Choir "logistics" at Communion time

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PhilotheaZ

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I wasn’t sure whether to post this in the Traditional or Liturgy forum, but I suspect this forum would have more firsthand experience with this.

I direct a small (seven-member) fledgling Latin choir, and the question has come up (again) as to the appropriate time for the choir to receive Communion. I’ll broaden the question to address the proper timing of the following relative to each other:
  • Priest receives Communion.
  • Altar servers recite Confiteor and “Domine non sum dignus …”
  • Choir sings Communion antiphon.
  • Choir sings Communion motet.
  • Congregation receives Communion.
  • Closing prayers of Mass.
  • Choir receives Communion.
This is approximately how we are doing it now. (Actually, we sing the Communion antiphon and motet while people are receiving Communion, and we receive after Mass.)

Some issues:
  • I don’t know if there is an “official” regulation on this.
  • Getting from choir loft to Communion rail takes some time and involves steep steps.
  • The congregation is small (about 50 people), so Communion doesn’t take a long time.
  • There aren’t enough choir members to “stagger” the singing, with some continuing the singing while others receive.
  • Some choir members want to receive after Mass because they don’t want to rush back and sing after Communion; they would rather have time for private thanksgiving. (All choir members are very devout and have great reverence for the Eucharist.)
  • Some choir members would rather receive during Mass, as it seems the proper time to do it and makes us feel more part of the worshiping community.
We have tried three scenarios: receive before the congregation, receive at the end of the congregation, and receive after Mass. We haven’t found the perfect solution. What is your experience with this? Are there any regulations/rubrics on this? What has worked best at your church?
 
At our church, the choir comes down at the Agnus Dei or thereabouts, so they can be there before the congregation. The altar boys receive communion, then the choir. The choir subsequently goes back up to the loft and sings.

Works perfectly.
 
I’ve never seen it done this way. It’s usually done either immediately before or immediately after the main congregation receives. It’s particularly convenient when the choir is up front I’ve noticed when visiting parishes that do that. We have a choir loft which makes the logistics more difficult.
 
The proper time for the Choir to receive Communion is DURING mass and Communion of the faithful, NOT after mass.
 
How long are the Communion Antiphons? I sang in a choir that was in a loft at the back, and we’d sing the communion antiphon while the priest communicated, then as soon as we finished the last note, we’d go down and receive, return to the loft, and sing a motet. The thing was, the antiphon was very short (30 seconds). It was an Anglican Use Catholic Church.

If the antiphon is too long, then I’d just go after the Agnus Dei, as suggested above.
 
At the parish I go to the choir also comes down after the Agnes Dei and receives before the congregation. As for returning to sing after Communion…what could give more glory to God than to be singing His praises while being a tabernacle for Him?
 
Cluny said:
The proper time for the Choir to receive Communion is DURING mass and Communion of the faithful, NOT after mass.
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This makes sense to me (it “feels” right), but can you help me document it? The priest involved doesn’t seem to have any problem with our receiving after Mass, and a visiting priest actually preferred it. :confused:
 
We had to figure this out at our Student Mass and I thought the solution ended up being the best one.

The choir is up in a loft and close to when the congregation is done receiving Communion, one of the EMHCs simply walks up to the loft for them to receive. We didn’t want the choir to have to go down and receive before everyone else, because it’s only right to give people time for quiet contemplation after receiving our Lord (some people might be fine with singing right away, but not all are).

There was no singing after the choir had received Communion which gave a nice silent period during which the vessels were cleaned. Actually, I really looked forward to those few moments of silence…it really gave me time to reflect on what I was experiencing.
 
mattkubes said:
We had to figure this out at our Student Mass and I thought the solution ended up being the best one.

The choir is up in a loft and close to when the congregation is done receiving Communion, one of the EMHCs simply walks up to the loft for them to receive. We didn’t want the choir to have to go down and receive before everyone else, because it’s only right to give people time for quiet contemplation after receiving our Lord (some people might be fine with singing right away, but not all are).

There was no singing after the choir had received Communion which gave a nice silent period during which the vessels were cleaned. Actually, I really looked forward to those few moments of silence…it really gave me time to reflect on what I was experiencing.
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There are no EMHCs in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, so this would not be a possibility for us.
 
Our choir (located in a back choir loft) comes down after the AD, kneels in the back during the people’s “dominum non sum dignus…” and then proceeds up the aisle first, then back up to the loft and sings during the people’s communion. It seems to work really well.

p.s. I don’t believe receiving AFTER mass is the right idea. :confused:
 
Our EF Mass is in the chapel where there is still an altar rail. Of course the priest and altar boys receive first. When given communion to the congregation, Fr. starts at the far end of the Epistle side. It is a bit different if the choir is there.
The organ and choir are about half way down the aisle on the far left (near the windows) of the Gospel side. Shortly after singing the Agnus Dei, the choir and organist kneel on the Gospel side. After the priest and altar boys receive, Fr. gives communion to the choir first, then continues as I described above. The choir, of course, returns to its place for the singing of the communion music.
 
PhilotheaZ said:
We have tried three scenarios: receive before the congregation, receive at the end of the congregation, and receive after Mass. We haven’t found the perfect solution. What is your experience with this? Are there any regulations/rubrics on this? What has worked best at your church?
Click to expand...
I too, am a member of a very small choir (6 people, one of whom is the organist!) We also sing in a choir loft, but since it’s an OF mass and we don’t sing the Communion antiphon, we are able to head downstairs immediately after finishing the Agnus Dei and be back upstairs again for the Communion motet. Also, the stairs up to the choir loft are not especially steep.

I note that at the Mass before ours, the choir is much larger and they generally do what your choir does. I think I would be uncomfortable with that, but don’t know what the regulations might be.

A possible solution:

I’m all for choirs being in the choir loft, but in this case, could you all come downstairs at the “Domine, non sum dignus” and sing the Communion antiphon at the back of the church?

Then you could recieve first and have a little time to get back upstairs and collect yourselves before the Communion motet.

[At St. Dominic’s in San Francisco, the choir at the solemn OF mass sings the entrance antiphon while not in its “proper place” (they sit in the choir stalls at the front of the church and are a part of the entrance procession.) The entrance antiphon is sung while the procession makes its way to the main aisle. It’s fairly effective. I figure my solution is something similar.]

Just a thought.
 
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