Standing during Eucharist distribution

[lllj]

Today I attended mass at a church I had never been to before.

Before communion, after announcing the Eucharistic hymn, the person at the microphone said something along the lines of, “Please remain standing until everyone has received communion.”

Typically, after receiving communion, I am used to kneeling and praying. I use this time to talk to God and reflect.

However, today I felt as if I was not allowed to kneel. I am sure no one would have said anything, but they did make a special point about us all remaining standing. Of course, I still prayed while standing, but it did seem less natural.

I’m not sure if they do this every week, but I would assume so, since only one or two people had accidentally knelt down before they made the announcement.

Obviously not a big deal, but what is the standard here? I assume most parishes kneel? Is there any general rule, or is it decided by parish? Thanks!

 

[marty1818]

ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur103.htm

  The second point, of having everybody remain standing until all have  		received Communion, was already treated in a Feb. 17, 2004, column, and  		I substantially repeat what I then wrote: 
  
  "GIRM, No. 43, caused some controversy. It affirms that the faithful  		'may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is  		observed.' 
  
  "Some liturgists, and even some bishops, interpreted this text to mean  		that nobody should kneel or sit until everybody had received Communion.  		The resulting debate led Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S.  		bishops' Liturgy Committee (BCL), to request an authentic interpretation  		from the Holy See on May 26, 2003. 
  
  "Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship  		and the Sacraments, responded to the question on June 5, 2003 (Prot. N.  		855/03/L): 
  
  "'Responsum: "Negative, et ad mentem" [No, for this reason]. The mens  		[reasoning] is that the prescription of the Institutio Generalis  		Missalis Romani, no. 43, is intended, on the one hand, to 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, to  		not regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel  		or sit would no longer be free.' 
  
  "Having received this response, the BCL Newsletter commented: 'In the  		implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal,  		therefore, posture should not be regulated so rigidly as to forbid  		individual communicants from kneeling or sitting when returning from  		having received Holy Communion' (p. 26)."

 

[Will_B]

True… In 99% or more Catholic Churches the tradition is to kneel after you return to your pew. I have been to a few Catholic masses where the congregation stands until the tabernacle is closed… These masses are generally held at the church without kneelers or a church that has very modern architecture (more of an auditorium style church)

 

[lllj]

True… In 99% or more Catholic Churches the tradition is to kneel after you return to your pew. I have been to a few Catholic masses where the congregation stands until the tabernacle is closed… These masses are generally held at the church without kneelers or a church that has very modern architecture (more of an auditorium style church)

Neither of these were true. No modern architecture, and there were definitely kneelers, which we used earlier during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

It’s not the standing itself that bothers me but the lack of a chance to kneel even afterwards. Because once the tabernacle was closed, we proceeded and finished up mass.

But again, obviously I’m not the one with the authority to decide when people need to stand or kneel.

 

[lllj]

I do remember one other time when there was no kneeling. It was a Holy Day of Obligation, I forget which, and only maybe twenty or so people attended, and we all sat in chairs in the front of the church instead of in pews. In that case, there were no kneelers, so I didn’t think twice about it.

 

[lllj]

Related issue, now that I’m reading the article marty1818 linked to. We also did not kneel after the Lamb of God. I kind of lumped this all together as “not kneeling.”

We sang the Lamb of God, one or two people knelt, and right about then they made the announcement telling us which hymn would be sung during communion and also telling us to remain standing.

 

[lllj]

Lamb of God

*Agnus Dei. But most churches I’ve been to sing it in English, so I tend to call it the Lamb of God.

 

[on_the_hill]

Today I attended mass at a church I had never been to before.

Before communion, after announcing the Eucharistic hymn, the person at the microphone said something along the lines of, “Please remain standing until everyone has received communion.”

My in-laws’ church does this. I have no idea why.

I don’t like it, but when in Rome…

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

There are options here and what is chosen may depend on the bishop.

In this archdiocese we have been asked to stand during the communion procession, meaning the entire time people are processing up to receive communion. Not everyone does – it’s not like the ushers are going to drag you to your feet if you dare to kneel when you return to the pew – but it’s what our archdiocese’s chief liturgist, the archbishop, has asked us to do so it’s what most people do. In other places the custom is different.

 

[StMonicaGuideMe]

This doesn’t seem to make much sense considering we are supposed to say various prayers immediately after communion (some strongly suggested, others not). Yes, we could stand while praying…but this is not customary. What is the actual reason this is being asked of the congregation? Additionally, why should the faithful not be on bended knee in adoration after communion, having an inmost conversation with our Lord?

This is why I do not miss the Novus Ordo Mass. The Catholic Mass, the Mass that is supposed to be the same everywhere in the world, is being divided by “preference” of the “administration” in the new order. 10 years ago, I made a switch to the Latin Mass, and I would not go back to the NO if I had a choice.

 

[michaelmas]

The church I attended in Utah for many years had us stand or starting the standing deal. I just dealt when I got back to the pew and did my thing.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

This doesn’t seem to make much sense considering we are supposed to say various prayers immediately after communion (some strongly suggested, others not). Yes, we could stand while praying…but this is not customary. What is the actual reason this is being asked of the congregation? Additionally, why should the faithful not be on bended knee in adoration after communion, having an inmost conversation with our Lord?

The GIRM doesn’t specify prayers to be recited after communion, so any that you say are personal, not part of the Mass.

In part, the idea behind asking people to stand (or in another situation, asking people to sit or kneel) is a consistency of posture among those at Mass. When there is a procession, normally people stand – when the ministers process in at the beginning of Mass, for example, everyone stands. But if it bothers you so much, do what you want. The bishop can’t make you do something you don’t want to do.

 

[StMonicaGuideMe]

The GIRM doesn’t specify prayers to be recited after communion, so any that you say are personal, not part of the Mass.

In part, the idea behind asking people to stand (or in another situation, asking people to sit or kneel) is a consistency of posture among those at Mass. When there is a procession, normally people stand – when the ministers process in at the beginning of Mass, for example, everyone stands. But if it bothers you so much, do what you want. The bishop can’t make you do something you don’t want to do.

Though personal and not part of the Mass necessarily, prayers of thanksgiving are most certainly recommended, and have plenary indulgences attached if said after communion (Anima Christi/Soul of Christ, for example). Additionally, according to the Baltimore Catechism, Catholics should spend “sufficient time in Thanksgiving after Holy Communion to show due reverence to the Blessed Sacrament”, as long as the Bread and Wine appear. Considering that we kneel when the Blessed Sacrament is in view every other time, it seems common sense that we should kneel when others are receiving communion as well.

Again, this is not dogmatic, but I think has merit and my hesitation comes from this merit seemingly being overlooked. The whole practice to stand afterwards just seems odd.

 

[Rete]

That’s the my favorite part of mass. I receive communion, return to me pew, kneel, and speak to God. It’s not the same if I were to stand up. I am speaking to God, after all; not just some guy off the street. Maybe it seems trivial to others, but this would not be a good change for me. If you were standing there, it would make it more of a social moment than a moment between the individual and God.

I hope that never happens at my parish.

 

[lllj]

This doesn’t seem to make much sense considering we are supposed to say various prayers immediately after communion (some strongly suggested, others not). Yes, we could stand while praying…but this is not customary. What is the actual reason this is being asked of the congregation?

Similar to my thoughts. And I have no idea why it’s being asked in this particular instance.

That’s the my favorite part of mass. I receive communion, return to me pew, kneel, and speak to God. It’s not the same if I were to stand up. I am speaking to God, after all; not just some guy off the street. Maybe it seems trivial to others, but this would not be a good change for me. If you were standing there, it would make it more of a social moment than a moment between the individual and God. .

My favorite part too! Even at times when I have not received communion, that moment to kneel and pray has always been meaningful to me. It was much harder to have that connection with God while standing. Kneeling at the pew and bowing my head and folding my hands…it’s just something I associate with, for whatever reason, prayer and spirituality. Standing, I found that many people were looking at each other, etc. and it was less personal.

Anyway, as others have said, it doesn’t seem there is any obligation as part of the mass to have the congregation kneel or even to require that individuals have a moment of prayer after receiving. So looks like it’s just a personal preference! I definitely hope that this is not a regular occurrence, since I plan to attend this church in the future, but if so, I’ll live.

 

[lllj]

Again, this is not dogmatic, but I think has merit and my hesitation comes from this merit seemingly being overlooked. The whole practice to stand afterwards just seems odd.

The weirder part, I thought, was the specific request that we all stand.

But I could see an argument for uniformity.

 

[Aramis]

Note that the Bishops cannot forbid kneeling after reception nor for reception within the Roman Church †; they can ASK however, and many do ask. It’s an area that Cdl Arinze has

Why they ask varies. For some, unity of posture. For others, cultural or subcultural norms (slavs stand in awe; westerners kneel or fall prone in awe, Japanese bow in awe…). For others still, it is a byzantification… (see below)

True… In 99% or more Catholic Churches the tradition is to kneel after you return to your pew. I have been to a few Catholic masses where the congregation stands until the tabernacle is closed… These masses are generally held at the church without kneelers or a church that has very modern architecture (more of an auditorium style church)

It is also the tradition in the Eastern Rite Churches in union to remain standing from the start of the consecration until everyone has received. Still Catholic, but under different rules, and kneeling in the presence of Christ’s Exposed Body is forbidden by Byzantine tradition.

But also note: The canons of the ecumenical councils include a note that kneeling shouldn’t be done on sundays nor from Easter to Pentecost… and those were, at their heart, the Byzantine Roman Empire’s Imperial (national) councils that Rome later approved most of the canons of. For 1500+ years, most of the Church stood to pray; the East still does, and Rome did so through the 1000’s. Temple Jews also stood to pray, for 2000 years.

on a personal note
I don’t see why people get so wound up about it… why is it so hard for people to obey the requests of the priests and bishops? Standing is still a sign of respect in Western societies.

Standing is also a valid prayer posture in the Roman church.

-=-=-=-=-
† note that the Catholic Church is actually 20+ churches united under the pope. Rome’s the largest - 98% or so - but there are others. And the dubium was specifically answered for the Roman Missal. If you go to a Byzantine Liturgy, kneeling may actually be forbidden by the explicit rubrics.

 

[Rete]

on a personal note
I don’t see why people get so wound up about it… why is it so hard for people to obey the requests of the priests and bishops? Standing is still a sign of respect in Western societies.

Standing is also a valid prayer posture in the Roman church.

You can read the answer to that from several posters earlier in this thread. If you want to stand, then are those of who kneel forcing you to kneel?

Seems to me that in the parish mentioned people who stand are self-conscience of it for good reason and want to force everybody else to stand with them in order that they not be made to feel awkward about it when other Catholics immediately kneel when confronting our Lord.

If you like to stand, then I don’t see why you shouldn’t be allowed to stand. So I don’t see why the standers should want to force the kneelers to stand rather than kneel.

 

[Evan]

I do both.

During the procession, our Bishop has asked to to remain standing. As we are all in procession together.

After the procession, and all have received, the body of Christ is reposed, we kneel and pray. I find it easier to pray after the choir or cantor has finished. Then we may pray in silence. This usually lasts 1-3 minutes.

If the priest does not leave a time of silence after communion, ask for one.
If the choir does not allow a time of silence, ask the priest to talk with them concerning “sacred silence” in GIRM, especially after communion.

 

[Brendan]

As far as kneeling after you return to your seat, yes you can.

When the new GIRM was being examined by the US Bishops, this was a point that the bishops themselves were unclear about, so they requested a clarification from Rome on what Rome meant when it issued the new GIRM.

Cardinal George of Chicago, on behalf of all the US bishops, send the following to Rome and received the following response.

Dubium: In many places, the faithful are accustomed to kneeling or sitting in personal prayer upon returning to their places after having individually received Holy Communion during Mass. Is it the intention of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, to forbid this practice?

Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the CDW, responded to the question on June 5, 2003 (Prot. N. 855/03/L):

Responsum: Negative, et ad mensum [No, for this reason]. The mens [reasoning] is that the prescription of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, no. 43, is intended, on the one hand, to 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, to not regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free.

The BCL Newsletter continues: “In the implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, therefore, posture should not be regulated so rigidly as to forbid individual communicants from kneeling or sitting when returning from having received Holy Communion”

adoremus.org/Kneeling-CDW-response03.html

So yes, there is nothing that would prevent someone (even a bishop) from ASKING you to stand, but you are under no obligation to do so nor would it be a matter of disobedience to kneel, sit or stand after you return to your pew.