Catholics Prepare for Changes in Communion Ritual

Crosswalk ^ | David Briggs

[Notwithstanding]

CLEVELAND -- Raising their hands at the Lord's Prayer. Losing the handshake and embracing the person in the next seat at the sign of peace. In an extra act of reverence, bowing before receiving the Communion host.

And undoing a lifetime of tradition by not kneeling in prayer after Communion. Instead, in a sign of the communal nature of the sacrament, worshippers will stand and sing until each person has received Communion.

American Catholics are about to experience major changes in the Communion rite as dioceses begin implementing the updated General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

[Notwithstanding]

==================== ********************

The author is clueless - as are the diocese of Cleveland and the liturgist who is quoted - as to what the new liturgical norms require and what they do not require.

NOTE: The Vatican has clarified that genuflecting is a good thing to do (even in the USA) immediately before one recieves commmunion and that kneeling to recieve communion can NEVER be considered illicit or disobedient. I don't recall any hand posture required or even recommended during the Our Father, and I also doubt that the new norms ask people to sing and stand throughout communion time. This "article" seems to be pure crapola.

[Notwithstanding]

please ping

[Ken522]

Is this article an example of what's going on in the Novus Ordo these days? I'll stick with the Traditional Latin rite - Spera in Deo!

[ArrogantBustard]

It's an example of what's going on in the Diocese of Cleveland these days.

[NeoCaveman]

This article is from the Cleveland Plain Dealer from a month ago. It is full of falsehoods.

[NYer]

I believe a similar thread was posted by AkronAl a few weeks ago ..

Catholics to change Communion ritual [Cleveland Diocese Mandates More Destructive Changes to Mass]

[Argus]

From reading the article, this looks like more of the same from the US Bishops who have the ceaseless, nervous need of a hyperactive toddler to inject novelty into the Mass simply for the sake of doing something "different". I wouldn't be surprised if they suggested everybody do the hokey-pokey while receiving Communion, just for kicks.

[babyface00]

I'm not the best Catholic (that's an understatement), but IMHO, making the N.O. any more like a Protestant service than it already is isn't going to do anything more for Mass participation than the N.O. did when it was first introduced. Why does the American church keep chucking tradition out the window?

Orthodoxy's looking better all the time. At least they don't keep changing their minds.

[Incorrigible]

Ugh!  I lived in the Seattle area in 1994 and had to deal with all sorts of "foreign" activities during the Mass, especially for a traditional New Jersey Catholic guy.  Plus, in this particular church, there were no kneelers.

I'm glad the Irish born Monsignor of my current NJ Parish doesn't simply go with the flow on these types of issue.

[SengirV]

Add this to the changes in the last couple of years, and you are going to alienate me, AND I'M ONLY 33!!!! Every mass now is filled with the same "self important" people singing at every possible chance. Now, 10 minutes before mass even starts, there is the singing. Odd places before the 1st reading is filled with four verse songs. In between readings, another complete song. Two other times there are long drawn out songs. It's tooo much. It takes away from the mass, and the worse part of all, the SINGERS wait outside to shake hands like the priests. IS it a mass or amateur night at the Apollo? Distract us with singing why you pay out millions to victims and just transfer the pedophile priests to tiddle again. That is not the best strategy to keep/get people back.

[wideawake]

The GIRM says nothing about the ridiculous new practice of holding one's hands in the priest's orans position during the Pater Noster.

It's a completely extraliturgical hippy innovation.

[Bigg Red]

Someone here said that the article is full of errors. Do you know if that is true?

I hate that raising hands business. A number of people in my parish do it. It makes me want to say,"Knock if off! Stop drawing attention to yourself." And the handshake is annoying enough. I refuse to start hugging people.

[Bigg Red]

IS it a mass or amateur night at the Apollo?

***

You and I are on the same wavelength here. That is one of my pet peeves. And why must the singers be up on the altar as if performing instead of in the choir loft? I have even been in churches where people have applauded after a song! Disgusting, I say.

[reformed_democrat]

I hate that raising hands business . . . And the handshake is annoying enough. I refuse to start hugging people.

LOL!
I went to a Catholic grade school, and Mass was a requirement every morning. If one of the students so much as looked at another student during Mass, she risked getting her hair yanked by Mother Superior.

Now they want us to hug each other?
HA! Not likely. If I want to get all touchy-feely, I'll join the Methodists.

[sinkspur]

The Vatican has clarified that genuflecting is a good thing to do (even in the USA) immediately before one recieves commmunion.

The Vatican has said that genuflecting before receiving the Eucharist is an acceptable alternative to bowing; no recommendation was made one way or another.

[xsmommy]

OMG, i thought it was going to be that church in Warren!!

[Loyalist]

Pinging the orcs.

[newgeezer]

Doesn't this article belong in the Catholic -- er, I mean, Religion forum?

;O)

[steve86]

I just had to re-post this from that thread it is so great (By Front 242 -- hope the person doesn't mind!)

To: confused RC

You'd be better off attending a Tridentine Mass rather than the "Novus Ordo" (New Order) Mass. The flim-flamming around by the Vatican and the Bishops regarding the Mass is outright disgraceful. Reverence has been taken away and replaced with a "make it up as you go along" style of (dare I say) "Mass". I no longer can bring myself to attend a New Order Mass. The lack of respect on part of the congregants; watching queer/effiminate priests "serve" Mass; the huge numbers of Eucharistic Ministers literally (as one other person on the Free Republic religious forum so eloquently put it) "storming the Altar" in order to prepare to distribute Communion; the guitar and drum-kit led funk sound of the hymns that makes attending Mass feel more like attending a rock/folk music festival; watching congregants stroll into Church before Mass just chatting away like it was some type of cocktail party; watching the same congregants literally race out of Church even before Mass has concluded on their way to their cars ("gotta get to Wal-Mart before it gets too crowded" or "gotta get home to catch the football/baseball/basketball/bowling/golf/horseshoe game on television"); and so on and so on and so on. The new "act" of bowing before receiving Communion makes me feel like one of those old dunking bird toys from back in the late 1960's to the mid 1970's. You know (or maybe don't if you are too young to remember), the ones that were filled with the red colored water in their bellies and you placed them next to a glass of water and they magically bowed over to get a drink and then reared back upright and then repeated the same action over and over again. That's same feeling I get when going up to receive Communion. Insane! Well, pardon my ranting here, but the best thing that you can do is what you feel is right in your heart with regard to the new procedures for the Mass. They will probably be changed again and again in the not too distant future depending on the whims of the powers that be in the Vatican and those in the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops. The constant changing of the Mass leaves much room open for confusion to reign among the faithful (and for that matter, for Satan to enter into the Church via a "divide and conquer" form of disruptance) and little, if any, reasoning to be put forth as to why the Mass needs to be changed in the first place by the Bishops. My advice is to NOT hold hands during the Our Father (do a simple "orans" gesture or keep your hands folded in prayer); DO NOT hug/shake hands/throw the peace sign to each other or others on the vast outreaches of the auditoriums that we now call churches; genuflect/kneel and make the Sign of the Cross before receiving Communion (from the priest ... NOT a Eucharistic Minister); kneel and remain in silent prayer after receiving Communion; remain on your knees in prayer until ALL congregants have received Communion (not when the priests decides to sit his tired rear end back down in the Celebrants Chair); remain kneeling until ALL Hosts have been returned to the Tabernacle; and last but not least (I could go on here for quite awhile), stay around for several minutes AFTER Mass in your pew/seat just kneeling and thanking the Lord for allowing you to participate in the Mass and most of all, for allowing Himself to be received by you in the Holy Eucharist. Take a brief look around as you do this and you most likely will see that the Church has pretty much emptied itself with everybody rushing to leave or chat in the lobby, but you may notice that there are others who are doing the same as you are. These are the people who, in my opinion, exemplify the reverence needed in Mass. I hope all goes well for you "Confused RC" and that of your family. If possible, you may want to check out other local parishes that offer a Latin Mass or traditional Tridentine Mass (though they are far and few between). You are in my prayers. WHEN IN DOUBT, PRAY THE ROSARY! Take care and PEACE. Sincerely, Front 242

92 posted on 08/26/2003 1:42 PM PDT by Front 242

[Cicero]

As you say, this article is full of lies being pushed by the liberals and the liturgists. Sadly, many will follow their guidance while the bishops twiddle their thumbs.