It is the “norm” in our diocese to stand throughout communion and then sit once the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the Tabernacle. I know this is against the GIRM, however this was something started by our Bishop now Bishop Emeritus years ago, and this custom has been continued by our current Bishop. In fact he solidified his stance on it at this years Holy Thursday Mass. The rationale is that since we are all in communion, we should all maintain the same posture throughout the Communion Rite. I see his logic, however I find it flawed. Never mind the fact it goes against the GIRM.
Our family has elected, albeit apprehensively, to kneel anyway, even if we are the only ones in the church doing it, ( we are not, though there are not many of us.) I find myself torn with disobeying my Bishop, and obeying the Church, or vice versa. We visited the Cathedral in Rapid City SD a few years back and experienced what i thought was a compromise to this problem. Everyone remained standing until Communion was over and the Blessed Sacrament was reposed, then the assembly kneeled in prayer for a time. I could live with this posture myself.
Can you substantiate that it goes against the GIRM to have a common posture during Communion?
The GIRM has “42. A common bodily posture, to be observed by all those taking part is a sign of unity of the members of the Christian community gathered together for the Sacred Liturgy, for it expresses the intentions and spiritual attitude of the participants and also fosters them.”
The USA edition of the GIRM has:
“160. The Priest then takes the paten or ciborium and approaches the communicants, who usually come up in procession.
It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves. The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction, Redemptionis Sacramentum, March 25, 2004, no. 91).
When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the Precious Blood.” (From
usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/general-instruction-of-the-roman-missal/girm-chapter-4.cfm ).
This USA GIRM has: “43. … The faithful should sit, on the other hand, during the readings before the Gospel and the Responsorial Psalm and for the Homily and during the Preparation of the Gifts at the Offertory; and, if appropriate, they may sit or kneel during the period of sacred silence after Communion.”
The GIRM in Australia has: “43. The faithful should sit, on the other hand, … ; and, if appropriate, during the period of sacred silence after Communion.” (Roman Missal, 2010, Catholic Truth Society, page 37.)
This “period of sacred silence after Communion” does not sound like the time during Communion to me.
