New Liturgical Provisions from Archbishop Sample

[JimG]

–Kneeling after the Agnus Dei.
–Restricting the use of Communion Services outside of Mass.

I was a little surprised at this. In my own diocese, we always kneel after the Agnus Dei, and Communion Services outside of Mass are rare.

New Liturgical Movement: New Liturgical Provisions from Abp. Sample

 

[RedDuke]

In my area, most parishes don’t kneel at all for the “behold the Lamb of God”. The more traditional parishes might have about half the people kneel. I like kneeling at that point, and fortunately we all do it at the Latin Mass so I don’t have to try to see past people.

 

[Maximilian75]

My parish (and, as far as I know, my diocese) also kneels after the Lamb of God.

I don’t completely agree with the Communion services restriction, but His Excellency knows best.

 

[Phemie]

We have a Liturgy of the Word with Communion only on Sundays that we have no priest in our parish. That usually only happens if all the diocesan priests are out for their retreat or my pastor was unable to get back to our parish from one of the missions due to a snowstorm. I don’t think we’ve had one in the last couple of years.

On the day when there is no weekday Mass in our church there is one at the hospital chapel.

 

[Ann_Stanton]

I lived in a small town with just 1 Catholic church and priest. The priest had throat cancer. He was often unable to speak. A Communion Service was our only option.

 

[semper_catholicus]

Yeah, we don’t kneel for the “ecce agnus dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi” at mass, and we sometimes have communion services outside of mass, but not all of the time.

 

[commenter]

Some discretion is needed here. Communion services are important in a hospital lacking a full time chaplain. They are as also appropriate in an isolated small town when the priest is not available. But I live in an area where the parishes are close together.

Sometimes Communion services are introduced just so “we can have our OWN service” rather than encouraging attending Mass a few blocks away. I have seen it used more as an opportunity rather than it’s original intent. Whenever a communion service is added to a schedule, ask: is the real purpose of this to expand the availability of the Eucharist? - or - to get people used to laymen, or women, leading liturgical type services? I think abuses of communion services are not common, but they do happen.