Posture during/ after Eucharist

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rickmeister51

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Hello I’m Rick

I don’t know if my question belongs here, but here goes. Our Priest tells us that after everyone has receaved the Holy Sacrement ( excluding the Canter and organist ) they can sit down. I feel that I am being disrespectful by doing this before the Tabernacle is locked. A few of the members still stand until the tabernacle is locked and all the servers are seated. I have been a Catholic for only three years and I’m not at all familure as to how it was in the “Old Days”. Is it right that I feel this way? :confused:
 
rickmeister51 said:
Hello I’m Rick

I don’t know if my question belongs here, but here goes. Our Priest tells us that after everyone has receaved the Holy Sacrement ( excluding the Canter and organist ) they can sit down. I feel that I am being disrespectful by doing this before the Tabernacle is locked. A few of the members still stand until the tabernacle is locked and all the servers are seated. I have been a Catholic for only three years and I’m not at all familure as to how it was in the “Old Days”. Is it right that I feel this way? :confused:
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You get to stand? We kneel. 😃

But then I’ve been Catholic for about the same amount of time as you.
 
The GIRM Movements and Posture section, number 43 says "and, as circumstances allow, they may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed. "

In Let Us Pray: A Guide to the Rubrics of the Sunday Mass author Father Paul Turner, Doctor of Sacred Theology, says “Many people assume the Communion ends when the tabernacle door is shut or when the priest sits down, but Communion ends when the last person has received.” (P751) "The CDWDS* attempted to clarity the matter in a later statement permitting these devotional postures after each person receives Communion. The intent of GIRM 43 is 'on the one hand, the ensure within broad limits a certain uniformity of posture within the congregation for the various parts of the celebration of Holy Mass, and on the other, not to regulate posture rigidly in such a was that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free" Prot.N.855/03/L). However, this did not eliminate the posture the GIRM had in mind all along, namely, standing. The documents, therefore, permit three different posture after receiving Communion." (P748)

The priests in my parish have taught on this several times, instructing the faithful to remain standing until the last person receives holy Communion and then to kneel or sit. Depending on the particular Mass maybe half the people remain standing when they return to their pew. The rest kneel or sit.

*CDWDS Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
 
standing is common in Eastern Rites. i was in a Chaldean Mass last Sunday and after receiving, everyone returned to their pew and stood

the tradition in the Latin Rite is to kneel or to sit.
 
choy said:
standing is common in Eastern Rites. i was in a Chaldean Mass last Sunday and after receiving, everyone returned to their pew and stood
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Pews? We don’t need no pews. 👍 And kneeling on Sundays is forbidden… but then this thread is about the Roman Rite…
 
5Loaves said:
Pews? We don’t need no pews. 👍 And kneeling on Sundays is forbidden… but then this thread is about the Roman Rite…
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there is no Chaldean church in Vancouver. they celebrate the Mass in a Latin Rite parish so there’s pews and kneelers. some kneel but a majority don’t, so i’m guessing those who kneel are those who got used to the Latin Rite Mass

but thats my guess

i know this is a Latin Rite thread. i’m just saying that standing is the norm in Eastern Rites.
 
I can understand kneeling since it shows reverence to God in the exposed Eucharist and I can understand standing although it appears on the surface to be more of a courtesy to those who haven’t as yet partaken of the sacred meal. No insult intended, I’m just not familiar with the traditions of the Eastern Rite. Sitting appears to show respect to neither God nor the congregation; where did that come from and why?

I have been in European Churches that had no kneelers, some didn’t even have pews, so standing would be the only logical option.
 
I think you are supposed to stay standing till the last person receives, then kneel.
But of course most don’t do that. In my parish when you get back to your seat you either sit or kneel.
I’m so confused by what a liturgical abuse or not I’ve just started going to the Tridentine mass, they seem to know what they are doing. 😉
 
snowbee said:
I think you are supposed to stay standing till the last person receives, then kneel.
But of course most don’t do that. In my parish when you get back to your seat you either sit or kneel.
I’m so confused by what a liturgical abuse or not I’ve just started going to the Tridentine mass, they seem to know what they are doing. 😉
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The universal norm, according to the GIRM, is to stand but Rome has said that kneeling and sitting are also allowed so it’s up to you. The priest can’t impose a posture but he can certainly request one; then It’s up to the people if they want to comply.
 
Personally I kneel from Agnus Dei until after the Tabernacle is closed and the chalice/patens are cleansed. It has always been my understanding that we kneel as long as there is any chance that the Host may be exposed.
 
Bob_Aliano said:
I can understand kneeling since it shows reverence to God in the exposed Eucharist and I can understand standing although it appears on the surface to be more of a courtesy to those who haven’t as yet partaken of the sacred meal. No insult intended, I’m just not familiar with the traditions of the Eastern Rite. Sitting appears to show respect to neither God nor the congregation; where did that come from and why?

I have been in European Churches that had no kneelers, some didn’t even have pews, so standing would be the only logical option.
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I know that in the Middle Ages that the only person that ever sat was the Priest. Everyone else would stand during the entire Mass.😃
 
corsair said:
Personally I kneel from Agnus Dei until after the Tabernacle is closed and the chalice/patens are cleansed. It has always been my understanding that we kneel as long as there is any chance that the Host may be exposed.
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you can also walk kneeling to the front to receive
 
We ALWAYS knelt until the priest sat down. I know that now it is acceptable to sit down or kneel as is your prefrence. I think the sitting is for those who are elderly or sick. I have been sick some this year so kneeling is not always an option for me. However, when I can I do because that is the way I remember it growing up.
 
Rome_Always said:
We ALWAYS knelt until the priest sat down. I know that now it is acceptable to sit down or kneel as is your prefrence. I think the sitting is for those who are elderly or sick. I have been sick some this year so kneeling is not always an option for me. However, when I can I do because that is the way I remember it growing up.
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I prefer to kneel also, it’s the way I was taught. There are some older churches we attend where the pews are a bit lower than most and there are cases where the pew front is closer to the kneeler than most; I wear AFO’s on both legs and they hang up under the pew if I kneel in those churches so in those I sit.

There is only one parish we visit where most of the people stand until they receive communion but they kneel or sit when they return to the pew, haven’t come across this standing until everyone receives yet!
 
Phemie said:
The universal norm, according to the GIRM, is to stand but Rome has said that kneeling and sitting are also allowed so it’s up to you. The priest can’t impose a posture but he can certainly request one; then It’s up to the people if they want to comply.
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And what does the GIRM say about those who don’t receive? What are they supposed to do in the pews or wherever they are?
 
ProVobis said:
And what does the GIRM say about those who don’t receive? What are they supposed to do in the pews or wherever they are?
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Actually you kneel after the Agnus Dei:
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :

“In the dioceses of the United States of America, they should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.” Emphasis added

So unless you are in a Diocese where the Bishop has decided otherwise - you kneel after the Agnus Dei. You of course personally stand for communion, but that is an individual activity - as you note there are those who do not receive so it is not a congregational posture. Note also the vast majority of Diocese have you kneel in the pew during Communion - which is also consistent with the practice in the USA for centuries.

I would place little trust an anything posted by Choy on the Mass as he thinks the Agnus Dei is before the Eucharistic prayer - see the thread on standing during Communion.
 
johnnykins said:
Actually you kneel after the Agnus Dei:
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :

“In the dioceses of the United States of America, they should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.” Emphasis added

So unless you are in a Diocese where the Bishop has decided otherwise - you kneel after the Agnus Dei. You of course personally stand for communion, but that is an individual activity - as you note there are those who do not receive so it is not a congregational posture. Note also the vast majority of Diocese have you kneel in the pew during Communion - which is also consistent with the practice in the USA for centuries.

I would place little trust an anything posted by Choy on the Mass as he thinks the Agnus Dei is before the Eucharistic prayer - see the thread on standing during Communion.
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Thanks for that and advice heeded.
 
The GIRM says to kneel after the Angus Dei - U.S. unless your Bishop says otherwise

Then it says sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.

But as for inbetween it does not say. Cardinal Geroge wrote to the CDWDS and they said the Roman Missal does not forbid people from kneeling or sitting after they have recieved Communion.
 
Canto said:
The GIRM says to kneel after the Angus Dei - U.S. unless your Bishop says otherwise

Then it says sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.

But as for inbetween it does not say. Cardinal Geroge wrote to the CDWDS and they said the Roman Missal does not forbid people from kneeling or sitting after they have recieved Communion.
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But his only reason for asking the question is because the GIRM required standing. He wanted to know if that meant that sitting or kneeling were forbidden.
 
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