Gathering around the altar

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liturgyluver said:
But presumably it would not be an “abuse” if the community is gathered within the chancel (ie outside of the Sanctuary) close to the altar. And nobody is suggesting that the community is doing anything other than their role as participants in the mass are they?
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In the incident I referred to, people were gathered on the sanctuary, not just close to the altar.
 
liturgyluver said:
But presumably it would not be an “abuse” if the community is gathered within the chancel (ie outside of the Sanctuary) close to the altar. And nobody is suggesting that the community is doing anything other than their role as participants in the mass are they?
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This is one of those “we all know what it means” situations.

Certainly, one can describe the Mass as the People of God “gathered around the altar,” or similar terms. At the same time, we all know that when questions like this are posed (and they’re rather common) that the question is about the congregation leaving the seating area (the nave) and standing close to the altar itself. Every person has a proper role in the Mass and that role includes and/or is expressed in the person’s location within the church-building.

Only the priests should be positioned “at” the altar. The deacon approaches at certain times, and likewise the servers.

The direct answer to your question is that no, it would not be an abuse. However, that’s not the question at hand.

To your second question: while we cannot say that’s it’s always the case, very often this practice is indeed done to imply that participants are doing something other than their role. In the extreme, this is done to imply that everyone is a concelebrant. While the reasons can and do vary, the simple fact is that there is no legitimate reason to do it. There is no doubt that the practice is against the norms of the Church.

Also, we’re not talking about unusual circumstances such as a Mass done while traveling in a place other than a church building, or Mass during a power outage, or Mass in some tiny shrine where only a small space is available. I bring that up because sooner or later, someone is going to post an outrageous example of when it can be done. Again, we all know what we’re discussing.
 
Is it wrong for a the laity to sit on chairs in the sanctuary, after being called up by the priest, while a Mass is being said?
 
Brendan_64 said:
Is it wrong for a the laity to sit on chairs in the sanctuary, after being called up by the priest, while a Mass is being said?
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It is wrong for the priest to do it.

No priest can ever have any legitimate reason to do what you described.

Vatican II teaches that every person has a proper role at Mass, and likewise a proper location within the church-building.

Priests who invite laity to come into the sanctuary during Mass are acting against the teachings of Vatican II.
 
Back in the eighties, I used to make frequent retreats at a retreat house run by a male religious order. Their priests, who would offer Mass for us, would have us “gather round the altar,” except it was more a half circle since the altar was back up against a window. Then, the priest would have us pass the paten containing the Holy Eucharist around so everyone could “help themselves” and self-communicate. This always made me uncomfortable, but the passing around of the paten really made me uneasy.
 
I don’t know if our parish still does it, but they used to invite the children up who were making their First Holy Communion to stand alongside the priest during the consecration.
 
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