Is kneeling for Communion at an OF allowed?

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I myself nearly tripped over the guy last week. Another day, he missed kicking my shins by about 2", and I was in the other line!

Since then, he’s taken to putting his feet out at about 45° from the line. I don’t know if it’s because someone else talked to him, or he noticed his own hazard factor.
some people need to learn proper spacing
i’ve had people run into my bum when i bow. good thing they don’t hit me hard enough to tip me over, i might hit the priest and trigger an unfortunate chain of events.
 
At my parish we receive kneeling and on the tongue. There is no congestion and it goes very smoothly. We only have one aisle, and yet there are no problems. Before the changes to receive standing I don’t believe there were problems either. Of couse since they removed the altar rails that does cause a problem. This was probably done to make it more difficult to kneel and enforce standing as the norm.

The Holy Father only distributes Holy Communion to those kneeling and on the tongue, that should tell us what he who sits on the Chair of Peter feels about receiving in the hand and standing.

People don’t like change, I attend a more traditional parish and see much reverence there, where when I attend other parishes I see disrespect for the Eucharist, much talking in loud voices and running around the church talking to your friends. There is none of this at my parish. People come from all over just to attend an OF Mass, when they live almost next door to their own parish.

Catholics today know only what they have experienced these past 40 years and who is to say that things might again change to a more traditional way of practicing the faith.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette
 
some people need to learn proper spacing
i’ve had people run into my bum when i bow. good thing they don’t hit me hard enough to tip me over, i might hit the priest and trigger an unfortunate chain of events.
Yes, as I said in a previous post this has happened to me too. Is there really a need to stand so close to the person in front of you?
 
Yes, as I said in a previous post this has happened to me too. Is there really a need to stand so close to the person in front of you?
One would be very hard pressed to find anything in the Vatican or Vatican II documents where this kind of reception was mandated.
 
Yes, as I said in a previous post this has happened to me too. Is there really a need to stand so close to the person in front of you?
maybe i should wear a t-shirt that says at the back, “keep back 5-feet” 😃
 
All of this discussion would be solved if we simply re-universalized Alter Rails (i.e. made them absolutely mandatory in every church and chapel) where for those who it would be best to remain standing, say, for aged or health reasons (knee surgery, arthritis, &c).

As a opinion piece, I also might add that this would allow us to recieve in the Byzantine fashion with head tilted back and not only on the tongue. Revival of alter rails is altogether embracing of the multiple Catholic-cultures. Local norms for standing only inhibits cultural indentities by introduces and stomping on universal familiarities we rightly should expect to be in place.
 
We live in such a fast-paced, multi-tasking society, that many people automatically try to be efficient and make things move as fast as they can. This morning, I had several people pass me at +15 over the speed limit, to get up to a red light to stop. I think the same mentality takes over at Mass–we’re in such a rush, why can’t the person in front pick up the pace a bit? :rolleyes: And the horrors, if the person should take an extra 1.3 seconds of my time by genuflecting or kneeling! Don’t they know I’m right here behind them? :rolleyes:

If there is congestion during communion, I would suggest that the solution is to slow down. Shouldn’t the area right in front of the priest or EMHC be empty and clear of traffic, except for the communicant? Can’t we wait an extra heartbeat for our brother or sister to finish receiving the Lord (in whichever manner) and not run them over?

It is so difficult to detach from the constant noise of the world and focus on God. Kneeling is a way I try to slow down, detach from the world, and concentrate on the sacred.
 
All of this discussion would be solved if we simply re-universalized Alter Rails (i.e. made them absolutely mandatory in every church and chapel) where for those who it would be best to remain standing, say, for aged or health reasons (knee surgery, arthritis, &c).

As a opinion piece, I also might add that this would allow us to recieve in the Byzantine fashion with head tilted back and not only on the tongue. Revival of alter rails is altogether embracing of the multiple Catholic-cultures. Local norms for standing only inhibits cultural indentities by introduces and stomping on universal familiarities we rightly should expect to be in place.
wouldn’t it be hard to receive standing over the communion rail? the priest would need to extend his hand further and the commnicant would need to bend forwards. i think this increases the chances the Precious Body of Christ would be dropped

as for the Byzantine Rite, don’t forget they receive standing, and they tilt their heads backward for the golden spoon so there is no necessity to put it inside one’s mouth. but the instruction for the Latin Rite is already to tilt the head backwards a bit. its not always easy to follow this, especially if you’re a tall person and the eucharistic minister is shorter than you are
 
We live in such a fast-paced, multi-tasking society, that many people automatically try to be efficient and make things move as fast as they can. This morning, I had several people pass me at +15 over the speed limit, to get up to a red light to stop. I think the same mentality takes over at Mass–we’re in such a rush, why can’t the person in front pick up the pace a bit? :rolleyes: And the horrors, if the person should take an extra 1.3 seconds of my time by genuflecting or kneeling! Don’t they know I’m right here behind them? :rolleyes:

If there is congestion during communion, I would suggest that the solution is to slow down. Shouldn’t the area right in front of the priest or EMHC be empty and clear of traffic, except for the communicant? Can’t we wait an extra heartbeat for our brother or sister to finish receiving the Lord (in whichever manner) and not run them over?

It is so difficult to detach from the constant noise of the world and focus on God. Kneeling is a way I try to slow down, detach from the world, and concentrate on the sacred.
i too believe that we should be one big step (i’m a big person so my one big step might be two medium ones for others) behind the person receiving. but i don’t thing there’s any formal instruction to do so
 
All of this discussion would be solved if we simply re-universalized Alter Rails (i.e. made them absolutely mandatory in every church and chapel) where for those who it would be best to remain standing, say, for aged or health reasons (knee surgery, arthritis, &c).
That would be ideal. I’ve seen some split altar rails where those who can’t kneel can receive standing but at least they won’t be standing in a bread line.
 
Kneeling is discouraged at both churches I frequent for two reasons:
Kneeling causes a significant disruption in the flow of communicants and can even cause the next in line to stumble over the kneeler,
Kneeling places the communicant in an awkward position for the administration of the host.

I can understand the first reason since I walk with a cane and it would startle me if the person ahead suddenly knelt, not so sure about reason two. Our recommended practice has been to genuflect in or at one’s pew before proceeding up the aisle.
I have kneeled at every OF Mass in this Diocese without it ever being mentioned. In fact, I say a little prayer to let God allow me to be an example. I have seen others perform same after some time at seeing me do it. Reverence and how to properly show it is the key. The older Priests understand. Most people who know me understand and are aware if they are behind me. If anything, I am waiting fo rthose folks who seemed to wait in line for the chalice after the body of our Lord and Savior. That holds the line up.
 
some people need to learn proper spacing
i’ve had people run into my bum when i bow. good thing they don’t hit me hard enough to tip me over, i might hit the priest and trigger an unfortunate chain of events.
2.5 feet back should be enough space; it wasn’t.

It’s not just spacing.

It’s also that the person who opts to kneel for communion where there is no prie dieu nor rail needs to remain aware of those both in front and in back of them, and to a lesser degree, beside them, while the person receiving standing needs only to remain aware of the person in front of them.

The US norm, while not deprecating the universal norm, is an adaptation to the general lack of facilities for kneeling reception in US parishes.

I’ve never been refused communion on the tongue, and have only seen a handful refused communion, ever… but those were individuals who were publicly unfit. (A pro-abortion politician, a politician excommunicated for public advocacy of female priests, a Baptist minister, a few other similar cases.)
 
when we use the term “universal”, shouldn’t it mean the entire Church? all 6 rites included? if thats the case, then standing IS the universal norm. since its a common practice now in the Latin Church, as well as the norm in the other rites (please correct me if i’m wrong)

i just think using “universal” is too strong a word and using it to refer only to the Latin Church is a bit misleading. i mean, Catholic should mean “universal”, right? so how can you use “universal” and just mean only one part of the entire Church, even though its the biggest part its still not the whole and thus not “universal”
 
If you want COTT, kneeling, just make an arrangement with your priest(s). They should be happy to accomodate you. You can do it, then, in your own good time. Problem solved.
 
At my Latin Rite Traditional church everybody kneels unless using a walker or wheelchair.
Everyone moves at a pace that is reverent. Parents bring their babies and children with
them to the communion rail.
A second priest steps in at communion to help distribute the host.
Having never had children I am blessed to see the children every Sunday.
reindeer
 
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