Some things "added" to the Mass

[reff]

Hi everyone . It’s been quite a long time since I’ve been to the CA forum. But I wanted to ask a question about some things that occurred when I visited a Mass in another Parish about 40 miles from mine. It was actually a mass for members of the Newman Center at the University. There were two things that they did that I’ve never seen before. First, after everyone had received communion, and he put the host back in the tabernacle, and everyone was sitting, they dimmed the lights and everyone knelt again for a couple minutes for like a moment of silence. This was before the final blessing. And the other thing was after the final blessing and before the final hymn, all of the students went up to the priest and received a personal blessing from him. It was very interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was pretty cool. But is it okay for them to add these things to the mass? I always thought adding things to the Mass was a liturgical abuse.

 

[japhy]

First, after everyone had received communion, and he put the host back in the tabernacle, and everyone was sitting, they dimmed the lights and everyone knelt again for a couple minutes for like a moment of silence. This was before the final blessing.

I don’t see anything wrong with that. It appears to have been some particular sort of personal prayer time after Communion; the dimming of the lights may have been to help “set the mood” (for lack of a better phrase).

after the final blessing and before the final hymn, all of the students went up to the priest and received a personal blessing from him.

That’s after Mass. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[shorty42223]

I don’t understand why people are sitting after Communion anyway, we have always knelt upon returning from Communion as it is a time to reflect on receiving the True Body and Blood of Christ as we become a temple for Him.

Having the students come up for a blessing is fine. I am in a military community and after the final blessing and before the final hymn, our priests calls up all those that are either deploying or leaving the community due to moving or retirement and gives them a blessing. I think it is a beautiful way to show these people that they belong to a very special community and a way of thanking them.

 

[reff]

I stated that wrong. The blessings were done right before the final prayer and final blessing.

 

[reff]

I don’t understand why people are sitting after Communion anyway, we have always knelt upon returning from Communion as it is a time to reflect on receiving the True Body and Blood of Christ as we become a temple for Him.

.

They did kneel after returning to their pews when they received communion. What I was saying was that after the priest purified the vessels and everything and put the host back in the tabernacle and closed it, everybody sat down, as people normally do. Then the priest came down from the altar and knelt in front of it as everyone else did, and the lights were dimmed. I thought that maybe it was to give the priest some time for silent prayer since he doesn’t have a chance to pray silently after receiving communion.

 

[malphono]

I stated that wrong. The blessings were done right before the final prayer and final blessing.

That changes things. As japhy pointed out earlier, if it was after Mass (i.e. after the final blessing) it would not be an issue at all. Such a “blessing” is aliturgical and should not have been done during Mass (i.e. before the final blessing).

 

[japhy]

That changes things. As japhy pointed out earlier, if it was after Mass (i.e. after the final blessing) it would not be an issue at all. Such a “blessing” is aliturgical and should not have been done during Mass (i.e. before the final blessing).

Unless it was one found in the Book of Blessing which may be incorporated into the Mass (e.g. the throat-blessing of St. Blaise).

 

[ChurchTorch]

I don’t understand why people are sitting after Communion anyway, we have always knelt upon returning from Communion as it is a time to reflect on receiving the True Body and Blood of Christ as we become a temple for Him.

Having the students come up for a blessing is fine. I am in a military community and after the final blessing and before the final hymn, our priests calls up all those that are either deploying or leaving the community due to moving or retirement and gives them a blessing. I think it is a beautiful way to show these people that they belong to a very special community and a way of thanking them.

Bad knees? Personal preference? Either way they are allowed to sit.

 

[malphono]

Unless it was one found in the Book of Blessing which may be incorporated into the Mass (e.g. the throat-blessing of St. Blaise).

My memory is rather cloudy on this, and it could well be that I’m mistaken, but for some reason I seem to recall that on S Blaise, (in pre-conciliar times, at least), the blessing of throats was done after the final blessing at Mass. If I am mistaken, maybe you could refresh me as to where it would have been inserted. The only other place I can think of off-hand where it wouldn’t be totally out-of-place is immediately after the Gospel.

 

[benedictgal]

I stated that wrong. The blessings were done right before the final prayer and final blessing.

Is done at every Mass for no special reason other than to just bless people? If that is the case, then it is not licit. Everyone will be receiving a blessing at the end of the Mass.