Denial of Holy Communion at Funerals, etc

[MissRose73]

I am participating in the “Living the Eucharist” program through my mother’s parish. During our most recent class, my aunt (who is the group leader in the class session I am in) mentioned at a few funerals and weddings she has attended in the past few years that the priest mentioned before Communion that only practicing Catholics may receive the Eucharist. I found that quite unusual for a priest to say that at Mass.

I do remember nearly 5 years ago at my grandmother’s funeral Mass, most of the family & friends went up for Communion. Some are practicing their Catholic faith, some have not been to church in years for various reasons, others go a few times a year but the priest did not deny them the Eucharist nor did those who practice their faith say to those not to go up & receive either ahead of time.

I can understand that the priest asking only Catholics in attendance to receive as some other Christians have no issue with who goes to receive Communion in their church especially for funerals and/or weddings.

Can a priest stand up and say “only practicing Catholics can receive” and “only if you have no mortal sin on your soul” then you can receive. I know we are all sinners but we cannot judge others either.

How does a priest know if a person is a practicing Catholic or not? How does the priest know the person going to receive the Eucharist has mortal sin on their soul & has not gone to Confession first? (unless of course the priest knows the person personally).

 

[YoungTradCath]

I don’t understand how making a general statement of criteria for the individual to discern himself without accusations to particular people constitutes judgement. I don’t find really anything wrong with that.

 

[Splagchnizomai]

Can a priest stand up and say “only practicing Catholics can receive” and “only if you have no mortal sin on your soul” then you can receive. I know we are all sinners but we cannot judge others either.

What’s wrong with a priest offering catechesis, especially in a situation where there may be non-Catholics and Catholics who haven’t been acting like Catholics?

Is not the priest in persona Christi when he pronounces the Words of Institution? Perhaps we can trust the priest’s judgment.

 

[Cristiano]

The priest is doing his job. When he makes a statement like that he leaves the responsibility to the people in the pews. If people want to lie and to condemn themselves to eternal punishment it is their prerogative. The priest can and should deny communion only to a small category of people and the details can be found in the Code of Canon Law.

 

[Bookcat]

It is because at those gatherings in particular – many who do not normally go to Mass or who are not even Catholic are likely to be present. So he is thus making that note for many would not know otherwise. The Priest is not going to know --hence the general note to those there. So they will know not to come forward to receive.

ewtn.com/library/CURIA/cdfworthycom.HTM

 

[Corki]

Every funeral that I have attended in the last few years has included such an announcement either by the priest (usually just before Communion) or printed in the program. It is especially helpful for those Catholics that might be irregularly practicing their faith and need a little reminder of the guidelines.

 

[triumphguy]

They usually phrase it the form of an invitation:

Practicing Catholics and those in union with the Church are invited…

Rather than:

If you are not a Catholic or are not practicing then you cannot come to the altar for Communion.

 

[Miserissima]

Can a priest stand up and say “only practicing Catholics can receive” and “only if you have no mortal sin on your soul” then you can receive.

A priest not only has the right, but the responsibility to protect the host from desecration as well as the responsibility to protect the recipient from eating and drinking his own spiritual destruction:

For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself (%between%1 Cor 11:26-29; emphasis added). A person who receives the Eucharist without believing he is receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus or who receives in a state of sin, profanes the sacrifice and brings condemnation of Divine judgment upon himself. (More about the Didache, or An Instruction of the Lord given to the Heathen by the Twelve Apostles at Agape Bible Study)

This is not judging, this is putting out a simple criterion (which is found in each missal or missalette in each pew).

 

[PerfectTiming]

The priest at my church will more often than not make a small statement in that vein. It’s not judging people individually, the priest is asking each individual to judge their own soul. I think it’s an excellent practice and more priests should do it, reminding people that receiving Communion is a privilege not a right. Especially at events such a funerals and weddings where many guests may not be Catholics and may not realise they should not be receiving.

 

[Luna_Lovecraft]

How does a priest know if a person is a practicing Catholic or not? How does the priest know the person going to receive the Eucharist has mortal sin on their soul & has not gone to Confession first? (unless of course the priest knows the person personally).

You’re probably going to get the best answer to these questions by asking a priest.

Luna

 

[MadMax73]

My wife and I are both Catholic, but my family isn’t.

At our wedding, with great sensitivity the celebrant, who was a close friend of ours, made a statement much like the following.

“At this point we would like to involve practicing Catholics to come forward for Holy Communion. If you are not Catholic you are invited to come forward to receive a blessing from the priest. Thank you all for being a part of this celebration”

Everyone one of my family members (all non Christians even) went up to receive a blessing from one of the priests (we had concelebrants). Many of them came up to me afterwards and said they were very moved by how open and caring the priest was towards them. Some even said that they had heard that Christians were hostile to non Christians and generally unwelcoming.

I agree with one of the previous posters about failing to protect the host from unworthy consumption without some kind of warning would be much worse than making someone feel slightly uncomfortable about being excluded from someone they don’t really believe in in the first place.

 

[Digitonomy]

Can a priest stand up and say “only practicing Catholics can receive” and “only if you have no mortal sin on your soul” then you can receive. I know we are all sinners but we cannot judge others either.

We can judge others if we are certain of the details. This would be pretty rare, which is why the priest is inviting those in the congregation to judge for themselves whether they are worthy under Church rules.

MadMax73:

Everyone one of my family members (all non Christians even) went up to receive a blessing from one of the priests (we had concelebrants). Many of them came up to me afterwards and said they were very moved by how open and caring the priest was towards them. Some even said that they had heard that Christians were hostile to non Christians and generally unwelcoming.

It’s worth noting that the licity of giving a blessing to those in the communion line who are not receiving communion is doubtful, although the matter is still under the study of the CDW in Rome. Sounds like this practice works well in the way the priest does it, but I suspect it will be quashed in coming years.

 

[promethius]

How does a priest know if a person is a practicing Catholic or not? How does the priest know the person going to receive the Eucharist has mortal sin on their soul & has not gone to Confession first? (unless of course the priest knows the person personally).

He doesn’t know… hence the appropriateness of restating the church criteria for attendees at masses that typically draw a lot of non-catholics and non-practicing catholics (namely, funerals, weddings, Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, etc).

This isn’t judging people, it is up to them to discern their conscience and decide whether or not to come forward. This is stating church teaching so that people will have the knowledge they need not to commit sacrilage against the Eucharist by receiving in a state of mortal sin. In other words, this is the priest doing exactly what he is supposed to do: shepherding.

 

[Sarabande]

This is actually very common for priests to announce before a wedding or funeral. Almost every funeral or wedding I have cantored the celebrating priest has announced something similar that only practicing Catholics can receive communion. We (the musicians) wait for the announcements no matter who the priest is, because priests will almost always make that announcement before the distribution of communion. I used to hear a lot of priests welcome guests to come up for a blessings about 10-15 years ago if they were not Catholic or properly disposed to receive, but now that is rare.

I do think it is a good idea, especially for masses like funerals or weddings because there can be many guests who aren’t Catholic or haven’t practiced. It still doesn’t always work. When I got my wedding dvd rough footage back, I saw guests in the video who haven’t practiced for years… some who were actually attending Protestant churches now… receive communion. Our priest wouldn’t have known who they were at the time, obviously. But I think at least if priests do make that announcement, you will have most people respect that.

 

[alwayslooking]

I’m of the opinion that it is the minister’s responsibility to enforce rules regarding communion. I’m sorry that it offends some when they can’t receive, but those are the rules.

This is not about political correctness; this is about protecting the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.

 

[RastaPasta]

Hello:

But then you have this story that was recently in the news. Was the priest right for what he did, or did he step over the line?

nydailynews.com/news/national/lesbian-woman-barbara-johnson-denied-communion-mother-funeral-article-1.1031166

 

[Phemie]

I am participating in the “Living the Eucharist” program through my mother’s parish. During our most recent class, my aunt (who is the group leader in the class session I am in) mentioned at a few funerals and weddings she has attended in the past few years that the priest mentioned before Communion that only practicing Catholics may receive the Eucharist. I found that quite unusual for a priest to say that at Mass.

Apparently it is quite common in some places to have such an announcement made at Weddings and Funerals and other celebrations w,here a number of non-Catholics and non-practicing Catholics are likely to be in attendance.

Personally, I’ve only ever heard such an announcement made once, last year by a priest who was providing ministry to our pastorless parish last year. He was aiming at non-Catholics and couched his remarks in these terms, "When we receive Communion in a Catholic church we are proclaiming that we believe everything that the Catholic Church teaches. I’m sure that those of you who don’t share our beliefs don’t want to make such a proclamation. "

I’m in full support of having such an annoucement made but you’ll never get it to happen in my parish. Here the priests routinely give out Communion to the non-Catholic clergy and our former pastor received Communion in the Anglican Church. When they saw him do so, parishioners, who had until then refrained from going to receive, got the message that it was OK so they also went to receive. They would view such an announcement as ‘not neighbourly’.

 

[promethius]

Hello:

But then you have this story that was recently in the news. Was the priest right for what he did, or did he step over the line?

nydailynews.com/news/national/lesbian-woman-barbara-johnson-denied-communion-mother-funeral-article-1.1031166

He might have handled it better by making an announcement before hand, or by speaking to her specifically and privately before hand.

HOWEVER, he was not wrong to deny someone communion knowing that they were living in a state of ongoing mortal sin, which he gleaned from a conversation before the mass… this leads me to several questions:

1. Was the woman even catholic? If not, then she should have known not to go up for communion in the first place.
2. If she was catholic, was she ignorant of the fact that living a sexually active homosexual life is gravely disordered? Or was she somehow ignorant of the fact that you should not receive in a state of mortal sin?

These are things the woman herself had a responsibility to know BEFORE she went up and caused a scene by trying to make a priest give her the Sacrament when she knew that he knew about her situation. It would have been better had the priest re-highlighted the criteria for her, but it doesn’t change the fact that before presenting herself for communion she had a christian duty to understand that it was illicit and immoral for her to do so.

 

[Phemie]

He might have handled it better by making an announcement before hand, or by speaking to her specifically and privately before hand.

HOWEVER, he was not wrong to deny someone communion knowing that they were living in a state of ongoing mortal sin, which he gleaned from a conversation before the mass… this leads me to several questions:

1. Was the woman even catholic? If not, then she should have known not to go up for communion in the first place.
2. If she was catholic, was she ignorant of the fact that living a sexually active homosexual life is gravely disordered? Or was she somehow ignorant of the fact that you should not receive in a state of mortal sin?

These are things the woman herself had a responsibility to know BEFORE she went up and caused a scene by trying to make a priest give her the Sacrament when she knew that he knew about her situation. It would have been better had the priest re-highlighted the criteria for her, but it doesn’t change the fact that before presenting herself for communion she had a christian duty to understand that it was illicit and immoral for her to do so.

She’s a former Catholic School teacher so it seems disingenuous for her to claim she did not know that her public homosexual relationship, which she apparently proclaimed to the priest just before the ceremony, would keep her from receiving Communion.

OTOH, it’s been argued by canon lawyers that until she had been counselled about it, he should not have publicly denied her Communion. There are many Catholics who don’t believe that sex outside of marriage and/or homosexual sexual activity is wrong. Until they have been counselled of such and taught the difference, their ‘sin’ is not as grave as the same action by a well catechized, knowledgeable Catholic.

 

[PJM]

=MissRose73;9027380]I am participating in the “Living the Eucharist” program through my mother’s parish. During our most recent class, my aunt (who is the group leader in the class session I am in) mentioned at a few funerals and weddings she has attended in the past few years that the priest mentioned before Communion that only practicing Catholics may receive the Eucharist. I found that quite unusual for a priest to say that at Mass.

I do remember nearly 5 years ago at my grandmother’s funeral Mass, most of the family & friends went up for Communion. Some are practicing their Catholic faith, some have not been to church in years for various reasons, others go a few times a year but the priest did not deny them the Eucharist nor did those who practice their faith say to those not to go up & receive either ahead of time.

I can understand that the priest asking only Catholics in attendance to receive as some other Christians have no issue with who goes to receive Communion in their church especially for funerals and/or weddings.

Can a priest stand up and say “only practicing Catholics can receive” and “only if you have no mortal sin on your soul” then you can receive. I know we are all sinners but we cannot judge others either.

How does a priest know if a person is a practicing Catholic or not? How does the priest know the person going to receive the Eucharist has mortal sin on their soul & has not gone to Confession first? (unless of course the priest knows the person personally).

BOTH CAN AND SHOULD:thumbsup: It is His GRAVE responsibility to do so.

God Bless,
Pat