When Communion Fast Was Lengthy . . . Older Catholics Especially Please Share

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Back in the day when the Communion fast was much longer than my Boomer/almost Gen-X memory can stretch - I’m just curious what that time was like since I never directly experienced it.
  • Did you keep the long fast?
  • Did you find it difficult?
  • Did your Catholic friends and family keep it too?
  • Did you or anyone you knew sometimes go ahead and eat then not receive Communion very often?
  • Or did some cheat and receive anyway? (Not that they should’ve, but did they.)
 
I honestly do not remember; however, in my family because of practical reasons we usually fast form the night before and it is not a big deal at all.
 
No memory, born too recently. But when we go to 9am mass, I usually fast as a personal, voluntary offering.
 
it was the custom to fast from midnight up until the time I went to college, our family and/or parish simply never really changed to the 3 hour fast. We went to the earliest Mass, 7 or 8 am so it never was really an issue. Midnight Mass on Christmas was a freebie because you could pig out on codfish balls and hashbrowns, clam chowder, clams, stuffed crabs, pierogies and the like until it was time to go to church.

My mom only cooked a full breakfast once a week, after early Mass on Sunday, with eggs bacon etc. the rest of the week was oatmeal etc. Even when we still had daily Mass in high school you could get milk and cereal in school if you fasted for communion but daily communion was not so much the custom then.
 
I grew up in the Church during that time and remember the lengthy fast very well. We did it. It was the rule. We didn’t question it. Most of the time it wasn’t a problem. If we didn’t go to Mass until noon, it seemed more of a sacrifice.

I also remember, that our parish had a Sunday evening Mass. That would have been hard, but people evidently managed.
 
There have been various ideas, and “rules” concerning the fast before receiving Communion.

In my lifetime, it has gone from immediately after supper (no snacks, no WATER except to take absolutely necessary medications, etc.) till you receive; in the early 50’s it went to Midnight until you receive ( again, with no water, except for medication that you absolutely HAD to have), to 3 hours, till now it is one hour.

But, there were dispensations available (just as there were dispensations available regarding fasting and abstinence). I personally was ONLY required to follow the rules of fasting and abstinence from meat while in Catholic Boarding Schools and Minor Seminary. As I was the ONLY Catholic in my family, it was not considered feasible to require that everyone fast and abstain, or that two different meals be prepared.

Then, at 16, I went into the US Army. ALL military were given a dispensation from both fasting and abstinence, and we were only required to abstain from eating for 3 hours prior to receiving Communion). When out in the field, even that was not required (because we other had no idea when a Chaplain would come around). I have literally seen communion distributed in the middle of a meal period.

Believe it or not, the Church is, and always has been, somewhat realistic. There have always been exceptions to most of the rules, for very practical reasons.
 
When I was growing up, you had to fast from Midnight till you received Holy Communion. That’s why early Mass was so popular. We usually went to 6:15 or 6:30am Mass (I forget, but I remember it was very early.)
 
I remember the fast from Midnight. At monthly sodality of the Blessed Virgin at 9:00 A.M. Mass is when I went to receive the Eucharist. Fasting from midnight (no food, no water) was not a big deal if you went to an early Mass. After all, I was sound asleep by about 9:00 PM, and then had breakfast after the 9:00 A.M. Mass.

On the other Sundays I went to 10:30 A.M. Mass, and not too many people went up to receive the Eucharist. Now that the rules have changed and there are later Masses at most churches, it is a good thing that the rules for fasting have changed.

I
 
We used to fast from midnight until Communion next morning. Problem was we had to drive a long distance. Mass was at 8:00 am so we left the house by 7:00 am to make it and allow enough time for Confession. With 7 kids there was always several that needed Confession. when Mass was done we’d head over for breakfast at a popular donut shop.

Great memories.
 
My parents certainly remember those days of the long fasts as they came of age before the rule changes of Pre Vatican II. I could possibly do a long fast if I went to a very early Mass on Sunday, but I know if I went to a much later Mass, the long fast would be detrimental to my health. I can handle the current 1 hour fast easier with my health concerns.
 
Were people dispensed from the lengthy communion fast for health reasons, like diabetes?
 
I remember a couple of times, women fainting on the steps of the church. Seriously.
 
MissRose73 said:
My parents certainly remember those days of the long fasts as they came of age before the rule changes of Pre Vatican II. I could possibly do a long fast if I went to a very early Mass on Sunday, but I know if I went to a much later Mass, the long fast would be detrimental to my health. I can handle the current 1 hour fast easier with my health concerns.
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I was born in 1953, the year the fast dropped to 3 hours. In reality, if you went to morning Mass, the change wasn’t that noticeable unless you went to a late Mass.

If you went to 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. Mass and you still ended up fasting for 12 hours unless you got up quite early. I recall sometimes bringing my breakfast to school during Advent and Lent when we went to the parish’s 8 a.m. daily Mass. Luckily, only the rectory separated the school and the church so we didn’t have far to walk to get to the classroom and have breakfast if we’d opted to receive Communion.
 
Dorothy said:
I remember the fast from Midnight. At monthly sodality of the Blessed Virgin at 9:00 A.M. Mass is when I went to receive the Eucharist. Fasting from midnight (no food, no water) was not a big deal if you went to an early Mass. After all, I was sound asleep by about 9:00 PM, and then had breakfast after the 9:00 A.M. Mass.

On the other Sundays I went to 10:30 A.M. Mass, and not too many people went up to receive the Eucharist. Now that the rules have changed and there are later Masses at most churches, it is a good thing that the rules for fasting have changed.

I
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You’re right about the late Masses. I would estimate only about 20-25% went to receive communion at them, if that many.

However, it seemed like only the nuns were bothered with that fact. I’m serious. At the 9am Mass, we sat together as a class and only about a half received. And boy, did those who didn’t receive get a lecture on Monday morning. She’d ask why, and most just simply said they didn’t go to confession. She would frown on the candy-eaters.
 
I wasn’t born back then, but I find that its easy to observe a long fast if you go to Mass early Sunday morning. We go to Divine Liturgy at 8:30am on Sundays so its not a big deal if my last meal was dinner (usually done by 8pm) so I would have had over 12 hours fasting before Liturgy. I also don’t take anything in the morning. I might have a glass or two to drink before bedtime.

There was a time I’d go to Mass in the Late Afternoon or Evening. I fast for one hour before the start of Mass then.
 
JKirkLVNV said:
Were people dispensed from the lengthy communion fast for health reasons, like diabetes?
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Yes, they could be. When health or the ability to work would be seriously affected the law would not apply.

Just for info the days of fasting were as follows:

Weekdays of Lent
Ember Days
The Vigils of Pentecost, the Assunption, All Saints day and Christmas.
 
3DOCTORS said:
Back in the day when the Communion fast was much longer than my Boomer/almost Gen-X memory can stretch - I’m just curious what that time was like since I never directly experienced it.
  • Did you keep the long fast?
  • Did you find it difficult?
  • Did your Catholic friends and family keep it too?
  • Did you or anyone you knew sometimes go ahead and eat then not receive Communion very often?
  • Or did some cheat and receive anyway? (Not that they should’ve, but did they.)
Click to expand...
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
and No:thumbsup:
I miss the fast, although I still fast on Sunday mornings before Mass (other than washing down my morning meds with coffee:( )
 
Oh yes, I well remember the long fasts! - I used to faint during Mass all the time as a teenager! - and even now, all these many years later, I always make a point of arriving early so that I can sit near the open side door.
We used to attend the earliest Mass possible, because of the need to fast.
 
I am a convert to the faith, but the longer I have been in the faith the more I am gravitating to the traditions of the Church. I kept the hour fast at first, and then moved to the three hour fast. I figured out that it was only a step to do the fasting from Midnight to the next Mass. I go to Daily Mass so it’s pretty much okay. The days that are hard is when I don’t go to Mass until the evening.

I am kinda of sorry that the older traditions of the Church were changed, I understand why they changed though. Does anyone else practice the traditional fasting from midnight anymore?

God bless.
 
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