How to get a communion service started in my local church?

[Holly3278]

Hi everyone. I am wanting to start a daily communion service (not a Mass) in my local church. How do I go about doing this? Also, what are the requirements for doing so? Any ideas on how I can convince my priest to allow this?

 

[Joan_M]

Hi everyone. I am wanting to start a daily communion service (not a Mass) in my local church. How do I go about doing this? Also, what are the requirements for doing so? Any ideas on how I can convince my priest to allow this?

Why would you want this? You have a priest. Does he not say Mass daily?

The only reason for a Communion Service is the absence of a priest and a pastoral need to have this service. It will need the Bishop’s permission, I believe.

I would imagine, if you have a priest in residence, that the only time you might have this is if he is away for some reason.

 

[Holly3278]

Why would you want this? You have a priest. Does he not say Mass daily?

The only reason for a Communion Service is the absence of a priest and a pastoral need to have this service. It will need the Bishop’s permission, I believe.

I would imagine, if you have a priest in residence, that the only time you might have this is if he is away for some reason.

I highly doubt that my priest would want to have daily Mass. I also know of a church that does have daily communion service. I think I approached my priest about daily Mass before and he said that not enough people would attend for him to do it.

 

[MusicMan]

While your heart is in the right place, your solution to the problem is inappropriate for the long term. Your priest needs to be saying Daily Mass. Even if he offers it three days a week, or every day except his day off, he needs to offer Daily Mass.

If not enough people will attend for him to do it, you need to find a way to show him that they will. It sounds like you’ve found it. It’s not a good long term solution.

I would recommend the following:

Get the people who want Daily Mass together and have them all write a letter to the priest. Then get them together and pray Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. If you can get this done in the church, GREAT. If not, start small, and then try to get it moved into the church. Perhaps, once you’ve gotten your Morning Prayer group going and meeting within the church building, you get permission from the priest to have one of the EMHCs in your group lead a Communion Service ONCE A WEEK.

Perhaps at that point, your priest will see that enough people indeed want Daily Mass and will attend it. If then, he does not decide to celebrate Daily Mass, contact the Bishop.

 

[Holly3278]

Well, its a no go. I asked my priest about it and he immediately said no. I asked why and he said, “Just let it go.” Apparently he has thought about it in the past and has decided definitively that it will not happen.

 

[Eileen_T]

Do you have a nearby parish that offers a daily Mass you can attend?

Next step would be to ascertain how many people would be interested and approach your bishop asking if a nearby priest could supply Mass during the week, since your pastor is unwilling.

 

[Holly3278]

Do you have a nearby parish that offers a daily Mass you can attend?

Next step would be to ascertain how many people would be interested and approach your bishop asking if a nearby priest could supply Mass during the week, since your pastor is unwilling.

None that is near enough for me to drive to every day. All well, I’ll just offer it up.

 

[MusicMan]

I’d assemble the group that wishes Daily Mass and begin praying Morning Prayer together, either in the church or the homes of one of the people.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hi everyone. I am wanting to start a daily communion service (not a Mass) in my local church. How do I go about doing this? Also, what are the requirements for doing so? Any ideas on how I can convince my priest to allow this?

Why don’t you instead try asking him to celebrate Mass every day? I’m sure that if 15 or 20 people were willing to come he would be happy to do so.

A Communion Service is for Sundays and there is no priest available.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I highly doubt that my priest would want to have daily Mass. I also know of a church that does have daily communion service. I think I approached my priest about daily Mass before and he said that not enough people would attend for him to do it.

A priest is encouraged to celebrate Mass every day, they used to be required to do so.

 

[G_S]

Pray for your priest. I can’t imagine him persevering in the priesthood if he has such a lackadaisical attitude towards celebrating the Mass daily.

 

[lak611]

A priest is encouraged to celebrate Mass every day, they used to be required to do so.

I thought that every priest was required to offer a Mass daily, even if he did not have a congregation to hear the Mass. Has this changed?

 

[Melanie01]

Hi everyone. I am wanting to start a daily communion service (not a Mass) in my local church. How do I go about doing this? Also, what are the requirements for doing so? Any ideas on how I can convince my priest to allow this?

I am APPALLED…,next it will be a coin operated machine…what is wrong with having daily MASS with a PRIEST who is consecrated to the service of GOD.

I am so ANGRY my vision is going all red at the edges

 

[rayne89]

I am APPALLED…,next it will be a coin operated machine…what is wrong with having daily MASS with a PRIEST who is consecrated to the service of GOD.

I am so ANGRY my vision is going all red at the edges

What are you appalled about? The OP already tried for a daily Mass and the priest refused. Apparently he has now also refused a daily communion service.

 

[jmcrae]

I thought that every priest was required to offer a Mass daily, even if he did not have a congregation to hear the Mass. Has this changed?

I thought so, too. (I also thought that his first job was to provide the Sacraments, without regard for a numbers game. What is he so busy doing that is so much more important than saying Mass? If one person needs a Sacrament, he is supposed to provide it.)

 

[AJV]

I thought that every priest was required to offer a Mass daily, even if he did not have a congregation to hear the Mass. Has this changed?

No, it never was. I’s always been highly recommended, and, as you say, in extreme cases, OK without anyone but the priest. But it was never mandated.

 

[John_Lilburne]

According to the liturgical book “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass”:

"14. The faithful are to be led to the practice of receiving communion during the actual eucharist celebration.

Priests, however, are not to refuse to give communion to the faithful who for a legitimate reason ask for it even outside Mass.

In fact it is proper that those who are prevented from being present at the community’s celebration should be refreshed with the eucharist. In this way they may realize that they are united not only with the Lord’s sacrifice but also with the community itself and are supported by the love of their brothers and sisters.

Pastors should take care that the sick and the elderly be given the opportunity even if they are not gravely ill or in imminent danger of death, to receive the eucharist often, even daily, especially during the Easter season. It is lawful to minister communion under the form of wine to those who cannot receive the consecrated bread."

A PDF file of this liturgical book is downloaded by going to fargodiocese.org/EducationFormation/Evangelization/Eucharist/HolyCommunionAndEucharisticWorshipOutsideOfMass.pdf

So an approach to getting a Communion Service is to ask for Communion, referring to this liturgical book. Perhaps approach the bishop. Perhaps try to become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, so that you get do the ceremony.

 

[cue]

So an approach to getting a Communion Service is to ask for Communion, referring to this liturgical book. Perhaps approach the bishop. Perhaps try to become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, so that you get do the ceremony.

John, you make a good point. However, we must remember that Mass is more than receiving Holy Communion (You did not say it was, but I am just complementing your point). Mass fulfills the mandate “Do this in memory of me;” it is the Last Supper, the Sacrifice of Jesus on the cross made present to us and offered to the Father. At a communion service, none of this happens. Now, receiving Communion is definitely better than not receiving, but we must avoid seeing these services and a substitution or replacement for the Mass.
Holly, your situation is indicative of a real problem many places face today. It is a fact that the Church cannot function without the priesthood. We have the breakdown of providing the Sacraments because the priest is lacking (or lacking in desire to act like a priest–in our case, say Mass). A Communion service is not and cannot be a solution. It would be good if you were able to receive Communion, but the parish really needs the Mass.

 

[emsvetich]

I respectfully disagree with your comment, “Perhaps try to become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, so that you get do the ceremony.” There are too many EMHC used today even when priests are available. We have to get back to raising our eyes to Christ rather than moving in a horizontal direction to encompass even more of the community.The solution is not to further what, in many cases, has become an abuse. The ceremony (Mass) is the consecration of the Body and Blood of Christ, not the distribution of communion. Too many EMHC assume a mantle that is not part of their responsibility. In such a case as this, the best course of action would be to be persistent and go to the bishop with the request. Personally, I would not take no for an answer from my priest.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I respectfully disagree with your comment, “Perhaps try to become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, so that you get do the ceremony.” There are too many EMHC used today even when priests are available. We have to get back to raising our eyes to Christ rather than moving in a horizontal direction to encompass even more of the community.The solution is not to further what, in many cases, has become an abuse. The ceremony (Mass) is the consecration of the Body and Blood of Christ, not the distribution of communion. Too many EMHC assume a mantle that is not part of their responsibility. In such a case as this, the best course of action would be to be persistent and go to the bishop with the request. Personally, I would not take no for an answer from my priest.

Mass is the Rite within which the Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated.