Would you like altar rails to return?

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David_B

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Recently I had the opportunity to receive communion at an altar rail at a small country parish that somehow missed the Spirit of Vatican II (although they did have a wooden table that was used as the altar instead of the high altar).

Would you like to see altar rails return?
 
I will live to see the day… some local parishes have them (never wreckovated them).

B16 will encourage their return.
 
The altar rail is still mostly intact in my church – they removed what was necessary for the priests to come down to give Communion, but the rest is still there.

Would I want to have it in use the way it was pre-Vatican II? Hmm, I’m not so sure. I can’t kneel at all, for medical reasons – what do people who can’t kneel do when approaching an altar rail? (I’m really curious about this, by the way – just in case the situation ever comes up).

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MrS:
I will live to see the day… some local parishes have them (never wreckovated them).

B16 will encourage their return.
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Wouldn’t it be nice if all that wanted it could have them?
 
My parish still has them. My parish is a historic German Gothic style parish. However, it doesn’t seem they use it, they keep the gates open all the time. The purpose is to keep them closed during the liturgy right? Or all the time?
 
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CarolAnnSFO:
The altar rail is still mostly intact in my church – they removed what was necessary for the priests to come down to give Communion, but the rest is still there.

Would I want to have it in use the way it was pre-Vatican II? Hmm, I’m not so sure. I can’t kneel at all, for medical reasons – what do people who can’t kneel do when approaching an altar rail?

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In my parish, where we use kneelers, those who can’t kneel, bow then receive on the tongue.
 
Born in 1962 and just started using a communion rail regular at a parish in which I just registered - Assumption Grotto in Detroit.

It is now my preferred way of receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ - on my knees and delivered on my tongue. I resisted internally at first and now I wouldn’t have it any other way.
 
I say yes. It will remind people where the sanctuary is.

PF
 
Our parish church has always had altar rails. And it was built long after Vatican II.
 
I wonder if communion distribution time* would be remarkably different if we returned to altar-rail style? Ie the communicants lining up at the front of the sanctuary (kneelig or standing) while the priest/deacon/EMHC moves across the line distributing, rather than communicants approaching the minister one by one?

(* “Distribution time” often being one of the justifications given for the proliferation of EMsHC)

PS.
My parish stil has altar rails.

tee
 
Not to mention it does seperate the sanctuary from the nave in a very beautiful fashion highlighting theres something special going on on the altar.
 
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tee_eff_em:
I wonder if communion distribution time* would be remarkably different if we returned to altar-rail style?
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In my church, it would probably be longer, since everyone would have to come to the front, including the people in the balconies (my church building is large). There is enough time between the Masses that this probably wouldn’t be a problem (in terms of having everyone from one Mass out of the parking lot before the next group comes in).

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I would like altar rails to return. By kneeling, I, personally, am more reverent.
 
An old parish I attended had half of their altar rails… They removed most of them, but left about a quarter it seemed… Turned them into areas for kneeling infront of ‘grottos’ (Believe that is the right word)

Never used an altar rail yet, though some medical problems might come up, it would at least be an interesting experience 👍
 
Catholics are used to the way communion is received, I think it would be disruptive to make further changes at this point in time.

To install this new furniture would be a pretty huge expense, and a lot of folks wouldn’t be happy with it. I think there is some justification for returning them to church buildings which were designed for them, in the interests of authenticity, particularly in churches which have retained high altars.

When the church went from the communion rail to lines and communion of both kinds, it was disruptive, it would be just as disruptive to change again after so many years, I just don’t see the sense of it.
 
Actually the altar rails in our parish have always been in place. They just don’t get utilized. Everyone stands and comes down the center aisle.
 
I’d like to see them come back. Until I attended a parish in San Jose, CA while on vacation in which the altar rails where used I was under the mis-belief that altar rails were a much more disorganized way to distribute Holy Communion…however, I was proven wrong.
 
One thing I noticed since I started receiving at the rail is that there is more preparation time. I had no idea how distracting the line was, albeit, subconsciously. At the rail, I kneel and wait - sometimes several minutes, but it allows me to prepare in a way I can’t while in line.

It is a humility issue too. Receiving on the knees seems all to natural for me now.
 
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