Posted on 12/19/2009 6:11:06 AM PST by NYer
SHILOH -- Belleville Catholic Bishop Edward Braxton has set a deadline of this weekend for all parishioners who attend Corpus Christi Church: You must kneel during the high point of the ceremony, the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
Braxton sent a letter marked "high priority" to Monsignor James Margason, pastor of Corpus Christi, who posted the information for parishioners.
In the Catholic Church, the Eucharistic Prayer marks the central prayer of the Mass and is the moment when the "bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ," according to a directive from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The group advises that all should kneel at this time.
But at the 91-year-old wood frame Shiloh church, about 50 of the approximately 90 to 150 people who attend any of four Masses on the weekend sit in an annex, where there are rows of seats that have no kneelers -- long, padded devices in a pew that can be folded down.
For years, many parishioners at Corpus Christi, including those in pews with kneelers and those without, have remained standing during the Eucharistic Prayer.
Margason said that Braxton's Dec. 7 letter to him was posted prominently in the church and that parishioners in the main section equipped with kneelers now kneel during the reading of the Eucharistic Prayer. However in the annex, the people stand, Margason said. He declined further comment.
The letter did not state whether there would be consequences for continued standing, even in the annex where there are no kneelers.
Dave Spotanski, the diocesan chancellor of administration, said he could not comment because the letter was a private communication between a bishop and a priest, even though it was posted publicly at Corpus Christi Church.
The parish, which has nearly doubled to 515 members since Margason took over in 2005, has approved construction of a new and much larger church that will be equipped with kneelers for all churchgoers. Construction will begin next year.
Braxton, who rarely comments to local reporters, could not be reached.
The letter made no reference to a lack of kneelers but pointed out that as the diocesan bishop, Braxton is "the chief steward of the mysteries of God in the particular church entrusted to my care and as the guardian of the whole of the liturgical life of this Diocese." It also stated that Braxton had been "informed" that when Margason was pastor of St. Luke's Church in Belleville, parishioners sometimes remained standing during the Eucharistic Prayer.
"Now, however, the members of the congregation at St. Luke's Parish kneel as they should," the letter stated.
Margason was the vicar general under former Bishops Wilton Gregory and James Keleher.
Braxton, who was installed as bishop in 2005, also wrote, "Please inform your parishioners that, at my instruction, they must begin following the liturgical norm of kneeling during the entire Eucharistic Prayer."
A publication titled "General Instruction of the Roman Missal," printed by the Catholic Order of St. Benedict in Collegeville, Minn., states that those attending Mass should kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer when it is "reasonable." Situations where it might not be reasonable, according to the article, include reasons of health, lack of space and the number of persons present.
It is not uncommon to see elderly people sitting during the Eucharistic Prayer, or people standing on crowded Masses at Easter and Christmas.
The media like nothing more than to single out the exceptional as reason why the majority should not adopt a certain practice.
Ooooo, this isn't going to go over very well. He's pretty much universally detested on both sides of the river. It doesn't matter that the directive was correct, the east Belleville people are a stubborn lot and may not go for it. Can't wait to see how this comes out.
But .. but ... That’s what Mahoney WANTS, folks standing. ‘It shows we are a community,” he encouraged. No one does it, here in LA, ha on him. It is a ‘liberal’ thing to do ...
The entire Novus Ordo ‘mass’ is an undignified insult to God.
“It is not uncommon to see elderly people sitting...”
I lean forward as everyone kneels. I knelt until it was no longer possible. It’s not as though I must kneel with a physical inability to do so.
There is no perspective in the media. I can only surmise most journalists are unable to think.
And you know this because .... ??? Where do you practice your faith?
There is nothing wrong with that .. nothing whatsoever. The media are doing their job of finding something to criticize.
Wishing you a Blessed Christmas!
Kneeling without a kneeler for five minutes? Wow, imagine the pain and suffering and horror of it. And of course sitting forward with head bowed should be an option for those who have trouble kneeling at all. It does irritate me that people feel like they have to put the kneelers up and down throughout the mass. Unless you’re six foot 4, there’s plenty of room with the kneelers down, especially when you’re standing. clunk clunk clunk.
You and yours have a wonderful Christmas!
Stay warm up there!
If they need a kneeler they should get to Mass early enough to get a pew with one.
I agree with the up and down kneeler thing. At the neighboring parish they also plunk the missalettes back in the holder numerous times, it is distracting.
Does it make no difference that kneeling on all Sundays is forbidden by the Canon XX of the 1st Ecumenical Council and Canon XC of the 6th Ecumenical Council? How ironic that a supposed traditional Roman Catholic hierarch would order a violation of canons of Ecumenical Councils accepted by Rome and that some might actually applaud that. It used to be that many of the faithful in Greek Orthodox Churches knelt on Sundays here in No. America. That seems to be dying out, quite properly.
Here is an informative article by the late Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, of blessed memory, translated by my friend Fr. Dragas, on the subject:
http://vatopaidi.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/kneeling-in-church-on-sundays/
BTTT for this! Great Bishop there!
Not our Novus Ordo Mass — very orthodox. We kneel!
No, no difference. It's a disciplinary canon that was never applied in the West.
“No, no difference. It’s a disciplinary canon that was never applied in the West.”
Never applied in the West? Actually it was, until the Middle Ages. Here’s an article from New Advent on it:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06423a.htm
In any event, the canons of Ecumenical Councils are binding whether they are dogmatic or disciplinary, unlike the disciplinary canons of local local councils which can and many times have fallen into disuse because of changing times. Its not like there’s an anathema connected with those canons, C, so I doubt anyone is going off to damnation because they knelt on Sundays. I do find it disturbing that a Latin Rite hierarch would order his people to violate a canon, though. This behavior should concern all of you.
The kneelers can be lowered and raised quietly with minimal effort.
Come to think of it, the clunk clunk clunk of the kneelers is often preferable to the execrable emanations from the “Music” Ministry.
But not surprising. We all know Ecumenical Councils mean nothing to Latin bishops. A rude reminder why 1054 was unavoidable and why reunion is impossible. It's still a Frankish Church.
I wouldn't be surprised if the bishop didn't know that kneeling was prohibited on Sundays. Why should he? It's the Latin "tradition" since the 6th century...
The article says some parioshoners are sitting suring the consecration. Sitting is not allowed at that point or duirng any prayer. The bishop could have given them a choice, kneel (uncanonical but traditional in the West) or stand (canonical and traditional in the East).
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