What is a communion service?
Communion services are intended to link the faithful attending them to the Sunday
celebration of the Eucharist of a parish community. It is not meant to be a replacement or
substitute for the Sunday or weekday mass.
What if there is no priest at my parish, and we are unable to celebrate mass?
There are several different realities here. First we must remember, that Catholics have a
“right” to have mass celebrated for them on Sunday, if there is a priest available. In some
dioceses, one priest may be responsible for 6 or 7 parishes. It is clear that he can only say
mass at these places once or twice a month. In our diocese, this is not normally the case.
Recent documents from the Holy See remind bishops and priests how important it is to
offer mass for the faithful in such circumstances regularly (at least 3 or 4 times per year).
Bishops and priests are encouraged to enlist the help of religious priests and retired
priests in the diocese to assist in places where there is no resident priest. In parishes
without a resident priest, bishops may appoint someone to gather the community and lead
them in prayer. The prayer used at these gatherings is Sunday Celebrations in the
Absence of a Priest (2007). This ritual has several forms which may or may not include
the distribution of Holy Communion. This ritual may not be used without the bishop’s
ongoing permission. The Holy See reminds bishops that permission for the use of this
ritual should not be given easily and that it may never be used is Sunday mass has already
been celebrated at the parish. At the request of our priests, Bishop Olmsted has made one
exception to this policy. If a parish finds itself with a Church full of people for a mass,
and the priest does not show up or becomes sick before mass, than Sunday Celebration in
the Absence of a Priest may be used, but the Dean or Bishop must be notified.
I’ve found that this question more times than not is really about masses during the week.
We must remember that having mass celebrated for us during the week is a privilege that
many Catholics throughout the world do not enjoy. We do not have a “right” to have
mass celebrated for us during the week. Though it is a noble practice for priests to
celebrate mass daily, they are not required to do so. In this day and age people move
about freely. If mass is not celebrated during the week at a parish, it is often easy for
people to attend mass elsewhere. We reserve communion for the sick and those confined
to their homes or institutions, in order to unite these people to the Sunday celebration of
the parish mass. For this reason communion services in parishes during the week are
prohibited.
What has changed in the policy, and why change now?
The old policy was issued by Bishop O’Brien in 2000. That policy greatly restricted
Communion services in the Diocese particularly on Sundays. It was issued in response to
documents that came from Rome in the late 1990’s. Since 2000, three major documents
from Rome and the US Catholic Conference regarding communion services have been
issued. These include the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Redemptionis
Sacramentum, and the new Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest. Our new
policy incorporates directives made in these new documents.
What are some concerns about communion services?
The concern in official documents about the proliferation of communion services has to
do with our understanding of the Eucharist. The concern in one part is that our
understanding of Eucharist so focuses on community that we are becoming Protestant.
The concern on another part is that we so focus on receiving communion that we forget
that the mass is about taking part in the sacrifice. We fulfill our Sunday obligation by
attending mass, not by receiving communion.
What are some distinctions between a Eucharistic liturgy (mass) and a Communion
service?
The fundamental difference is “sacrifice”. Mass is an action. The priest (who takes the
place of Christ) offers on behalf of the people our mass. Through it we are united to the
eternal sacrifice of Christ on the cross. By offering the bread and wine which is
transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ we offer anew Christ crucified, the perfect
sacrifice that redeems us and the whole world. A communion service is not an “action”
nor is it “sacrifice”. Though we receive the Body of Christ, we do not take part in the
salvific act of Christ (the sacrifice offered by our priest).
When is it permissible to have a communion service?
Communion services are intended strictly for those Catholics legitimately unable to
attend mass on Sunday (the homebound, those who reside in nursing homes, hospice
centers, hospitals, prisons or other such institutions.. As mentioned earlier, the policy also
allows for the canonical pastor of a parish without a resident priest to petition the bishop
to use Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest. If permission is granted by the
bishop, it may or may not include permission to distribute communion.
What should be substituted for communion services, if a parish has gotten used to using
them during the week?
This is up to the pastor to decide. We recommend that parish learn to pray morning or
evening prayer. In other instances, a rosary could be prayed.
Who worked on this policy?
This policy has been worked on for the last two years by the Office of Worship. It has
been reviewed by the Deans and priests at deanery meetings, it has been seen several
times by the presbyteral council who gave it final approval. We received comments from
the priests and deacons of the diocese at their respective convocations in the last year.
Purification of Vessels
What is a sacred vessel?
Sacred vessels are chalices, patens or ciboria that are used in the celebration of mass.
They hold the bread and wine that become the body and blood of Christ. Because of the
preciousness of what they contain, they are considered sacred.
What is Purification?
The rite of purification (of vessels) is a part of the mass that takes place immediately after
the distribution of communion. It consists of the pouring of water into the chalice or the
ciborium and the drinking of that water. It purpose is to assure that every last drop of the
blood of Christ and every crumb of the Body of Christ is consumed before the vessels are
cleaned.
What has been the process or practice of purifying the sacred vessels in the past?
Normally, the priest would purify the vessels at its appointed time in the liturgy
immediately after communion. (This would be especially common at weekday masses.)
The process became more complicated in 1975 in the United States when we received an
indult to offer the cup to the laity. We must remember that until the year 2000, we were
the only Catholic Church in the world that offered communion under both kinds. Since
our privilege was experimental, not much was legislated from Rome about the practice.
As the number of vessels increased, oftentimes the vessels were purified after mass by a
sacristan, EM, or someone else appointed by the pastor.
Who is allowed to purify Sacred Vessels, and why?
The Roman missal of Paul VI has always stated that sacred vessels must be purified by a
priest, deacon or instituted acolyte (an instituted acolyte is someone installed as an
acolyte by the bishop normally preparing for diaconate or priesthood). Because of our
experimental privilege and the great number of vessels that were used at a typical parish,
it became impractical for the vessels to be purified after communion. The purification
was left to sacristans or others to do after mass. The latest instructions for the Roman
Missal issued in the year 2000 extended the privilege of receiving communion under both
kinds to the whole world. The document states that it is laudable to offer the cup to the
faithful at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, the feast of Corpus Christi, Holy Thursday and
other special solemnities within parishes. However, the document underlines the
requirement that vessels be purified by a priest, deacon or instituted acolyte. The
American Bishops asked Rome for an exception in the US that would allow EM’s to
assist with purification but that request was denied. The concern on the part of the Holy
See is that vessels are not being treated with proper reverence due to objects so holy,
Oftentimes, they are treated as if we are cleaning dishes from a Sunday meal. Many
years ago, the laity were not permitted to touch the sacred vessels.
What are some of the best or preferred ways of purifying the Sacred Vessels?
A liturgical principle is that no particular rite within the mass should be unduly prolonged
to exaggerate its importance. In other words, if a parish has a lot of sacred vessels to
purify, the rite of purification should not take longer than the Eucharistic prayer. The
most common practice in our diocese is to purify all vessels after mass. The practice that
the Office of Worship is recommending is that the principal vessels be purified after
communion and the remaining vessels after mass.
When Holy Communion is distributed under both kinds, what happens to what remains of
the Precious Blood?
Normally, the EM or person assisting with the cup consumes what is left at the altar and
then brings the empty chalice to the place designated by the favor. Consuming extra
precious Blood is part of the Communion rite, not part of the Rite of Purification.
Must communion be distributed under both kinds?
No. We receive fully the Body and Blood of Christ whether we receive the host alone or
from the cup alone. Offering the cup to the laity is a fuller sign of the Last Supper and of
the Crucifixtion (Jesus took bread and broke it, took the cup and blessed it). It is a fuller
sign, but not a fuller reality.
Moto Proprio
On July 7 …
What did Bishop Olmsted highlight in his letter to the priests of the diocese in his letter
of August 23?
The Bishop emphasized four things to our priests: ….