Let's start a thread on what our parishes are doing right.

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Mjohn1453

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Instead of focusing so much on the negative. I want to start a thread with things that our parishes are doing right in the hopes that other parishes might get some ideas to implement.

To start off

This is done at my Catholic university

Every so often, usually during May or on a Marian feast, we have a Marian procession through campus with the people that are attending daily Mass. Seeing a hundred or so people being lead through campus along with several vested priests is a great witness to the campus and the neighbors.
 
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Mjohn1453:
Instead of focusing so much on the negative. I want to start a thread with things that our parishes are doing right in the hopes that other parishes might get some ideas to implement.

To start off

This is done at my Catholic university

Every so often, usually during May or on a Marian feast, we have a Marian procession through campus with the people that are attending daily Mass. Seeing a hundred or so people being lead through campus along with several vested priests is a great witness to the campus and the neighbors.
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We finally replaced our wine glasses and glass candy dishes with the correct sacred vessels for Holy Communion. This despite assurances from the “liturgy coordinator” that we would never have gold sacred vessels…
 
When the TLM fold receive communion at the N.O., they go over to the rail and kneel. Pastor can’t formally encourage it but he suggested that if we did it, others would follow suit.

Ya know what? They are!
 
Pretty much nothing at any of the parishes I am close enough to attend. But if the three of you who have replied so far could send some help my way, I’d appreciate it.
 
Notice I chose my example from my school. I am trying to find ideas for my parish too.
 
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PASCENDI:
When the TLM fold receive communion at the N.O., they go over to the rail and kneel. Pastor can’t formally encourage it but he suggested that if we did it, others would follow suit.

Ya know what? They are!
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Are you folks happy about the confusion you intentionally caused, the worry you put into the other parishioners’ minds about whether their reception of Communion was “holy enough”?

Pastor should be educating his flock about what the norms are, not secretly encouraging “the TLM fold” to do otherwise. I thought part of the deal of the Indult was that the practices and norms of the N.O. had to be upheld as valid and sufficient.
 
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Mjohn1453:
Instead of focusing so much on the negative. I want to start a thread with things that our parishes are doing right in the hopes that other parishes might get some ideas to implement.
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:amen:

Our parish had a beautiful program regarding the Divine Mercy over the Easter season. It was well done and went into great detail on the life of Saint Faustina and her visions.

Then after the program our pastor held confiessions which tied in nicely with the messege.
 
At St. Mary’s by the Sea in Hunington Beach, the used to have a 12 pm Traditional Latin Mass. The rest of the Masses were English Novus Ordo Missae.

For their English Masses:
-The altar rails were in use and everyone knelt for communion
-Communion in hand is looked down upon but allowed by the associate pastor but gave a warning that the Sacred Host should be treated with the upmost respect and no Sacred Host particles should be left on the hand and that people must be free of mortal sin. The main pastor never gave Communion-in-hand in his life.
-Has one of the most excellent catechising programs.
-Homeschooling network
-encourage modesty, has a sign outside the door requesting people dress modestly.
-encouraged women to wear mantillas
-had the Latin Mass Magazine in the back of the church for reading and sale.
-Holy Hour everyday
-Confession available everyday
-Altar rail was present and used
 
Ours has a Catholic School through 8th Grade and a Priest that loves the Children and talks to them about things like the Real Presense.(I know scary thought)
 
Melman, for some parishes still, kneeling for communion still is the norm, using the NO missal. It is not the mixing of rites, and in fact, rubrics such as the priest facing the altar, and communicanst kneeling for communion are allowed in the NO mass. I cant believe how you presist on being against kneeling for communion. Personally, I hope, and when more conservative Bishops are appointed and empty out their chancery offices, I think more parishes will restore the rail and restore kneeling for communion. The CDW in sneding out 3 letters to the bishops on the issue and the recently released documents on the liturgy and the section pretaining to reception of communion has basically made the issue moot.
 
An excellent parish is St. Patricks in downtown Columbus OH. The biggest parish by in terms of parishoners in the downtown and surrounding areas, it is very active with…

2 daily masses, confessions after the 2nd mass every day
Confession before every Sunday mass
Ran by the St. Joeseph province of Dominicans, solidly Orthodox
No altar girls, and has an abundant number of altar boys
No EMHCs
All use the altar rail and most recieve communion on the tounge(though communion on the hand is accepted per current rules
An excellent hymnal using classic Catholic(and some high church Anglican) hymns, and even some Latin Chant.
No gimmicks, the mass is by the book.
A large number of young familes and young adults.
 
The best example I can think of is an older couple that works a lot for the church, but almost exclusively does it behind the scenes. They lead the Rosary quite often before daily Mass, otherwise they are not doing “liturgical things” if you know what I mean. She can be found scrubbing the kitchen floor. He does the sidewalks and mows. They will be there to unlock the doors for any lay meeting taking place. You name it, they do it.

They are the best example I can think of of people who pour their lives out for the church without expecting rewards or recognitions.
 
After 10 am Mass on Corpus Christi, we have a Eucharistic procession throughout the neighborhood, stopping at different houses with altars set on the porch for the proclamation of the Gospel. Makes me cry every time.
 
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JNB:
I cant believe how you presist on being against kneeling for communion. Personally, I hope, and when more conservative Bishops are appointed and empty out their chancery offices, I think more parishes will restore the rail and restore kneeling for communion.
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I do not persist against the issue of kneeling itself, I simply will continue to point out that the options introduced in recent years (reception standing, in the hand, from a EM) are completely valid and reverent - AND are the stated norm of the USCCB.

What I’m against, is your continued insistence that the allowed exceptions (i.e. not in harmony with the norms, but to be tolerated anyway) are “better”, to be held up as as example of how to do things “right”.

Yes, kneeling is valid. Against the US norms, but accepted. But I have never ever seen it, and I’ll bet 99+ % of Catholics under 40 never have either. So your expectation that parishes will restore it, seems silly.
 
**Great idea! Our parish really does wonderful infant baptisms. We ahve a large pool in the front of the church, so everyone can see…It will be in the back that has beocme a front in the new church…Did that make any sense? **

Anyway…The family processes in with the priest, brings up the gifts, the whole Mass is more joyful because of it. Our parish has always loved its baptisms…We are very large…three-thousand families…but feel quite small when a child is baptized…
**We also do First Communion well, and…you should see our Easter Vigil…Wow. **
 
Silly? Nope, especially since so many seminarians now are sympathetic towrds tradition, and Catholics attending more conservative/orthodox parishes I do not think will have any problem, and may in fact encourage restorations of rails and a switch back to kneeling for communion, as long as chancery offices do not get in the way. And yes, I do believe tradition speaks for itself, kneeling was a long tradition, and in the late 60s 70s, many parishoners had no choice in the matter when one day the Pastor of their parish stood in front of the rail and said in effect “This change is being done in the spirit of Vatican II”.

In any event, I do not expect a big change in the next few years, but as the Cardinal Mahonys and his ilk retire along with their allies in the chancery offices, a large number of barriers will be removed to restoration. There is one parish I know of where the Pastor would like to get rid of EMHCs, altar girls, go back to the old altar and go back to using the rails, but he does not want to deal with the local chancery office.
 
I am fortunate to have a priest that strives for liturgical correctness and instructs the parish whenever a change is made. For example, he passed on the new norm for reception of communion in our diocese (i.e. a reverent bow, say “Amen”) When Redemtionis Sactramentum came out, I only found one point in the document that applied to us. When I asked my priest, he had already noticed and was making plans to remedy our situation.
 
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Iohannes:
For their English Masses:
-The altar rails were in use and everyone knelt for communion
-Communion in hand is looked down upon but allowed by the associate pastor but gave a warning that the Sacred Host should be treated with the upmost respect and no Sacred Host particles should be left on the hand and that people must be free of mortal sin. The main pastor never gave Communion-in-hand in his life.
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I don’t think anyone should “look down upon” someone else for receiving communion in the hand, since it has approved that we may receive in that way. Funny the way you word it, it seems that you expect that people who receive communion in the hand are more likely to be guilty of receiving unworthily because of mortal sin and I don’t think that is a fair assumption.

I am also confused by the huge fuss about common postures, when some say it is okay to decide to have a different posture for the reception of communion (i.e. kneeling at the rail)than the rest of the congregation. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not have a problem with it. But obviously, a lot of people who think deciding to kneel on your own is okay also think someone holding hands or even raising their hands during the Lord’s Prayer is horribly wrong. This is an honest question. Who gets to pick and choose what postures must be common and what postures don’t have to be? It just seems like individual opinion to me.
 
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JNB:
may in fact encourage restorations of rails and a switch back to kneeling for communion, as long as chancery offices do not get in the way.
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👍 :clapping: :gopray2:
 
Actually Beverly, not everything is equal. Kneeling for communion is a long held liturgical traditional, it was introduced in the various diocese in the west to increse the reverence and focus on the Eucharist, bowing down before Christ. Holding hands during the lords prayer is an American “innovation” that takes focus off the Eucharist, and it not reverent. To me, Tradition is what determines what is able to be picked and chosen, in what works. That is not to say there cant be organic changes in tradition, as what has taken place in the church thoughout the ages, and I accept the organic changes that Vatican II asked for, such as more scripture during mass and some more vernacular, what I do not accept are innovations imposed on the faithful that decrease, not increase reverence for the Eucharist.

I guess the thread is now changing direction, sorry to say, but in short, what increases reverence for the Eucharist is authenic tradition, what decreses reverence are “innovations”. As I said inthe hand holding threads, making the mass intop somthing resembles an Evangelicals service, less outwardly liturgical than many mainline Protestant services are, has only created confusion.
 
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