Posted on 01/28/2005 6:54:01 AM PST by Aggie Mama
1) Your concerns are legitimate.
2) Having the cup of the Blood of Christ at every single mass is a liturgical abuse that has unfortunately been tolerated by Rome.
VT Parishioners Urged To Stop Sharing Chalice, Shaking Hands To Stop Flu
http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=68943
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- You can pray you won't get the flu, but Vermont's Catholic bishop is urging other steps as well.
Bishop Kenneth Angell has urged worshippers of the state's largest religion to abstain from the Mass customs of sharing a chalice of wine and shaking hands for the next six months.
Angell made the request, believed to be the only one like it in the country, in a notice to the state's 130 Catholic parishes.
The nation is facing a shortage of flu vaccine because about half of this year's supply was found to be contaminated with bacteria.
Vermont had only about 36,000 doses on hand when the vaccine shortage was made public, state health officials said. They estimated the state still needs at least 50,000 more.
State Health Commissioner Paul Jarris is recommending the state's limited supply be given to chronically ill children and nursing home residents. He suggests everyone else take such precautions as avoiding close contact with people who are sick, washing hands often and keeping fingers away from the eyes, nose and mouth.
Catholics traditionally shake hands with parishioners in pews beside them when a priest calls for a "sign of peace" during Mass. They then receive a piece of communion bread and may sip from a shared chalice.
Among other denominations in Vermont, the 19,000-member United Methodist Church and the 18,000-member United Church of Christ will continue shaking hands and receiving communion from single-serving cups, while the 8,700-member Episcopal Church will let parishioners make their own decision.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Bull. Prove it.
Isn't "what" done at every Mass? I am responding to too many posts. Please cut and paste or clarify what you are asking me? Communion under both species?
If so, no, this is NOT done at every Mass. Just where the priests and bishops decide to. The judgment is left to them based on the norms from the Vatican, which are ignored by the U.S. bishops's norms, so each priest decides on his own.
I imagine in the vast majority today's Protestantized Novus Ordo churches, communion under both species is the norm, even at daily Mass. It is not "supposed" to be that way. But gotta use Sister Sally in the short mini-skirt to distribute Holy Communion, ya know...
Communion by intinction. In the Maronite Catholic Church (as well as the other Eastern Rite Churches), communion is by intinction. The priest (ONLY the priest or a deacon - there are no EEMs in the Eastern Churches), dips the consecrated host into the Precious Blood, and places it on the tongue of the communicant with the words: "Receive the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, for the remission of sin and eternal salvation."
For large gatherings, intinction sets are used to distribute communion under both species.
Intintion is too permitted, but as I said above, the U.S. bishops have effectively nullified it in their "norms" by stating it should not be done simply to lessen the number or eliminate "extraordinary" ministers of Holy Communion.
Sinky's reply is erroneous. It IS permitted in the Latin Rite. The U.S. bishops' "norms" have effectively kept it from being implemented because then Sister Sally wouldn't need to be an "extraordinary" minister.
On intinction from Adoremus: http://www.adoremus.org/0903Intinction.html
If you can figure it out, let me know.
That is something of a half-truth. I was there, Charlie.
Back in the mid-1970s, when the previously forbidden practice of Communion-in-the-hand was 'legitimised', it was also strongly encouraged. I distinctly recall priests suggesting, from the pulpit, the folks who persisted in the practice of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue were immature, reactionary, closed-minded, etc; that "being fed" was for spiritual babies ... spiritual grown-ups fed themselves. More recently I have heard at least one priest, from the pulpit, castigate those who receive 'only' the Body of Christ (bypassing the army of 'Eucharistic Ministers' (sic) bearing 'cups' (sic)) for "insulting Christ", and disrupting the unity of the community. I have personally been treated to stares of feigned incomprehension and sarcastic sighs from "eucharistic ministers" (sic) and liberal priests when I have presented myself for Holy Communion with my hands folded. I have also heard, both personally and on this forum, of First Communion classes in which the children are only informed of, and only practice, receiving communion-in-the-hand.
So yes, "anyone [such as myself] who does not want to receive the Precious Blood, or in the hand, is free not to" ... but Communion on the tongue is widely stigmatised.
From the Bishops' own most recent guidelines:
24. The general instruction then indicates that "the diocesan bishop may lay down norms for the distribution of communion under both kinds for his own diocese, which must be observed . . . The diocesan bishop also has the faculty to allow communion under both kinds whenever it seems appropriate to the priest to whom charge of a given community has been entrusted as [its] own pastor, provided that the faithful have been well instructed and there is no danger of the profanation of the sacrament or that the rite would be difficult to carry out on account of the number of participants or for some other reason."36
In practice, the need to avoid obscuring the role of the priest and the deacon as the ordinary ministers of holy communion by an excessive use of extraordinary ministers might in some circumstances constitute a reason either for limiting the distribution of holy communion under both species or for using intinction instead of distributing the precious blood form the chalice.
This is a question that has plagued me for a while, and is asked with genuine sincerity.
On Monday evening, I watched the Vigil Mass, live, from the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. There were 8,000 in attendance. Communion was distributed standing - some received on the tongue, others in the hand. Nor am I certain of the actual number of priests that distributed communion that night. Even with all those priests, the mass lasted 2 hours.
Question: If the Church retained Communion Kneeling and On the Tongue, how long would it take to distribute communion to 8,000 catholics?
So, I've learned something new.
Maybe that's a northern thing. Nobody is stigmatised in any parish I've ever been to here in Texas who chooses to receive on the tongue, or chooses not to receive under both kinds. It's just not a big deal, one way or the other.
The Communion Rail is very efficient. In my Altar Boy days, I served Mass in two different Parishes ... one had a Communion Rail, the other (modernist architecture) did not. There was very little difference in speed (Communicants per minute) between the two, with (IMO) an edge toward the rail. It does, however, require the Priest to do a good bit of walking. Some Priests could use the exercise :'}.
When my SIL was married, they had a long kneeler on the left and right sides of the church. Each side held about 10-20 people. The msgr. then went down the row and it went surprisingly fast. I actually think it was faster than how they do it at my parish (give it in the hand or on the tongue).
It will come as news to the folks in Virginia and western Florida that they are 'northern'. Some of them might take violent exception to being categorised that way. (Fergit Hell!!!)
Of course, the misbehaviour I described can also be found int Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. And they are Yankees.
Sinkspur, I have to disagree. Typically, I have a baby in my hands, so most of the Eucharist Ministers are nice about it, but when my hands are empty, I always get a weird look when I don't have my hands out.
8000 communicants would require 160 rails.
That's three hours.
Add two more priests, an hour and a half.
With communicants receiving standing, more priests can be stationed around the basilica.
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