self-communicating

[bluelady63]

In our parish, we have Liturgy of the Word every other Sunday, and this is led by an acolyte who has served for about 30 yrs. He is fairly liberal and has done many things NOT according to Church Law. When he has to replace the Priest on a weeknight, he sometimes says and does some “different” things which I disagree with, and it means I don’t want to attend Mass the times he is presiding.Last night he once again sat everyone on chairs around the altar and proceeded with the Liturgy. At Communion time, he passed the soborium to the person next to him, and it continued to be passed around by each person. I didn’t self communicate, but just passed it on to him. Could you tell me if this is legal according to Canon law.

 

[Karl_M]

It is not. Communion must be distributed by either an ordinary minister (bishop, priest, or deacon-and I think acolyte) or an extraordinary minister-the lay people that distribute at a Mass.

I don’t have the Canon Law in front of me, but when it gets posted, and you present it to him, be ready to find out that he is Jesus and you are a Scribe or a Pharisee.

 

[japhy]

At Communion time, he passed the soborium to the person next to him, and it continued to be passed around by each person. I didn’t self communicate, but just passed it on to him. Could you tell me if this is legal according to Canon law.

It is NOT permitted. Only a priest celebrating (or concelebrating) at Mass may self-communicate. The only exception is the person presiding over a communion service who acts as the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion; that person (by reason of necessity) may self-communicate.

Passing the ciborium from person to person is also NOT permitted.

Communion must be received in the manner prescribed by the Church.

 

[Phemie]

In our parish, we have Liturgy of the Word every other Sunday, and this is led by an acolyte who has served for about 30 yrs.

Do you mean that you don’t have Mass on the Sunday that you have Liturgy of the Word with Communion?

He is fairly liberal and has done many things NOT according to Church Law. When he has to replace the Priest on a weeknight, he sometimes says and does some “different” things which I disagree with, and it means I don’t want to attend Mass the times he is presiding.

Let’s be clear here: If the acolyte is “presiding”, a term that Redemptionis Sacramentum says is never to be used for what a lay person does, it is not MASS,

Last night he once again sat everyone on chairs around the altar and proceeded with the Liturgy. At Communion time, he passed the soborium to the person next to him, and it continued to be passed around by each person. I didn’t self communicate, but just passed it on to him. Could you tell me if this is legal according to Canon law.

No, this is not the way Communion is supposed to happen. We are not allowed to pass the ciborium around like a candy dish. He should have been the one distributing Communion to the faithful.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

From Redemptionis Sacramentum:

[94.] It is not licit for the faithful “to take . . . by themselves . . . and, still less, to hand . . . from one to another” the sacred host or the sacred chalice.[181] …

The footnote [181] refers to #160 of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM), which reads in part:

1. … The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them from one to another …

Also note that number 94 (cited above) of Redemptionis Sacramentum is singled out later in the same document as a norm whose breach constitutes a “grave matter” (as I understand it, a mortal sin if disobeyed with knowledge and consent). The following (bold emphasis added) is also from Redemptionis Sacramentum:

1. Grave Matters

[173.] Although the gravity of a matter is to be judged in accordance with the common teaching of the Church and the norms established by her, objectively to be considered among grave matters is anything that puts at risk the validity and dignity of the Most Holy Eucharist: namely, anything that contravenes what is set out above in nn. 48-52, 56, 76-77, 79, 91-92, 94, 96, 101-102, 104, 106, 109, 111, 115, 117, 126, 131-133, 138, 153 and 168. Moreover, attention should be given to the other prescriptions of the Code of Canon Law, and especially what is laid down by canons 1364, 1369, 1373, 1376, 1380, 1384, 1385, 1386, and 1398.

All of this together should be enough to make your acolyte reconsider his decision.

 

[japhy]

From Redemptionis Sacramentum:

[94.] It is not licit for the faithful “to take . . . by themselves . . . and, still less, to hand . . . from one to another” the sacred host or the sacred chalice.[181] …

The footnote [181] refers to #160 of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM), which reads in part:

1. … The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them from one to another …

Thank you! I was trying to find that!!! I was looking for the wrong verb (“pass”).

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

In our parish, we have Liturgy of the Word every other Sunday, and this is led by an acolyte who has served for about 30 yrs. He is fairly liberal and has done many things NOT according to Church Law. When he has to replace the Priest on a weeknight, he sometimes says and does some “different” things which I disagree with, and it means I don’t want to attend Mass the times he is presiding.Last night he once again sat everyone on chairs around the altar and proceeded with the Liturgy. At Communion time, he passed the soborium to the person next to him, and it continued to be passed around by each person. I didn’t self communicate, but just passed it on to him. Could you tell me if this is legal according to Canon law.

First off you are NOT attending Mass when he is presiding. He is conducting a Lay Communion Service.

No, nothing you described is permitted. You should speak with the pastor.

 

[benedictgal]

To further expound on the point of this multi-tiered abuse of the Sacrament, this is how Francis Cardinal Arinze explained the notion of “taking” and “receiving”:

One thing I’ve seen before [is] where they have the ciborium out, and people come up and take our Precious Lord out of there and dip our Lord into the Precious Blood and place it on their own tongue themselves.

Forbidden. Not correct. Because the nature of the Holy Eucharist is such that the person who is not a priest celebrating the Mass must be given the Body of Christ. You say “amen”. And you receive, on the tongue or in the hand. If you are not the priests celebrating Mass – if you are the deacon assisting – you must be given [Communion]. You may not take.

Even if you are bishop or cardinal, and you are not celebrating that Mass, you must be given. You must not take.

For example, if you watch us in Rome in St. Peter’s basilica or square, when the pope is saying a major Mass, there may be 40 cardinals, 100 bishops. When we are not concelebrating – we are wearing red vestments but we are not concelebrating – we are just assisting at Mass as all of you who are baptized. When it is time for Communion, we receive, exactly as everybody else. A deacon comes to us and says “the Body of Christ”. I say “amen”. He gives to me, and the same for all.

None of us is allowed to take. We must be given. This is the Church law. It is not to lower anybody, it is just the nature of the sacrament. Even when Christ multiplied bread and fish, He told the apostles to distribute it. It was a sign.

So the Church that regulates Eucharistic practice says that the holy Body and Blood of Christ will be given us. We will not take. Only the celebrating priests or the concelebrating communicate themselves. Everybody else must be given it, even if that person is a bishop or a priest.

While this commentary addreses the matter of intinction, the same principle applies, here, as well.

You should report this to the priest-in-charge and inform him of these grave abuses. If your priest does not address the matter, then you must inform the bishop. This is a very serious matter.