Ever been denied Holy Communion for kneeling while receiving?

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If so, how did you respond? I know if it were me, I wouldn’t respond very charitably.

I’ve read of several instances where communicants were denied and in one instance by a bishop. I’m curious how widespread this phenomenon really is. When I assisted at Mass at the cathedral in Charlotte, NC several years ago I began to receive while kneeling and never had a problem. After that I began assisting at a TLM so it was obviously the norm there.
 
An older woman I know (and often attend Mass with) has told me of a certain visiting priest’s refusal to put communion on her tongue. He simply observed her kneeling and basically attempted to force her hands open to put the Body of Christ in. So as not to create a disorder, my friend simply took it in the hand, but she has been very irritated by that priest since.

Once I start receiving Communion, I’ll come back. 😛
 
In our Church the regular way to receive communion is kneeling ant the bars of the altar and in tongue.

There are some people (less than a dozen out of about 160 in a Mass) who either cannot go up on the stairs to the bars, or just insist that they know good from evil. This later also insist that they receive the communion to their hand. Our priests simply serve them, they believe (with me) that only God knows clearly good from evil.
 
Interesting post on this from wdtprs.com (“What Does The Prayer Really Say?”)
Since this veered into the technical, I consulted a canon lawyer before answering. I will adapt his response with my own.
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Part of a response must involve what “norm” means. I admit that I use the term “norm” rather loosely when writing and talking, and often morph it into “laws”, and vice versa.
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A norm is not the same as a law.
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The “norm” for the U.S., in accordance with GIRM 160, is that communicants stand when receiving Holy Communion.
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One thing we have learned from post-modernists, is also to read a text for what it doesn’t say. GIRM 160 doesn’t say, “In the United States, Holy Communion must be received while standing.” That would be a disciplinary liturgical law. It would require a dispensation to do something different (i.e., to kneel).
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Rather, GIRM 160 in the USA is a norm. That is to say it points to a normative thing, the usual practice, the custom. In 25 years we can have a discussion on what legal force this custom has, but now is not the time.
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What the U.S. bishops did in including this norm, with the approval of the Holy See, is state that the normal manner of receiving Holy Communion, in the United States, is standing. The usual way… it is customary now.
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**The addition of the second statement (communicants “should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel”) shows that the norm is not some sort of enforceable law. **
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**The situation is to be addressed “pastorally”, with explanations, catechesis, etc. Once people have been provided with this, if they chose to continue to kneel they are not being disobedient. They do not do something illicit. They have chosen to follow a practice that differs from the norm. That does not violate a law. **
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wdtprs.com/blog/2010/08/quaeritur-in-the-usa-is-it-against-the-law-to-kneel-for-communion/

So, per this link, it would seem any priest who would deny communion to someone who kneels would be wrong, but if that happened to me, I would definitely not make a scene at the time, but would talk to the priest after Mass. I compromise - when I receive at an Ordinary Mass, I genuflect while the person in front of me is receiving, and I always receive on the tonue.

I try to go to a Latin Mass as often as possible, where, of course, we receive kneeling and on the tongue. That just makes a whole lot more sense to me, and seems much more reverent. The vast majority of those receiving at the TLM walk to and from the communion rail with their hands folded. The vast majority receiving in the “normal” way of standing seem to just kind of saunter back and forth. You tell me which one is better.
 
I was denied Communion while kneeling once, at a weekday Mass. The priest who denied me Communion was pretty old, and had actually just given a good homily on the saint of the day. I’m inclined to think he wasn’t some heretical firebrand who demanded everybody fall in line, but just someone whose formative years in the priest included his own miseducation: he might have thought he was doing what he was supposed to, I’m not really sure. Anyways, I kneeled to receive, and he said quietly, “Stand up,” and I said (for lack of any more coherent response), “I can’t.” Then he said, “you’ll have to go in the other line, then,” and made me receive from the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. I went to a couple more of his Masses after that, but always sat on the right side, to avoid being in his Communion line. Eventually, I started going to a different parish that had Mass at the same time.
 
Brooklyn said:
Interesting post on this from wdtprs.com (“What Does The Prayer Really Say?”)

wdtprs.com/blog/2010/08/quaeritur-in-the-usa-is-it-against-the-law-to-kneel-for-communion/
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Thanks for posting that! That is the best explanation I have seen of this issue. Now I understand why those who kneel to receive are firm in stating they are not being disobedient. It makes sense now. 👍

On topic, I have never seen anyone refused Communion for kneeling. At one parish where no one ever knelt for Communion, I saw someone kneel and the priest tried to get her to stand, but she wouldn’t budge, so he just gave her Communion to get the line moving again. That’s about the closest I’ve seen. Any other time I’ve seen people kneel, the priest or EMHC just gives them Communion and keeps going.
 
Brooklyn said:
Interesting post on this from wdtprs.com (“What Does The Prayer Really Say?”)

wdtprs.com/blog/2010/08/quaeritur-in-the-usa-is-it-against-the-law-to-kneel-for-communion/

So, per this link, it would seem any priest who would deny communion to someone who kneels would be wrong, but if that happened to me, I would definitely not make a scene at the time, but would talk to the priest after Mass. I compromise - when I receive at an Ordinary Mass, I genuflect while the person in front of me is receiving, and I always receive on the tonue.

I try to go to a Latin Mass as often as possible, where, of course, we receive kneeling and on the tongue. That just makes a whole lot more sense to me, and seems much more reverent. The vast majority of those receiving at the TLM walk to and from the communion rail with their hands folded. The vast majority receiving in the “normal” way of standing seem to just kind of saunter back and forth. You tell me which one is better.
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It not that standing is not an enforcable law. Its just not a grave enough abuse to not follow the rubrics and be denied Communion. The same thing if you don’t say “Amen”. Its part of the rubrics but when was the last time you knew of someone who was denied? The most I can think of is the priest would not give the Eucharist until the person says “Amen,” but never turn the person away. They will just keep repeating, “The Body of Christ,” until the communicant says “Amen”.
 
ConstantineTG said:
It not that standing is not an enforcable law. Its just not a grave enough abuse to not follow the rubrics and be denied Communion. The same thing if you don’t say “Amen”. Its part of the rubrics but when was the last time you knew of someone who was denied? The most I can think of is the priest would not give the Eucharist until the person says “Amen,” but never turn the person away. They will just keep repeating, “The Body of Christ,” until the communicant says “Amen”.
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Lol this reminds me of this one time I was serving as an altar boy, and the guy next to me did not respond to “the Body of Christ” the priest then said “say Amen!” in Spanish lol, I wanted to burst out laughing, but I held it in.
 
I know of one local politician who approached and was denied; her excommunication had been published the month before. I’m not certain why she was publicly excommunicated, only that she had been.

She approached, towards an EMHC, and the pastor stopped, walked over, asked her to sit down and talk to him after mass.

She did sit down, but didn’t talk to him after mass… she did make a beeline for the donuts after mass, and avoided the pastor.
 
archangel04 said:
youtube.com/watch?v=j0yfdbxr7qM

At 0:11 you can see the Bishop speaking to a woman who is kneeling and makes her get up to receive communion.
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That would be my greatly liberal bishop… It’s too bad the video disappeared where he actually physically yanked a woman up to receive stating that we don’t receive that way in his diocese and that she was causing a scene.
 
archangel04 said:
Lol this reminds me of this one time I was serving as an altar boy, and the guy next to me did not respond to “the Body of Christ” the priest then said “say Amen!” in Spanish lol, I wanted to burst out laughing, but I held it in.
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If you ask me, not following rubrics could be a sign they’re not Catholic. Especially the simple thing like saying, “Amen.” Although we can’t discount the poorly Catechized.
 
ConstantineTG said:
It not that standing is not an enforcable law. Its just not a grave enough abuse to not follow the rubrics and be denied Communion. The same thing if you don’t say “Amen”. Its part of the rubrics but when was the last time you knew of someone who was denied? The most I can think of is the priest would not give the Eucharist until the person says “Amen,” but never turn the person away. They will just keep repeating, “The Body of Christ,” until the communicant says “Amen”.
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Could you please supply some proof as to what you write here, that kneeling to receive communion is a “grave abuse.”
 
Brooklyn said:
Could you please supply some proof as to what you write here, that kneeling to receive communion is a “grave abuse.”
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What I wrote is that kneeling is NOT a grave abuse.

Plesae ready my post carefuly
It not that standing is not an enforcable law. Its just not a grave enough abuse to not follow the rubrics and be denied Communion. The same thing if you don’t say “Amen”. Its part of the rubrics but when was the last time you knew of someone who was denied? The most I can think of is the priest would not give the Eucharist until the person says “Amen,” but never turn the person away. They will just keep repeating, “The Body of Christ,” until the communicant says “Amen”.
Click to expand...
 
Belloc_Fan said:
I was denied Communion while kneeling once, at a weekday Mass. The priest who denied me Communion was pretty old, and had actually just given a good homily on the saint of the day. I’m inclined to think he wasn’t some heretical firebrand who demanded everybody fall in line, but just someone whose formative years in the priest included his own miseducation: he might have thought he was doing what he was supposed to, I’m not really sure. Anyways, I kneeled to receive, and he said quietly, “Stand up,” and I said (for lack of any more coherent response), “I can’t.” Then he said, “you’ll have to go in the other line, then,” and made me receive from the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. I went to a couple more of his Masses after that, but always sat on the right side, to avoid being in his Communion line. Eventually, I started going to a different parish that had Mass at the same time.
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Well, at least he gave you an alternative. It might have been nice for you to have had a private conversation with him to see what the REAL issue was. Assumptions lead to discord. There are people in most parish communities that are willing to mediate in such situations.
 
It was NOT rude for you to do that. Its just some folks need to be woke up.
Not rude at all.
 
FirstCalled said:
That would be my greatly liberal bishop… It’s too bad the video disappeared where he actually physically yanked a woman up to receive stating that we don’t receive that way in his diocese and that she was causing a scene.
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I feel sorry for you guys. Does he allow the TLM in his diocese?
ConstantineTG said:
If you ask me, not following rubrics could be a sign they’re not Catholic. Especially the simple thing like saying, “Amen.” Although we can’t discount the poorly Catechized.
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Well I remember him being a decent server, but I think at that time he was day dreaming or something lol.
 
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