Communion Procession: being first

[Beeline]

Well here is a question that leads me to be simmering in Church and the last thing I want to do is simmer in Church:

at daily mass here in Costa Mesa ,CA at St John the Baptist, there is a guy who attends the morning mass every day, he arrives on time,not early and sits near the back of the church.

This person will walk up the aisle and position himself as the first person in line for communion before the the communion procession starts and sometimes even obscenely early before it starts and stand there and wait.
Presumably, his motivation is to be first to sip from the Chalice.
For our diocese, like most, our communion procession is supposed to be orderly starting
from the front pews and processing orderly to the rear.
Now of course, everyone else at Mass is mature
and polite enough to tolerate this however, it leaves
at least a few of us simmering and wondering what
recourse we have to have this end.

This is a Church where upwards of 90% of the people sip the Blood of Christ from the Chalice and
consequently the first few pews get populated on the early side for those who want to be in position for
sipping from the Chalice rather early, especially due to health and sanitation concerns. However, this habitual line cutting stuff is way over the top, improper, violates the order of mass, and leaves many of us simmering rather than our thoughts directed toward the heavenly…

It does not appear that the pastor is willing to address this situation. However, it is his duty and not the parishioneers. Afterall, it is one of the reasons we have Ushers regulating the communion line on Sundays.

Anyhow I was wondering if anyone could direct me to some internet literature concerning the Diocese of Orange Ca concering the order of the communion procession. Armed with some facts , I have a few options towards addressing this.

Just a followup on this thread.
I was the original poster and I posted this so that it would get the attention of the Pastor.
It worked and in a timely manner back then. I have great admiration for the Pastor of SJB.

This man was confronted by the Pastor over the situation and a dialogue ensued where he stated that he didnt believe in the Real Presence. Other confrontations followed with several priests there after mass, where he was argumentative about the real presence in the Eucharist. He never came back.

Although my original post didnt state anything odd about this man other than his communion line behavior, odd would indeed be the case. His behaviour involved walking up the aisle for communion some 5 minutes early or even earlier from the back of the church during a weekday 30 min. Mass and presenting himself as somewhat of an iconic display. He was relatively young, healthy , fit and trim. However, ordinary discernment and life experience told me something was amiss with this character. I kept much of the situation(not yet elaborated)
undescribed and brief in case this man had internet access.
Something had to be done and a much bigger situation was solved.

 

[Monica4316]

There’s an elderly man who sits near the back. At every single Mass, when we begin to say the “Our Father,” I hear him start to the front. He has a slow, distinct shuffle, and halfway to the front, he always stops to put coins (“clink! clink! clink!”) into the metal collection box near the statues of the Sacred Heart, and of St. Therese of Lisieux. Then his shuffle continues, until he reaches the front pew. By then it is communion time for everyone.

This whole routine has actually become very dear to me, and I actually find it rather touching. I have no idea why he does this, (rather than just sitting in the front) nor do I want to know. When this gentleman did not attend for a week or so last winter, his absence stood out, and I found myself praying for him & his health.

I kind of find it touching too…

a few times I’ve attended daily Mass at a church that’s downtown. It’s an old Gothic church, and very beautiful inside, with many statues… but it’s in a really poor area of town. Sometimes when I see the people there I feel really inspired by their devotion. After Mass, they pray the Rosary, and some of the women especially go around and pray before all the statues and light candles… there’s just something really simple and faith-filled about this, and I prefer it much more to the socializing that goes on at my home parish.

Your story reminded me of that…

also I read in “Story of a Soul”, how St Therese and her father would always walk up to the front part of the church for the homily and how although they stood out, I guess, everyone got used to this and even smiled at them.

Just a followup on this thread.
I was the original poster and I posted this so that it would get the attention of the Pastor.
It worked and in a timely manner back then. I have great admiration for the Pastor of SJB.

This man was confronted by the Pastor over the situation and a dialogue ensued where he stated that he didnt believe in the Real Presence. Other confrontations followed with several priests there after mass, where he was argumentative about the real presence in the Eucharist. He never came back.

Although my original post didnt state anything odd about this man other than his communion line behavior, odd would indeed be the case. His behaviour involved walking up the aisle for communion some 5 minutes early or even earlier from the back of the church during a weekday 30 min. Mass and presenting himself as somewhat of an iconic display. He was relatively young, healthy , fit and trim. However, ordinary discernment and life experience told me something was amiss with this character. I kept much of the situation(not yet elaborated)
undescribed and brief in case this man had internet access.
Something had to be done and a much bigger situation was solved.

that’s really sad that he doesn’t believe in the Real Presence

what I was going to suggest when I first read your first post, - is praying for him as he’s up there at the front, that Jesus would bless him in his Communion. But it’s very sad that it ended up being that he doesn’t believe in it.

 

[Beeline]

also I read in “Story of a Soul”, how St Therese and her father would always walk up to the front part of the church for the homily and how although they stood out, I guess, everyone got used to this and even smiled at them.

Late 1800’s.
This of course was before electronic speaker systems when a voice only carried so far.

 

[surritter]

Gosh, I don’t think there are any rules about who goes first. Just because most parishes do it from front row to back – so what?

Have you ever been to a church where the communicants kneel at the communion rail and the priest walks back and forth to give communion? In that case people stream up in random fashion. So while having the priest be stationary means that a line makes sense, I don’t think we need to concern ourselves with who is first.

 

[puzzleannie]

I have heard a lot of ridiculous complaints but this takes the cake. I suggest a complete catechesis on the Eucharist and the nature of the communion Christ is forming among us through this sacrament, as some of us just don’t get it yet.

 

[Renko]

We go row by row in our church starting in the front and this is how it should be, if the guy has a poor immune system he should refrain from drinking from the chalice altogether, when we recieve the host,it is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, we do not have to drink the wine if we don’t want to.

 

[PatriceA]

It truly is sad the the situation in the original post turned out the way it did.

BUT I do think we need to be careful in assuming we know why people do the things that they do. The situation in the original post reminded me of a friend of mine that has OCD and suffers from it terribly. She does have some tactics of dealing with it that I’m sure that other people would find annoying and bothersome, but unless they’ve walked a mile in her life, they have no idea how much she suffers. We must remember we may not always know why someone acts the way they do, they may have legitimate reasons for doing so.

 

[ProVobis]

This person will walk up the aisle and position himself as the first person in line for communion before the the communion procession starts and sometimes even obscenely early before it starts and stand there and wait.

Are you referring to a communion line being formed? I’ve never heard it called a communion procession.

If he’s properly disposed, I don’t see a problem. As long as the priest is okay with people coming to communion right after the consecration. Can be a little distracting but I’ve seen worse.

 

[jmcrae]

Anyhow I was wondering if anyone could direct me to some internet literature concerning the Diocese of Orange Ca concering the order of the communion procession. Armed with some facts , I have a few options towards addressing this.

I am actually not aware of any kind of Church regulations around lining up for Holy Communion.

I am under the impression that it is actually more desirable if people don’t line up in the same order that they were seated, but just come forward when they are ready to receive, so that those not receiving don’t feel so “pointed out” when they fail to join the line-up.

Of course, that can be kind of awkward when the pews are spaced close together and it’s hard to get by if someone is sitting down.

 

[Phemie]

Are you referring to a communion line being formed? I’ve never heard it called a communion procession.

That’s what the Church calls it:

GIRM 86. While the priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is to express the communicants’ union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the “communitarian” nature of the procession to receive Communion.

 

[ProVobis]

That’s what the Church calls it:

Thanks. I did not know that.

 

[japhy]

Thanks. I did not know that.

Side note: the three “proper” prayers of the Mass (Collect, Offertory, and Post-Communion) come at the end of three processions (Introit, Offertory, and Communion).

 

[ProVobis]

Side note: the three “proper” prayers of the Mass (Collect, Offertory, and Post-Communion) come at the end of three processions (Introit, Offertory, and Communion).

It appears to have broad definitions. thefreedictionary.com/procession

pro·ces·sion (pr-sshn)
n.

1. The act of moving along or forward; progression.
2. Origination; emanation; rise.

a. A group of persons, vehicles, or objects moving along in an orderly, formal manner.
b. The movement of such a group.
4. An orderly succession: the procession of the seasons.
intr.v. pro·ces·sioned, pro·ces·sion·ing, pro·ces·sions
To form or go in a procession.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin prcessi, prcessin-, from Latin, an advance, from prcessus, past participle of prcdere, to advance; see proceed.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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procession [prəˈsɛʃən]
n

1. the act of proceeding in a regular formation
2. a group of people or things moving forwards in an orderly, regular, or ceremonial manner
3. (Music, other) a hymn, litany, etc., sung in a procession
4. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) Christianity the emanation of the Holy Spirit
   vb
   (intr) Rare to go in procession
   [via Old French from Latin prōcessiō a marching forwards]
   Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 6th Edition 2003. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

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Procession a group of people moving in an orderly state; a regular series; sequence or succession of things resembling a procession. See also cortège.
Examples: procession of stately aqueducts; of boats, 1839; of tradesman’s tools, 1688.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.