Communion service by lay people

[candkwithjmj]

Is it permisable for lay people to conduct a communion service i.e. Mass readings and the distribution of Holy Communion? This is done in our parish three times a week due to our pastor serving two parishes. Thank you.

 

[FrCorey]

hmm, under certain rules, there is a rite book called,
sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest, but I forget all the rules, and I think it’s only for sundays. and I think you need priest consecrated items for it too. also, I know a rite called commuion outside of mass. but this is a special worship service and not a mass.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Is it permisable for lay people to conduct a communion service i.e. Mass readings and the distribution of Holy Communion? This is done in our parish three times a week due to our pastor serving two parishes. Thank you.

Weekday Mass is not an obligation. Lay lead Communion services should only be necessary under extreme conditions on Sundays and Holy Days if a Deacon is not avalilable.

 

[katy]

So it is wrong to attend a Communion service during the week? A couple of parishes around here have them at a time I can go to before work. The daily Mass is usually a school function and too late in the morning.

 

[John_Lilburne]

Is it permisable for lay people to conduct a communion service i.e. Mass readings and the distribution of Holy Communion? This is done in our parish three times a week due to our pastor serving two parishes. Thank you.

Yes, this is an approved liturgy for the Roman Catholic Church. The liturgical book describing the ceremony is “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass”.

This can be found in The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, page 631. It is also in: A Ritual for Laypersons, Liturgical Press, 1993, ISBN 0814621503.
Another edition is: “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, published by E.J. Dwyer, Sydney, 1975, ISBN 0-85574-401-4”. The Latin edition of this liturgical book is: De Sacra Communione et de Cultu Mysterii Eucharistici Extra Missam.

 

[Walking_Home]

This is from RS. I guess It depends on how a bishop interprets–must not easily grant permission.

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html#Chapter%20III

1. Particular Celebrations carried out in the Absence of a Priest

[166.] Likewise, especially if Holy Communion is distributed during such celebrations, the diocesan Bishop, to whose exclusive competence this matter pertains, must not easily grant permission for such celebrations to be held on weekdays, especially in places where it was possible or would be possible to have the celebration of Mass on the preceding or the following Sunday. Priests are therefore earnestly requested to celebrate Mass daily for the people in one of the churches entrusted to their care.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

So it is wrong to attend a Communion service during the week? A couple of parishes around here have them at a time I can go to before work. The daily Mass is usually a school function and too late in the morning.

No, I didn’t say it was wrong to attend. I said that it was an abuse to offer them on weekdays.

 

[puzzleannie]

our bishop has expressed a preference that in the absence of priests there be no daily communion service at all, in order to avoid confusing people about what is and is not a Mass. Currently even priestless parishes are able to have at least one Sunday Mass, and he is strict about the rule that says no other communion service without a priest should be offered in a parish that has one Sunday Mass. However some of the missions only have Mass once or twice a month on Sunday, and there he does permit lay-led (or led by deacon if possible) communion services on Sunday.

it is kind of a gray area because in many parishes, funerals and weddings are almost always presided over by the deacons, with or without communion being offered. If there is a funeral in a parish, and there is no Mass that day, that is supposed to be the only service at which communion will be offered. There is a move to restore morning and evening prayer services in parishes, rather than relying on communion services. the concern is that a large number of the faithful seem to see no difference between Mass and a communion service, or between a priest and a deacon for that matter.

 

[jpjd]

our bishop has expressed a preference that in the absence of priests there be no daily communion service at all, in order to avoid confusing people about what is and is not a Mass.

There is a move to restore morning and evening prayer services in parishes, rather than relying on communion services. The concern is that a large number of the faithful seem to see no difference between Mass and a communion service, or between a priest and a deacon for that matter.

Surely you are joking. Anyone who has been to a communion service can see a huge difference between that and a Mass. If there truly are people who can’t tell what is and isn’t a Mass, then…well…I am speechless.

Personally, I think the bishops are encouraging priests to say Mass as often as possible, to make it a priority, and not fall into the thinking that it’s OK if they skip it in order to go to a meeting or something because the parishoners can always have a communion service instead. I think it’s really about bishops enforcing discipline on priests who need it.

 

[Corki]

Surely you are joking. Anyone who has been to a communion service can see a huge difference between that and a Mass. If there truly are people who can’t tell what is and isn’t a Mass, then…well…I am speechless.

Then consider yourself lucky to be surrounded by such astute Catholics.

I attended a parish near my office frequently for daily Mass. One day, a woman got up at the beginning to announce that Father was out of town and that they would be having a Communion Service instead. “Don’t worry”, she said “it’s the same thing.” And then she led the service. It was all the more heartbreaking since one of the Deacons was sitting in the office.

The confusion sometimes occurs when a given parish has a Communion Service in addition to Mass on Sundays. The parishioners think they can attend either one. (wrong!) Or a parish has a Communion service when there is a Mass at a nearby parish. The parishioners think it is better to go to the Communion Service at their own parish than to drive a few miles to attend Mass at another.

One of the books cited above states that a Communion Service should only happen when there is an emergeny or unforseen absense of a priest for Mass and should not be regularly scheduled. But that was speaking specifically about Sundays, not weekdays.

Now, to the OP. Yes, if your question was mainly if it is ok to have lay people lead the service. If there is no Deacon, that is.

If your question was if it is ok to have a regularly scheduled daily Communion Service, the answer is “maybe”. All of the docs seem to leave this up to the local Bishop. If the Bishop has ok’d it and it is being done according to the proper rites, there must be a good reason.

 

[MusicMan]

There is a move to restore morning and evening prayer services in parishes, rather than relying on communion services.

This is a very laudable practice. I wish your diocese well in attempting to implement it. I also hope that this idea spreads to other dioceses.

 

[puzzleannie]

Personally, I think the bishops are encouraging priests to say Mass as often as possible, to make it a priority, and not fall into the thinking that it’s OK if they skip it in order to go to a meeting or something because the parishoners can always have a communion service instead. I think it’s really about bishops enforcing discipline on priests who need it.

priests taking care of more than one parish usually cannot say daily Mass in each parish and still take care of all their duties. If there is a funeral or wedding scheduled later in the day, there may not be the regular morning Mass. those meetings are usually scheduled by the bishop, incidentally, at least around here.

 

[maureen_saliba]

On lay persons giving the homily during a communion service, where NO PRIEST OR DEACON is present.

In the document:
The Roman Ritual: Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass

it appears that a lay person (man or woman) can offer a ‘homily’ or reflection after the reading of the Gospel, but does it not say in the GIRM that the homily is restricted to priests or deacons?

I cannot imagine what sort of ‘homilies’ could be given by trigger happy lay persons (not all of course) who would get up in front of their assembly and spout off all sorts of personal views! I mean no disrespect to the lay persons capability but priests and deacons take courses in homiletics… WHO prepares this ‘lay minister’ for such a task. I greatly fear that this practice could lead to very grave abuses…

Please help me out - can they or can they not give homilies???

Personally I cannot see how this task (homily) be allowed for a lay person when there is no priest or deacon.

May I suggest that the absent pastor prepare his absence by having some papal homilies that would simply be read but not commented on by the ‘lay person’.

 

[ConstantineTG]

During Mass only an ordained person can give the Homily

Outside of Mass, a lay person may preach. I don’t think its called a Homily if its not within the context of a Mass.

 

[Remington]

So it is wrong to attend a Communion service during the week? A couple of parishes around here have them at a time I can go to before work. The daily Mass is usually a school function and too late in the morning.

Absolutely not, so long as it’s conducted per the Church.

 

[Mark1970]

Surely you are joking. Anyone who has been to a communion service can see a huge difference between that and a Mass. If there truly are people who can’t tell what is and isn’t a Mass, then…well…I am speechless.

Unfortunately I have personal experience of this kind of thing - and coming from EMHC’s as well. I’ve been told - in direct, one-to-one conversations with various people - that an EMHC-led Communion service is just as good as Mass because: “we still receive Jesus in both of them” and “Well, we say the Lord’s prayer in both of them.” I know it sounds bad, but this is something I’ve personally experienced.

 

[Phemie]

Unfortunately I have personal experience of this kind of thing - and coming from EMHC’s as well. I’ve been told - in direct, one-to-one conversations with various people - that an EMHC-led Communion service is just as good as Mass because: “we still receive Jesus in both of them” and “Well, we say the Lord’s prayer in both of them.” I know it sounds bad, but this is something I’ve personally experienced.

I’ve experienced the same thing. Not unusual to hear “Sister’s Mass” or “X’s Mass”.
Unfortunately, early on, some Bishops promoted the idea that it was better to gather as a parish to hear the Word on Sundays than to travel a short distance to participate at Mass with strangers. One of the earliest ritual books I have for a “Sunday Celebration of the Word with Communion” (from Canada’s Western Conference of Bishops) states that categorically in the introduction.

Today, Canada’s Ritual “Sunday Celebration of the Word and Hours” makes it clear that if a Sunday Mass is available in the area we should be attending Mass. That is totally ignored by some parishes. Before I moved to this town and parish, I was part of a language-based “Catholic Community”. On the Sundays when we couldn’t have a priest celebrate Mass for us, they thought it was more important to hear the Word in our own language than to attend Mass. I always had a problem with that and, even if I participated in the Liturgy of the Word at my Community, I went to Mass elsewhere – I had my pick of about 5 or 6 parishes between my house and the school where our Community gathered.

 

[DebChris]

Some lay persons undergo special training to become lay ministers. This is generally a two year course. These lay ministers are allowed to preside over (if that’s the right term) a communion service. There will be no fanfare as the lay minister acts in the capacity for which he/she has been trained.
Is it the same as Mass? No. There is no consecration. The hosts are taken from the tabernacle.
Unlike a deacon, the lay minister is not ordained. Although consecrated, he or she remains an extraordinary minister. By all rights, he/she would defer to the deacon if one is available for the communion service. There will be no homily following the readings when the lay minister leads the communion service. Lay ministers may also act in the role of EMCH or lector as the need arises.

 

[Phemie]

Some lay persons undergo special training to become lay ministers. This is generally a two year course. These lay ministers are allowed to preside over (if that’s the right term) a communion service. There will be no fanfare as the lay minister acts in the capacity for which he/she has been trained.

That differs from parish to parish and diocese to diocese. Some of the laity who lead the Sunday Celebration of the Word with Communion in my parish have no training beyond a 2 hour workshop in the parish. Others have a certificate in pastoral liturgy from a recognized school of theology which required 140 hours of class & hands on preparation of Liturgy of the Hours and Mass as well as having implemented a project in their parish over a 2 year period.

Is it the same as Mass? No. There is no consecration. The hosts are taken from the tabernacle.
Unlike a deacon, the lay minister is not ordained. Although consecrated (installed, maybe, not consecrated), he or she remains an extraordinary minister. By all rights, he/she would defer to the deacon if one is available for the communion service. There will be no homily following the readings when the lay minister leads the communion service.

Again, that depends on the parish. It’s not called a homily but a reflection is often given after the Gospel. In our parish it’s one that was approved by our pastor.

Lay ministers may also act in the role of EMCH or lector as the need arises.

 

[Phemie]

In the document:
The Roman Ritual: Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass

it appears that a lay person (man or woman) can offer a ‘homily’ or reflection after the reading of the Gospel, but does it not say in the GIRM that the homily is restricted to priests or deacons?

The GIRM deals only with Mass.