Communion at Latin Mass

[Pat_OC]

I was incredibly delighted when my girlfriend asked me if we could go to Latin mass this Sunday. We have both never been before and I am keen as a bean. She is not Catholic (yet) and has been coming to mass with me for just under a year now. She knows she can’t receive Holy Communion, but given how different the liturgy is, will she be able to come up and receive a blessing by crossing her arms, or is this something only done in the Novus Ordo liturgy? She has come a long way from believing the Eucharist is just symbol to spending a few hours a week at Adoration, so I think she will understand if she has to stay at the pew.

 

[Fauken]

will she be able to come up and receive a blessing by crossing her arms, or is this something only done in the Novus Ordo liturgy?

From all the TLMs I’ve been to, the priests give some sort of blessing to those with crossed arms at the communion rail. Technically though this isn’t a part of the 1962 rubrics though, so I guess a priest could also just skip her over. The safe bet would be for her to stay in her pew. She’ll receive a blessing at the conclusion of the Mass! Plus she could make a spiritual communion instead.

 

[AlbertDerGrosse]

I’ve seen it happen at a number of E.F. Masses but not because it’s provided for in the liturgy but because visitors who aren’t familiar with the E.F. do it anyway and the priests humor them. It’s not necessarily wrong but it isn’t normative and you will obviously be first timers.

 

[Augustinian]

Receiving a blessing from the priest at the communion rail really isn’t a traditional practice which was unknown when Latin Mass was the only mass.

Especially due to this being your first time, I think it would probably be better for her to just stay in the pew- the traditional protocol. You don’t want to upset someone who might think this is ruining their traditional experience

 

[Pat_OC]

Thanks everyone! I might email the parish priest as well. Cheers!