Posture after receiving Communion

[ElizabethPH]

Well, in the Archdiocese of Boston (my first home diocese) and The Diocese of Springfield MA (my second home diocese) We always kneel when we get back from communion. Once the vessels have been cleaned and the Eucharist has been placed back in the tabernacle, we sit.

Is this uncommon in the rest of the States?

I don’t think so it’s what everyone does for the most part at my parish. Except most folks (at my parish) sit after the priest sit’s down, with a scattering of folks that remain kneeling while the deacon cleans the vessels.

 

[Brendan]

It belongs to the diocesan bishop to say whether the faithful in his diocese are to stand or kneel after the Agnus Dei. You may be in a diocese where the bishop has decided that you are to stand.

More specifically, it belongs to the diocesan bishop to say whether the faithful are to stand from between the Agnus Dei until their personal reception of Holy Communion.

The posture after one returns to the pew is regulated by the person themselves, according to Rome.

A person may freely sit, stand or kneel, as they choose, after they return to their seat from the reception of Holy Communion.

 

[zab]

I take it that you mean why did it change 35 years ago?

This is the only time during Mass when the community is split into two distinct groups: those in the pews and those in the procession. Since uniformity of posture was called for as a sign of the community and the unity of the assembly, the only common posture possible was standing.

That sounds like a social excuse, the aesthetics of the assembly, rather than a valid liturgical reason. The community is never split into separate groups, it is always praising the Lord regardless of posture. If it was more important to have the assembly look pretty the Vatican would not have allowed personal discretion in the matter of posture.

Probably the best time to express unity is in the posture when going up to receive Communion. After receiving Communion there are two things to consider. It is the time when all of the recipients are actually in communion with all of those who have received the Body of Christ. However, there is also a personal aspect when Jesus comes to each of us individually. He is only with us in His Real Presence for a short few minutes before the Sacred Species is digested. I believe this is the reason why we are free to choose whether we want to sit, stand or kneel, which ever posture is more suitable to the individual for prayer and reflection after receiving Communion.

 

[kozlosap]

Well, in the Archdiocese of Boston (my first home diocese) and The Diocese of Springfield MA (my second home diocese) We always kneel when we get back from communion. Once the vessels have been cleaned and the Eucharist has been placed back in the tabernacle, we sit.

Is this uncommon in the rest of the States?

At every parish i’ve attended in California and Chicago, people kneel.

 

[Aramis]

After receiving communion and returning to the pew, what is the proper posture?
Our priest recently said that the proper form is to sit or kneel and to join in with the hymn. But then went on to say that many people stand because of the tradition of teh church that when in started out at various schools didn’t have kneelers. He sounded like he was trying to say that we shouldn’t be standing… but didn’t quite go that far.
I prefer to stand… but what’s the proper posture?

To paraphrase Cardinal Arinze, for the Roman OF Mass: Pick one of Stand, Kneel or Sit, so long as you are reverent and prayerful, and it’s good but not required to match what the parish does.

For the EF mass, kneel if you can.

Of course, if you go to an Eastern Catholic Parish, the rubric is explicit to stand.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Change’s have been implimented for various reasons. Though I believe kneeling was the teaching for many years. I believe the changes began to occur after 2000. Kneeling is still the norm here now.

Its all in the spirit of reverence. I could say this for the past few weeks I’ve observed how many attending Holy Communion make the sign of the cross after turning away from the priest. There were only two including myself. This was also a teaching in Catholic School, but it goes way back. I’m sure its changed over the years or there woundn’t be 98% doing the opposite.

Also I noticed the other individual who did make the sign of the cross attended Catholic School the same time I did? So I know not what to make of it.

My only real issue comes in standing while receiving Holy Communion. I believe its wrong and shouldn’t take place. But thats my personal opinion. I also believe where they do stand, those who would kneel should be allowed to do so. I understand why standing was implimented. And I also understand that should you not be able to kneel than standing is correct. Yet only in that case.

Its all in the correct spirit of reverence. Just as receiving the Body of Christ in your hands? This has become very much the norm today. I find it impossible to be comfortable with.

Yet this is God we are talking about here and his body and blood. I don’t believe the elders of the church had it wrong. Matter of fact I firmly believe they had much more right than we do. We just think we know more than them because of technology. I don’t believe our spirit of reverence today is even on the same page as say those from Pre V-II.

But thats just my opinion which I’m entitled to. Anyway not get off topic.

Bless You, GT

 

[SalesianSDB]

My mom used to be a Catholic school teacher and would be responsible for preparing the second grade classes for first communion and confession. So naturally, most, if not all, of what she taught her students to do during the Mass she taught me. When it comes to what we do in Mass (sit, stand, kneel and when to do them), she would be very strict. Once the priest and eucharistic ministers start handing out communion most people just sit down until they get up to receive. She taught us not to sit, but to kneel until the Blessed Sacrament has been put away. I continue to do it because that’s what I’ve been taught and I feel as if I’d in a way let my mom down if I sat down during communion.

My church plays beautiful songs that IMO help me in my prayer and I usually make those songs my prayer. But that’s just me. I’m really into music, so I often times make certain songs my prayer…even some secular songs.

 

[Bob_Aliano]

At every parish i’ve attended in California and Chicago, people kneel.

In Colorado it’s a hodge-podge, those of us in the Archdiocese of Denver tend to kneel while those in the Archdiocese of Pueblo tend to stand. I can only assume the bishops issued different instructions in each situation. The problem is that we are pretty mobile here and are often crossing diocesan boundaries resulting often in something that resembles a Whack-a-Mole game during communion, no one seems to know what to do. So I kneel as I was taught 50+ years ago.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Of course, if you go to an Eastern Catholic Parish, the rubric is explicit to stand.

Sometimes you don’t even have a choice, unless you sit on the floor