Human chain at Our Father

[a83192]

For the record my parish used the new missal today.

My main problem is that at the our father all the Eucharistic Ministers and lectors formed a human chain at the altar holding hands with the priest in the middle holding hands too.

Is this abuse?

 

[jimrob]

It’s not the norm, but it is fairly common. I came across it at Lourdes and one of the participants was a Cardinal. It’s also popular with the Charismatic movement. I find it all rather silly, but I doubt whether it’s an excommunicable offence.

 

[mburn16]

its more and more common here in the US. Every church I’ve ever gone to, the congregation joined hands, even if they were unrelated. Many parishes, including my home parish, also have people shuffle into the aisles to complete the “chain” (though we have mass in the round, so it makes this a little more practical).

 

[LilHomemaker]

For the record my parish used the new missal today.

My main problem is that at the our father all the Eucharistic Ministers and lectors formed a human chain at the altar holding hands with the priest in the middle holding hands too.

Is this abuse?

I’ve never seen it happen at the altar but there is one parish that I attended only twice where the faithful formed one big human chain. I’m not sure if everyone wanted to, it’s just the priest told them to.

:sad_yes: sigh. It is not my preference.

 

[mdecleene]

For the record my parish used the new missal today.

My main problem is that at the our father all the Eucharistic Ministers and lectors formed a human chain at the altar holding hands with the priest in the middle holding hands too.

Is this abuse?

This is clearly liturgical abuse and the pastor should be called out immediately with a discussion or letter and then to the bishop if nothing is done. It is one thing for the assembly to do it but quite another for the super-duper-extraordinary-extra-special Eucharist ministers, lectors and cantors to do this. My guess is that this was conjured up by the liturgy committee and the pastor is scared to challenge them or even attend one of the liturgy meetings.

The gesture is not found anywhere in the rubrics of the Mass. It is protestanized nonsense and needs to stop.

Save the liturgy, save the world.

Pax.

 

[Elizium23]

The real abuse was that these laypeople approached the altar before the priest had finished communicating. The people must remain in their pews during the Lord’s Prayer, during the Agnus Dei, and wait until after the priest has received from the chalice before they approach the altar - and the only ones to approach at that time should be EMHCs, not lectors.

 

[fall_fox]

For the record my parish used the new missal today.

My main problem is that at the our father all the Eucharistic Ministers and lectors formed a human chain at the altar holding hands with the priest in the middle holding hands too.

Is this abuse?

What are the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion doing up in the Sanctuary at that time? They are not to be there until after the Priest receives Holy Communion. The Lectors ? ? ?

 

[fall_fox]

This is clearly liturgical abuse and the pastor should be called out immediately with a discussion or letter and then to the bishop if nothing is done. It is one thing for the assembly to do it but quite another for the super-duper-extraordinary-extra-special Eucharist ministers, lectors and cantors to do this. My guess is that this was conjured up by the liturgy committee and the pastor is scared to challenge them or even attend one of the liturgy meetings.

The gesture is not found anywhere in the rubrics of the Mass. It is protestanized nonsense and needs to stop.

Save the liturgy, save the world.

fall fox

I dislike anything of this nature because I feel that the belief in the real presents of Christ in the Eucharist is weak in a lot of Catholics at this time. Something like this takes on a feeling of being very important, and maybe to some, more important than the Holy Eucharist.

 

[trinichiqn]

What are the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion doing up in the Sanctuary at that time? They are not to be there until after the Priest receives Holy Communion. The Lectors ? ? ?

In some parishes the everyone is off to the side of the Alter during the Mass. I am one who loves holding hands during the Our Father. Our last Archbishop did it, he was Archbishop since before I was born so I grew up with it and our current Archbishop does it and he is an American, he holds holds with who ever is up at the Altar.

 

[markomalley]

For the record my parish used the new missal today.

My main problem is that at the our father all the Eucharistic Ministers and lectors formed a human chain at the altar holding hands with the priest in the middle holding hands too.

Is this abuse?

The Roman Missal says:

1. After the chalice and paten have been set down, the Priest, with hands joined, says:

At the Savior’s command
and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:

He extends his hands and, together with the people, continues:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.​

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states:

1. In the distribution of Communion the Priest may be assisted by other Priests who happen to be present. If such Priests are not present and there is a truly large number of communicants, the Priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist him, that is, duly instituted acolytes or even other faithful who have been duly deputed for this purpose.[96] In case of necessity, the Priest may depute suitable faithful for this single occasion.[97]

These ministers should not approach the altar before the Priest has received Communion, and they are always to receive from the hands of the Priest Celebrant the vessel containing the species of the Most Holy Eucharist for distribution to the faithful.

Bottom line: the celebrant should be having his hands in the “Orans” position during the Our Father, not grabbing somebody else’s hand. The extraordinary ministers have no business anywhere near the altar until after the priest has “communicated.”

 

[thistle]

What are the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion doing up in the Sanctuary at that time? They are not to be there until after the Priest receives Holy Communion. The Lectors ? ? ?

The GIRM states they should not approach the altar before the priest has received Communion.
It does not state they cannot be in the Sanctuary.

 

[callmeChris]

luckily at another parish that I sometimes go to, there aren’t 10 (over-exaggeration I know ) ‘‘eucharistic ministers’’ forming one big kumbaya circle around the sanctuary or altar. If you ask me, everyone is a little too concerned with making the new mass look ‘passionate’ and as some sort of community bonding experience with all these ‘crafty’ things. I know a church near by my block that does the same thing. Only a matter of time before everyone starts walking up and down the parish with their hands in the air preforming ‘healings’ :twocents:

 

[fall_fox]

The GIRM states they should not approach the altar before the priest has received Communion.
It does not state they cannot be in the Sanctuary.

FALL FOX

This is the thought I was trying to convey. By Sanitary, I meant up around the Alter. Do we have a word that defines “around the Alter”?

 

[a83192]

so what should I do?

They all went up to the altar. They were in the sanctuary for the whole mass the lectors and Extraordinary ministers.

 

[thistle]

FALL FOX

This is the thought I was trying to convey. By Sanitary, I meant up around the Alter. Do we have a word that defines “around the Alter”?

I shouldn’t think so.
In my parish Church the EMHC’s stand outside the Sanctuary and do not approach until the priest has received Communion then beckons them. However, in many other Churches I see the EMHC’s standing in the Sanctuary but at the side away from the altar.

 

[fall_fox]

I shouldn’t think so.
In my parish Church the EMHC’s stand outside the Sanctuary and do not approach until the priest has received Communion then beckons them. However, in many other Churches I see the EMHC’s standing in the Sanctuary but at the side away from the altar.

fall fox

When we had the Communion Rail it was easy to identify exactly what was the Sanctuary. In my Parish, I would identify as the Sanctuary anything that is on the raised area which is semi-circled in shape. It has three steps to arrive on the area where the main Alter, the smaller Tabernacle Alter directly behind and ambo is located.

 

[fall_fox]

I am used to being around Pastors that are orthodox, I can’t say that any more. It is like the priests pick and choose what they want to obey from the General Instructions of the Roman Missal. They treat the GIRM like a smörgåsbord where they can pick and choose what they will do and what they will not do because they see a bigger picture, in the scheme of things does it matter if they are using glass vessels, doe it matter that there is a EMHC that should not be one, whats the big whoop if there is a crowd surrounding the Alter for the Our Father, how about Father walking all around the Church giving the sign of peace with Jesus Christ on the Alter in the Holy Eucharist, Lets all bow instead of genuflecting oh I know it is permitted but wouldn’t it be nice to see your Priest have genuine devotion to the Holy Eucharist, lets do the Purification Rite in the back room instead of on the alter yeah I know it’s permitted.

I am so frustrated as to how sloppy the Catholic Church is today, if you can’t see what is wrong you must be a young person that has never experienced what the Catholic Church was. Nothing wrong with being young but you have been gypped out of your heritage. I have strong hopes for the revised Mass but on the first day we used it our Paster was absent, again.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

Our bishop and many of our priests have discouraged the practice of holding hands at the Our Father, but many people continue to do it in a spirit of defiance. In our parish, the EM’s do not come into the sanctuary until the altar bell rings when priest has received the Precious Blood.

 

[thistle]

I am used to being around Pastors that are orthodox, I can’t say that any more. It is like the priests pick and choose what they want to obey from the General Instructions of the Roman Missal. They treat the GIRM like a smörgåsbord where they can pick and choose what they will do and what they will not do because they see a bigger picture, in the scheme of things does it matter if they are using glass vessels, doe it matter that there is a EMHC that should not be one, whats the big whoop if there is a crowd surrounding the Alter for the Our Father, how about Father walking all around the Church giving the sign of peace with Jesus Christ on the Alter in the Holy Eucharist, Lets all bow instead of genuflecting oh I know it is permitted but wouldn’t it be nice to see your Priest have genuine devotion to the Holy Eucharist, lets do the Purification Rite in the back room instead of on the alter yeah I know it’s permitted.

I am so frustrated as to how sloppy the Catholic Church is today, if you can’t see what is wrong you must be a young person that has never experienced what the Catholic Church was. Nothing wrong with being young but you have been gypped out of your heritage. I have strong hopes for the revised Mass but on the first day we used it our Paster was absent, again.

But in this case the GIRM does not state EMHC’s must remain outside the Sanctuary until after the priest has received Communion. It states they must not approach the altar. These are two different things.

 

[wisdomseeker]

The Roman Missal says:

1. After the chalice and paten have been set down, the Priest, with hands joined, says:

At the Savior’s command
and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:

He extends his hands and, together with the people, continues:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.​

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states:

1. In the distribution of Communion the Priest may be assisted by other Priests who happen to be present. If such Priests are not present and there is a truly large number of communicants, the Priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist him, that is, duly instituted acolytes or even other faithful who have been duly deputed for this purpose.[96] In case of necessity, the Priest may depute suitable faithful for this single occasion.[97]

These ministers should not approach the altar before the Priest has received Communion, and they are always to receive from the hands of the Priest Celebrant the vessel containing the species of the Most Holy Eucharist for distribution to the faithful.

Bottom line: the celebrant should be having his hands in the “Orans” position during the Our Father, not grabbing somebody else’s hand. The extraordinary ministers have no business anywhere near the altar until after the priest has “communicated.”

Well, in the Church I go to, all the extra ordinaries ministries run to te Sanctuary even before the Eucharist prayer and priest take the Host. obviously they have been told by the priest to do so. I dont like but that is what they do. the priest always hold the hands of the girls and boys during our Father. dont like that either.