Communion / chin paten

[Loud-living-dogma]

So, I am not even sure if this is a question, or if people have thoughts on this, but if there are multiple communion ministers, let’s say six, but only two altar servers who hold the communion / chin paten, is it just for show, or why not make the effort to get more patens, so every communion “station” has one? We usually have several extra servers just sitting / kneeling around during communion. I had a bit of a mishap a few weeks ago, and the host almost fell on the floor. There was no altar server by the EMHC from whom I was receiving, and now I feel like I only want to receive from someone where there is a server with the paten. Any thoughts – I’m probably overthinking this…

 

[TheLittleLady]

Ask your priest!

Around here, Altar Servers do hold paten/plates that have a long handle for each human distributing the Host. One Server even accompanies the EMHC/Deacon who goes up to the choir loft.

Other parts of the land, no patens are used.

 

[Cruciferi]

Other parts of the land, no patens are used

I haven’t seen them used in years

 

[Phemie]

TheLittleLady:

Other parts of the land, no patens are used

I haven’t seen them used in years

I haven’t either. Not for over 30 years or more in parishes across the country.

 

[JimG]

My parish uses patens routinely.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Patens just seemed to kind of “vanish” with the introduction of communion in the hand and eucharistic ministers (occurred within a couple of years of each other, I don’t recall which was introduced first).

I neither receive in the hand, nor do I receive from eucharistic ministers. Most priests in my area use a kind of “flat” ciborium (shaped like a wide soup or salad bowl) and use it as a paten of sorts. Better than nothing.

In the Traditional Latin Mass, of course, patens are used and everyone receives on the tongue. (Theoretically the hand option is there, but I’ve never seen it used.)

 

[Dan_Defender]

The chin paten is a good idea, but it is less common now that it used to be.

 

[Glennon_P]

Not everywhere. My OF parish uses patens for every person distributing Communion (priests and acolytes) at every Mass. No exceptions. We receive on the tongue and in the hand.

Not saying patens haven’t fallen out of use in many places - they have - but it’s not universal. If the pastor wants them to be used, they will be used.

 

[JohnLilburne]

The “Communion-plate” is mentioned twice in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the current 2010 English translation.

In 118 among the items to be prepared before Mass on the credence table it has:

“the Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful;”.

And:

“287. If Communion from the chalice in carried out by intinction, each communicant, holding a communion-plate under the mouth, approaches the Priest …”.

The 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum includes:

“[93.] The Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful should be retained, so as to avoid the danger of the sacred host or some fragment of it falling.”

It has footnote 180: Cf. Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n. 118.

The 1975 General Instruction of the Roman Missal had in n. 117:

“If communion is given only under the form of bread, he raises the eucharistic bread slightly and shows it to each one, saying: The body of Christ. The communicants reply: Amen and, holding the communion plate under their chin, receive the sacrament.”

[Excerpts from the English translation of the Roman Missal, © 1975, 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]