The Dangers of Proliferating Communion Services

[JimG]

The dangers of proliferating Communion services

Unfortunately, it has become too easy to dismiss the importance of liturgical appearances as long as we retain the essential Real Presence.

www.catholicculture.org

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve not really seen a lot of Communion services. The only time I see them here is when a priest suddenly had a medical issue (for example, one priest fell off a ladder and broke his hip) and they couldn’t get a substitute priest to come say daily Mass, so they had a communion service instead on the days when they couldn’t get another priest.

 

[White_Tree]

It seems like the author is taking a very large leap when he implies that “having communion services during a pandemic” will suddenly lead to “nuns will pretend to consecrate the host, and people will just accept it.”

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Large leaps are the stock-in-trade of many Catholic fearmongers who write opinion columns on the Internet. Fear brings in the clicks and the donations. I don’t like it, but as an advocate of free speech, I concede they have a right to do it. I’ll also concede that I understand why some of them feel as they do. I lived through the Church in the experimental period just after Vatican II and there was a lot of envelope-pushing going on. It’s mostly gone away now. It will go away even more as the baby boom generation expires.

Catholic Culture website has a wonderful liturgical calendar with biographies of the saint of every day, traditional prayers, recipes, and family activities. That is why I visit their site. Not for their opinion commentary, of which 90 percent is a waste of space in my opinion.

 

[Genesis315]

It seems like the author is taking a very large leap when he implies that “having communion services during a pandemic” will suddenly lead to “nuns will pretend to consecrate the host, and people will just accept it.”

I tend to agree (although don’t underestimate how many people just don’t care one way or the other), but to be fair to this author, advocates (of which he quotes one) have supported it because they also think it will have this effect. Given the plethora of stuff that has gone from special exception to de facto norm with regards to the liturgy in the post-Vatican II Church (e.g. extraordinary ministers, communion in hand, the vernacular, Mass facing the people, altar girls, etc., etc.) along with the lack of understanding in belief and the real presence and nature of the priesthood that has accompanied it, it’s only natural to expect more of the same.

 

[Weserthy]

While there is nothing wrong with communion services in a vacuum, the author does make a good point that additional communion services could be used as a tool to weaken Catholic doctrine about the necessity and nature of the priesthood, especially in a time when so few Catholics are catechized on such topics. Make no mistake, there are those in the Church who would use communion services as a tool to advance other agendas - female ordination among them. It’s not such a great leap - he even cites a an example in the article! The infamous Fr. Reese wrote an article recently about how communion services could be used to advance ordaining married men and women:

On the positive side, the expansion of Communion services will contribute to declericalization of the church. It will also allow parishioners to see how well or badly laypeople can preside at liturgical ceremonies. If married men and women do just as well as the priests, we will see a growing groundswell for ordaining them.

So no, I don’t think it’s huge leap at all that a large expansion of communion services could advance heterodox agendas. Here’s a well known dissenting priest outright admitting that this is what he would like to see happen, and rest assured that he’s not alone in such musings. Now, would such a scenario be likely? Probably not - but there is no denying that there is more sympathy for such ideas in the upper echelons of the Church today than there was 10 years ago. We don’t need to go further down that path than we are already. We have more than enough doctrinal confusion these days as it is.

 

[ajfrab]

Exactly. There are not a lot of places where public Mass was suspended and replaced by communion services–the whole point was to avoid the gatherings of people. I do not know of any parish that stopped having public Mass due to covid-19 and allowed a communion service instead. Perhaps that happened somewhere?

 

[Phemie]

Exactly. There are not a lot of places where public Mass was suspended and replaced by communion services–the whole point was to avoid the gatherings of people. I do not know of any parish that stopped having public Mass due to covid-19 and allowed a communion service instead. Perhaps that happened somewhere?

I haven’t seen anywhere that bothered to do a Communion Service rather than a Mass. Our priest live-streams his private Mass from the rectory chapel at the regular Mass times (they vary according to the day). Our bishop live-streams every morning at 9 and on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The 2 other people who are present at the Cathedral don’t even receive Communion so I can’t see having a Communion service.

We rarely celebrate a Liturgy of the Word with Communion in our parish but it has happened on the occasional Sunday due to the Pastor being unable to get back from the Mission because of flights being on weather hold, or being away on retreat for a week or more and unable to get a replacement to fly in to minister to us.

The CCCB has a ritual book for this which doesn’t quite follow the same order as Mass and is different from the USCCB’s ritual. Anyway, every time we’ve celebrated one of these liturgies, people who attend participate more than when they are at Mass and every single time people express the wish that we could have those every week instead of Mass. It boggles the mind.

 

[InThePew]

The problem with communion services, as another priest pointed out to me recently, is that they risk downplaying the importance to the sacrifice of the mass - in which all present participate ("my sacrifice and yours), offering ourselves as well as the bread and wine on the altar - in favour of just receiving communion. Yet, communion itself can’t exist apart from the sacrifice of the mass (which is why concelebrating priests have to receive from hosts consecrated at that mass), yet the sacrifice is in fact the most important part of the mass - receiving communion is, in a sense, merely a byproduct. Yes, regularly receiving the eucharist is important and commendable (you are, after all, what you eat) but it’s significance can’t exist apart from the sacrifice any more than the significance of the resurrection can exist apart from the crucifixion.

 

[commenter]

they risk downplaying the importance to the sacrifice of the mass - in which all present participate ("my sacrifice and yours), offering ourselves as well as the bread and wine on the altar

There’s a whole Entitlement mentality prevalent today. Many have no idea what the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass refers to.

In my Diocese before the Virus, there would be a Communion Service on the priest’s day off in one parish, rather than encouraging parishioners to go to the daily Mass at the next parish 10 minutes away. But there are mission territories where this is needed, as the only option for most Sundays.

 

[Dovekin]

every time we’ve celebrated one of these liturgies, people who attend participate more than when they are at Mass and every single time people express the wish that we could have those every week instead of Mass. It boggles the mind.

This is the “poor catechesis” everyone talks about. Communion rather than consecration is the focus. And I will go out on a limb and say this aspect of poor catechesis is a legacy of Trent, not Vatican II. Somebody else (the priest) consecrates, I only have to commune. (by myself).

T. Reese’s article talked about a proliferation of communion services because of Covid 19. There would have to be more services because fewer people would be able to attend; there are not enough priests for more masses, the more services would mean Communion services. Perhaps this is the time to correct the catechesis. Attendance at the Word every week, but you must join the priest in consecrating at least once a month.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Anyway, every time we’ve celebrated one of these liturgies, people who attend participate more than when they are at Mass and every single time people express the wish that we could have those every week instead of Mass. It boggles the mind.

That’s interesting. I’ve never heard anyone express that they preferred the Communion Service to Mass. Most people are sad when we can’t get a priest and have a real Mass, because without a priest, it’s just not the same for the folks I know who bother to go to daily Mass.

I have not seen the situation of a communion service for Sunday Mass. It may be that some of the Sunday Mass=goers who are just in a hurry to get done, or are there out of obligation rather than love for the Mass, might have a different opinion.

 

[commenter]

T. Reese’s article talked about a proliferation of communion services because of Covid 19.

Fr. Reese entered the Jesuits in 1962. He is at the tail end of a generation of Jesuits, and some others, who viewed religion mostly in social terms, with little supernatural.

We can’t judge this group of persons, whose influence is fading because they are not replacing themselves. But we have to ignore their guidance and reaffirm the supernatural, including the importance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This means Communion services should be the rare exception, except in remote areas.

 

[Dovekin]

But we have to ignore their guidance and reaffirm the supernatural, including the importance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This means Communion services should be the rare exception, except in remote areas.

Why reaffirrm the supernatural? I am not against it, I just do not see the point, particularly if you are saying that to justify disregarding a priest’s advice.

Reese’s comments are not advice, but conjecture based on his life and experience as both a priest and a sociologist. He is describing what is likely to happen, that smaller congregations will lead to more services than priests can handle. This opinion was probably reached after discussions with priests and bishops who are trying to deal with the crisis.

Communion services should be the rare exception, unless bishops are unwilling to fulfill their responsibility to provide the sacraments. That may keep communion services from being rare if it comes down to ordaining priests versus sharing communion.

 

[phil19034]

Unfortunately, I have.

The territorial parish I live in went from two priests to one. The parish offered two masses each morning. After dropping to one priest, Father changed one mass to a Communion Service instead of Mass.

Honestly, I was pretty shocked. I think it would have been much better if he changed one to Morning Prayer (perhaps also with the Office of Readings)

But, no, he make a Communion Service when one truly wasn’t warranted.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

But, no, he make a Communion Service when one truly wasn’t warranted.

That’s your opinion. The priest may have had good reasons for doing what he did.
It’s one thing for you to object, or say “I think this other solution would have been better” (even though it puts you in a position of playing armchair priest) but to decided it “wasn’t warranted” for the priest to have a communion service in place of the second Mass is a bit presumptuous.

It may be that there are a group of people who cannot come to the other Mass and still would, in the priest’s opinion, spiritually benefit from receiving Communion, and would not be under the impression that Communion services are better than Mass or any of that. That’s the priest’s call to make.

At my high school we used to have communion service about 1 or 2 times a week because the priest could only come to say Mass about once a week, so we had like 1 Mass and then on other days 1 or 2 Communion services. It was understood it was because we did not have a priest able to come on those days. It wasn’t a problem. Invariably the people who attended these services were the same ones who were there on the day the priest said Mass.

 

[Phemie]

Phemie:

Anyway, every time we’ve celebrated one of these liturgies, people who attend participate more than when they are at Mass and every single time people express the wish that we could have those every week instead of Mass. It boggles the mind.

That’s interesting. I’ve never heard anyone express that they preferred the Communion Service to Mass. Most people are sad when we can’t get a priest and have a real Mass, because without a priest, it’s just not the same for the folks I know who bother to go to daily Mass.

I have not seen the situation of a communion service for Sunday Mass. It may be that some of the Sunday Mass=goers who are just in a hurry to get done, or are there out of obligation rather than love for the Mass, might have a different opinion.

We never have a Communion Service during the week. It is only used to gather the community on Sunday when no priest is available and that is why our ritual is called “Sunday Celebration of the Word and Hours” and it can be celebrated with or without Communion.

Once the community has gathered with a hymn and a greeting, we have this opening remark by the leader of prayer:
"Today, we, the people of God,
gather to hear and respond to God’s word,
to return praise and thanks,
[and to share Christ’s sacrament.]
We look forward to that day
when we will once more celebrate the Eucharist
as Christ commanded us to do in his memory.
Our community makes its worship
in union with the Church throughout the world,
with N. our Pope, N. our bishop,
our pastor, Fr. N., who is unable to be with us,
and with our brothers and sisters in neighbouring parishes
who keep holy this day
in the celebration of the Lord’s sacrifice and supper. "

 

[phil19034]

phil19034:

But, no, he make a Communion Service when one truly wasn’t warranted.

That’s your opinion. The priest may have had good reasons for doing what he did.
It’s one thing for you to object, or say “I think this other solution would have been better” (even though it puts you in a position of playing armchair priest) but to decided it “wasn’t warranted” for the priest to have a communion service in place of the second Mass is a bit presumptuous.

It may be that there are a group of people who cannot come to the other Mass and still would, in the priest’s opinion, spiritually benefit from receiving Communion, and would not be under the impression that Communion services are better than Mass or any of that. That’s the priest’s call to make.

At my high school we used to have communion service about 1 or 2 times a week because the priest could only come to say Mass about once a week, so we had like 1 Mass and then on other days 1 or 2 Communion services. It was understood it was because we did not have a priest able to come on those days. It wasn’t a problem. Invariably the people who attended these services were the same ones who were there on the day the priest said Mass.

(First - I should clarify, they were back to offering 2 masses each day instead of 1 and 1, even though there is still only one priest)

However, based on my understanding the USCCB’s guidelines #3 & #4 for Communion Services, he shouldn’t have offered the communion services.

The USCCB guidelines say a Communion Services should not be offered on the same day as another scheduled daily mass. Also, the USCCB says that the parish should encourage parishioners to attend another parishes first, before offering a Communion Service on a weekday.

Well, he was already offering Mass each day & there are 10 parishes within 5 miles of the parish. There is even a parish that offers the exact same times 5 minutes down the road.

Here is what guidelines #3 & #4 say:

1. Whenever possible, the Mass schedule of nearby parishes should be available to parishioners. If a nearby parish is celebrating Mass on a given weekday, serious consideration should be given to encouraging people to participate in that Mass rather than the parish scheduling a Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Holy Communion.
2. When daily Mass is scheduled in a parish, it is usually not appropriate to schedule a Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Holy Communion. This rite is designed for “those who are prevented from being present at the community’s celebration.” When necessary, the scheduling of these celebrations should never detract from “the celebration of the Eucharist [as] the center of the entire Christian life.” Such celebrations should never be seen as an equal choice with participation at Mass.

http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-wor...y-celebrations-in-the-absence-of-a-priest.cfm

 

[Tis_Bearself]

If you think it’s wrong, then perhaps you should speak to the priest and if you don’t get a satisfactory answer, write to the Bishop.

Like I said, I’m not really a fan of parishioners second-guessing the judgment of the priest in these matters.

If you did somehow manage to get the communion service stopped, I doubt the people attending that service would thank you for making it more difficult for them to receive.

 

[phil19034]

If you think it’s wrong, then perhaps you should speak to the priest and if you don’t get a satisfactory answer, write to the Bishop.

Like I said, I’m not really a fan of parishioners second-guessing the judgment of the priest in these matters.

If you did somehow manage to get the communion service stopped, I doubt the people attending that service would thank you for making it more difficult for them to receive.

As I said in the top of my last post, he already switched the communion service back to a mass.

I have a feeling the bishop told him that he couldn’t do a communion service.