The communion rail, or standing for communion?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Marilena
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I don’t mind standing or kneeling but I do like it when there is an altar rail, because I like the way it looks and the way it sets the altar space apart.
 
It’s interesting, I remember as a little girl we had a kneeling rail in the Methodist church, we would go up and kneel and take communion. I have seen these communion rails in other older Protestant churches as well, so I guess it’s something they also used to do. At least in the big mainline ones. 🙂

I loved it as a child, it was alway so special. Only once a month though.
 
anamchara said:
It’s interesting, I remember as a little girl we had a kneeling rail in the Methodist church, we would go up and kneel and take communion. I have seen these communion rails in other older Protestant churches as well, so I guess it’s something they also used to do. At least in the big mainline ones. 🙂

I loved it as a child, it was alway so special. Only once a month though.
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and lets not forget…Wonder Bread and Grape Juice:eek:
 
we have really nice traditional communion holy cards in our book shop in the church 👍
 
Rught now, for me, it is standing since that is the only way I have ever recieved it.

However, this weekend should be interesting. I am going in retreat starting this evening. The priests (from the Order of Canon Regulars) that are giving the retreat are at a parish that actually use the communion rail.
 
anamchara said:
I’ve never seen someone at an NO Mass not be allow to kneel. Our priest is very good about this and so where the four other priests I knew. 🙂 It’s the way it should be.
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i was told by the priest after Mass that kneeling was a distraction:confused: perhaps some NO priests don’t allow it, perhaps some do. but the one that toldme not to kneel certainly did not allow it.:confused:
 
Karin said:
and lets not forget…Wonder Bread and Grape Juice:eek:
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Hey now don’t make fun 😦 actually it was baked bread and normally wheat, not just bought from the store. There’s a special place in me heart for all those days so tread lightly on me now 😉 I loved our pastor, he baptized me and married me 🙂 He died this last year. I attended the funeral and the church packed, several priests from local Catholic Churches attended. He taught me to have a great deal of respect for our Catholic brethren, so much so that I ended up converting 🙂 He was highly educated and involved in ecumenical affairs for a long time. A very respected pastor in our neck of the woods.

Ok, back to communion rails, I noticed that our parish doesn’t have them yet it was built in the 1920s so I am a bit surprised by this. It’s actually a pretty traditional parish, I’ll have to post a pic at some point. I think the traditionalists on here would approve 😉 🙂
 
anamchara said:
Ok, back to communion rails, I noticed that our parish doesn’t have them yet it was built in the 1920s so I am a bit surprised by this. It’s actually a pretty traditional parish, I’ll have to post a pic at some point. I think the traditionalists on here would approve 😉 🙂
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Dont be surprised. The communion rails were probably removed in the 70s or early 80s, possibly around the same time they put in a freestanding altar and possibly smashed the old one.
 
Marilena said:
i was told by the priest after Mass that kneeling was a distraction:confused: perhaps some NO priests don’t allow it, perhaps some do. but the one that toldme not to kneel certainly did not allow it.:confused:
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I would disagree that it is a distraction, but in large parishes it might cause someone to trip if they are not ready for it. That I have seen.
 
Caesar said:
Dont be surprised. The communion rails were probably removed in the 70s or early 80s, possibly around the same time they put in a freestanding altar and possibly smashed the old one.
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I will ask the Father when I see him this Saturday and get back to you on that. You might be right ceaser, we do have three very lovely Saints still standing and Mary. Although I think Mary’s crown could use some fixing up. Our tabernacle is right in the center though and beautiful.

Interesting story our priest told us. When he first moved in and started looking around the place he decided to crawled under the Church in an area where things are “stored” anyway it was very dark! Suddenly he saw something that nearly scared him to death! He jumped back and then re-focused his eyes, it was a face :eek: it took a few moments for him to realize it wasn’t an actual person but a statue…after some digging around he ended up finding two beautiful angels that had been shoved down there. So he got them out and paid with his own money I believe, to have them refurbished. They hang now in our Parish on either side of the tabernacle. Apparently they were donated years ago by a family and he tired in vain to reach the family because as the story goes, the family was horrible upset over the whole thing! I can’t blame them!! :eek:
 
anamchara said:
I would disagree that it is a distraction, but in large parishes it might cause someone to trip if they are not ready for it. That I have seen.
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If this might be the case, then the person kneeling should stop before they kneel, and be careful not to kneel too quickly.

I kneel, rail or not.
 
paramedicgirl said:
But it’s only a meal, after all. No Real Presence. 😉
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It’s not “only a meal” for Protestants, not only does it sound as though you are gloating which is tacky but you are insulting Protestants who may very well come in here to seek out the Catholic faith.

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of our Catholic faith but in my opinion we should avoid being too boastful. 🙂
 
m134e5 said:
If this might be the case, then the person kneeling should stop before they kneel, and be careful not to kneel too quickly.

I kneel, rail or not.
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Ya know, this is good common sense and something I hadn’t even thought of. 😉
 
anamchara said:
It’s not “only a meal” for Protestants, not only does it sound as though you are gloating which is tacky but you are insulting Protestants who may very well come in here to seek out the Catholic faith.

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of our Catholic faith but in my opinion we should avoid being too boastful. 🙂
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Whoa!! Such contentious remarks!! Calm down. I am saying that the Protestants don’t believe in transubstantiation, only in the bread and wine as a symbol. So, yeah, that makes it a meal. It’s certainly NOT the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s certainly NOT the Holy Sacrifice that Catholics are privileged to be in the presence of.
 
paramedicgirl said:
Whoa!! Such contentious remarks!! Calm down. I am saying that the Protestants don’t believe in transubstantiation, only in the bread and wine as a symbol. So, yeah, that makes it a meal. It’s certainly NOT the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s certainly NOT the Holy Sacrifice that Catholics are privileged to be in the presence of.
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You were gloating, that’s how it came off my dear and it doesn’t matter how ya spin it. It was belittling at least to me. If you don’t think so that’s cool. Me last word it 😉

And I couldn’t be any calmer :yawn:

:whistle:
 
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