How to receive?

[MagdalenaRita]

But that doesn’t make them appear fully ordained and ready to serve.

True.

So, what do you do in the meantime? In other words, what do we do today ?

I don’t have the answer to that except pray and fast for more priest. Consider observing the Ember days which traditionally has been days that the Church would pray for more priests.

Near us we have novenas offered up for priests and women’s apostolates that spend their time specifically praying for priests but also one thing that recently came to my attention was the need to combine Masses as much as parishes could, so to have fewer Masses on the weekend which would free priests up to do other things. Many times at parishes there are 3 - 4 or more Masses at a parish on the weekend and many are just half full. This makes for a horrible busy day for a priest. If the parish has fewer but fuller Masses, he has more time to help out other priests.

 

[maryjk]

I don’t have the answer to that except pray and fast for more priest. Consider observing the Ember days which traditionally has been days that the Church would pray for more priests.

You may be missing my point.

My comment was to someone that indicated that these “multiple priests” should be “on hand” to administer communion.

Where are these “multiple priests” suppose to come from?

 

[MagdalenaRita]

ou may be missing my point.

My comment was to someone that indicated that these “multiple priests” should be “on hand” to administer communion.

Where are these “multiple priests” suppose to come from?

I clearly understood your point, which is why I said to combine Masses to free priests up so they could help each other.

 

[maryjk]

Sounds like a plan. Now, where do the parishioners sit?

Maybe at your parish there are plenty of empty seats and extra priests just waiting in the wings, doing nothing.

But here, for many masses, there is standing room only. And for those that aren’t, there certainly isn’t enough room to squeeze all the people from another mass in.

In other words, there are no easy answers. We have to made due with what we have. And making due may include extraordinary ministers.

 

[MagdalenaRita]

Sounds like a plan. Now, where do the parishioners sit?

So, I think you missed my point. If the Mass is already full then of course you don’t combine the Masses, unless it is an absolute necessity. I said in my first comment that you combine the ones that are not full.

This isn’t just happening at my parish but I have heard other priests saying they are combining Masses so they are not saying one Mass for a half full parish and then a couple of hours later another Mass for a half full parish.

As more and more Catholics, sadly, are leaving the Church many Masses are not quite full and can be combined. This lightens the load of the priest and allows priests to work together and help each other out.

It is difficult though because usually the priest prefers an early Mass and parishioners are complaining about having to get up early in the morning due to not having the choice of a later Mass.

In other words, there are no easy answers. We have to made due with what we have. And making due may include extraordinary ministers.

I agree there aren’t easy answer but I do feel that extraordinary ministers should be that “extraordinary”. In other words, used very rarely. Perhaps more deacons can be used and also perhaps just not rushing through communion. Priests had been the only ones giving communion for many many years before.

 

[paperwight]

And where are the deacons to come from? it is a vocation not something to take up at short notice. They have to feel it is the right path for them, as it is a huge commitment in terms of study. 5 years or more, I believe.

 

[MagdalenaRita]

And where are the deacons to come from? it is a vocation not something to take up at short notice. They have to feel it is the right path for them, as it is a huge commitment in terms of study. 5 years or more, I believe.

As I said earlier, pray to the Lord of the Harvest as Jesus said to do. Observe the traditional Ember days, fasting and praying for priests.

Plus, sometimes deacons get passed over and are not used as they should be.

 

[maryjk]

I agree there aren’t easy answer but I do feel that extraordinary ministers should be that “extraordinary”. In other words, used very rarely

Pretty sure that you know that the meaning of extraordinary doesn’t always mean rarely. And I’m pretty sure that you don’t want it to when speaking of the Extraordinary Form.

 

[MagdalenaRita]

Pretty sure that you know that the meaning of extraordinary doesn’t always mean rarely. And I’m pretty sure that you don’t want it to when speaking of the Extraordinary Form.

Agree. I didn’t say the words are synonyms but that extraordinary ministers are not to be used always:

Extraordinary ministers may distribute Holy Communion at eucharistic celebrations only when there are no ordained ministers present or when those ordained ministers present at a liturgical celebration are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion.(99) They may also exercise this function at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...ocuments/rc_con_interdic_doc_15081997_en.html

In this case, the word extraordinary carries a different meaning, such as not always allowed. That is different than the way the word extraordinary is used in reference to the TLM.