Grace E R:
We were going to have Mass yesterday, however, the priest became ill and could not find another to take his place. He called our business manager, who happenes to be a Eucharistic minister, and Lector, told her to have a Communion service. WE sang an enturance song and read the readings and pslam of the day: recited the OUR FATHER sang the Lamb of God and received Communion and sang an exist song… One of our Echaristic Ministers did not want to participate in distributing the Host without the priest there. He did particapte as our manager assured him our priest told her what to do. This is acceptable under the circumstances is’nt it?
Thank you for your time and answer.
Your friend in Christ,
Grace Romanowski
This is a complicated question. My short answer is it is OK, only if it was done once on the Sunday and was in accord with the provisions laid down by the bishop.
Whether it is permissible to have a Communion service at the time scheduled for Sunday Mass is a decision for the diocesan bishop, guided by his conference of bishops and the Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest (from the Congregation for Divine Worship on 2 June 1988).
According to the liturgical book of 1973: “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass” (HCWE), n. 16: “Communion may be given outside Mass on any day and at any hour.” It then makes exceptions, but only for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. But since then things have become more complicated.
In the 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 1247 it has that the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass on Sundays. But in canon 1248.2 it has: “If it is impossible to participate in a eucharistic celebration, either because no sacred minister is available or for some other grave reason, the faithful are strongly recommended to take part in a liturgy of the Word, if there be such in the parish church or some other sacred place, which is celebrated in accordance with the provisions laid down by the diocesan bishop; or to spend an approapriate time in prayer, whether personally or as a family or, as occasion presents, in a group of families.” No mention is made of a Word/Communion service.
The 1988 Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest has “20. Among the forms of celebration found in liturgical tradition when Mass is not possible, a celebration of the word of God is particularly recommended, and also its completion, when possible, by eucharistic communion.” But then in n. 21 it makes this fairly difficult: “… Therefore a gathering or assembly of this kind can never be held on a Sunday in places where Mass has already been celebrated or is to be celebrated or was celebrated on the preceding Saturday evening, even if the Mass is celebrated in a different language. Nor is it right to have more than one assembly of this kind on any given Sunday.”
In Australia, where I am, many churches have three scheduled Masses on Sunday. The 1988 Directory, n. 21 disallows replacing all of them with Word/Communion services. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference published in 2004: “Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: Directives for the dioceses of Australia”. It includes:
"Unexpected Absences of the Priest-Celebrant
“19. Where a particular unforeseen occasion prevents a priest from being present (due to illness, travel circumstances, or other emergency), a Sunday Celebration of the Word or a Sunday Celebration of the Hours is celebrated and led by those delegated to do so. [Footnote 17: Directory 29-30] This response respects the normal parish worship schedule that people expect to follow.”
It has clear definitions, making it clear that this does not include a “Sunday Celebration of the Word and Communion”. So in Australia it would not be permitted.
References:
Pastoral Handbook for the Dicoeses of Australia, The Liturgical Commission, 2004, ISBN 1-875522-14-X.
Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, E.J. Dwyer, Sydney, 1975, ISBN 0-85574-401-4.
The Code of Canon Law: New Revised English Translation, HarperCollins Liturgical, 1997, ISBN 0-00-599375-X.
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