Elderly Priest - Holy Thursday Transfer

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sr.christinaosf

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Does anyone know…
We might be having an elderly priest (who uses a walker) celebrate Mass Holy Thursday evening.
In such a case, is it liturgically permissible to have an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion carry the Blessed Sacrament in procession to the altar of repose - or would we simply omit the procession and do it privately and without solemnity after the Mass when people have left? Thank you.
 
I’m not sure, but I believe a Deacon can process with the Eucharist.
 
The priest could use his walker to get to the Altar of Repose. An EMHC could carry the ciborium.
This sort of thing is not a liturgical abuse - you would use a deacon or another priest, if one was available, but they are not. You are simply accommodating the condition of the priest.
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Better to have the procession, than to skip it. When you get to the Altar of Repose let Father incense the Blessed Sacrament from a chair or a prie dieux.

A server can carry the thurible in front of the EMHC.

Deacon Christopher
 
From the Roman Missal:

“After the Prayer after Communion, the Priest puts incense in the thurible while standing, blesses it and then, kneeling, incenses the Blessed Sacrament three times. Then, having put on a white humeral veil, he rises, takes the ciborium, and covers it with the ends of the veil. A procession is formed in which the Blessed Sacrament, accompanied by torches and incense, is carried through the church to a place of repose prepared in a part of the church or in a chapel suitably decorated. A lay minister with a cross, standing between two other ministers with lighted candles leads off. Others carrying lighted candles follow. Before the Priest carrying the Blessed Sacrament comes the thurifer with a smoking thurible. Meanwhile, the hymn Pange, lingua (exclusive of the last two stanzas) or another eucharistic chant is sung.”

It would appear that the answer to your question is no.
 
A prie dieux is the proper name for a one-person kneeler. 🙂

@ioannes_pius - quoting from the GIRM does not help in this case.
The original poster (whom I believe is a Religious Sister), was asking about an accommodation, not about what the norm is. She knows the norm.
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What I suggested is perfectly fine, and an appropriate accommodation for the priest’s walker. It is similar to using a translator during Mass or Confession or having an EMHC distribute Communion if the priest had a cold, etc. One of our clerics uses a cane and can’t stand to distribute, thus an extraordinary minister fills in for him.

Exceptions and accommodations aren’t listed in the GIRM.

@sr.christinaosf - may Brother Francis inspire your Triduum with closeness to our Master,
Deacon Christopher
 
ioannes_pius said:
It would appear that the answer to your question is no.
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Sometimes I wonder if those who write the rubrics in the Roman Missal ever actually road-tested them anywhere other than some grand cathedral or Roman church. Sometimes what’s written in the Roman Missal is an ideal and one which often has to be adapted in order to accommodate everyday realities. That’s not the same as saying that we can ignore if we want to or just do whatever we feel like; but sometimes adaptations are needed.

In this case, I’d say yes to the lay minister carrying the blessed sacrament perhaps walking alongside the priest if that’s possible.
 
InThePew said:
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ioannes_pius:
It would appear that the answer to your question is no.
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Sometimes I wonder if those who write the rubrics in the Roman Missal ever actually road-tested them anywhere other than some grand cathedral or Roman church. Sometimes what’s written in the Roman Missal is an ideal and one which often has to be adapted in order to accommodate everyday realities. That’s not the same as saying that we can ignore if we want to or just do whatever we feel like; but sometimes adaptations are needed.

In this case, I’d say yes to the lay minister carrying the blessed sacrament perhaps walking alongside the priest if that’s possible.
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Indeed. Another example of an idea all right in practice but not working in a busy parish, is only consecrating enough for the proposed Mass, and having only a few reserved in the Tabernacle. . Our new priest tried that and a large contingent from a local conference came for Mass without notice , and we ran out of Hosts. Even the large Host set aside for Adoration had to be broken up…
 
Surely there is some sort of standard for applying accommodations where they might be necessary. Do the local Bishops Conferences say anything about it?
 
In fact, even in plural form, the word is “prie-dieu.” The D is capitalized in French (prie-Dieu).

apologies from a pedantic French speaker
 
ioannes_pius said:
Surely there is some sort of standard for applying accommodations where they might be necessary. Do the local Bishops Conferences say anything about it?
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There cannot be a written standard for every permutation and combination. God is not a tyrant and neither is the Law intended to be tyrannical. The Law serves Mankind, not Mankind the Law. There are guidelines at the diocesan level, and they are broad:

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops says:
  1. Some men with disabilities already serve the Church as bishops, priests, or deacons. Clergy who have or acquire a disability are to have access to resources and accommodations that will aid them in continuing in their ministry.
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My bold. It would seem to me that this has a fairly broad and general scope that allows clergy and those who assist them to make allowances so that the faithful are not deprived of their sacraments and also their liturgies especially in these three very important days.

Strict legalism is not appropriate in the case of someone disabled. We’ve had priests in the monastery who have to sit when they concelebrate, for example, on account of their venerable age.
 
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Thanks, that quote sufficiently answers my question. That’s what I was looking for.
 
ioannes_pius said:
Surely there is some sort of standard for applying accommodations where they might be necessary. Do the local Bishops Conferences say anything about it?
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Canon Law is written using the Roman / European school of thought, not the English / American school.

For Americans (and to a lesser degree the English too) the law needs to be applied to everything and all exceptions must have laws addressing them or previously interpreted law applied to all situations.

In the Roman school of thought, the spirit of the law is considered and taken into account (something that typically doesn’t exist in American law).

So for us Americans and English speakers, the law is black and white. But to Europeans, it’s more a shade of gray, and that’s how Canon Law is often applied
 
St. John Paul II needed to be seated to celebrate Mass near the end of his life.
 
So, @sr.christinaosf, may I ask how this was ultimately handled? 🙂
 
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