Q: Dear Father,
Thank you for all your numerous books as well as your response to questions. They certainly have broaden my awareness of the Mass.
Recently, I have noticed a practice that I had not seen before. While the priest goes to receive the gifts from the assembly, a server brings a paten with a large host and places it on the center of the altar. The priest brings the gifts to the altar and places the plate with the bread on the altar to the side. Only the paten with the lathe host is raised in prayer in the Offertory, at the Consecration and at the Doxology. At the consecration, the priest raises the large host over his head. I remember when I was young, the priest celebrated mass facing the wall, would raise the host above his head that we could see it. I am confused with why there is a separate host for the priest and one for us in the assembly. What is this new practice trying to teach us.
Please help me to understand this new practice.
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A: Thanks for your comments on my work. GIRM 331 says that a large paten may “fittingly” be used, but it does not require it. I like to use one when I preside. Here is a previous post: https://paulturner.org/paten/
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