How To Conduct Communion Services?

[Discipline]

About 5 years ago I was trained to perform communion services on certain Saturdays in (way) outlaying areas. I was personally trained by an auxiliary bishop, a very serious man, using his own notes in 3-4 1on1 sessions.

Now that I am finally aware of the existence of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass I see that I am doing five things not called out in that ritual. I lead both the Confiteor (specified) and the Kyrie (not specified.) I incense the Lectionary before reading the Gospel and the ciborium full of the Blessed Sacrament after I place it on the altar which is also not specified. Finally I recite the prayer which begins “Deliver us, Lord from every evil…” and the doxology following the Lord’s Prayer, neither which is specified.

Must I cease these extras or are they permissible? I am afraid I might offend him if I question his notes, but I don’t want to be doing anything wrong either.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

About 5 years ago I was trained to perform communion services on certain Saturdays in (way) outlaying areas. I was personally trained by an auxiliary bishop, a very serious man, using his own notes in 3-4 1on1 sessions.

Now that I am finally aware of the existence of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass I see that I am doing five things not called out in that ritual. I lead both the Confiteor (specified) and the Kyrie (not specified.) I incense the Lectionary before reading the Gospel and the ciborium full of the Blessed Sacrament after I place it on the altar which is also not specified. Finally I recite the prayer which begins “Deliver us, Lord from every evil…” and the doxology following the Lord’s Prayer, neither which is specified.

Must I cease these extras or are they permissible? I am afraid I might offend him if I question his notes, but I don’t want to be doing anything wrong either.

I think you shoul ask to meet with him and show him where you find the prohibitions and ask him.

 

[John_Lilburne]

About 5 years ago I was trained to perform communion services on certain Saturdays in (way) outlaying areas. I was personally trained by an auxiliary bishop, a very serious man, using his own notes in 3-4 1on1 sessions.

Now that I am finally aware of the existence of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass I see that I am doing five things not called out in that ritual. I lead both the Confiteor (specified) and the Kyrie (not specified.) I incense the Lectionary before reading the Gospel and the ciborium full of the Blessed Sacrament after I place it on the altar which is also not specified. Finally I recite the prayer which begins “Deliver us, Lord from every evil…” and the doxology following the Lord’s Prayer, neither which is specified.

Must I cease these extras or are they permissible? I am afraid I might offend him if I question his notes, but I don’t want to be doing anything wrong either.

I think the Kyrie can be used. But for some reason it is not listed with the Confiteor, and so (I think) it should not be used with this.

At the end of HCWEOM, n. 28, after the Confiteor, it has:
“Other forms of the penitential rite, n. 190 or 191, may be chosen.”
(The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, page 650).

In n. 191 it has “After a brief silence the minister, or someone else, make the following or other invocations.”

Those “other invocations” can be “Kyrie, eleison”. In the Latin edition of this book it ends the responses with the Greek “Kyrie, eleison”.
(De Sacra Communione et de Cultu Mysterii Eucharistici Extra Missam, 1974, pages 53-54).

In think incense can be used before reading the Gospel. It has in HCWEOM:
“9. The Liturgy of the Word now takes place as at Mass. …”

Clearly incense is permitted in the Liturgy of the Word at Mass. So I would also reagard it as an option for the Communion Service.

But I do not think incense should be used for the Blessed Sacrament in the ciborium. Nor should the other prayers be added after the Our Father.

 

[Discipline]

I think the Kyrie can be used. But for some reason it is not listed with the Confiteor, and so (I think) it should not be used with this.

At the end of HCWEOM, n. 28, after the Confiteor, it has:
“Other forms of the penitential rite, n. 190 or 191, may be chosen.”
(The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, page 650).

In n. 191 it has “After a brief silence the minister, or someone else, make the following or other invocations.”

Those “other invocations” can be “Kyrie, eleison”. In the Latin edition of this book it ends the responses with the Greek “Kyrie, eleison”.
(De Sacra Communione et de Cultu Mysterii Eucharistici Extra Missam, 1974, pages 53-54).

In think incense can be used before reading the Gospel. It has in HCWEOM:
“9. The Liturgy of the Word now takes place as at Mass. …”

Clearly incense is permitted in the Liturgy of the Word at Mass. So I would also reagard it as an option for the Communion Service.

But I do not think incense should be used for the Blessed Sacrament in the ciborium. Nor should the other prayers be added after the Our Father.

Thank you for your erudite comments.

I spoke to the man that trained me 5 years ago. He agreed with most of your comments and after reflection, instructed me to incense the altar, then the closed tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament, but not the ciborium containing the Blessed Sacrament on the altar.

He also instructed me to continue the prayers after the Lord’s Prayer but acknowledged they are not part of the rubrics and that he would give the matter further prayer. Finally he had heard that when I read the Gospel of the day I actually chant it, and that he felt that was a good practice.

I did ask him way he trained me (and a handful of others) in this manner and he said he was shocked after attendings some communion services and that it was his attempt to add reverence to the ceremony.

I see his point after attending communion services where everyone sat around a table, the Bible was read, a prayer of sorts was prayed and a pyx passed around…