History of Communion Guidelines For The Laity Since Trent

[I_Believe]

One of our members informed me on another thread that we may receive Communion twice a day. I didn’t know that. Fair enough.

So, my question now is, how have the guidelines changed since the Council at Trent ? I assume the Eucharistic Fast guidelines have a bearing on it ?

For example, when the fast was from midnight till Mass, was the rule we receive only once per day ?

 

[Cat]

This is an interesting topic. Thank you for posting it and I hope that there is a summary somewhere of the history of Holy Communion guidelines.

I have read that at one point in history, Catholics only received Holy Communion once a year, and that people like St. Teresa of Avila worked to change that.

 

[AJV]

One of our members informed me on another thread that we may receive Communion twice a day. I didn’t know that. Fair enough.

So, my question now is, how have the guidelines changed since the Council at Trent ? I assume the Eucharistic Fast guidelines have a bearing on it ?

For example, when the fast was from midnight till Mass, was the rule we receive only once per day ?

Yes, it was not permitted to receive more than once with exceptions for the sick and dying, and binating/trinating priests.

But even the change in the Eucharistic Fast did not change the rule regarding the reception of Holy Communion.

The first universal relaxation came with the document Inter Oecumenici (1964), n.60:

The faithful who receive communion at the Mass of the Easter Vigil or the Midnight Mass of Christmas may receive again at the second Mass of Easter and at one of the Day Masses of Christmas.

Tres Abinc Annos(1967), n. 14 included Holy Thursday as well:

The faithful receiving communion at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday may receive again at the evening Mass on the same day.

Eucharisticum Mysterium (1967) n. 28 added:

The faithful who begin to celebrate the Sunday or holy day of obligation on the preceding evening may go to Communion at that Mass even if they have already received Communion in the morning.

From this time many bishops began renewed petitions for the faculty to permit the reception of Holy Communion a second time. This was usually deferred with the response that it was under study and in 1973, Immensae Caritatis legislated the following

It will be lawful for these faithful and these priests to receive communion a second time in the following situations:

1. at ritual Masses in which the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Orders, and Matrimony are administered, as well as at Masses in which there is a first Communion;

1. at Masses for the consecration of a church or an altar, for a religious profession, for the conferral of a “canonical mission”;

1. at the Masses for the dead on the occasion of the funeral, news of the death, the final burial, or the first anniversary;

1. at the principal Mass celebrated in a cathedral or parish church on the solemnity of Corpus Christi and on the day of a pastoral visitation; at a Mass celebrated on the occasion of a major religious superior’s canonical visitation to a particular religious house or chapter;

1. at the principal Mass at a Eucharistic or Marian congress, whether international or national, regional or diocesan;

1. at the principal Mass of any kind of meeting, pilgrimage, or people’s mission;

7 at the administration of Viaticum, when Communion may be given to the members of the household and the friends of the sick person who are present.

1. Over and above the cases already mentioned, the local Ordinary is allowed to grant for a single occasion the faculty to receive communion twice on the same day whenever, because of truly special circumstances. a second reception is warranted on the basis of this Instruction.

and I think finally the 1983 Code of Canon Law, where canon 917 declares

A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can receive it a second time on the same day only within the Eucharistic celebration in which the person participates, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 921, §2.

which is the present discipline (taking into account all clarifications)

 

[AJV]

One of our members informed me on another thread that we may receive Communion twice a day. I didn’t know that. Fair enough.

So, my question now is, how have the guidelines changed since the Council at Trent ? I assume the Eucharistic Fast guidelines have a bearing on it ?

For example, when the fast was from midnight till Mass, was the rule we receive only once per day ?

Yes, it was not permitted to receive more than once with exceptions for the sick and dying, and binating/trinating priests.

But even the change in the Eucharistic Fast did not change the rule regarding the reception of Holy Communion. However, it certainly had an impact, as did the allowance for evening Masses, in making the situation more possible

The first universal relaxation came with the document Inter Oecumenici (1964), n.60:

The faithful who receive communion at the Mass of the Easter Vigil or the Midnight Mass of Christmas may receive again at the second Mass of Easter and at one of the Day Masses of Christmas.

Tres Abinc Annos(1967), n. 14 included Holy Thursday as well:

The faithful receiving communion at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday may receive again at the evening Mass on the same day.

Eucharisticum Mysterium (1967) n. 28 added:

The faithful who begin to celebrate the Sunday or holy day of obligation on the preceding evening may go to Communion at that Mass even if they have already received Communion in the morning.

From this time many bishops began renewed petitions for the faculty to permit the reception of Holy Communion a second time. This was usually deferred with the response that it was under study and in 1973, Immensae Caritatis, n. 2 legislated the following

It will be lawful for these faithful and these priests to receive communion a second time in the following situations:

1. at ritual Masses in which the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Orders, and Matrimony are administered, as well as at Masses in which there is a first Communion;

1. at Masses for the consecration of a church or an altar, for a religious profession, for the conferral of a “canonical mission”;

1. at the Masses for the dead on the occasion of the funeral, news of the death, the final burial, or the first anniversary;

1. at the principal Mass celebrated in a cathedral or parish church on the solemnity of Corpus Christi and on the day of a pastoral visitation; at a Mass celebrated on the occasion of a major religious superior’s canonical visitation to a particular religious house or chapter;

1. at the principal Mass at a Eucharistic or Marian congress, whether international or national, regional or diocesan;

1. at the principal Mass of any kind of meeting, pilgrimage, or people’s mission;

7 at the administration of Viaticum, when Communion may be given to the members of the household and the friends of the sick person who are present.

1. Over and above the cases already mentioned, the local Ordinary is allowed to grant for a single occasion the faculty to receive communion twice on the same day whenever, because of truly special circumstances. a second reception is warranted on the basis of this Instruction.

and I think finally the 1983 Code of Canon Law, where canon 917 says

A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can receive it a second time on the same day only within the Eucharistic celebration in which the person participates, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 921, §2.

which is the present discipline (taking into account all clarifications)

 

[I_Believe]

This is an interesting topic. Thank you for posting it and I hope that there is a summary somewhere of the history of Holy Communion guidelines.

I have read that at one point in history, Catholics only received Holy Communion once a year, and that people like St. Teresa of Avila worked to change that.

Hi Cat, Actually, I think the Church now only requires Communion once a year, during Eastertide.

AJV gave a great summary of changes since '64.

Hopefully we’ll get some info about pre-1964 guidelines as well.

 

[I_Believe]

Thanks AJV , for taking time to assemble that timeline. Much appreciated !

So, from Trent till '64, was the rule once a day ?

 

[Kielbasi]

Pope Pius X’s 1905 encyclical Sacra Tridentina loosened the rules for communion for the laity.

Before 1905, from my understanding, the laity could not receive without permission from the priest, except at Easter and a few other times. Infrequent communion was the rule, even for members of many religious orders.

 

[palmas85]

In the early Church , the faithful communicated, or at any rate were expected to communicate, as often as the Holy Eucharist was celebrated They received more often, since it was the custom to carry away the Sacred Elements and communicate at home by those who lived at a distance from any church. On the other hand, we find that practice was not widespread, and that the faithful were frequently rebuked for so seldom receiving Holy Communion Many still communicated once a week, down to the time of Charlemagne, but after the break-up of his empire this custom came to an end. St. Bede bears witness to the Roman practice of communicating on Sundays and on the feasts of the Apostles and Martyrs, and laments the rarity of reception in England at that time.

In the Middle Ages, “the Age of Faith”, Communion was less frequent than at any other time in the Church’s history. The Fourth Lateran Council compelled the faithful, under pain of excommunication, to receive at least once a year . The Poor Clares, by rule, received six times a year; the Dominicans, fifteen times; the Third Order of St. Dominic, four times. Even saints received rarely: St. Louis six times a year, St. Elizabeth only three times. The teaching of the great theologians, however, was on the side of frequent, and to some extent daily, Communion

Some, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Vincent Ferrer among others, advocated, and brought about in some cases, a return to frequent reception. The Council of Trent expressed a wish “that at each Mass the faithful who are present, should communicate” . The Catechism of that council says: **“Let not the faithful deem it enough to receive the Body of the Lord once a year only; but let them judge that Communion ought to be more frequent; but whether it be more expedient that it should be monthly, weekly, or daily, can be decided by no fixed universal rule” ** With the revival of this practice came the renewal of the discussion as to the advisability of daily Communion for the laity. . While all in theory admitted that daily reception was good they differed as to the conditions required for it to occur…

The Congregation of the Council (1587) forbade any general restriction, and ordered that no one should be refused Holy Communion, even if he approached daily. In 1643, Arnauld’s “Frequent Communion” appeared, in which he required, for worthy reception, severe penance for past sins and most pure love of God. The Congregation of the Council was once more appealed to, and decided (1679) that although universal daily Communion was not advisable, no one should be refused, even if he approached daily; parish priests and confessors should decide how often, but they should take care that all scandal and irreverence should be avoided

In 1690, Arnauld’s conditions were condemned. In spite of these decisions, the reception of Holy Communion became less and less frequent, owing to the spread of rigid Jansenisim, and this lasted until fairly recently. The older tradition was, however, preserved by some , notably St. Alphonsus, and, with the spread of devotion to the Sacred Heart, it gradually became more prevalent.

There were still problems though with daily reception by the laity. However it was recommended by Pius IX and Leo XIII, and finally received official approval from Pius X by decree in 1905.

Hope this helps out a bit

 

[AJV]

Thanks AJV , for taking time to assemble that timeline. Much appreciated !

So, from Trent till '64, was the rule once a day ?

Yes, to the best of my limited knowledge, as a rule. I think there might have been a slight change in the ruling regarding Viaticum but apart form that I don’t think so.

 

[I_Believe]

Pope Pius X’s 1905 encyclical Sacra Tridentina loosened the rules for communion for the laity.

Before 1905, from my understanding, the laity could not receive without permission from the priest, except at Easter and a few other times. Infrequent communion was the rule, even for members of many religious orders.

In the early Church , the faithful communicated, or at any rate were expected to communicate, as often as the Holy Eucharist was celebrated They received more often, since it was the custom to carry away the Sacred Elements and communicate at home by those who lived at a distance from any church. On the other hand, we find that practice was not widespread, and that the faithful were frequently rebuked for so seldom receiving Holy Communion Many still communicated once a week, down to the time of Charlemagne, but after the break-up of his empire this custom came to an end. St. Bede bears witness to the Roman practice of communicating on Sundays and on the feasts of the Apostles and Martyrs, and laments the rarity of reception in England at that time.

In the Middle Ages, “the Age of Faith”, Communion was less frequent than at any other time in the Church’s history. The Fourth Lateran Council compelled the faithful, under pain of excommunication, to receive at least once a year . The Poor Clares, by rule, received six times a year; the Dominicans, fifteen times; the Third Order of St. Dominic, four times. Even saints received rarely: St. Louis six times a year, St. Elizabeth only three times. The teaching of the great theologians, however, was on the side of frequent, and to some extent daily, Communion

Some, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Vincent Ferrer among others, advocated, and brought about in some cases, a return to frequent reception. The Council of Trent expressed a wish “that at each Mass the faithful who are present, should communicate” . The Catechism of that council says: **“Let not the faithful deem it enough to receive the Body of the Lord once a year only; but let them judge that Communion ought to be more frequent; but whether it be more expedient that it should be monthly, weekly, or daily, can be decided by no fixed universal rule” ** With the revival of this practice came the renewal of the discussion as to the advisability of daily Communion for the laity. . While all in theory admitted that daily reception was good they differed as to the conditions required for it to occur…

The Congregation of the Council (1587) forbade any general restriction, and ordered that no one should be refused Holy Communion, even if he approached daily. In 1643, Arnauld’s “Frequent Communion” appeared, in which he required, for worthy reception, severe penance for past sins and most pure love of God. The Congregation of the Council was once more appealed to, and decided (1679) that although universal daily Communion was not advisable, no one should be refused, even if he approached daily; parish priests and confessors should decide how often, but they should take care that all scandal and irreverence should be avoided

In 1690, Arnauld’s conditions were condemned. In spite of these decisions, the reception of Holy Communion became less and less frequent, owing to the spread of rigid Jansenisim, and this lasted until fairly recently. The older tradition was, however, preserved by some , notably St. Alphonsus, and, with the spread of devotion to the Sacred Heart, it gradually became more prevalent.

There were still problems though with daily reception by the laity. However it was recommended by Pius IX and Leo XIII, and finally received official approval from Pius X by decree in 1905.

Hope this helps out a bit

Yes, to the best of my limited knowledge, as a rule. I think there might have been a slight change in the ruling regarding Viaticum but apart form that I don’t think so.

Thank you all. Very helpful and informative.

 

[grandfather]

In the early Church , the faithful communicated, or at any rate were expected to communicate, as often as the Holy Eucharist was celebrated …

Hope this helps out a bit

That was very helpful, interesting and informative. Thank you.