Well, see, this only happens at daily mass (where there are never more than 10 people). On Sunday masses, everything is done correctly (I think
). So it wouldn’t be a problem of meeting my Sunday obligation, it would just suck because now I cannot go to Thursday mass (at least for now), which really helped me with my scrupulosity.
That’s good about Sundays. My view as to weekday Masses is, you aren’t in change of other people’s behavior. The illicit practice will go on whether or not you’re there, and you’ve already made clear that you don’t approve of it.
So I write a letter? Would I email it or send it through carrier? See the thing is, I’ve never even done this before, so I have no idea how to contact the bishop, or what to write in the letter
Should I include the standing around the altar as well, even though this is not grave matter?
Yes, you would write a
letter-letter, on paper. You look up the street address of the diocese on their website, it’ll generally be at the bottom of the page or else a link called “Contact” or somesuch. Address the letter
His Excellency John Q. Doe [or, if he is a Cardinal, His Eminence John Q. Doe]
Bishop [or Archbishop]
[Arch]Diocese of Yourlocation
123 Streetly Blvd.
City, ST 01234
Begin, “Your Excellency [or Your Eminence]:” Then just say what you have to say in a few factual paragraphs. An example might be:
Your Excellency:
Greetings in Christ. I am a student at the University of Anytown in your diocese, and a frequent massgoer at the daily Mass celebrated at our Newman Center. As a lifelong Catholic, I am very thankful that these facilities and these Masses are available to strengthen and enrich my faith. However, I am disturbed at the method by which communion is given at these daily Masses: the chalice and the ciborium are passed around the room, from communicant to communicant, with each person expected to self-communicate and then hand the sacred vessels along to another.
Please direct this practice to be ended. It always struck me as unusual and problematic, so I looked into the matter and found confirmation: Paragraph 160 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal expressly provides, “The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them from one to another.” The recent instruction
Redemptionis Sacramentum, given in 2004 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, amplifies that the practice is not to be tolerated:
94. It is not licit for the faithful “to take . . . by themselves . . . and, still less, to hand . . . from one to another” the sacred host or the sacred chalice. Moreover, in this regard, the abuse is to be set aside whereby spouses administer Holy Communion to each other at a Nuptial Mass.
Most troubling to me is the determination, in Paragraph 173 of
Redemptionis Sacramentum, that a violation in this respect “puts at risk the validity and dignity of the Most Holy Eucharist” and is “objectively to be considered among grave matters.” My experience may be limited, but I feel confident that the practice of passing Holy Communion around the room cannot be left to the individual discretion of a celebrant, and that it should be ended wherever it exists.
As you may know, Father Freespirit usually celebrates the daily Mass at our Anytown Newman Center, and he is responsible for continuing the practice I have described, which happens at every weekday Mass I have seen him celebrate there – at least thirty as of this date. The only exception was on May 15, when I asked Father Freespirit before Mass if I could receive Communion directly from him; on that day, he distributed communion himself and, at his request, I served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Cup. The next day, however, he reverted to the pass-around method of distribution. Accordingly, I spoke more plainly about these concerns to Father Freespirit on May 17, showing him the portion of
Redemptionis Sacramentum above. He explained that he believes the prohibited practice to be common “in Rome,” that our Newman Center presents special circumstances, and that he would not stop distributing Holy Communion by passing the sacred vessels around the room to allow each person to self-communicate.
Having evaluated the situation to the best of my ability, and having prayed about it, I hope I am not out of line to ask you to use your authority as Ordinary of our diocese to end this “grave matter” which “puts at risk the validity and dignity of the Most Holy Eucharist.” If I can provide further information, please contact me at my address above, by email at
pcg2@anytown.edu, or by telephone at (212) 867-5309. I have also shown this letter to Father Freespirit before sending it and given him a copy. Your Excellency, I have the honor to be
Sincerely yours,
PCG2.
Hmm, didn’t mean to write the whole thing, but I got carried away. Use as much of it as you see fit, but please adjust all the facts so that they are true
