Kneelers in your church - question

[MissRose73]

Does your church have them? Yes or no.

If not, would you like to see them added new or put back if they were available in the past?

My local parish does not have them but had them in the past. A few other local churches also had them but no longer. I would welcome a return to having kneelers to kneel on after the Sanctus is sung to the start of the Our Father then kneel again in preparation for Communion then praying after receiving Communion.

I have been to many older churches that still have them as I grew up with attending churches that did not have them at all.

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

We have a few individuals that kneel for communion in our Church. As a Eucharistic Minister, I’m directed to give them communion just like anyone else. The practice, however, is not encouraged.

 

[Incomplete]

We have a few individuals that kneel for communion in our Church. As a Eucharistic Minister, I’m directed to give them communion just like anyone else. The practice, however, is not encouraged.

I think the OP is talking about kneelers in the pew because she talks about kneeling during various parts of the Mass.

I have been to very few Catholic churches without kneelers. The parish I attend had them, but as the number of parishioners grew, we ultimately had to add chairs. We stopped kneeling during Mass because not everybody would be able to kneel. But our church was renovated to add enough pews and kneelers, so now we’re back to kneeling. For me, that was the best part of the renovation.

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

I think the OP is talking about kneelers in the pew because she talks about kneeling during various parts of the Mass.

I have been to very few Catholic churches without kneelers. The parish I attend had them, but as the number of parishioners grew, we ultimately had to add chairs. We stopped kneeling during Mass because not everybody would be able to kneel. But our church was renovated to add enough pews and kneelers, so now we’re back to kneeling. For me, that was the best part of the renovation.

D’oh! My apologies as I’ve misunderstood the question completely and my mind was back at the instructions we received from our parish priest. That’s quite a brain misfire on my part.

 

[Incomplete]

D’oh! My apologizies as I’ve misunderstood the question completely and my mind was back at the instructions we received from our parish priest. That’s quite a brain misfire on my part.

Laughing. I’m so glad I’m not the only one who has those days!

 

[sojo]

No kneelers in our parish. We only have lightly padded folding chairs. There’s no reception hall, so we have to break down the church for use for the occasional fund-raising or celebratory dinner.

I really wish we had kneelers! But even the folding chairs with kneelers option would remove too much seating from the tiny space.

Nobody kneels during the service except one guy who always sits in the front. The one time we all kneel during Good Friday service, inevitably someone either knocks over a bunch of chairs accidentally, or someone falls when they try to lean on the chair in front to get back up again. Or both at the same service.

Would LOVE kneelers, but it just isn’t going to happen for us!

 

[Elena_26]

Sorry you don’t have kneelers.
Look up Cardinal Francis Arinze and what he has to say about kneelers. There’s a video you can watch.
I know that not allowing the penitent to kneel, specially during the consecration is against the rubrics of the Mass.
How do people get around that? I guess we are blessed to have kneelers, or else we would be required to kneel on the floor.
It worries me that you say that it was difficult for you to find a parish with kneelers.
Lol I drive across town to go to a church with an altar rail and kneelers at the altar, so I understand your plight.
I will pray for you.

 

[jmjconder]

Kneelers or no kneelers…we knee regardless. We have attended Mass where there are no kneelers and it does not prevent our family from kneeling.

 

[sojo]

I imagine our church has some sort of dispensation. There is simply no room for kneelers as the church is too small. We were a mission church up until about 5 years ago, so the Bishop we had at that time had to come out and examine the building, go through our parish records, etc. and he passed on us to “graduate” from mission to regular parish. They’ve never be removed - just never had them.

Yeah, it does stink. I love kneelers.

 

[ibo]

We have a few individuals that kneel for communion in our Church. As a Eucharistic Minister, I’m directed to give them communion just like anyone else. The practice, however, is not encouraged.

Let’s give a little freedom to people

 

[ibo]

Does your church have them? Yes or no.

If not, would you like to see them added new or put back if they were available in the past?

My local parish does not have them but had them in the past. A few other local churches also had them but no longer. I would welcome a return to having kneelers to kneel on after the Sanctus is sung to the start of the Our Father then kneel again in preparation for Communion then praying after receiving Communion.

I have been to many older churches that still have them as I grew up with attending churches that did not have them at all.

Yes

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

Let’s give a little freedom to people

They’re not discouraged from the practice and we are absolutely forbidden to refuse them communion. However, the parish does not actively instruct people to kneel for communion. Regardless, I find such recipients very commendable in their dedication.

 

[Corki]

Does your church have them? Yes or no.

My parish doesn’t have them. The parish moved to a new building about 20 years ago. The old building had kneelers, the new one never did.

If not, would you like to see them added new or put back if they were available in the past?

I would love to see kneelers back. It would be much more comfortable.

I would welcome a return to having kneelers to kneel on after the Sanctus is sung to the start of the Our Father then kneel again in preparation for Communion then praying after receiving Communion.

Of course, we still kneel. No kneelers does not mean no kneeling. But we have some older people and people with bad knees that aren’t able to kneel now but might be able to if we had kneelers.

I have been to many older churches that still have them as I grew up with attending churches that did not have them at all.

Most of the Churches in this area - new and old - have kneelers. Our Church is an anomoly. The move was sudden and expensive. I think everyone thought they would be added later but there just hasn’t been the cash to do so yet.

 

[karow]

Does your church have them? Yes or no.

If not, would you like to see them added new or put back if they were available in the past?

My local parish does not have them but had them in the past. A few other local churches also had them but no longer. I would welcome a return to having kneelers to kneel on after the Sanctus is sung to the start of the Our Father then kneel again in preparation for Communion then praying after receiving Communion.

I have been to many older churches that still have them as I grew up with attending churches that did not have them at all.

I grew up on unpadded kneelers, and the church had stone floors. To this day the damp smell of Holy Water in a stone and brick church sends me right back to my childhood.

Anyway, one of my first lessons in Catholic school was learning to raise and lower the kneeler silently.

The parish I attend now has new fangled padded kneelers and the church is carpeted. Despite this, most parishioners manage to send their kneelers crashing up and down several times during Mass. I don’t get it; you pick the thing up and set it gently against the stopper. But no, you’d think there was a Who can Make the Most Noise with a Kneeler Contest going on. Bam! Bam! Bam!

grumbles like an old biddy

 

[PatriceA]

We have kneelers.

 

[MissRose73]

Unfortunately, not all remember about trying to be quiet when putting them down.

I just grit my teeth and bear it when it happens.

I grew up on unpadded kneelers, and the church had stone floors. To this day the damp smell of Holy Water in a stone and brick church sends me right back to my childhood.

Anyway, one of my first lessons in Catholic school was learning to raise and lower the kneeler silently.

The parish I attend now has new fangled padded kneelers and the church is carpeted. Despite this, most parishioners manage to send their kneelers crashing up and down several times during Mass. I don’t get it; you pick the thing up and set it gently against the stopper. But no, you’d think there was a Who can Make the Most Noise with a Kneeler Contest going on. Bam! Bam! Bam!

grumbles like an old biddy

 

[Brendan_McCabe]

You don’t need kneelers to kneel on, Catholics knelt without the use of kneelers at Mass for centuries, if it hurts your knees you could always take a cushion, I just kneel on the floor at my church.

We are required to kneel, and more to the point should want to kneel whether their are kneelers or not during the consecration though I have noticed Catholics in the US often don’t seem to care about this and show no recognition of the miracle that just took place on the altar during the consecration.

 

[Cider]

yes we have them. I find them difficult to use though as the angle is bad for my knees and back. I’m ok kneeling at the altar rail since I don’t have to kneel for long, but I kneel on the floor of the confessional instead of using the kneeler we have in the confessional box.

 

[marlap2]

We have kneelers too. I like them. And I try to kneel even in churches without them, unless of course, doing so causes some sort of division… the old “when in rome” situation.

Actually, yes, I remember when I was in Rome… some churches, no kneelers, just chairs… lots of standing… huh. interesting.

 

[Cider]

I have been to many older churches that still have them as I grew up with attending churches that did not have them at all.

I’ve never been in a Latin rite Catholic church that doesn’t have kneelers.