Daily Mass and Communion Service

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SemperFidelis

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I plan on attending Daily Mass a few days this week. When I was looking at my local parishes schedule for Daily Masses it says Daily Mass Wednesday and Friday and Communion Service Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I was wondering what is the difference between Daily Mass and a Communion Service?
 
Sorry, I just reminded myself that I have one more question. I was told that during the Eucharist that those who cannot partake, should remain in the pews and pray or go forward to get blessed by the Priest. I was wondering what I should do if I go forward to get blessed by the Priest? Thanks.
 
SemperFidelis said:
Sorry, I just reminded myself that I have one more question. I was told that during the Eucharist that those who cannot partake, should remain in the pews and pray or go forward to get blessed by the Priest. I was wondering what I should do if I go forward to get blessed by the Priest? Thanks.
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You can cross your hands in front of your chest - ie: left hand over your right shoulder, and right shoulder over the left.

If the priest mistakes you for a Catholic, just tell him you want to be blessed only.

The last time I went to another church. I was mistaken to be a non-Catholic, but I said “I want to receive the Communion”. 😃
 
Hi. Welcome to the boards.

There is a difference between Mass and a communion service. The Mass is presided over by the priest, who will say the words of blessing that enacts transubstanciation, or changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.

A communion service is held when a priest is not available. Almost everything is the same as at Mass, except that there is no eucharistic prayer. Communion is then served using hosts that have been blessed at a previous Mass.

If there is no priest, I would stay in my pew because some eucharistic ministers get confused when adults don’t want to partake.
 
Basically a Communion Service is similar to Mass, but (a big but) it won’t be a priest presiding, usually a deacon or layperson. Laypeople cannot consecrate the bread and wine, and I don’t think they can proclaim the Gospel in any liturgy either. So neither of those things will be done, although there will be scripture read and many other prayers said.

The communion will be sacramental, it will have been consecrated at a previous Mass and reserved in the tabernacle. If you want to get a blessing, the normal procedure is simply to keep your arms crossed over your chest (each hand on the opposite shoulder).

Being as there won’t be a priest there, and Extraordinary Ministers really are not supposed to bless people, it may be better to remain in your seat and make a Spiritual Communion rather than going up for a blessing.
 
LilyM said:
Basically a Communion Service is similar to Mass, but (a big but) it won’t be a priest presiding, usually a deacon or layperson. Laypeople cannot consecrate the bread and wine, and I don’t think they can proclaim the Gospel in any liturgy either. So neither of those things will be done, although there will be scripture read and many other prayers said.
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All of the readings should be done. Everything from the mass should be used except the Eucharistic Prayer - the part between the Prayer of the Faithful and the Our Father. It is the same as when we bring Communion to the homebound.

The leader can give a reflection on the readings, but this is not required. If a reflection is given it is preferable that it be from a script, or at least notes, povided by the pastor. Lacking that I would use the second reading from the Office of Readings [from the Liturgy of the Hours], but that is not an official restriction.
 
A communion service is nowhere near the same as Mass, as far as the spiritual benefit is concerned. At Mass, you participate in the perfect Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, re-presented to you as truly as if you had been there on the first Good Friday. At a communion service, you read the day’s readings, say some of the prayers and receive Holy Communion, but there is no Sacrifice offered to the Father.

See if you can find a parish that offers Mass on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Having a communion service during the week sadly leads to the mistaken impression that it is just as good as Mass.

Betsy
 
I belong to the Sacramento Diocese in California. Our Bishop has prohibited all Communion Services by either a Deacon or a Lay person. Don’t know why but we can’t have them anymore unless we have special permission.
My parish is in a small town. I’m a daily communicant and when our Priest goes on vacation it used to be nice to be able to still recieve our Lord every day.
 
Loren_1of6 said:
…A communion service is held when a priest is not available. …
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No, a priest can preside at a communion service. This is what happens on Good Friday. There is not a Mass, there is no Eucharistic Prayer, no consecration, no turning of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.
The priest is limited in how many times he can celebrate Mass in one day. But there is no limit to how many times he presides at a Communion Service.
The 1973 liturgical book “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass” has:
“14. The faithfuly are to be led to the practice of receiving communion during the actual eucharistic celebration.
Priests, however, are not to refuse to give communion to the faithful who for a legitimate reason ask for it even outside Mass.”
(The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, page 643).

The 1983 Code of Canon Law also has this:
“Can. 918 It is most strongly recommended that the faithful receive holy communion in the course of a eucharistic celebration. If, however, for good reason they ask for it apart from the Mass, it is to be adminstered to them, observing the liturgical rites.”
(The Code of Canon Law: New revised English Translation, HarperCollins Liturgical, 1997, ISBN 000599375X.).
 
What do I say to the priest after he blesses me? Just “thank you father”? or is their specifically something I need to say?
 
Where are you from? I have had some ‘bad’ experiences with trying to be blessed by a priest… especially in Quebec (french part of canada) where the priest thought i wanted to receive communion on my tongue!
 
and that is very similar to what you will find in Europe as well. The whole blessing with arms crossed is mainly a North American thing
 
Instead of crossing your arms over your chest, you could put your finger up to your lips in the “shhh” motion. This is what the kids who have not made their 1st Communion do.
 
I myself go to a daily communion service at my school. It’s basically a very short service where Communion (already consecrated) is handed out ofter readings from the Scriptures. There is much more detailed information in the General Instuction of the Roman Missal if you so wish, SemperFidelis. I would suggest attending the Mass as often as possible. In order to better learn what the Catholic Church professes, be attentive and fervent. Even if you aren’t in complete concordance with the Church, it is still a house of God, temple of worship. Many times I see well-meaning non-catholics coming to Mass to learn, but in actuality, they end up talking through it, yawning loudly, purposely having a “spirit attack” etc. . .I deeply appreciate their attempt, however, seeing as how they’re actually in Church, not at home, not on the internet, not on the streets. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I would never want someone to act in an inappropraite manner under the direction of fellow Christians.

I read something the other day that comes to the surface now. It has been shown that between all Christian denominations, Catholics spend the most time at mass/service than any other groups. 28% of the Mass is pure Scripture. This flies in stark contrast to the stereotype that Catholics hate the Bible. :rolleyes: the results are very amusing, considering that Evangelicals spend 2% of their service in pure reading of the Sacred Scriptures. For the person who is bound to say, “SOURCE?” it’s from a book called “Born Fundementalist, Boran Again Catholic.” It’s a great book, similair to “Catholicism and Fundementalism” by Karl Keating.
 
Twice this week my parish has held a communion service instead of daily Mass. On Monday the reason was the visiting priest didn’t show up, and the parochial vicar’s car broke down.

Today the reason was the parochial vicar was too busy to do Mass.

On Monday I participated in Communion, but then someone told me that communion services in place of daily Mass is an abuse of canon law. Supposedly a Communion service can be held on Sunday or a holy day of obligation if no priest is available. Since I wasn’t sure whether or not it was okay to go to Communion, today I didn’t go.

Does anyone know for sure what the rule is on Communion services being held instead of daily Mass? If this happens again, should I participate in Communion or sit out again?
 
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