Would like to kneel to receive the Eucharist but

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chezel1984

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As a recent convert from this year’s Easter Vigil, I have always wanted to veil and also kneel to receive our Lord Jesus at the Eucharist but because I attend the Novus Ordo Mass I’m rather anxious. How can I approach this? My parish priest is a wonderful man of God but I don’t know how he would feel about it. No one in my parish kneels to receive nor veils but there are a few that receive on the tongue.

Any advice would be great, thanks. God bless!!
 
First of all, congratulations on becoming a Catholic.
Secondly, in my parish, multiple women veil during our Sunday Novus Ordo mass. It’s not an odd thing to see, since we usually see them almost everyday for daily/Sunday mass. Maybe you can start a trend.
Thirdly, on the topic of kneeling to receive communion, I’d say go do it! It’s certainly allowed , from my knowledge.
Be brave, and go do it! There’s no restrictions on doing any of the things you’ve mentioned.
 
fan312 said:
First of all, congratulations on becoming a Catholic.
Secondly, in my parish, multiple women veil during our Sunday Novus Ordo mass. It’s not an odd thing to see, since we usually see them almost everyday for daily/Sunday mass. Maybe you can start a trend.
Thirdly, on the topic of kneeling to receive communion, I’d say go do it! It’s certainly allowed , from my knowledge.
Be brave, and go do it! There’s no restrictions on doing any of the things you’ve mentioned.
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I agree. Kneeling is a licit posture and veiling seems to be making a comeback of sorts. One parish I attend used to have just a few regular women who veiled and now there are at least a dozen.
 
Hi Chez -

On the topic of veiling, go for it. I started wearing a kerchief (not a bandanna, more formal) & within a few years a number of other women are veiling. I started a trend! 😉

On kneeling - a lot depends on your priest & how large the parish is. I genuflect (can’t kneel - ancient knees!) & once got some flack from the priest at a parish I was visiting. The priest cannot refuse to give you Communion while kneeling, but it might be a good idea to give him a heads up - don’t just spring it on him. And if the parish is large, you might want to be last in line. Complainers might say you’re holding up the line.
 
Both of what you mention are well within your rights. Simply go and do it; if the priest denies you communion he is in the wrong according to Canon law.

This is bound to turn into another thread with 200 posts. :rolleyes:
 
chezel1984 said:
As a recent convert from this year’s Easter Vigil, I have always wanted to veil and also kneel to receive our Lord Jesus at the Eucharist but because I attend the Novus Ordo Mass I’m rather anxious. How can I approach this? My parish priest is a wonderful man of God but I don’t know how he would feel about it. No one in my parish kneels to receive nor veils but there are a few that receive on the tongue.

Any advice would be great, thanks. God bless!!
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Here is someone who felt the same way as you about veiling…

catholicfire.blogspot.com/2014/08/colleen-hammond-on-veiling.html

Then if anyone asks why you are veiling you can share with them and soon maybe you will not be the only one. 🙂
 
Chezel

This question crops up frequently here. Here are a couple of recent threads (May and June of this year) that you might like to browse through.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=963894

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=958956&page=3

You will see that it all boils down to two points:
  1. Under the rules laid down by the Congregation for Divine Worship and currently in force, each communicant is free to choose to receive kneeling or standing and on the tongue or in the hand. That is true of the worldwide Catholic Church, with no exceptions anywhere.
  2. However, what people consider socially acceptable can vary from country to country. Most of the posters on these two threads live in the United States, where there is evidently considerable social pressure – both from priests and from lay people – to receive standing, not kneeling. There are other countries where there is no such pressure at all, including the country I live in, Brazil. I’ve never attended mass in Scotland so I can’t tell you anything about the situation there.
Kind regards
Bart
 
Strangers on the internet can’t help you with the norms in Scotland.
Ask the priest. If it means that much to you, you should talk to him about it.
Make a compelling statement and maybe he will tell you it’s just fine. You won’t know until you ask though.
 
chezel1984 said:
As a recent convert from this year’s Easter Vigil, I have always wanted to veil and also kneel to receive our Lord Jesus at the Eucharist but because I attend the Novus Ordo Mass I’m rather anxious. How can I approach this? My parish priest is a wonderful man of God but I don’t know how he would feel about it. No one in my parish kneels to receive nor veils but there are a few that receive on the tongue.

Any advice would be great, thanks. God bless!!
Click to expand...
Just do it…and, you’ll learn quickly that a honest question like yours is going to open a can of worms I these forums that will have you scratching your head wondering if Catholics can ever see eye to eye on anything,
 
Hi Chezel1984

No one forbids your to veil if you wish. You might start with a hat or other head covering if you feel more comfortable in your parish.

As for kneeling, there are regular parishioners who kneel to receive in my parish. They usually are at the end of the line so as not to hinder anyone else. Some parishes in my Diocese regularly offer communion kneeling. This happens at a another parish nearby at evening mass during the week. I don’t know if they do the same on Sundays.

Welcome home! 👍
 
chezel1984 said:
As a recent convert from this year’s Easter Vigil, I have always wanted to veil and also kneel to receive our Lord Jesus at the Eucharist but because I attend the Novus Ordo Mass I’m rather anxious. How can I approach this? My parish priest is a wonderful man of God but I don’t know how he would feel about it. No one in my parish kneels to receive nor veils but there are a few that receive on the tongue.

Any advice would be great, thanks. God bless!!
Click to expand...
fan312 said:
First of all, congratulations on becoming a Catholic.
Secondly, in my parish, multiple women veil during our Sunday Novus Ordo mass. It’s not an odd thing to see, since we usually see them almost every day for daily/Sunday mass. Maybe you can start a trend.
Thirdly, on the topic of kneeling to receive communion, I’d say go do it! It’s certainly allowed , from my knowledge.
Be brave, and go do it! There’s no restrictions on doing any of the things you’ve mentioned.
Click to expand...
👍 I agree. At the Sunday Mass Novus Ordo Mass here some veil and/or kneel to receive, too.
 
By all means, do both without anxiety. Veiling is a pious practice, and kneeling to receive Holy Communion on the tongue is the traditional and ancient custom of the faithful and is protected as a universal norm of the Roman Catholic Church.
 
chezel1984 said:
As a recent convert from this year’s Easter Vigil, I have always wanted to veil and also kneel to receive our Lord Jesus at the Eucharist but because I attend the Novus Ordo Mass I’m rather anxious. How can I approach this? My parish priest is a wonderful man of God but I don’t know how he would feel about it. No one in my parish kneels to receive nor veils but there are a few that receive on the tongue.

Any advice would be great, thanks. God bless!!
Click to expand...
Looks like the link I posted earlier is broke. This one should have the video…

momentumveritatis.blogspot.com/2014/08/colleen-hammond-on-veiling.html
 
I’ve seen people kneel to receive communion at the (one) mass I’ve attended in Scotland (albeit in Edinburgh and not Glasgow). My advice to you would be to bring it up with your parish priest - not to get “permission” but just so that he’s aware and may be able to help you with this. That said, in inner-city parishes - especially those which attract a lot of visitors - it’s by no means uncommon for people to kneel to receive.
 
chezel1984 said:
As a recent convert from this year’s Easter Vigil, I have always wanted to veil and also kneel to receive our Lord Jesus at the Eucharist but because I attend the Novus Ordo Mass I’m rather anxious. How can I approach this? My parish priest is a wonderful man of God but I don’t know how he would feel about it. No one in my parish kneels to receive nor veils but there are a few that receive on the tongue.

Any advice would be great, thanks. God bless!!
Click to expand...
Welcome home!

Veiling is a beautiful act of humility. Go for it! 👍
The universal norm of reception of Holy Communion in the Latin (Roman) Church is kneeling and on the tongue, not standing and in the hand. It is absolutely allowed and was encouraged by Pope Benedict, who actually banned reception in the hand/standing from all papal Masses!
 
smead2942 said:
Welcome home!

Veiling is a beautiful act of humility. Go for it! 👍
The universal norm of reception of Holy Communion in the Latin (Roman) Church is kneeling and on the tongue, not standing and in the hand. It is absolutely allowed and was encouraged by Pope Benedict, who actually banned reception in the hand/standing from all papal Masses!
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This is very misleading. The universal norm is kneeling and on the tongue, but various Bishop’s conferences (like the US, for example) decided that standing is the norm. No one should be denied for kneeling, but even according to the GIRM, bodily postures should be unified.
  1. The gestures and bodily posture of both the Priest, the Deacon, and the ministers, and also of the people, must be conducive to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, to making clear the true and full meaning of its different parts, and to fostering the participation of all.[52] Attention must therefore be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and by the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice.
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A common bodily posture, to be observed by all those taking part, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered together for the Sacred Liturgy, for it expresses the intentions and spiritual attitude of the participants and also fosters them.
  1. It is for the Conferences of Bishops to formulate the adaptations indicated in this General Instruction and in the Order of Mass and, once their decisions have been accorded the recognitio of the Apostolic See, to introduce them into the Missal itself. They are such as these:
    • the gestures and bodily posture of the faithful (cf. no. 43);
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Also misleading is the comment that Benedict ‘banned’ receiving on the hand and standing at Papal Masses. While he did request that those receiving Communion from him, kneel and receive on the tongue, it was not a blanket statement for all those attending a Papal Mass.

OP, receive how you feel you should. If kneeling is not normal in your parish, I would, out of courtesy, speak with your pastor. There may be some logistics he would like to work out, such as having a kneeler available, having those who wish to kneel approach after the “standers”, etc.
 
Oneofthewomen said:
This is very misleading. The universal norm is kneeling and on the tongue, but various Bishop’s conferences (like the US, for example) decided that standing is the norm. No one should be denied for kneeling, but even according to the GIRM, bodily postures should be unified.

**
Also misleading is the comment that Benedict ‘banned’ receiving on the hand and standing at Papal Masses. While he did request that those receiving Communion from him, kneel and receive on the tongue, it was not a blanket statement for all those attending a Papal Mass.

OP, receive how you feel you should. If kneeling is not normal in your parish, I would, out of courtesy, speak with your pastor. There may be some logistics he would like to work out, such as having a kneeler available, having those who wish to kneel approach after the “standers”, etc.
Click to expand...
Bodily postures during the Mass should be unified according to the GIRM,but that does not extend to the reception of Holy Communion,where each communicant has the right to receive the Eucharist either standing or kneeling.

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI requested that all who receive from him at papal masses kneel and receive on the tongue. Some say this was to avoid people taking the Eucharist home as a souvenir. I am not sure how the kneeling would fit in with that statement though.
 
cjforJesus said:
Bodily postures during the Mass should be unified according to the GIRM,but that does not extend to the reception of Holy Communion,where each communicant has the right to receive the Eucharist either standing or kneeling.

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI requested that all who receive from him at papal masses kneel and receive on the tongue. Some say this was to avoid people taking the Eucharist home as a souvenir. I am not sure how the kneeling would fit in with that statement though.
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More or less.

Aside from the practicality (reduced risk of the Sacred Host being dropped, stolen as a souvenir, no unconsecrated hands, etc) and humility (lowering oneself in submission to the Bread of Angels, the Word Incarnate, God Himself) of receiving on the tongue while kneeling, it is the universal norm of the Latin Church, so it makes sense that it would be practiced at a papal Mass of all places.

Just because a country’s bishops conference (which holds no real ecclesiastical authority) received an indult does not mean the norm changes.
 
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