Altar Rail Returning to Use

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Zosimus41 said:
ncregister.com/daily-news/altar-rails-returning-to-use/

Architects, pastors and parishioners find it enhances reverence in church.

by JOSEPH PRONECHEN07/02/2011

In Tiverton, R.I., when some parishioners suggested returning altar rails to the sanctuary of Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Father Jay Finelli gladly accepted, little knowing shortly thereafter the Pope’s 2007 motu proprio letter Summorum Pontificum would follow and he would be interested in learning how to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass.

In Norwalk, Conn., when a groundswell of parishioner support encouraged pastor Father Greg Markey to restore St. Mary Church, the second-oldest parish in the diocese, to its original 19th-century neo-gothic magnificence, he made sure altar rails were again part of the sanctuary.

Altar rails are present in several new churches architect Duncan Stroik has designed. Among them, the Thomas Aquinas College Chapel in Santa Paula, Calif., the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wis., and three others on the drawing boards.

Altar (Communion) rails are returning for all the right reasons.
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👍!!
 
AveMaria12 said:
My parish priest erected an altar rail, and he’s re-enforcing it so that it would be harder to remove if future pastors want it gone. 🙂

I didn’t know that Vatican II didn’t call for their removals.
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In my understanding, Vat ll didn’t call for a lot of things that the Bishops decided to do on their own. I remember distinctly our Parish Priest telling us it was no longer required to abstain from meat on Friday, unless during lent. He failed to mention though, if you didn’t fast from meat that you needed to offer another sacrifice on Friday. The faith was clearly watered down after Vat ll, but it was the Bishops that did the watering.😉

And I remember the Communion Rails being removed almost IMMEDIATELY after Vat ll, at least in my Parish. In fact I remember my mother (RIP) having a tissy fit over that!

Oh and btw…I read headlines somewhere in my travels about bringing back the 3 hour fast before communion? Anyone else see that?
 
CaptFun said:
"March 8, 1958 " said the young priest beginning his homily **“you will *ALWAYS *** remember this date!”

True! With the other children in my class I sat waiting. The girls were resplendent in “immaculate” white dresses, lacy chapel veils concealing their carefully arranged hair and little white gloves; we boys wore pale blue neckties (like our Dads!) white shirts and dress coats - our Sunday bests for Our Lord (and the photos to come).

The long awaited day of Our First Communion had arrived. The mass prayers were in Latin, readings in English. Crisply dressed altar boys reverently bowed and whispered Latin responses kneeling a step below the priest who faced … the altar, the tabernacle, the crucifix on the front wall (back to the congregation as if leading a procession to Jesus).

Maybe I’ll be an altar boy someday I mused. Slightly older than I, the altar boys had set the scene, reverently lighting all the altar candles, stopping to genuflect each time they passed in front of the holy tabernacle containing the most Holy Eucharist.

They knew each step, gesture, and Latin response. They bowed, brought forward the gifts. Poured the little vial of water over Father’s hands and held the purificator for him.

At the elevation of the consecrated Host they knelt ringing bells three times to call everyone’s attention to the Eucharistic Jesus held high in worship. Thrice more for the elevation of the Chalice.

As the moment of our reception neared, we stood up and orderly processed to our spots
behind those at the communion rail. They knelt, waiting. The priest himself, with blessed hands consecrated by a Bishop approached distributing the sacrament.

Eyes lowered, a dutiful altar boy held the golden paten beneath the chin of each communicant to catch any particle of the Eucharist wihich might fall.

I moved forward, knelt at the altar rail, hands folded, watching the others receive.
The moment had come. I received, reverently walked back to my place in the pew, closed my eyes and spoke to Jesus - now with me closer than ever before.

I felt a gentle warm feeling within. That nice feeling of being home and loved. The security of Dad and the tenderness of Mom all at once. We were told to speak to and listen to Jesus with our eyes closed right after communion.

I was glad I had gone to my first confession the afternoon before and had a clean soul to welcome the Lord to (after a LIFETIME of sinning)!

This was nicer than kneeling in the dark confessional, looking at the crucifix of Jesus who’d died to save me from the sins I was about to have to confess. That screen slid open, I gulped out a “Bless me Father, this is my first confession …”.

My sins were probably parental disobedience and fighting with my sibling brother.
At any rate, the priest told me Jesus loved me very much and wanted me always to do better - and that I’d made a good confession (as I remember). Then came the words of
absolution. They might have been in Latin. But I emerged from that little closet clean … clean …FREE FROM SIN! Shining and ready for my FIRST communion.

Now it was ending. The priest had carefully cleaned the paten and chalice, consumed any remaining PARTICLE of the Holy Eucharist, In magnificent vestments he ceremonially gathered together the Chalice, purificator, pall, chalice veil, burse and corporal into their proper post-mass configuration, said the final prayers “Ite, missa est!”

“Deo Gratias!” we replied. And priest and altar boys bowed and genuflected to the remaining Eucharist in the centrally located and high golden tabernacle, with its nearby red sanctuary light indicating “HE is here!” … and left the sacristy.

In an orderly manner we waited to leave as the choir sang its Recessional hymn.
“Holy God we Praise Thy Name!”

As our turn to exit the pew came, we faced our Lord in the tabernacle, once more genuflected our fealty to Him as we’d done when we’d entered the church; then turned and exited.

Back to the world now. A lovely, sunny but cool north suburban Chicago day. Relatives, presents, a party at home. Cards with money in them. Prayer books, missals, prayer card bookmarkers and a great meal with Grandparents, cousins and the glow of Jesus still within me. “I will never forget this day,” I thought, the priests words echoing in my ear.

The women were happily gathered in the kitchen preparing one delight after another wihile they conversed. The men were in the yard and the living room excited about the new baseball season - could the Milwaukee Braves repeat as World Champs? Was Ernie Banks of the Cubs the best shortstop ever? Or was the White Sox’ Luis Aparicio going to
lead the go-go boys past the Yankees this year?

I could feel God smiling at all of the wonderful people he’d made. Heaven was going to be better than THIS?

And I think today of communion rails. Genuflectiing to Our Lord. The reverence of my elders back then. The chapel veils and hats of the women. The clicking of high heels as they processed to communion. The rustle of the men’s corduroy pants.

The holy tabernacle high, exalted and central as God’s throne (and how I looked at it during the Holy, Holy, Holy because that’s where Jesus WAS).

Things changed. If if was fine with the Church it was good by me. Guitars, organs, both good! Priest facing the people? Jesus probably faced the apostles. New music? Why not if its good … though for a while only the choir knows the new ones.

A culture of “coming closer to Christ” and “worshipping as a community” was the rationale.
A little more horizontal (we) celebration in the mass instead of giving the Lord his own hour of Kingly worship (vertical) with solemn reverence.

God and neighbor. We are to love them both. Today, when I see that altar rails are returning, I rejoice. Reverence is needed. More important than the rail will be the return
of tabernacles to front, center and high (as is proper to the guest of honor and master of the house).

We WILL have to remember to bend the knees again. And it might be harder than when I was 7. But every knee shall bow and tongue will tell that “Jesus Christ is LORD!” :angel1:
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**This is beautiful! **
 
I love the old rail. After being an altar boy in the 1960’s, I felt a sense of loss when our parish took it away after Vatican II.
 
Zosimus41 said:
Have you ever gave any thought to what the spirit of vatican II really is or means? For myself Im not sure but it seems to have caused a break away from what the vatican wants and what the world wants. Im just sayin…It appears that way.
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The “Spirit” of Vatican II is a fiction invented by activists who wanted you to listen to THEM, not read the actual documents of the council. They functionally stole the council’s authority and no small number of bishops were involved.

Nowhere do the council documents ask for alta rails to be removed, nor even suggest anything that even points in that direction. The council documents on the liturgy presume that latin makes up a significant portion of the liturgy and that the priest stands in front of the people facing the altar together with them during the consecration. Nowhere do the documents suggest the priest face the people for the entire mass. They call to him to turn and face the people at PARTS, which implies that he isn’t facing them all the time.

It was the liturgical renewal movement leadership after the council that invented many of the changes. They claimed to have a mandate from the council to do what they did, but amazingly precious few seem to have called them on that bald faced claim.

The liturgy changes DID come about via lawful ecclesiastical decisions and authority. But NOT from the council. I consider it not my place to be a pest about it or to agitate, but I too would like to see us return to a sacred posture for the reception of the Eucharist. It just seems inappropriate to me that our routine for receiving Christ far too closely resembles our routine for receiving Big Macs. When else do Americans kneel to receive something? Exactly.
 
manualman said:
The “Spirit” of Vatican II is a fiction invented by activists who wanted you to listen to THEM, not read the actual documents of the council. They functionally stole the council’s authority and no small number of bishops were involved.

Nowhere do the council documents ask for alta rails to be removed, nor even suggest anything that even points in that direction. The council documents on the liturgy presume that latin makes up a significant portion of the liturgy and that the priest stands in front of the people facing the altar together with them during the consecration. Nowhere do the documents suggest the priest face the people for the entire mass. They call to him to turn and face the people at PARTS, which implies that he isn’t facing them all the time.

It was the liturgical renewal movement leadership after the council that invented many of the changes. They claimed to have a mandate from the council to do what they did, but amazingly precious few seem to have called them on that bald faced claim.

The liturgy changes DID come about via lawful ecclesiastical decisions and authority. But NOT from the council. I consider it not my place to be a pest about it or to agitate, but I too would like to see us return to a sacred posture for the reception of the Eucharist. It just seems inappropriate to me that our routine for receiving Christ far too closely resembles our routine for receiving Big Macs. When else do Americans kneel to receive something? Exactly.
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WOW…Well said. AWESOME post.

Thank you for taking the time. 👍
 
I got to receive at an altar rail for the first time yesterday (I received once at a prie deu). Loved it, so wonderful! Holy Rosary in Houston is an amazing parish.
 
Thanks for your post CaptFun, that was truly lovely and reading it took me straight back to my young self as though it was yesterday. 🙂
 
On Sunday, I attended Mass at a different parish on the other side of our Archdiocese. It was the parish of some family friends.

They recieved a new pastor a few years ago and he reinstated the use of the altar rails. You may stand at the rail of you wish, of course, but that is where Holy Communion is offered from.
 
Not wanting to start an argument…just a musing. Many people don’t kneel anymore because of bad knees. In fact I just started as sacristian/ministry coordinator and at the Mass I do it at the other ones that do it can’t kneel…so my first words to the altar servers were…“we will be kneeling today”😃

But I wonder what people will do at an altar rail…

Our current church quite frankly doesn’t have room…but the new church will have room and a design that would make adding them easy.
 
After reading this article I find it so hard to believe that our Parish Priest wants to remove the center part of our altar rail so the sanctuary can be built out and a “permanent” front altar put in.

Our church is one of the few untouched churches in the parish. I am hoping more than just myself is against the removal and re-purposing of the rail. :confused:

Here is what our church looks like…

View attachment 14687
 
annspazz said:
After reading this article I find it so hard to believe that our Parish Priest wants to remove the center part of our altar rail so the sanctuary can be built out and a “permanent” front altar put in.

Our church is one of the few untouched churches in the parish. I am hoping more than just myself is against the removal and re-purposing of the rail. :confused:

Here is what our church looks like…

View attachment 14687
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The church I attend is 125 + yrs old. 25+ years ago there were suggestions it be modernized. (not talking about electrical wiring etc.) A group of laity got involved and had it put on the historical registry. It is very similar to the church in your photo.
 
The church I attend is 125 + yrs old. 25+ years ago there were suggestions it be modernized. (not talking about electrical wiring etc.) A group of laity got involved and had it put on the historical registry. It is very similar to the church in your photo.
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How do you go about doing that…I believe the church was built in 1925…Parish established in 1900.

It has historical significance in that it was the church Kate Smith converted to Catholicism in. The story told to me was that she started attending the church…started speaking to the nuns and then the Priest and converted (in the 60s I believe). One of the things she loved about the church was the traditional look of it.she left an endowment…and is buried in the parish cemetery. Hmm,I wonder what she would think?
 
annspazz said:
How do you go about doing that…I believe the church was built in 1925…Parish established in 1900.

It has historical significance in that it was the church Kate Smith converted to Catholicism in. The story told to me was that she started attending the church…started speaking to the nuns and then the Priest and converted (in the 60s I believe). One of the things she loved about the church was the traditional look of it.she left an endowment…and is buried in the parish cemetery. Hmm,I wonder what she would think?
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Contact your local historical society? I think there are such groups across the country.
Here is a link to the National Register of Historic Places.
nps.gov/nr/
 
I remember rails at my old church, you can still receive in the hand, people would place their hand on the rail and put the host in their mouth and get up. That’s how it was when it first started. I like kneeling but for some older people it was hard to get up and down and they were hard surfaces.
As Fr. Serpa said on this site, the mouth is a dirty place in physical terms and by what comes out of it daily, to say the hand vs mouth is “better” is wrong, you are missing what the important thing is, the Eucharist, debating that is a waste of time I feel, I am just a reverent as someone who likes it one way vs another, judging that is wrong.
I hope more people come to believe in the real presence, it’s hard, because you need grace, it goes against all logic. I feel some want too but deep down they don’t and I bet some priests are the same way. Our world is very secular and we aren’t any different than the ones that doubted when they had Jesus in their midst.
 
The church I attend has an altar rail. I am thrilled to see that more churches want to bring them back.
 
Annabelle_Marie said:
Not wanting to start an argument…just a musing. Many people don’t kneel anymore because of bad knees. In fact I just started as sacristian/ministry coordinator and at the Mass I do it at the other ones that do it can’t kneel…so my first words to the altar servers were…“we will be kneeling today”😃

But I wonder what people will do at an altar rail…
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Really, the altar rail AIDS in kneeling. How many of the elderly at your parish would prefer to kneel for Holy Communion, but do not, because of the lack of an altar rail.

Suggest to your pastor that he provide a prie-dieu or two for use by the elderly and the disabled.

It would be an act of Christian Charity to do so.
 
Brendan said:
Really, the altar rail AIDS in kneeling. How many of the elderly at your parish would prefer to kneel for Holy Communion, but do not, because of the lack of an altar rail.

Suggest to your pastor that he provide a prie-dieu or two for use by the elderly and the disabled.

It would be an act of Christian Charity to do so.
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I’m not all that certain so would…as they also do not kneel in the pews at the concecration…I guess for health reasons:shrug: If they don’t kneel in the pews with the padded kneeler…what are the odds they will at an altar rail? They also bow instead of a full genuflect when entering…and there you have assistance getting up again.

At any rate…no sense putting money into the old church at this point…and the new one we are trying to get money for…and fighting those that want the tabernacle other then behind the altar…
 
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