Communion rail etiquette

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crazzeto

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Hello all,

Well I’ve got one latin mass under my belt already and my wife and I are now prepared for a our second come the 1st Sunday of September. I have a small etiquette question regarding communion rails however.

At Sacred Heart Cathedral they use two temporary communion rails durring latin mass as it’s only offered once a month. Basically two fairly simple wooden structures which can be brought in, then removed for TLM.

My question is this, what is preferable (if there is a preference) for commuion. Should a group of worshipers wait for the entire group before them to clear before moving towards the rail and kneeling? Essentially as a unit? Then is it best to wait until your entire rail is served, and get up as a unit (so to speak)?

Perhaps I’m just over thinking the matter, but at least to me operating in groups like this seems some how more orderly, and at least to me in some sense also expresses a bit better our commuion durring the mass. I’ve noticed some of this durring that first mass, but it didn’t exactly keep well. Eventually people started getting up just as soon as they received… Though at the very least no one knelt until the entire group had gotten up and gone.

Thanks for any insights you older hats can provide! God bless,
 
Don’t know if its any different, when I was younger there were still some parishes with communion rails back where I live. People just line up and when someone leaves the rail, the next person in line just goes to the open spot.
 
I’m not an “older hat” but I can tell you what my experience has been.

While I have seen it done both ways, the more common one is to approach and leave the Communion rail as a group. I’m not sure if there is actually a protocol for this though or just a variation from parish to parish. I’ve also been to several TLM’s where the Communion rail was covered with a cloth and you were to put your hands under the cloth before receiving Our Lord. Left quite the impression on me as a child!
 
Momofmyangels said:
I’m not an “older hat” but I can tell you what my experience has been.

While I have seen it done both ways, the more common one is to approach and leave the Communion rail as a group. I’m not sure if there is actually a protocol for this though or just a variation from parish to parish. I’ve also been to several TLM’s where the Communion rail was covered with a cloth and you were to put your hands under the cloth before receiving Our Lord. Left quite the impression on me as a child!
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Disclaimer*
By old hat I make no assumptions of the age of any women that may read this thread =)

Honestly I was just refering to people with more practical insight. I suppose I will continue to favor in as a group, out as a group. Just feels right. It would be terrific to have that cloth, but the Cathedral doesn’t provide it. God bless and thanks!
 
crazzeto said:
Disclaimer*
By old hat I make no assumptions of the age of any women that may read this thread =)

Honestly I was just refering to people with more practical insight. I suppose I will continue to favor in as a group, out as a group. Just feels right. It would be terrific to have that cloth, but the Cathedral doesn’t provide it. God bless and thanks!
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I was not offended in any way by the “old hat” statement…I was just trying to be cute:)
 
Momofmyangels said:
I’ve also been to several TLM’s where the Communion rail was covered with a cloth and you were to put your hands under the cloth before receiving Our Lord. Left quite the impression on me as a child!
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Yes, some people do this at our Latin Mass apostolate as well. Does anybody know where this custom originated and how widespread it was prior to V2?
 
Gosh, the communion rail brings back childhood memories. Ya, I’m that old :o
 
I am an old hat :clapping:, and I have never seen a group get up and leave at the same time. It is always leaving on an individual basis, whether it is a full length communion rail, or a small wooden kneeler such as you describe.

As for the cloth, the purpose of that was in case the Holy Eucharist fell. My late mother (who was born in 1918) used to talk about using it when she was a child. I do not remember it from my own childhood but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Since I am an old hat :clapping:., my memory isn’t as good as it used to be.

I have seen it used in only two traditional chapels in the past twenty years.
 
Lormar said:
I am an old hat :clapping:, and I have never seen a group get up and leave at the same time. It is always leaving on an individual basis, whether it is a full length communion rail, or a small wooden kneeler such as you describe.

As for the cloth, the purpose of that was in case the Holy Eucharist fell. My late mother (who was born in 1918) used to talk about using it when she was a child. I do not remember it from my own childhood but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Since I am an old hat :clapping:., my memory isn’t as good as it used to be.

I have seen it used in only two traditional chapels in the past twenty years.
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(not old hat :D)
Everybody getting down and up as a unit makes me think of Cardinal Arinze, “Are they soldiers??” (talking about the synchronized sitters between reception of communion and the Post-Communion prayer) It seems really distracting to have to focus on this.

I’ve seen one parish with that cloth! (there’s gotta be a name for it) I was visiting and being one of the first up, nobody before me did it so I didn’t have the courage to, since I’d never used one before. It’s a beautiful practice, like plan B for the Paten 😉
 
crazzeto said:
Hello all,

Well I’ve got one latin mass under my belt already and my wife and I are now prepared for a our second come the 1st Sunday of September. I have a small etiquette question regarding communion rails however.

At Sacred Heart Cathedral they use two temporary communion rails durring latin mass as it’s only offered once a month. Basically two fairly simple wooden structures which can be brought in, then removed for TLM.

My question is this, what is preferable (if there is a preference) for commuion. Should a group of worshipers wait for the entire group before them to clear before moving towards the rail and kneeling? Essentially as a unit? Then is it best to wait until your entire rail is served, and get up as a unit (so to speak)?

Perhaps I’m just over thinking the matter, but at least to me operating in groups like this seems some how more orderly, and at least to me in some sense also expresses a bit better our commuion durring the mass. I’ve noticed some of this durring that first mass, but it didn’t exactly keep well. Eventually people started getting up just as soon as they received… Though at the very least no one knelt until the entire group had gotten up and gone.

Thanks for any insights you older hats can provide! God bless,
Click to expand...
Our Communion Rails are in front of the Sanctuary. - Split in the Middle there is a Gate where the Priests ascend in Cases of High Mass. We approach in two lines. The People on the Right go right and the People on the Left start in the center and line up one by one to the left. When the The Priest begins to administer the Blessed Sacrament - He starts to Our Right and Proceeds to Our Left. When he gets to the Center - the Next people all approach the Communion Rail because as the People recieve they cross themselves and depart. This gives ample time for these people to kneel as the Priest is Administering to those on the left. When the Priest reaches the end - he returns all the way to the Right and begins again and as he is doing this the People who are to recieve on the left have ample time to approach and kneel.

That is how it is done where I go.

Pax
 
crazzeto said:
Hello all,

Well I’ve got one latin mass under my belt already and my wife and I are now prepared for a our second come the 1st Sunday of September. I have a small etiquette question regarding communion rails however.

At Sacred Heart Cathedral they use two temporary communion rails durring latin mass as it’s only offered once a month. Basically two fairly simple wooden structures which can be brought in, then removed for TLM.

My question is this, what is preferable (if there is a preference) for commuion. Should a group of worshipers wait for the entire group before them to clear before moving towards the rail and kneeling? Essentially as a unit? Then is it best to wait until your entire rail is served, and get up as a unit (so to speak)?

Perhaps I’m just over thinking the matter, but at least to me operating in groups like this seems some how more orderly, and at least to me in some sense also expresses a bit better our commuion durring the mass. I’ve noticed some of this durring that first mass, but it didn’t exactly keep well. Eventually people started getting up just as soon as they received… Though at the very least no one knelt until the entire group had gotten up and gone.

Thanks for any insights you older hats can provide! God bless,
Click to expand...
Hi crazzeto,

Sounds like you’re in Raleigh. Anyway, I suppose the protocol depends on the people: if different people do different things, what can you do when there is no “normal”? I always think we should do what the majority does, just for the sake of good order. If there is no majority, just do what you think best. If there is utter chaos, ask Father to give some directions.

I have most often seen people approach the communion rail as a group, when the last person has passed out of the way. But, each person leaves individually.

Dan
 
ConstantineTG said:
Don’t know if its any different, when I was younger there were still some parishes with communion rails back where I live. People just line up and when someone leaves the rail, the next person in line just goes to the open spot.
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That’s the custom at the TLM here, as well. It’s much more efficient, I think - the priest doesn’t have to pause and wait for everyone to move; he just returns to the head of the line, and distributes Holy Communion to people who are already there. It’s actually quicker than the method used in the OF, even with so many EMHCs. 🙂
 
ljubim said:
I’ve seen one parish with that cloth! (there’s gotta be a name for it) I was visiting and being one of the first up, nobody before me did it so I didn’t have the courage to, since I’d never used one before. It’s a beautiful practice, like plan B for the Paten 😉
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I am fortunate enough to be able to go to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville every once in awhile. That is the only place that has a cloth for the rail that I know of around here. (Heck, it’s the only one I’ve ever been to in Alabama that had altar rails.)

There’s got to be someone here that knows its proper name.
 
Walden said:
I am fortunate enough to be able to go to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville every once in awhile. That is the only place that has a cloth for the rail that I know of around here. (Heck, it’s the only one I’ve ever been to in Alabama that had altar rails.)

There’s got to be someone here that knows its proper name.
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It’s variously called a Communion cloth, an altar rail cloth, a houseling cloth, a manutergium, and a domenical. From what I have been able to tell, the practice of using it waned in the first half of the 20th century, and any requirement to use it was removed in 1960. Therefore celebrations in the Extraordinary Form according to the 1962 rules do not require an altar rail cloth.
 
DavidPalm said:
Yes, some people do this at our Latin Mass apostolate as well. Does anybody know where this custom originated and how widespread it was prior to V2?
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It goes back to at least medieval times and was the normal thing to do, it served the same purpose as the paten to catch any crumbs which might fall from the blessed sacrament. Which is probably why stopped been used of once the the practice of using the paten under the chin became common practice.

" This cloth served a double purpose, one
liturgical, one practical. The practical
was that should the Host drop during the
distribution, It would not fall upon the
hands of the recipient (how carefully the
Church safeguarded the Host!). The
other reason was to indicate that the
railing is an extension of the altar itself.
This is why communion rails were often
made of the same material as the altar–in
our case, of while marble. One receives
Communion then from the ‘altar,’
symbolic of Christ.
Code: 
While I’m at it, I want my say about
receiving Holy Communion. There are a
few procedural points that can be
improved upon by some of our
parishioners. In olden days, the good
teaching Sisters taught us how to receive
Communion reverently. With their
diminished presence, many now do not
know how to conduct themselves well at
the Communion railing. Here are a few
points. Keep your hands away from your
face and your arms and elbows off the
railing. At the moment of reception,
close your eyes and put out your tongue.
Closing the eyes assures that you will
not be attempting to ‘follow’ the Host
into your mouth, a practice which
usually results in a lunging forward,
making the priest miss the mark (and
maybe get his fingers nipped as well).
Putting out the tongue makes it easier to
place the Host thereupon and avoids the
potential danger of digital amputation of
the priest. I’m sorry to be so pedantic
about these things but, lacking other
suitable means of imparting this
information to you, I must write about it
here."  Fr. Perrone, Assumption Grotto Parish in Detroit
 
crazzeto said:
Hello all,

Well I’ve got one latin mass under my belt already and my wife and I are now prepared for a our second come the 1st Sunday of September. I have a small etiquette question regarding communion rails however.

At Sacred Heart Cathedral they use two temporary communion rails durring latin mass as it’s only offered once a month. Basically two fairly simple wooden structures which can be brought in, then removed for TLM.

My question is this, what is preferable (if there is a preference) for commuion. Should a group of worshipers wait for the entire group before them to clear before moving towards the rail and kneeling? Essentially as a unit? Then is it best to wait until your entire rail is served, and get up as a unit (so to speak)?

Perhaps I’m just over thinking the matter, but at least to me operating in groups like this seems some how more orderly, and at least to me in some sense also expresses a bit better our commuion durring the mass. I’ve noticed some of this durring that first mass, but it didn’t exactly keep well. Eventually people started getting up just as soon as they received… Though at the very least no one knelt until the entire group had gotten up and gone.

Thanks for any insights you older hats can provide! God bless,
Click to expand...
Individually is the normal way to do it.
 
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