There are some dioceses (e.g., the Diocese of Baker, headed by Bishop Robert Vasa) where communion services are forbidden. And enough people think of them as “Mass without a priest,” or as an opportunity for laymen to play priests, that they should be forbidden. I personally walk out of communion services.Also, I have seen lay people conduct Communion Services too in which the Eucharist is not consecrated but the daily readings are simply read and the Eucharist is distributed amongst the faithful along with prayer intentions.
It’s possible yes. However, it’s also forbidden by the Church, so it’s not licit. The reason is that so many people were simulating the Sacrament, or were doing “anointing” in such a way that it gave the impression of simulating the Sacrament that the Church had to come out and forbid it.Kind of a related question…
While a layperson cannot administer the Anointing of the Sick, is it possible for a layperson to anoint an ill person with blessed oil?
Suppose the person does not intend to administer the sacrament. Is it OK to use some oil blessed by a priest and just say something like “may God bless you and may His healing power assist you in this trying time”?
Do you know the circumstances behind that? That diocese is very large (geographically) and very short of priests.There are some dioceses (e.g., the Diocese of Baker, headed by Bishop Robert Vasa) where communion services are forbidden. And enough people think of them as “Mass without a priest,” or as an opportunity for laymen to play priests, that they should be forbidden. I personally walk out of communion services.
When the Catholics of Nagasaki went two hundred years without a priest, they had to get by on two sacraments: Baptism and Matrimony.
The circumstances behind the prohibition of communion services in the Diocese of Baker are basically that Bishop Vasa is an orthodox bishop who takes an interest in his people having a right understanding of the Faith. He has told his people, in essence, that the solution to the priest shortage is not to have substitutes for Mass and give themselves the idea that they can somehow get along without priests, but to pray for vocations.Do you know the circumstances behind that? That diocese is very large (geographically) and very short of priests.
BTW, the walking out comment has an odd aspect to it that struck my curiosity. How do you unknowningly get into a communion service, that you’d have an opportunity to walk* out* on one? Has this happened to you often? It would be kind of rude to go to one in order to walk out, so this has to have found some way of catching you by surprise. Were you somewhere where the parish was in the habit of substituting these for Mass without advance notice? Just curious.
sorry, not really. thats not my intention. i was just stressing the point that administration of Sacraments means effecting the Sacrament in its entirety. EMHCs only hep with the distribution of the Eucharist, but not the consecration, so you can’t really say they administer the Sacrament in its entirety, they just assist. thats just stating the obvious factWow, Choy got a problem with EMHC???
You tone is somewhat harsh to say the least.
The tone seemed to be more matter of fact than anything…Wow, Choy got a problem with EMHC???
You tone is somewhat harsh to say the least.
Yes, Bishop Vasa is very orthodox, but he is also a bishop with some considerable challenges. His diocese, the last time I heard, had 25 active priests serving approximately 38,000 Catholics in 60 parishes living in a territory that covers approximately 66,000 square miles! That number does not count the 25,000 Catholic migrant workers who come for the cherry harvest, concentrated on the northwestern side of the diocese.The circumstances behind the prohibition of communion services in the Diocese of Baker are basically that Bishop Vasa is an orthodox bishop who takes an interest in his people having a right understanding of the Faith. He has told his people, in essence, that the solution to the priest shortage is not to have substitutes for Mass and give themselves the idea that they can somehow get along without priests, but to pray for vocations.
Re walking out of communion services: yes, in my diocese, it is very common to have communion services substituted for daily Mass, even when priests are available, and it is not uncommon to do this without advance notice. As soon as it becomes clear that there is not going to be Mass, I leave.
Okay, I guess I misunderstood your question. My understanding is that what’s forbidden is laymen doing communion services. I can’t say whether this includes services led by deacons.So I’m wondering if it was not daily services led by laypeople rather than Sunday services led by, say, a deacon, that were forbidden by the bishop.
I suppose the next time I run into someone over hear from “east of the mountains”, I’ll just have to ask.Okay, I guess I misunderstood your question. My understanding is that what’s forbidden is laymen doing communion services. I can’t say whether this includes services led by deacons.
BTW, I’m sorry about the situation with Masses and communion services where you are. It’s really unfortunate that the faithful aren’t informed in advance of when there will be one or the other. The information is important, as the difference is hardly trivial!!Okay, I guess I misunderstood your question. My understanding is that what’s forbidden is laymen doing communion services. I can’t say whether this includes services led by deacons.
Unfortunately, it’s perfectly in keeping with the spirits of confusion and disorder that reign in this diocese, to such an extent that many people like communion services and think they’re perfectly okay substitutes for Mass. I think this is what Bishop Vasa is trying to combat.BTW, I’m sorry about the situation with Masses and communion services where you are. It’s really unfortunate that the faithful aren’t informed in advance of when there will be one or the other. The information is important, as the difference is hardly trivial!!
Well, you can’t have communion services if the result is worse than nothing. That’s not a theoretical question, but a real one that is the bishop’s to discern. He’s the one with the information and the duty of the crozier.Unfortunately, it’s perfectly in keeping with the spirits of confusion and disorder that reign in this diocese, to such an extent that many people like communion services and think they’re perfectly okay substitutes for Mass. I think this is what Bishop Vasa is trying to combat.
A few years ago mass was celebrated ,for the first time at a private school. There were over three hundred Consecrated Hosts. The priest instructed the school prinicipal to assist him. On of the teachers removed herself from line and returned to her seat, being unable to receive from the priest. After mass she told the principal that she did not receive from anyone other than a priest.There are some dioceses (e.g., the Diocese of Baker, headed by Bishop Robert Vasa) where communion services are forbidden. And enough people think of them as “Mass without a priest,” or as an opportunity for laymen to play priests, that they should be forbidden. I personally walk out of communion services.
When the Catholics of Nagasaki went two hundred years without a priest, they had to get by on two sacraments: Baptism and Matrimony.
It’s not the case that there would have been “no Holy Communion for the children” but simply a matter of saying that the time to distribute Communion would have been a little longer. I can tell you personally that 300 is not an impossible number for a priest to distribute all by himself.A few years ago mass was celebrated ,for the first time at a private school. There were over three hundred Consecrated Hosts. The priest instructed the school prinicipal to assist him. On of the teachers removed herself from line and returned to her seat, being unable to receive from the priest. After mass she told the principal that she did not receive from anyone other than a priest.
His reply was along these lines. You seem to have a problem understanding the Real Presence. You abstained from receiving Our Lord because I wasn’t a priest! Look what you missed!
I understand your position regarding the laity, but remember the Catholic Church has 1.2
billion catholics. Only a little over 490,000 are priests. Without the principal to assist the priest, there would of been no Holy Communion for the children!
I thank God for the Eucharist, easly available to anyone in the state of grace, as opposed to the catholics of Japan that you cited.