Should patens be reintroduced???

[slinky1882]

I have a question as a youngin’ on these boards age wise. What was the original purpose of patens??? I have seen them used two or three times. Is their purpose to prevent parts of the Host from dropping onto the floor and catch Hosts that fall??? And if so, why are they not used anymore or reintroduced??? (accidents still happen ) Thanks and God Bless.

 

[mjdonnelly]

My church still uses them. It’s a good thing also, the Monseignor is a little old and it almost seems like the host can bounce. We have some quick altar servers!

 

[NightRider]

My parish still uses them also. It is a Dominican parish.

 

[slinky1882]

I have a follow-up question, why have patens fallen into disuse??? Thanks and God Bless.

 

[CatholicNerd]

The Latin parish that I attend in my hometown has retained the use of the paten (mercifully! Our poor priest is nearly blind and does have a difficult time giving communion by mouth). The paten is always used by the priest that celebrates the Indult Mass there as well. At my Byzantine parish we have a cloth that is used to catch any of the sacred species that should not make it into a persons’ mouth.

 

[jpjd]

I remember patens being used when I was a child. This was when Communion was taken by mouth, and the paten could catch any fallen hosts.

When the church introduced taking Communion in the hand, the use of patens faded away, as eventually the majority of people received in the hand.

 

[Milliardo]

Thankfully the paten is still used in our parish. It has not faded away as it did in some other areas. I would say that it is still being used in most parts of the Philippines.

 

[dumspirospero]

WHen I go to the Latin Mass…I do not have this to worry about…but I go to the Cathedral a lot too…I am a K of C at the Cathedral Council…the two things I miss most when I go there are the patens and the consecration bells…I know they are both optional…I just wish they would incorporate both of them back into the Mass at the Cathedral.

 

[Pug]

Unless you get rid of the EM’s, you’d need a lot of extra altar servers to hold the patens, unless you used extra EM’s to hold them. But I don’t go to a Latin mass.

I wonder if it would make any sense to use them with the cup?

 

[Pariah_Pirana]

slinky1882:

I have a follow-up question, why have patens fallen into disuse??? Thanks and God Bless.

Only one priest uses a paten here. The rest want to “eat from the same plate as everyone else.”

We correctly have an ornate chalice for the celebrant and several very plain looking ones to use for Holy Communion. Most of the priests prohibit us to set-out the grand chalice (RS recommends we do) so they can “drink from the same cup as everyone else.”

Very 1970…

 

[Shoshana]

I believe we should as I have seen the Hose dropped too many times either by the communicant or the EM (just last week I dropped One as my elbow hit the railing when i gave communion to our choir). I have asked that I be taken off the EM list but my spiritual director told me to be patient as this will come back when EMs would be kept to a very bare minimum…

Christ is risen…truly he is risen!
Shoshana

 

[Genesis315]

Redemptionis Sacramentum

[93.] The Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful should be retained, so as to avoid the danger of the sacred host or some fragment of it falling.

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html

I’m assuming a “Communion-plate” is the same thing as a paten.

 

[Piusx]

**Yeah. They should be used…to knock some sense into the heads of some priest. LOL

Since Bishops dont use their staff’s to whip priest into shape, maybe we can use the paten. LOL

This may be a tad disruptive at Mass though. LOL

**

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, I think Bishops should require all Priests to use a Paten and a Corporal. I know of two who use neither. As far as Patens for the reception of Holy Communion, If the necessary care is taken they are not needed in my opinion when receiving standing and the majority receive in their hand. Most people will step up and receive in their hand then take a step or two before pausing and placing the Host in their mouth, I also tend to do this. What is the poor altar server going to do chase after the person who just received or the one now receiving? And if there are 11 or 12 EMHC and only two or three altar servers? Then what?

 

[Lucania]

My Church uses a Paten. It is usually one of the Altar BOYS who holds it. I have on occasion noticed that people who receive in the hand don’t move a few steps over before consumming the Eucharist so the purpose of using a Paten is served for the most part.

 

[RSiscoe]

slinky1882:

I have a question as a youngin’ on these boards age wise. What was the original purpose of patens??? I have seen them used two or three times. Is their purpose to prevent parts of the Host from dropping onto the floor and catch Hosts that fall??? And if so, why are they not used anymore or reintroduced??? (accidents still happen ) Thanks and God Bless.

The purpose of the paten is not only to catch a host that may fall, but also to catch the particles that fall off of the host. After communion, the priest takes that paten from the altar server to the altar and uses his finger to clean the paten by pushing the small particles into the chalice (which previously contained the precious blood). He also cleans the ciborium (which held the hosts during communion) by using his finger to scrape any particles into the chalice. Next, the altar server poor wine into the chalice. Then the priest drinks the wine. This ensures that all of the precious blood, and particles, are comsumed, and none remains in the chalice. Then, the priest goes to the side of the altar and the altar servers poor wine and then water over the priests fingers that have touched the host. The wine, then water, flow over the preists fingers and then into the chalice. This water and wine again mingles with any remaining precious blood that may be in the chalice. The priest drinks this and then cleans the inside of the chalice with a towel. At this point, the chalice is purified.

This all takes place at the Traditional Latin Mass. I am not sure about the Novus Ordo.

 

[JimG]

I think that every parish I’ve ever been in has used patens at communion time. The altar servers hold the paten either under the communicant’s chin or under his hands while receiving the host from the priest.

 

[LoneRanger]

i fail to see the good reason for not using… i have seen more eucharist hit the floor in the years since their removal. Couldn’t hurt a thing to use, and would give the alter servers something to do besides sit there…

 

[mommy]

Ours uses them still.

 

[puzzleannie]

sure, and since most of the time we don’t have enough altar servers, we will just appoint more Eucharistic Ministers to handle the hardware, can’t have too many people up there.