Non-Catholic blessing at Eucharist?

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I am a new Catholic, and my wife and children are Baptist. They went with me to Mass tonight, and since they are not Catholic, they went up for a “blessing” instead of the Eucharist. We have attended different parishes before, and this has always been the case.

We went to a different parish tonight, and the Priest didn’t have a clue what to do when they went up for their blessing. So they finally just walked away without receiving a blessing.

Is the “blessing for non-Catholics instead of the Eucharist” a common thing in most Catholic Parishes? If so, why do you suppose this Priest didn’t know about it?

Thanks!
 
In my parish, people who can’t receive Communion stay in the pew.
 
In the front of the missel there are instructions very pastorally written which explains that non-catholics generally should not receive. It really says nothing about going up for a blessing but there generally are prayers that you can pray for a spiritual communion.

It has become an unfortunate custom for practically everyone to go up for communion, which makes those who are aware of mortal sin or are not in communion with the Church or who might be unable to receive for another reason that I can’t think of, feel uncomfortable as they end up sitting while everyone else goes up.

Years ago when people took sin much more seriously and more people went to confession this wasn’t such a big deal as many more people stayed sitting. I feel it is an unfortunate fashion trend for everyone to go up and some to probably recieve unworthily as they feel it is the thing to do.
I know I received unworthily when I was a Cafeteria Catholic as my wife and I really didn’t know better, and since pretty much everyone goes up for communion or a blessing.

In Christ
Scylla
 
I am in RCIA right now (a year-long program 🙂 ) at a church near Madison, Wisconsin.

Both the priest and the nun invited me to come up for a blessing during the Eucharist. The priest has said to me in the past “I think it is great that you do that [come for a blessing].”

I was a little apprehensive at first since some people I talked to said, “No, it is wrong” whereas some people said, “Yes, you’re more than welcome to come”. This lead me to be more confused than anything about what someone who is not yet a Catholic could and could not do during a mass! Moreover, I think I was most nervous about, in someway shape or form, degrading the meaning of the Eucharist, since I now come to realize the powerful meaning of it.

Additionally, I did not want people to think that somehow I had the wrong intentions (since I do not really know anybody there) about standing in a communion line even though I was there to worship God through Jesus Christ…to receive his blessing and to offer my presence in worship.

I know that giving blessings during Eucharist is not the norm in some parishes, and some people are opposed to it. The way it was explained to me is that for someone who is eager to come to the Catholic faith, it is a nice way to include him or her participatoryly in something where the individual would otherwise have to stay in the pew or leave until communion was over.
 
tomch said:
I am a new Catholic, and my wife and children are Baptist. They went with me to Mass tonight, and since they are not Catholic, they went up for a “blessing” instead of the Eucharist. We have attended different parishes before, and this has always been the case.

We went to a different parish tonight, and the Priest didn’t have a clue what to do when they went up for their blessing. So they finally just walked away without receiving a blessing.

Is the “blessing for non-Catholics instead of the Eucharist” a common thing in most Catholic Parishes? If so, why do you suppose this Priest didn’t know about it?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
There is no instruction for this in the Rubrics for the Mass. It is not the common practice everywhere because the church does not really encourage it. It is considered to be a liturgical abuse by many Priests and it is accepted as ok by many Priests.
Your family will receive a blessing along with everyone else in the church at the end of Mass . If you really want something more you can ask the Priest for a family blessing after Mass.
 
I think that it is a good idea for non catholics to receive a blessing by the priest during communion. That will bring them closer to the concept of spiritual communion and it will allow the longing for physical communion through the Eucharist to grow in them.

On the other side I think that the Catholics that are not going to receive communion should just sit (I really mean kneel) in the pews. Yesterday, I had that discussion with my 11 y/o son that at the last minute decided that he did not consider himself worthy of receiving communion, he just crossed his arms and got a blessing from the EMHC. After Mass he got my opinion about the whole situation and now he understands better why he should just sit in the pew.
 
I think it rather odd the priest did not realize what was going on.
 
Just after consecration of the Eucharist, Father will make an announcement that “Anyone for what ever reason who cannot partake of the Eucharist should come forward and receive a blessing from me or the EM’s, everyone is entitled to God’s blessings and if that is what you wish, come forward with your arms folded like this (crossed infront of your body)”👍

When Father blessed me at every Mass while I was going through RCIA just made me hunger for the Holy Eucharist even more. It helped me realize just how precious and sacred the Eucharist truly was, it is truly our Lord’s Body-Blood-Soul-Divinity and NOT a wafer. We are ONE BODY in Christ and even though I could not receive yet, I felt like I was truly a part of that ONE BODY. God Bless my priest for the blessings he gave us who could not as yet receive.
 
Oh, my goodness, here we go . . .

EMHC’s are not to bless anyone at Holy Communion. They do not have the faculties to bless. If you want to know why not, read the many threads that have covered this topic over and over.

We need to be reminded that everyone present at Mass, Catholic or non-Catholic, young or old, little or big, Christian or atheist, etc.,etc. receives a blessing at the end of Mass when Father say: “May the Almighty God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” He makes the Sign of the Cross as he pronounces those words. That blessing covers EVERYONE.

Those who are not able to receive Holy Communion for whatever reason, may recite Saint Alphonus Ligouri’s Spiritual Communion:

An act of Spiritual Communion
Saint Alphonsus Liguori

My Jesus, I believe that you are in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart as though You have already come.
I embrace You and unite myself entirely to You; never permit me to be separated from You!
 
tomch said:
I am a new Catholic, and my wife and children are Baptist. They went with me to Mass tonight, and since they are not Catholic, they went up for a “blessing” instead of the Eucharist. We have attended different parishes before, and this has always been the case.

We went to a different parish tonight, and the Priest didn’t have a clue what to do when they went up for their blessing. So they finally just walked away without receiving a blessing.

Is the “blessing for non-Catholics instead of the Eucharist” a common thing in most Catholic Parishes? If so, why do you suppose this Priest didn’t know about it?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
It’s a custom in some places, especially in North America, but it isn’t actually part of the Mass, as such. The “norm” is that people not receiving Holy Communion will stay in their pew and say a Spiritual Act of Holy Communion. I don’t know where the idea of “getting a blessing” came from, originally, and I have no idea whether it would qualify as an abuse of the liturgy or not.

If your priest is from a different country, this might be something he has never encountered before - and even if he is from here, if he has never served at a parish where this custom was observed, he may have never seen it before.

When I was a non-Catholic attending Mass, I used to approach the priest at a time outside of Mass to see what his attitude was, and if he was willing to give a blessing then I would go up for a blessing, and if not, then I would just stay in the pew.

I also took my chances from time to time, and most of the time, it worked out okay - however, one priest who knew what it was but didn’t like it smacked me lightly across the face and wished me a nice day. 😛 Another guy gave me a Minor Exorcism. 😃
 
It would be interesting to see more on what the Church has said about such a thing.
Off-hand for my part, since it seems to blur the difference between the laity and the priesthood, it seems undesirable. The popes in recent years have spoken against such blurring. Priests and people have quite different roles in the world. Priests for example, are forbidden to hold a government office. But priests by their ordination are conformed to Christ, and act in the person of Christ, and so a layperson cannot provide the blessing a priest can give.
 
I have been told that this started as a gesture for the mixed congregation at mixed weddings. So that the people there who are becoming family would not feel rejected at a wedding.And also for the friends.

In any case it doesn’t make sense to me. It’s communion time not blessing time.Communion is for those in a state of grace and in union. Pretty simple concept. When someone is not in union it is reasonable to feel a sense of loss and dissappointment. This is the Holy Spirit promting the person to do what is necessary to fix this. When we give a substitute at that time to fill them up with something else so they don’t feel bad it only works against what the Holy Spirit is trying to accomplish in that person.
 
tomch said:
Is the “blessing for non-Catholics instead of the Eucharist” a common thing in most Catholic Parishes? If so, why do you suppose this Priest didn’t know about it?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The more traditional a parish is, the less likely they are to offer blessings to those not receiving Communion.
My husband is Baptist. When we were dating, I explained transubstantiation to him, and why he could not receive. In turn, I do not receive during his Church’s “communion” on communion Sundays (when and if we go to his Church. 95% we are at mine). At our present parish, all are invited to communion, and he goes up then. When we are at other parishes, he does not. He seems to engage in a spiritual communion whether at our parish or at another, but I have never asked.
 
One week after entering RCIA five years ago our Pastor announced that he did not want people coming up for blessing during communion. And now we know if somebody is new to the parish when they go up for a blessing.
 
Our Bishop in the Harrisburg diocese does blessings. Other priests have followed suite. The Bishop here is very orthodox. Vocations are firmly on the rise, and the Catholic parishes here are generally very strong.

Recently, one of my priests was invited to “Creation.” (This is an event where well-known Christian musicians praise the Lord for Jesus.) Anyway, the event is probably 90% Evangelical. Only 500 or so Catholics out of more than 100,000 Protestants attend.

Our priest was invited to do Mass there under one of the tents. He encouraged Non-Catholics to come up for a blessing during Communion. Very many did! Afterwards, several approached him very enthusiastic about the Catholic faith. It was clear they were intrigued and drawn.

I think the practice is good. It should have clear guidelines; however, I believe including our separted brethren in the Mass in this capacity will is help bring many into the Church. Leaving them out could be construed as “we don’t want you here.”

Don’t get me wrong; you must be in communion with the CC to recieve the Lord sacramentally. However, the goal is union with Jesus Christ, and that His holy Church will be perfectly one. This kind of invitation, if done correctly, will work toward that end.
 
I’m not sure if I feel blessings are “wrong” I just think that maybe if we see people sitting out it will give all of us a stronger reason to pray harder for Christian unity or for everyone to be in a state of grace.

I never went up for blessings unless it was an RCIA function. I don’t like the idea of throwing off the priest in the Communion line. Unless a priest specifically said it was acceptable, I wouldn’t attempt it. Like others have said, not everyone follows this practice, and certainly when you’re right in front of the priest is not the time anybody wants to find out.
 
It seems to me that by inviting, allowing or encouraging all to come forward during communion in effect lessens the appearance what is a solemn moment and in fact can be detrimental to peoples opinion of it.

I have heard not a few protestant apologists say unequivocally that the easiest way to attack Catholicism is to merely point out that Catholics don’t understand or even believe their own Churches teachings on many matters. This seems to be one such area.
 
christcnection1 said:
Recently, one of my priests was invited to “Creation.” (This is an event where well-known Christian musicians praise the Lord for Jesus.) Anyway, the event is probably 90% Evangelical. Only 500 or so Catholics out of more than 100,000 Protestants attend.

Our priest was invited to do Mass there under one of the tents. He encouraged Non-Catholics to come up for a blessing during Communion. Very many did! Afterwards, several approached him very enthusiastic about the Catholic faith. It was clear they were intrigued and drawn.
Click to expand...
Interesting…
My SIL and BIL (15 and 18, respectively) are there right now. I wonder what’s going to happen… hehehehehehe
 
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