Using the communion plate/paten when people receive in the hand?

[OliverP]

Hello everyone, I have recently begun altar serving at our parish and at this parish we have revived the tradition of using a communion plate when people are receiving. There is something, however, that I found tricky.

When somebody comes up to receive on the tongue, its easy to put the paten underneath, however when people are receiving in the hand it is extremely difficult to know what to do since a) they place their hands so low which makes it hard to manoeuvre, and b) its difficult to do when you have both the priest in the way (trying not to knock him) and a second line of people who also get in the way. I ended up standing there looking like a spare tool and absolutely clueless. I was told by the other server afterwards that “you just have to get in there” and I thought this impossible without barging people in the second line out of the way.

Any advice? I will of course be talking to our priest about this when I see him tomorrow, but wanted to see if you guys have any advice or similar experiences?

 

[paperwight]

I think that the person receiving would find it extremely intrusive if you were to ‘get in there’ with the paten. You would have to stand really close in, unless you had long arms, and there is the danger that you would spoil the moment.

Somebody receiving on the tongue would understand the need for a paten, and make allowances, but I doubt that anyone receiving on the hand would see it that way. I’d find it difficult and embarrassing if you crowded in on me when I was receiving, I have to say.

 

[OliverP]

That’s precisely what I think also. I don’t want to appear rude and invade peoples space in that way. The parish priest doesn’t do this at his other parish so I doubt he minded when I didn’t place it under someones hands. I will hopefully get to speak to him after mass tomorrow and see what his take on this is.

 

[OldCAFMember]

You simply put the paten below the extended hands of the communicant. True, it is much easier to do under the chin, but once you do it enough times, you will get used to it. As for the other line, I assume that you mean that the priest is alternating the giving of communion to two lines, and when he is giving to the line on his left, you feel that you are standing close to the first person in the line on the right. This may be so, but when we do it along an altar rail, we are always standing in front of the next person who will receive, then step further right for that person to receive communion. Nothing really wrong there.

 

[JohnLilburne]

The Roman Missal describes the communion-plate being held by the person receiving Communion, the communicant, in GIRM 287 (when they receive Communion by intinction). It does not describe the altar server holding the communion-pate beneath the communicant’s mouth.

The communion-plate is required by the 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum 93. It is also required by the 1973 liturgical book Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass , n. 19 (for a Communion Service in a church or oratory). This book also included: “Episcopal conferences, however, may decree, their actions having been confirmed by the Apostolic See, that communion may also be given in their territories by placing the consecrated bread in the hands of the faithful, …”.

Receiving Communion in the palm of the hand makes holding the communion plate impossible.

I think this approach would work: The communicant receives the communion-plate in their left hand. They position their right thumb and forefinger slightly apart and above the communion-plate. The Priest raises the host slightly and shows it to the communicant, saying, “The Body of Christ.” The communicant replies, “Amen”. The Priest positions the consecrated host between the communicant’s thumb and forefinger. The communicant closes their thumb and forefinger. The Priest releases the consecrated host. The communicant carries the consecrated host to their mouth, keeping the communion-plate horizontal and beneath the host. The communion-plate is then passed to the next communicant.

I do not think this method of receiving communion is contrary to any liturgical books or official instructions with papal approval. But it would be contrary to a letter of April 3, 1985, from the Congregation for Divine Worship (Archbishop Augustin Mayer) to the USA’s National Conference of Catholic Bishops (Bishop James Malone, president):

“1. Communion in the hand should show, as much as communion on the tongue, due respect towards the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. For this reason emphasis should be laid, as was done by the Fathers of the Church, upon the dignity of the gesture of the communicant. Thus, the newly baptized at the end of the fourth century were directed to stretch out both hands making “the left hand a throne for the right hand, which receives the King” ( Fifth mystagogical catechesis of Cyril of Jerusalem , n. 21: PG 33. col 1125, or Sources chretiennes, 126, p 171; Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 47: PG 63, col. 898. etc.).** In practice the opposite direction has to be given to the faithful: the left hand is to be placed upon the right hand, so that the sacred host can be conveyed to the mouth with the right hand.”

(The letter is at Communion in the Hand )

The 1973 Instruction Immensae caritatis includes, in the 5th paragraph from the end: “On the part of both the minister and the recipient, whenever the host is placed in the hand of a communicant there must be careful concern and caution, especially about particles that might fall from the hosts.” By holding a communion-plate in the left hand these particles would be collected.