Q: Like many of us, I am so appreciative of everything that you do to educate and enlighten us.
At the parish where I serve as the volunteer choir Director, a new, young, and very conservative pastor was just put in place back in June.
Over the past month, he has instituted the use of kneelers for the reception of communion.
Additionally, he has eliminated participation of the laity by discontinuing the offertory procession. We no longer have extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist either.
In checking the USCCB guidelines, the proper posture for the reception of the Eucharist is to be standing. Could you offer some clarification and guidance?
Thank you as always for everything that you do
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A: Thanks for your patient and faithful service to the church.
Here’s a recent post about a kneeler: https://paulturner.org/kneeler-at-communion/. I still say it’s hard to reconcile the presence of a kneeler or communion rail with GIRM 160.
GIRM 73 calls the procession of the gifts by the faithful a “praiseworthy” practice. So some will argue it is not therefore obligatory. OK, but it is praiseworthy. And it is one way that the priest enhances the participation of the people, as Sacrosanctum Concilium 11 asks us to do.
GIRM 162 permits the priest to enlist extraordinary ministers if “there is a truly large number of communicants,” so it’s a judgment call. But the presence of such ministries also shows the diversity of the gifts of the Spirit among the faithful.