I saw something for the first time tonight

[Paxvobis]

Many times I’ve seen the Deacon or the Lay Eucharistic Minister give the blessing. Is this allowed or is the blessing reserved to the priest?

 

[Credo_in_Deum]

No, it’s a novelty. And sometimes novelties turn into liturgical abuses.

Rome writes the rubrics and approves them. We don’t.

Bingo! With children I don’t mind though because parents can’t just leave their kids unattended in the pews so if they have to bring them up they might as well get a blessing. Adults however are another story since they can make a spiritual communion from the pew. Not to mention it says “All who are called to the Lords Supper.” Those who are not able to receive have not been called.

I found a thread that was talking about this and what Eucharistic ministers should and should not do when approached by someone asking for a blessing.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=66986

 

[Corki]

Many times I’ve seen the Deacon or the Lay Eucharistic Minister give the blessing. Is this allowed or is the blessing reserved to the priest?

There is no apropriate blessing at this time. However, if a blessing is given, it can only be given by the priest or deacon (an ordained cleric). There is no such thing as a blessing by a lay EMHC.

 

[Corki]

I guess this question should really be posed to an apologist. After all, no matter how you feel about the subject, no poster here has the right to say what parishners can and can’t do (with regards to the OP). That’s kind of arrogant.

I see nothing wrong with it, but I also follow the rules once I know them as fact.

Actually, we do have the right to say what is or isn’t in accordance with the directives of the CDW. It’s not a matter of apologetics, it is liturgical directive.

 

[AntiqueCatholic]

I think it’s to do with a buffet mentality: “Everyone must get something”. If you want a blessing, you get one at the end of Mass or you can ask a priest for one, outside of Mass.

Communion is for the receipt of Communion.

 

[CatholicFireman]

And what do you think of this letter?

I’m sorry, I should have clarified. When I said rules, I didn’t mean something a poster posted on CAF. That’s like taking Wikipedia as fact. It may be true, but let’s face it. We have no idea if something a regular poster posts is fact or not.

This is not intended as a smite to that poster.

By the way, good luck on your road to Catholicism.

 

[formerlysure]

I would preffer that those who are not taking communion remain in their pew and that, as was done for many years, there’s nothing special done for children at communion time.

Some might think that’s not very nice to the kids but frankly, our kids need to be taught reverence and that not everything is about themselves. When I was at mass this past weekend, I was really disappointed by a few things I observed and realized, we’ve, as a society generally - not just in church and not just Catholics - really gotten lazy about teaching our children.

Communion is for those who have made the sacrament of first communion. For little children, who want to participate, the answer is, “When you’re a big girl/boy you will learn about communion and you will get to participate for the first time. It will be a very, very special day for our whole family.” Let the kids have this to look forward to and until then, they are not included but can observe and look forward to being included one day. We don’t have to come up with some replacement gesture or blessing in the interim.

It’s ok for children to be bored in church, too. I feel it’s very inappropriate beyond perhaps the age of 2 for parents to be bringing toys (and especially snacks) and books and other distractions - their cell phones, game boys and whatnot - to church to entertain the kids. Kids today can act like real brats when they are bored or made to wait or put someone else’s needs ahead of their own for five minutes and it’s because we are teaching them to be that way. We hand them crayons or toys the moment they sit down at a restaurant. We give every kid at the birthday party a present and prizes. We can’t have a contest in school unless every child wins. It’s a terrible disservice to the kids.

I would truly like to see a movement in the Church where parents say, “no toys in church”, where there’s a return to reverence generally but particularly for communion and where we go back to some basic standards of behavior at all ages. Is it really so hard for a parent to say, “dear, you can’t wear that tank top and those booty shorts to church - it’s totally inappropriate.” Or to say to their son, “no, you cannot dye your hair green and get a mohawk or pierce your nose - it’s not appropriate for church, and church is the most important place you go all week. Leave that look for other people.” Or to tell the kids, “we are going to your aunt’s house to visit - it’s rude to bring our own entertainment - keeping company with her IS the entertainment so leave the gameboys in the car”. We are so affraid of saying no to our kids or letting them be bored for five minutes, or letting them learn how to participate in a conversation. They need to learn patience, and that some times are not for them - that they do not have to be always accomodated in some way. The simple lesson of, “hey, this isn’t about you” has been totally lost and it shows in the behavior of our kids. The perfect place to bring this back is church - “Hey, this is about Jesus - we’re in his house, in His praise and we’re here to listen, learn, and be together as a family - it does not have to be fun and entertaining because that’s not what this time is about.”

 

[maryjk]

Bingo! With children I don’t mind though because parents can’t just leave their kids unattended in the pews so if they have to bring them up they might as well get a blessing. Adults however are another story since they can make a spiritual communion from the pew. Not to mention it says “All who are called to the Lords Supper.” Those who are not able to receive have not been called.

I agree. I always think that it is funny that others say, “just stay in the pew.” Sorry, when my son was little, he needed to come up with me. I wasn’t leaving him alone, in the pew. The first time I did it at a church I was visiting, the priest blessed him. I had no idea what was going on, because our home parish didn’t do it.

Now, it seems to be common practice for all children going up with their parents.

 

[isaiah_m]

They shouldn’t be encouraged. The Church actually discourages the practice. The blessing given is the blessing of the priest, not of the true presence. There is no more reverence involved in approaching the priest in the Communion line then adoring the Eucharistic from one’s pew or saying an act of Spiritual Communion.

From a strictly practical standpoint, it causes confusion in many parishes. Since only clergy can give blessings, it means that people wanting a blessing at Communion time end up line jumping in order to get in the line with the priest/deacon.

re the blessing: I asked the priest after mass Sunday. He said the blessings by a priest are as “alter Christi” both in the communion line and at the end of the Mass and are not just a blessing by the priest.

I agree EHMC’s are not to give a blessing at any time in regard to the Mass as they are not “alter Christi”.When I was EHMC we were not allowed to offer anything other than the host or the cup, and any form of intinction, especially by the communicant, was prohibited for us. Even when conducting a Communion Service, a blessing may not be given by a lay person. They close by leading the sign of the cross for themselves and others doing the same for themselves if they so desire.

The priest also said the GIRM is not all inclusive as to what is permitted. He believes it is accepted in our Archdiocese.

The supporting letter cited is only a reference to EHMC’s and not the priest, unless I have missed something in the letter and the response.

Isaiah M

 

[Neildown]

I’ve done this before when I was in a state of mortal sin. When in mortal sin it is wrong to receive Communion, so a blessing is kind of the next best thing I suppose. It is also a humbling thing, as there usually isn’t anyone else doing it.

 

[Allegra]

I’ve gotten so used to seeing this practice, I’ve always just assumed it was what was supposed to be done.

 

[Paxvobis]

I remember when I was in Catholic school (about five years ago) they told us that if we didn’t receive Holy Communion, we weren’t supposed to stay kneeling or seated but had to go forward and receive the blessing.

I guess the opposite is true.

 

[Phemie]

The supporting letter cited is only a reference to EHMC’s and not the priest, unless I have missed something in the letter and the response.

Isaiah M

You’ve missed these two items:

1. The Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, n. 84, “forbids any pastor, for whatever reason to pretext even of a pastoral nature, to perform ceremonies of any kind for divorced people who remarry.” To be feared is that any form of blessing in substitution for communion would give the impression that the divorced and remarried have been returned, in some sense, to the status of Catholics in good standing.

1. In a similar way, for others who are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in accord with the norm of law, (that includes children under the age of reason) the Church’s discipline has already made clear that they should not approach Holy Communion nor receive a blessing. This would include non-Catholics and those envisaged in can. 915 (i.e., those under the penalty of excommunication or interdict, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin)

Number 5 specifically says that most of those who are normally invited to come up for this blessing are specifically those who shouldn’t be doing this: those who are not Catholic, those who are not in a state of grace, those who due to their marital status can not receive Communion.

 

[Phemie]

I’ve gotten so used to seeing this practice, I’ve always just assumed it was what was supposed to be done.

I’ve lived all over Canada over the last 37 years and I’ve never been in a parish where this was normally done by the parishioners. Today, I see an occasional person going up, mostly visitors or a child who’s been visiting another parish and has brought back the practice here.

A former pastor never conferred a blessing on a child in the Communion line. This caused one mother to complain bitterly that she had to ask for the blessing and that blessings for a child should be automatic. There was no point telling her that that was against what the Church taught, because in her former parish it had been the norm and our priest was just being unpastoral.