Word service with communion

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I am in Switzerland, and I am not sure about other countries but here there is a shortage of priests. So sometimes there will be only a word service with communion, not an actual mass.

As far as I know (I may be wrong), the bishops have acknowledged that this is necessary if there are not enough priests, and these services still fulfill the Sunday obligation. And that people are not required to go to a neighboring town if there is a mass there.

Any thoughts on this, any (name removed by moderator)ut?

Kathrin
 
Kathrin said:
I am in Switzerland, and I am not sure about other countries but here there is a shortage of priests. So sometimes there will be only a word service with communion, not an actual mass.

As far as I know (I may be wrong), the bishops have acknowledged that this is necessary if there are not enough priests, and these services still fulfill the Sunday obligation. And that people are not required to go to a neighboring town if there is a mass there.

Any thoughts on this, any (name removed by moderator)ut?

Kathrin
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There is no obligation if there is no priest available for Mass. The Bishop could decide to dispense with the Sunday obligation, however if a person can, they should go to another town to attend Mass even if the obligation is dispensed.
 
The Sunday obligation is not saying: “There is no excuse for a Catholic not going to Mass on Sunday.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has:
"The Sunday obligation

2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass."117 "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day."118

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

2182 Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God’s holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2183 "If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.“120”
Footnotes (which refer to the Code of Canon Law, which can be looked up at vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM ):
117 CIC, can. 1247.
118 CIC, can. 1248 § 1.
119 Cf. CIC, can. 1245.
120 CIC, can. 1248 § 2.

Another document on this is an Instruction by the Congregation for Divine Worship, dated 2 June 1988, “Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest”.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
however if a person can, they should go to another town to attend Mass even if the obligation is dispensed.
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On the other hand, I somehow feel like I am letting my parish down if I go to another town. If everybody went to the few real masses in the area, that wouldn’t work either… and I don’t want to act like I’m better than everybody else… And wouldn’t that show the community that there is no need for a priest every Sunday, if so few people attend?

Kathrin
 
Kathrin said:
On the other hand, I somehow feel like I am letting my parish down if I go to another town. If everybody went to the few real masses in the area, that wouldn’t work either… and I don’t want to act like I’m better than everybody else… And wouldn’t that show the community that there is no need for a priest every Sunday, if so few people attend?

Kathrin
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Cardinal Ratzinger discussed this in his book A New Song for the Lord (Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, 1996, ISBN 0824515366, pages 74-75. Some extracts:

"Priestless Sunday Services
As a consequence of these considerations, our actions in practice have to be guided by two principles.
  1. The sacrament must take precedence over psychology. The church must take precedence over the group. …
    Unfortunately people have often covered up the search for the right answer with ideological theories of communality that stand in the way of the real concern rather than being of service to it. For example, it has been said: Every church that once had a pastor or at least regular Sunday worship should continue to be the place of assembly for the parish of that locality. Only in this way would the parish stay alive as a parish. For this reason it is more important for the parish community to gather here and hear and celebrate the Word of God than to take advantage of the actually given possibility of participating in the eucharistic celebration in a church close by.
    There is much here that is plausible and undoubtedly also well meant. But the fundamental evaluations of faith have been forgotten. In this way of looking at things the experience of togetherness and the fostering of the village community rank higher than the gift of the sacrament. … The congregation is now celebrating itself; the Church becomes a vehicle for social purposes; and at the same time she is promoting a romanticism that is somewhat anachronistic in our mobile society. …".
Cardinal Ratzinger made exceptions to this: “In mission countries, in the diaspora and in situations of persecultion, it is not new that people cannot get to the celebration of the Eucharist …”. And also “Things are completely different when there is a real emergency.”
Also there are difficulties in deciding: “Where is the boundary between what we merely want and what is real necessity? Certainly this boundary cannot be clearly drawn in the abstract, and even in each case it will be fluid again and again. In separate situations it must be set in agreement with the bishop on the basis of the pastoral sensitivity of those affected.” (page 76).
 
We have a Saturday evening mass that qualifies for Sunday worship, if it is after 5;30 pm . Maybe you could have a later mass or a midnight mass on Saturday.

If we have word and communion no homily, the host has been consecrated before hand, it is a mass or you could maybe tape a mass and view it as we see on EWTN our lay people specifically are trained or blessed to hand out the host, I know this has a special name but can’t think of it? Can you get some one to train as a deacon?
Bless you hope this helps In Christ Love
D.
 
I decided I’ll probably go to a different church tomorrow.

But yes, the host is consecrated beforehand in such services. I thought is still doesn’t count as mass, right?

Kathrin

p.s. John Liburne, thanks for the quotes from Cardinal Ratzinger! That was very interesting to read.
 
As I understand it, and teach it, one must get to mass on Sundays and Days of Obligation if reasonably possible. I don’t think that there is an exact definition of reasonable distance, but we used to consider a half hour or so of travel each way [whether by car, horse, bicycle or walking] as reasonable.

If one cannot reasonable get to mass going to a Communion sevice is desirable and commendable, but not obligatory.
 
Kathrin said:
On the other hand, I somehow feel like I am letting my parish down if I go to another town. If everybody went to the few real masses in the area, that wouldn’t work either… and I don’t want to act like I’m better than everybody else… And wouldn’t that show the community that there is no need for a priest every Sunday, if so few people attend?

Kathrin
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A Communion Service does not even come close to the Sacrifice of the Mass. That is not saying that a person does not receive the True Body amd Blood of Christ in the reserved Hosts. The Mass is way much more than just receiving Holy Communion. You should go to another Mass if you are able and if you can take a few others with you that would be great.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
A Communion Service does not even come close to the Sacrifice of the Mass. That is not saying that a person does not receive the True Body amd Blood of Christ in the reserved Hosts. The Mass is way much more than just receiving Holy Communion. You should go to another Mass if you are able and if you can take a few others with you that would be great.
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Yes there are some main differences significant I suppose at our Church and I guess it is done the same at all?

The priest begins with the sign and ends with the sign not by the lay at word and communion. Yes when priest does

We do not say the creed at word.Neither lay or priest at word

We do not confeess our sins at word.not when lay does

Sometimes we say the prayers of the faithful but not sure if we are suppose to when lay are serving Yes when priest does

Do not sing alleluia rest of chanting stuff not done at word by lay or priest.

No homily at word if done by lay unless we have a deacon or teacing nun like a fransican or dominican etc.

Yes to the Our Father if done at both

There is maybe more but can’t think of all .

Our lay is always lead by a couple married and specially selected as layministers.
D.
 
I did go to a different church. 🙂

I must say though, just generally speaking, in Switzerland the church seems to be more liberal that in the States! Just the way the mass is done.
This is just something that is striking to me because I have the comparison.

Maybe this would be a topic for a different thread though.

Kathrin
 
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