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

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Iohannes:
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
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Your four positives that I highlighted above seem like non-issues at best, or confusing and/or negative at worst.

Looking down upon communion in hand is flat-out negative. Very un-Catholic to look down upon something the Church approves.

The mantillas and altar rails sound harmless enough, but they could be rather confusing to some.
 
As for Communion in hand it has semi-approval, there needs to be an indult for Communion in hand, therefore the universal norm is in the tongue. With that being said, it is a traditonal parish and the norm there is on the tongue and should be respected.

I guess, Blessed Mother Teresa is very un-catholic too.
 
How can use of an altar rail cause confusion? A negative? It is sad how dissent has become entrenched, and actions that started as dissent are now defended tooth and nail.
 
Oh, I forgot that parish has only male altar servers.

Surplice and Cassock are worn by the altar servers at the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo Missae.

And surprise Surprise, that parish produces the most vocation, but they go elsewhere and join different orders because, no one from that parish is allowed to become a diocesan priest.
 
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Iohannes:
Surplice and Cassock are worn by the altar servers at the Traditional Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo Missae.
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A big hearty “so what?” to that. Surplice and cassock, instead of the robes that servers sometimes wear? Big deal.
 
Melman:
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”?
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No. How many of the sheep who followed us even examine their consciences this way? That’s why I don’t hold ill will towards most people who hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer and engage in other abuses.
 
Melman:
A big hearty “so what?” to that. Surplice and cassock, instead of the robes that servers sometimes wear? Big deal.
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Better they look like Altar Boys than bags of potatoes
 
Does every thread on here get hijacked and turned into idealogical warfare? Why don’t you guys Read Cardinal George’s ad limina remarks to the pope…or isn’t he Catholic enough for you guys either. Cardinal George that is, I assume that you can all agree that the pope is Catholic.

:banghead:
 
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Iohannes:
As for Communion in hand it has semi-approval, there needs to be an indult for Communion in hand, therefore the universal norm is in the tongue. With that being said, it is a traditonal parish and the norm there is on the tongue and should be respected.

I guess, Blessed Mother Teresa is very un-catholic too.
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Nonsense. The “norm” in the Latin Rite of theCatholic Church in the USA is to receive on the tongue OR in one’s hands.

It’s makes no difference what you believe is the “norm” in a given parish. Follow the Church, not men – even “traditionalist” men.
 
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JNB:
How can use of an altar rail cause confusion? A negative? It is sad how dissent has become entrenched, and actions that started as dissent are now defended tooth and nail.
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Because the NORM in the Latin Rite in the USA is to STAND for communion. The use of the rails/kneeling/matillas is acceptable, so long is no one is coerced/forced into their use.

Coercing/forcing people to kneel, receive on the tongue or wear mantillas would be VERY dissenting from what the Church teaches.
 
Yes for now, standing for communion is the norm(and again norm does not trump canon law or the CDW), and yes, if a Catholic stands for communion, his rights should be respected at parishes using the normative missal, but in parishes that are allready orthodox, many would not mind going to a rail if one was available.

As for communion in the hand, communion on the hand was allowed via indult of the holy see, in some countries/diocese, parishoners are not allowed to recieve communion in the hand. Yes, it is lict in the US and most of Europe(Though not in Poland or most of Italy), but dissent? Sorry. It was dissent that got communion in the hand in the first place, the Vatican simpily caved in on this issue.
 
JNB said:
1.) Yes for now, standing for communion is the norm(and again norm does not trump canon law or the CDW), and yes, if a Catholic stands for communion, his rights should be respected at parishes using the normative missal, but in parishes that are allready orthodox, many would not mind going to a rail if one was available.

As for communion in the hand, communion on the hand was allowed via indult of the holy see, in some countries/diocese, parishoners are not allowed to recieve communion in the hand. Yes, it is lict in the US and most of Europe(Though not in Poland or most of Italy), but dissent? Sorry. It was dissent that got communion in the hand in the first place, the Vatican simpily caved in on this issue.
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1.a.) I don’t think the use of the altar railing is in any way limited to those “parishes that are already orthodox.”

2.a.) The Church allows it in the USA. Don’t suggest that you know more than the Church. Both methods of receiving communion are acceptable – one is not “better” than the other.
 
Anything that requires an indult is not the norm of the church, because an indult is required, and yes, the old mass is not the norm because an indult is required. That said, if a Bishop or Bishops conference does not invoke an indult, then the default norm for communion is communion on t he tounge. Thats a fact. The same goes for altar girls, also only allowed by an indult.

Do I know more than the church? No, and I accept communion on the hand as valid as long as the indult remains in place, but communion on the hand is not a norm.

And yes, there are plenty of orthodox parishes that do not use the rails, I am saying that many would not mind, and in fact many people would like to use a rail if one was avilable.
 
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Mjohn1453:
Does every thread on here get hijacked and turned into idealogical warfare? Why don’t you guys Read Cardinal George’s ad limina remarks to the pope…or isn’t he Catholic enough for you guys either. Cardinal George that is, I assume that you can all agree that the pope is Catholic.

:banghead:
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Sure seems so at times doesn’t it? 😦 BTW, have read Cardinal George’s ad limina remarks.
 
At my parish, we won the fight on Standing during the Eucharistic Prayer and we won the fight on “opening the bread baking ministry to the parishioners”. After the ‘GRIM’ came out, we lost a little on the kneeling because the Bishop made the norm for this diocese to stand from the Our Father until everyone has received Holy Communion. BUT…the Extrordinary Ministers of Holy Communion don’t approach the Altar until AFTER the priest has received, and this is a BIG improvement because they used to be given Holy Communion before the priest and then all on the altar (including the altar servers) would recieve at the same time.

God’s time is not our time, but He is definitely reclaiming His Church, so be sure to Praise Him but also thank Him for the difficulties…He knows what is best for us at any given time and He has His reasons (which are far above our understanding)
 
Another positive aspect to our liturgy:

We have both those who receive in the hand and those who receive on the tougue (since both are allowed) and no one is judgemental of the other. It is a total non-issue.
 
I think I posted this somewhere else, but anyway I would like to praise my parish. We underwent renovations just recently and the church looks even more like a Catholic church. The tabernacle is front and center and when you enter you can sense the presence of Christ. I have never heard anything but solid Catholic doctrine in homilies given by the priests. The choir sings a lot of traditional Latin hymns. We have a number of community outreach programs. Our parish is multi-ethnic, and every year in January the Filipinos hold a novena to the Christ Child, followed by Benediction. On the last day of the Novena a big Filipino feast is held with dancing and singing.This past Advent we had Vespers every Sunday evening followed by Benediction. What an awesome experience!
I feel very lucky to be here as in the past I belonged to a parish which was not true to the teachings of the Church.
 
Boy, the more I read in the various forums on this website, the more I thank God for my parish and my diocese!!!We have a good blend of the modern and the old. Modern “songs” that I don’t care for much, but apart from that, we have no abuses. Some dress a LITTLE casually, but not the young, as a whole! The young adults take an active part as lectors (once they are in their teens and provided they can read well), and they act as altar servers to quite an advanced age (boys and girls)
No excessive chat in church; no overdone sign of peace; a nice long period of completely silent prayer after Communion .
Nover more than 3 ministers of the Eucharist - one to distribute the Body of Christ beside our parish priest, the other two administer the Precious Blood.
A holy hour in front of the Monstrance before every weekday Mass.
An all night prayer vigil on the first Friday of the month.

Good homilies.
At the end of every Mass, Father calls up all the young children for a special (short) prayer together - making sure they all make the sign of the Cross - has a brief joke or a chat with them, then blesses them individually. (They LOVE him!)
These kids behave pretty well in church also.

Let me finish with a quote from our Corpus Christi parish bulletin - I think this sums up what all of us Catholics who post in these forums desire and aspire to be –

Praised be God who has created us to sing the music of divine love in the world, and to give shape to the unspeakable treasure that is the Divine Presence in and among us.
May our joyful living out of this knowledge be to the greater glory of God, that the song of God’s praise may resound to the ends of the earth.

______________________

A Te numquam separari permittas
 
One thing that comes to mind right off the bat is the abundant amount of scheduled time for confession: there’s a 1:15 time block Monday-Saturday in the morning, another approximately 1/2 hr around lunch time Monday-Friday, plus two more time blocks (I know the starting time, but there’s no scheduled end) on Saturday. Plus, a 7pm time for Confession before all First Fridays & Saturdays (that is, on Thursday & Friday). Plus, by appointment if somehow you couldn’t make any of those times.

Regular Eucharistic adoration.

I believe the use of only altar boys (as in my parish) is a positive, as is our use of the altar rail, ordained only (priests & deacons) distributing the Eucharist (occasionally, two Sisters help as EMHC, but no one else).

We “do up” holy days with processions, have regular devotions (Divine Mercy is the major one, every Thursday, however we just had a 40 Hours, too).
 
Great idea for a thread!

I recently moved (bought my first house…uh…townhome)…and so attend a new church. It’s HUGE, and here I am, small town girl at heart who always sought out the simple churches: 2 rows of pews and a large crucifix at the front.

I have come to accept my new Church and realize that I have been placed here for a reason…and as we (the parish and I as a new member) become acquainted I have been trying to observe the local customs.

It seems to be a very devout and traditional church, and run by good, sensible people who really love Jesus.

After the blessing at the beginning, the respecive priest (there are 3 or 4) call all the children forward, and ask them how they’re doing today. Nothing other than a loud and resounding “EXCELLENT!” will do. If the bricks holding up the ceiling don’t crack and crumble, he asks the question again, wanting to be satisfied before he blesses the children and the teachers. Then they proceed away for their own special Gospel.

I wish I’d grown up that way…I never understood anything when I was young and for that reason, never paid attention. I’d learn tradition from my very devout mom, then learn liberalist ideas from my teachers.

Hmm…maybe I’m not being clear, so I guess my point is this: my church tries to be be sure that the children are included and made to feel as though they are a part of the Mass and understand the Mass. I’m sure this will be helpful to them as they deepen their faith.
 
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