Are altar rails legal today?

[Jerry-Jet]

If a Catholic parrish wihses to build a Catholic Church with altar rails in it is that OK? What would be involved in them gaining permission to build such a church?

 

[m134e5]

If a Catholic parrish wihses to build a Catholic Church with altar rails in it is that OK? What would be involved in them gaining permission to build such a church?

Of course it’s ok. There has *never *been anything in *any *official Church document saying that Communion rails were to be removed. I know of at least one parish in my diocese that has them- and uses them, and this parish is highly thought of by our bishop (who is an outstanding bishop, I might add).

Personally, I would like to see every parish have them- and use them.

 

[Dempsey1919]

Altar rails are a fine and welcome addition to any Church. In fact, it is a shame that most modern Churches don’t have them.

The Church I attend has them, and they are used every week during the celebration of the Tridentine Mass. It should also be noted that the use of altar rails is permissable during the OF as well. Altar rails make communion in the kneeling position far easier.

I wish that every single church in the Roman rite had altar rails, not only because it gives us more options on how to receive communion and it also makes the celebration of the EF easier, but most especially because it fosters continuity with the past.

I recommend that you suggest the installation of altar rails to your priest. Also mention it to a few of the parishioners and do your best to explain why they are important. Try to make others aware of the positive effects of the altar rails and explain why they are a unique and distinctive hallmark of roman Catholic church architecture.

I hope you succeed in this endeavour.

 

[puzzleannie]

I would rather challenge anyone to provide any official documentation requiring removal of altar rails (if by that you mean communion rails).

 

[Jerry-Jet]

In churches where altart rails were removed were they removed by the authority of the pastor or priest of the parrish or by the authority of the presiding bishop of the diocese?

The reason I ask is that they didn’t just fly out of the church on their own accord. Someone removed them.

New churches that have been built without them had their final architectural design OK’d by someone.

I truley believe that if you polled most parrishes that people would vote to have them.

Since the church is not a democracy someone in authority must be behind the lack of them. Maybe such people shoud be identified and quizzed and on why they think that Catholic churches shouldn’t have them–if nobody speaks up–the same old same old will stay the norm.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

In churches where altart rails were removed were they removed by the authority of the pastor or priest of the parrish or by the authority of the presiding bishop of the diocese?

The reason I ask is that they didn’t just fly out of the church on their own accord. Someone removed them.

New churches that have been built without them had their final architectural design OK’d by someone. . …

I expect the one who removed them or decided not to install them quoted the ubiquitous they [aka anon] who said that VII mandated it.

 

[lak611]

You might be interested in this article.

 

[Jerry-Jet]

Is the pastor REQUIRED to offer communion to people who are standing?

If not I see no reason why altar rails should be removed anywhere.

 

[Windmill]

There is no legislation explicitly forbidding altar rails, and any American legislation that refers to Communion in the hand while standing is not so much a mandate against rails as a suggestion. IOW, you can have altar rails as long as your parish runs it by the Bishop, who deserves that respect as the chief liturgist.

The obvious problem is that when you have a demarcated area that is supposed to be “holy”, it looks funny when all sorts of lay people squeezing in there to be Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion in lay clothes. A rail also makes if look like there is something “special” going on in that part of the Church. Some anti-hierarchists would say, “Aren’t we all the same: priest, deacon, and lay? Or are we different? What’s the big deal with ordination, anyway. Isn’t the priest just a prayer-leader - or is he truly entering the Holy of Holies to bring God down to us? Is he all that special? Should he have such a distinguishing role? Isn’t that alienating to those of us who are “prevented” from participating as fully as he is able to?” Most on these forums would know the answer to all these hypothetical questions.

Perhaps the priest could only use one species and grab a couple of deacons to help distribute the Host at the rail. There’s no mandate to use Both Species (which almost always “necessitates” the use of EMHC’s). And, as a bonus, there’d be less ablutions at the end. I bet they’d get it done faster, too, if that’s their goal.

 

[Yerusalyim]

Is the pastor REQUIRED to offer communion to people who are standing?

If not I see no reason why altar rails should be removed anywhere.

If the question is are people required to receive Communion standing the answer is no, if the question is does a priest have to offer communion to someone who stands rather than kneels the answer is YES. Almost every Catholic Church I’ve been to retain Altar rails, even some of the military Chapels still have them.

 

[lizaanne]

Our parish still has them and we use them at every single Mass - NO or TLM - it does not matter. As a matter of fact, I’ve never received standing at this parish, it is one of the reasons why we choose to belong there and not to some closer parish.

~Liza

 

[Freshman88]

Almost every Catholic Church I’ve been to retain Altar rails, even some of the military Chapels still have them.

That’s amazing!

I would love to know where an altar rail is in southern Ontario(beyond the handful of traditional chapels). I believe the first altar rail I came across was in an Anglican Church… truly sad that the most traditional parish i’ve seen, isn’t even Catholic.

 

[childofmary1143]

That’s amazing!

I would love to know where an altar rail is in southern Ontario(beyond the handful of traditional chapels). I believe the first altar rail I came across was in an Anglican Church… truly sad that the most traditional parish i’ve seen, isn’t even Catholic.

Holy Family Church in Toronto has them and I believe also St. Vincent De Paul Church near it has them as the Oratorians of St. Philip Neri say the Tridentine Mass in both of those Churches.

oratory-toronto.org/

 

[Freshman88]

Holy Family Church in Toronto has them and I believe also St. Vincent De Paul Church near it has them as the Oratorians of St. Philip Neri say the Tridentine Mass in both of those Churches.

oratory-toronto.org/

And the Oratorians are the only ones in the area who offer the traditional mass…

I attend St. Philip Neri, they are the exception (what I meant when I said traditional chapels).

But come on, if you live in the area, you know the GTA isn’t exactly the shinning jewel of Catholic architecture or Orthodox liturgy.

 

[childofmary1143]

And the Oratorians are the only ones in the area who offer the traditional mass…

I attend St. Philip Neri, they are the exception (what I meant when I said traditional chapels).

But come on, if you live in the area, you know the GTA isn’t exactly the shinning jewel of Catholic architecture or Orthodox liturgy.

I don’t live in the GTA but I did for the first 27 years of my life. I’m betting that any Church that has a TLM will either have an Altar Rail or a Prie-Dieu (sorry if I misspelled that). I would suggest the following website:

latinliturgy.com

I can’t speak about the overall orthodoxy of Archdiocese of Toronto but let me tell you my diocese here in Moncton NB. I am still awaiting a Priest to say Mass with a chasuble in our parish. Standing throughout the Consecration when Rubrics state otherwise is common place and in some Churches they don’t kneel at all. Confession in rural areas without any screen which is a violation of Canon Law.

I could go on but you get my message here…

 

[Yerusalyim]

In my home parish the altar rail is made of a beautiful marble…I’m sure it cost a penny or two in it’s day.

 

[maferick]

I am in a parish in which the pastor, based on multiple requests from parishioners, began the traditional form of the mass and reinstalled the altar rail after some elderly people said that they were having difficulty getting back up. Now, the bishop has asked him to remove it. Our pastor is very orthodox and our bishop not. I know that there is not mandate to remove the rails, but is there something that we can do to help our pastor maintain them?

 

[andrewstx]

Is the pastor REQUIRED to offer communion to people who are standing?

If not I see no reason why altar rails should be removed anywhere.

As long as the infirm are not ignored or denied Holy Communion, I think the retention of altar rails is a good idea.

But the infirm sould not be left out. I cannot kneel or genuflect at all, not from lack of reverence. It is just physically impossible.

 

[TS_Aquinas]

I am in a parish in which the pastor, based on multiple requests from parishioners, began the traditional form of the mass and reinstalled the altar rail after some elderly people said that they were having difficulty getting back up. Now, the bishop has asked him to remove it. Our pastor is very orthodox and our bishop not. I know that there is not mandate to remove the rails, but is there something that we can do to help our pastor maintain them?

At the parish I attend, elderly that have difficulty with kneeling are allowed to stand. They usually stand at the end of the Altar Rails or in the middle of the two rails we have on the left and right, in between the Nave and Crossing it is an open are for us since our railing is movable. If your priest has this same design or can accommodate it, suggest it to him if this is the issue concerning the bishop. As far as maintaining them, they can’t be removed since they are part of the Rite. The bishop can’t command him to remove them because he would be commanding him to act contrary to the faith of the Rite. Perhaps the bishop doesn’t know that the EF isn’t like the OF with laundry list of options that the priest and/or bishop can alter at whim, it is a strict rubric that must be followed.

 

[Chatter163]

This thread is four years old.