7. In accordance with the Rules of Guidelines of the PPC (Art. X, Section 1,a), the chapel organization is obliged to give an annual contribution to the PPC, to be determined by the PPC EXECOM and the Parish Priest.

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