Serving Communion to Children's Program Volunteers

[sandraladeda]

For our Sunday liturgies, we have a Children’s Praise and Worship program available. It has been our practice, after serving Communion to the community, for a Eucharistic Minister to take Communion down to our church basement to serve the volunteers at the Children’s program. With our parish priest, we recently concluded this was not a correct practice, but now we are facing some opposition to this decision. I am interested in knowing if the decision to stop serving Communion was correct, and if so, why.

My sense is that serving your turn as a volunteer at Sunday School is not the same as “finding it impossible to participate at Mass”, and therefore, is not a correct reason to receive the Eucharist outside of the Mass.

Can Sunday School volunteers consider their turn as volunteers to be the equivalent of attending Mass, and should they therefore be entitled to receive Communion? Can anyone point out a documented answer to this question which I can bring to our priest, Communion Ministry and Children’s Program Ministry?

Thank you and God Bless.

 

[bear06]

For our Sunday liturgies, we have a Children’s Praise and Worship program available. It has been our practice, after serving Communion to the community, for a Eucharistic Minister to take Communion down to our church basement to serve the volunteers at the Children’s program. With our parish priest, we recently concluded this was not a correct practice, but now we are facing some opposition to this decision. I am interested in knowing if the decision to stop serving Communion was correct, and if so, why.

My sense is that serving your turn as a volunteer at Sunday School is not the same as “finding it impossible to participate at Mass”, and therefore, is not a correct reason to receive the Eucharist outside of the Mass.

Can Sunday School volunteers consider their turn as volunteers to be the equivalent of attending Mass, and should they therefore be entitled to receive Communion? Can anyone point out a documented answer to this question which I can bring to our priest, Communion Ministry and Children’s Program Ministry?

Thank you and God Bless.

No, Sunday School is not the same as attending Mass. Attending Mass is the same as attending Mass.

These might help you:
ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDWSACRA.HTM
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html

And no, it doesn’t refer to Sunday school. They refer to grave reasons to miss Mass. Some things are a no brainer. If we’re trying to impress upon the children that we shouldn’t skip Mass save for serious reason, how does it look when we skip Mass for Sunday school instead of attending an earlier or later Mass? If your church only has one service, then “Sunday school” should be moved to another day or before or after Mass. The “Sunday school” teachers still have a Sunday obligation to attend Mass. They don’t have an obligation to teach “Sunday school”.

From RS:

If participation at the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible on account of the absence of a sacred minister or for some other grave cause,’ then it is the Christian people’s right that the diocesan Bishop should provide as far as he is able for some celebration to be held on Sundays for that community under his authority and according to the Church’s norms

 

[sandraladeda]

Thank you bear06. You have helped me enormously.

I want to be prepared to face angry emotion with fact and logic. You have given that to me.

I agree it is a no brainer. I get frustrated when we realize we have been doing something wrong, and we try to correct that, and the response is “we’ve always done it this way” or “But we’ve already promised people we can do it this way”. Well, it was not right to do it that way!

Thanks again, and God Bless.

 

[bear06]

Thank you bear06. You have helped me enormously.

I want to be prepared to face angry emotion with fact and logic. You have given that to me.

I agree it is a no brainer. I get frustrated when we realize we have been doing something wrong, and we try to correct that, and the response is “we’ve always done it this way” or “But we’ve already promised people we can do it this way”. Well, it was not right to do it that way!

Thanks again, and God Bless.

Heaven help the person that would actually have to attend Mass and teach CCD. It seems like some of the teachers might have lost their focus. What about obedience to there pastor? So, basically, it make me wonder what they might be teaching these kids anyway.

 

[baltobetsy]

You said that they have a “children’s praise and worship program.” Perhaps there’s some confusion, since this may be a kind of church service for the little ones, that it would in some way substitute for Holy Mass for all who attend. What is really needed is some education for the teachers on the nature and necessity of attending Sunday Mass to correct what appears to be a Protestant understanding of Sunday worship - as long as you do something religious, that should “count.”

Betsy

 

[jmcrae]

Can Sunday School volunteers consider their turn as volunteers to be the equivalent of attending Mass,

NO.

There are times when it is appropriate to receive Holy Communion outside of Mass.

These times are: when you are severely ill and home bound, or caring for someone who is severely ill and home bound.

At a duly authorized service of Holy Communion (an example would be the 3:00 service of Holy Communion that takes place on Good Friday; other examples would be when a regularly scheduled Mass is cancelled because no priest is available - the Bishop can then authorize a lay person (who has been instructed in the proper procedures ahead of time) to conduct a service of Holy Communion).

When preparing to receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction on one’s death bed.

By the way, if the children in the Sunday School are baptized and of age to receive Holy Communion then they, too, need to be going to Mass as well as to Sunday School.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

For our Sunday liturgies, we have a Children’s Praise and Worship program available. It has been our practice, after serving Communion to the community, for a Eucharistic Minister to take Communion down to our church basement to serve the volunteers at the Children’s program. With our parish priest, we recently concluded this was not a correct practice, but now we are facing some opposition to this decision. I am interested in knowing if the decision to stop serving Communion was correct, and if so, why.

My sense is that serving your turn as a volunteer at Sunday School is not the same as “finding it impossible to participate at Mass”, and therefore, is not a correct reason to receive the Eucharist outside of the Mass.

Can Sunday School volunteers consider their turn as volunteers to be the equivalent of attending Mass, and should they therefore be entitled to receive Communion? Can anyone point out a documented answer to this question which I can bring to our priest, Communion Ministry and Children’s Program Ministry?

Thank you and God Bless.

I don’t like the term “serving Communion”. Holy Communion is offered to the faithful and can be received by anyone in attendance. Even if they have not participated in the entire Mass. Doing so does not satisfy the Sunday obligation and they must return to another Mass. I would suggest that the pastor let the volunteer know that they do not meet the Sunday obligation of participating in Mass by staying in the basement. They should return to hear another Mass.

 

[sandraladeda]

You said that they have a “children’s praise and worship program.” Perhaps there’s some confusion, since this may be a kind of church service for the little ones, that it would in some way substitute for Holy Mass for all who attend. What is really needed is some education for the teachers on the nature and necessity of attending Sunday Mass to correct what appears to be a Protestant understanding of Sunday worship - as long as you do something religious, that should “count.”

Betsy

I know it is definitely NOT a substitute for Holy Mass. it is a very high quality program which follows the readings being proclaimed at the regular Mass upstairs, but at a level of understanding appropriate for the children. Those children who have received ther First Communion do go upstairs at the offertory, I believe, and then return to the Children’s program after Communion.

Someone once came up with the idea that when they are working in the Children’s program, they are “participating in spirit” in the Mass…as they are making it possible for the parents of these children to attend Mass with full, active, conscious participation, undistracted by their children? I agree, this does seem to fall into the category of “as long as you do something religious, that should count”…

Thank you, all, for your wonderful (name removed by moderator)ut. It has been most helpful to me…

 

[bear06]

Someone once came up with the idea that when they are working in the Children’s program, they are “participating in spirit” in the Mass…as they are making it possible for the parents of these children to attend Mass with full, active, conscious participation, undistracted by their children? I agree, this does seem to fall into the category of “as long as you do something religious, that should count”…

Lame idea. It would seem that some think that the vocation of marriage and family are in conflict with the Mass. Having my children in Mass sometimes helps me to unite even better with Our Lord on the cross.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I know it is definitely NOT a substitute for Holy Mass. it is a very high quality program which follows the readings being proclaimed at the regular Mass upstairs, but at a level of understanding appropriate for the children. Those children who have received ther First Communion do go upstairs at the offertory, I believe, and then return to the Children’s program after Communion.

Someone once came up with the idea that when they are working in the Children’s program, they are “participating in spirit” in the Mass…as they are making it possible for the parents of these children to attend Mass with full, active, conscious participation, undistracted by their children? I agree, this does seem to fall into the category of “as long as you do something religious, that should count”…

Thank you, all, for your wonderful (name removed by moderator)ut. It has been most helpful to me…

“Those children who have received ther First Communion do go upstairs at the offertory, I believe, and then return to the Children’s program after Communion.”

So those children are not fulfilling their Sunday Mass obligation, and above all with the parents knowledge! The children can receive Holy Communion in this situation but they are only receiving Holy Communion technically OUTSIDE of Mass and must return for another Mass to meet their obligation. Because they did not participate in the Mass from beginning to end, they participated in the children’s program, which is not the equivalent to attending Mass.

 

[sandraladeda]

I am getting alarmed about our children’s program!

I am going to discuss this with our pastor. He is new to our parish (less than one year) and replaced a much-loved pastor who succumbed to a cancer death in a very quick manner (about 2 months from diagnosis to death) Our new pastor is wonderful, and his grasp of Catholic doctrine is great. I have learned a ton in a short period of time. He faces a great deal of opposition to change, hears lots of “Father _____ did it this way!” I am realizing lately, that he still needs alot of support and prayer. I have to confess, I have not looked at the Children’s program much, as my children are past the age, and even when they were young enough to attend, they didn’t want to, and I preferred to have them attend mass with me, anyway.

I guess I was always of the impression that if they were hearing the Word proclaimed downstairs, and were present for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, they were “participating”. I guess this was one of those things I heard, much like the Sunday School parents heard they were “participating in spirit”, yikes! I am going to have to become a very busy busybody indeed!

send a prayer my way?

Thanks, Friends!

 

[bear06]

Our church does CCD right before Mass, not in place of Mass. I’ve been to other parishes where they head off to the hall after Mass, grab a snack and then go to CCD while the parents socialize. These might be ideas to try. You get a bunch of good things out of this. Children and teachers are fulfilling their Sunday obligation, children are receiving an education without a separate trip and the parents are getting to know the other parishioners.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I am getting alarmed about our children’s program!

I am going to discuss this with our pastor. He is new to our parish (less than one year) and replaced a much-loved pastor who succumbed to a cancer death in a very quick manner (about 2 months from diagnosis to death) Our new pastor is wonderful, and his grasp of Catholic doctrine is great. I have learned a ton in a short period of time. He faces a great deal of opposition to change, hears lots of “Father _____ did it this way!” I am realizing lately, that he still needs alot of support and prayer. I have to confess, I have not looked at the Children’s program much, as my children are past the age, and even when they were young enough to attend, they didn’t want to, and I preferred to have them attend mass with me, anyway.

I guess I was always of the impression that if they were hearing the Word proclaimed downstairs, and were present for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, they were “participating”. I guess this was one of those things I heard, much like the Sunday School parents heard they were “participating in spirit”, yikes! I am going to have to become a very busy busybody indeed!

send a prayer my way?

Thanks, Friends!

There would be nothing with the children leaving right after the Gospel and returning after a childrens homily given by another priest or deacon on thie level. Children who have not received their First Holy Communion are not required to attens Mass. Those who are preparing to receive First Holy Communion fall into a grey area. I think they belong in Mass with their parents.

 

[John_Lilburne]

The Church does have a ceremony for receiving Communion outside of Mass. But in this case the ceremony does not seem to be complete.

For someone who is not sick there is a longer rite and shorter rite. The shorter rite has:

Introductory rites: greeting, penitential rite
Reading
Our Father
This is the Lamb of God …
Communion
Concluding Prayer.

I doubt that the Extraordinary Minister has time for this.

According to the liturgical book:
"14. The faithful should be encouraged to receive communion during the eucharistic celebration itself.
“Priests, however, are not to refuse to give communion to the faithful who ask for it even outside Mass.”
(From Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, published by E.J. Dwyer, Sydney, 1975, ISBN 0-85574-401-4, page 8, n. 14.)

The practice of taking Communion to the children’s group seems not to be encouraging them to receive Communion in the Eucharistic celebration itself.

According to the 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum:
“[164.] “If participation at the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible on account of the absence of a sacred minister or for some other grave cause,”
[Footnote 269: Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 1248 § 2; Congregation for Divine Worship, Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest, Christi Ecclesia, nn. 1-2: Notitiae 24 (1988) p. 366. ]
then it is the Christian people’s right that the diocesan Bishop should provide as far as he is able for some celebration to be held on Sundays for that community under his authority and according to the Church’s norms. Sunday celebrations of this specific kind, however, are to be considered altogether extraordinary.”

But in this case participation in the Eucharist is far from impossible.