Anyone seen this happen before?

[m134e5]

Parents giving hosts to children too young to receive first communion

I went to Mass recently, and I saw a man go up to receive communion, and break the Host in half and give half of the Host to his child (too young for first communion in the Latin Rite). How often does this happen?

Michael

 

[stbruno]

Gosh, I hope never. Someone needs to tell the priest at the very least and identify the person who has been doing this. This is very clearly abuse of Holy Communion

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

m134e5:

Parents giving hosts to children too young to receive first communion

I went to Mass recently, and I saw a man go up to receive communion, and break the Host in half and give half of the Host to his child (too young for first communion in the Latin Rite). How often does this happen?

Michael

First I do agree that parents should not do this. I have seen it a few times. However lets remember something before we call it an abuse. A Baptized child is in a perfect state of Grace until the “age of reason”. Infants receive Holy Communion at their Baptism in the Eastern Church. It is a discipline in the Western Church that they should be catechized first and attain the “age of reason”. In general I would not say that they are abusing the Sacrament but being disobedient to the discipline of the Church.

 

[puzzleannie]

m134e5:

Parents giving hosts to children too young to receive first communion

I went to Mass recently, and I saw a man go up to receive communion, and break the Host in half and give half of the Host to his child (too young for first communion in the Latin Rite). How often does this happen?

Michael

possibly the family belongs to one of the Eastern Rites, where children receive baptism, confirmation and first communion as infants, and where parents routinely present their small children for communion. they may have been attending your Church because a church of their rite is not nearby.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

that is somewhat common, unfortunately, and it stems from superstition.

the chance that they are from another another rite is rare. even so, that is no excuse. even if someone is from another rite, they can’t just administer the Eucharist as they see fit. they know that in their rite they can’t do that. that’s like saying parents in the eastern rites think they are all ministers of the Eucharist anytime anywhere. that’s not the teaching of the Church, as far as i know.

the ushers in the parish are supposed to deal with that. even if they can’t prevent it at the time, they should approach them and tell them it is wrong.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

JustSomeGuy:

that is somewhat common, unfortunately, and it stems from superstition.

I disagree that this is “somewhat common” what ever that means.

the chance that they are from another another rite is rare. even so, that is no excuse. even if someone is from another rite, they can’t just administer the Eucharist as they see fit. they know that in their rite they can’t do that. that’s like saying parents in the eastern rites think they are all ministers of the Eucharist anytime anywhere. that’s not the teaching of the Church, as far as i know.

Actually this is much more common than you are aware. Many eastern Catholics attend Latin parishes as their Churches do not have parishes in enough places.

I agree that a parent of another Church should not do this but there are many Latin priests who refuse communion to children who they deem to young. This is very wrong.

the ushers in the parish are supposed to deal with that. even if they can’t prevent it at the time, they should approach them and tell them it is wrong.

Actully I do not think this is what an usher is to do. It is the priest’s job. He can delegate it but the there is no usher listed in any Church documents.

I have had ushers tell me that I can not change lines in communion when I find myself in one with an EMHC and I change to the deacon or priest’s line. Ushers can tell anyone what they want we are not compelled to listen to them.

 

[puzzleannie]

JustSomeGuy:

the chance that they are from another another rite is rare. even so, .

actually it is fairly common here due to influx of persons from Eastern Rites in one community, and there is no Eastern rite church here. depends on where you are. If they are free to receive the sacraments and fully initiated, then they can receive the sacraments in a latin Rite Church.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

puzzleannie:

actually it is fairly common here due to influx of persons from Eastern Rites in one community, and there is no Eastern rite church here. depends on where you are. If they are free to receive the sacraments and fully initiated, then they can receive the sacraments in a latin Rite Church.

An Eastern Catholic is of course not required to register in a Latin Rite parish even if they live there. However if they attend Mass on a regular basis they should stop by the parish and introduce themselves to the Pastor so he knows who they are.

 

[puzzleannie]

as far as it being an abuse, you don’t say how young the child was, according to the catechetica documents, it is the parent who primarily prepares the child for the reception of first holy communion, and the requirements are that the child know, understand and believe, according to his capacity that Jesus Christ is truly present in the consecrated species, that he knows the difference between bread and wine and the Body and Blood of Christ, that he desire to receive the Eucharist, and that he has reached the age of reason. It is not strictly necessary that the child attend a CCD program etc. If it is a case of a parent presenting the child for communion under those circumstances, the abuse lies in the parent taking the host from the minister and giving it to the child. The child should be taught to approach and receive properly, or by definition he is not ready

 

[Brendan]

ByzCath:

I
I agree that a parent of another Church should not do this but there are many Latin priests who refuse communion to children who they deem to young. This is very wrong.

.

No kidding. It’s a violation of Canon Law. Any member of the faithful who is not in manifest sin and not otherwise prohibited by Canon Law has a Right to the Sacrament.

A priest, unless he knows for certain otherwise, would have to presume the child is under Eastern Canon Law, and therefore has a Right to receive the Eucharist.

And, in either case, Br. SFO is quite correct. It is not an abuse of the Sacrament, but a sin against the discipline of the Church. No Sacrilige is being commited.

 

[Aurelia]

I was watching this past Palm Sunday Mass from Rome on EWTN and couldn’t believe what happened: the ministers of Communion were distributing the Host to the crowds when a woman came with a small child in her arms who looked to be no more than 4 or 5 years old. She was given the Host, then little boy opened his mouth, and he was given a Host, too. And I thought, Yikes! Did I just see that?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Aurelia:

I was watching this past Palm Sunday Mass from Rome on EWTN and couldn’t believe what happened: the ministers of Communion were distributing the Host to the crowds when a woman came with a small child in her arms who looked to be no more than 4 or 5 years old. She was given the Host, then little boy opened his mouth, and he was given a Host, too. And I thought, Yikes! Did I just see that?

Most likely this woman and her child were Byzantine Catholics.

In our Church we baptize, chrismate (confirm), and give first communion all at the same time.

In the parish I attend, which is a Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite), this is done when the child is between 3 and 6 months old

There was a time when this is the tradition of the whole Church.

 

[Patchunky]

Aurelia:

I was watching this past Palm Sunday Mass from Rome on EWTN and couldn’t believe what happened: the ministers of Communion were distributing the Host to the crowds when a woman came with a small child in her arms who looked to be no more than 4 or 5 years old. She was given the Host, then little boy opened his mouth, and he was given a Host, too. And I thought, Yikes! Did I just see that?

They may have been of the large Ukrainian community that currently lives in Rome. They have 4 VERY active parishes and may have decided to attend the Flower Sunday Mass in the Square…

 

[cgirl4ever]

i’ve never seen it happen but I almost toke one when i was little because my grandparents toke me in the communion line with them so I wouldn’t be by myself.

 

[puzzleannie]

Parents giving hosts to children too young to receive first communion

I went to Mass recently, and I saw a man go up to receive communion, and break the Host in half and give half of the Host to his child (too young for first communion in the Latin Rite). How often does this happen?

Michael

the family may belong to one of the Eastern Rites where children are communicated as infants, same time as baptism and Chrismation, but not in this manner, as usually in their churches it would be by intinction. Priest, deacon or EMHC should have intervened.

sorry another old thread revived, why I know not

 

[Sr_Sally]

My mother used to do this. As others have noted she grew up in an Eastern rite church as a young girl. Later they attened the Latin rite (Roman) Catholic church. She may have been thinking of her own abilioty to receive communion as a small child. Whatever the reason, she did it every so often, not all the time, but often enough that I remember.