Ship of Fools: Pfarrei St Franziskus, Frankfurt, Germany
The Mystery Worshipper
Shipmate
Ship of Fools: Pfarrei St Franziskus, Frankfurt, Germany
Beauty but also sadness in this ecumenical Corpus Christi celebration
Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here
Comments
This seems to be the precept that has tightened the rules: "Therefore, absolutely no other person, not even a priest, may add, remove or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium," No. 22).
I believe the fact the liturgy has no provision for hands on shoulders or head or words outside the liturgy still leaves folks like me as the receivers of unapproved gestures. Naughty local clergy! Obviously the correct reception for someone who dares approach the altar uninvited is a cold shoulder.
Where is your neck of the woods? I'm astonished!
The report here reminds me of a "Celebration of Matrimony" that we came across in Alsace 25 years ago or so. This was an annual ecumenical "do" where two villagers dressed up as 19th century bride and groom and processed through the village leading everyone to the Evangelical Church to the splendid sound of alphorns. There was a hymn sandwich in church followed by a considerable p*ss up where a fire engines tanks were filled with excellent local beer and an oom-pah band got everyone dancing. This was so important to the village that there was no Mass that day, a sunday, so all the Catholics could join in.
I believe one of the Kaisers was so fed up with religious disputes that he decreed that there should only be one church building in each village, with the minority community (either protestant or catholic) being given a side chapel for their worship. Albert Schweitzers dad was the minister in such a shared church. He had the main bit.
My neck of the woods is Southern California. You are astonished by... my previously receiving a blessing? My now receiving a not-exactly blessing? My audacity in going up to the priest at all during the distribution of the Eucharist?
The "Celebration of Matrimony" festival sounds like great fun. I do hope the fire tanks served beer and didn't just spray it.
There is, of course, another argument - all who are present at the liturgy, do receive at the end of the liturgy a formal blessing, so why do we need another one at the moment of Communion ?
Lyda is right that there are no liturgically authorised words for what happens, but that surely does not mean that one cannot show a special interest in and wish to bless a person who presents themselves for what has become a fairly common custom.
Yes ,a priest is certainly not supposed to personalise what is not 'his' liturgy but rather that of the whole Church.
In my experience this ''blessing' is given not only by priests but by whoever is distributing Communion. It can be a word, it can be a light touch, it can be a sign of the cross, anything which indicates that the person is WELCOME within the community, even if that person does not fully share the faith of the community
We go to the local Catholic Church quite frequently, for a mid-week Mass when there's no Anglican service within cooee. We've spoken to the priest and he'd be happy to give us communion, and many parishioners say the same. We don't take though as the priest is such a good one and such a good man also. All it would need is one disgruntled parishioner to complain and where would that end up? So we just go forward, hands crossed to the opposite shoulder and take a blessing. Different if we're up in the Vaucluse or Tirol though.
Don't be bringing Jesus into a discussion about worship.
To answer Lyda I am shocked that a bishop would stop his priests from blessing people. I find myself wondering what sort of people he thinks are unworthy of Gods blessing.
Are you serious?
John Holding, Host
Of course not. I was being ironic.
When it comes to matters of rubrics and law it seems to me that Jesus is often locked out of the room.
I don't see how you can separate the two. Shouldn't one be based on the other?
Lex orande lex credendi.
One of the descriptions of the Church is that it is 'the people of God on their way towards eternity' The Corpus Christi procession is a significant reminder of that.
I am talking now about practice and not what is right and/or wrong ,but older Catholics will remember a time when relatively few people would go to sacramental Communion during Mass. This has changed and now in Catholic churches you will often see long lines of people moving towards the front of the church to receive Communion. This also may be interpreted as 'the people of God on their way towards eternity. 'With practically all of the people going to Communion it does make it sometimes difficult (and I appreciate this very much) for those who for one reason or another do not share the fullness of the Catholic Faith to remain in their seats. To my mind it is good that they join the procession moving forward (ultimately one would hope towards the 'eternal banquet in Heaven' and if possible to full communion one day with the Catholic Church)
It is important that those who are involved in the liturgy recognise the presence of those who are not full communicant members of the Church and show them some sign of welcome.
I applaud the growing practice of bringing babies and small children to the altar as well as those who for one reason or another are unable to participate in sacramental Communion.
The church in question is Franciscan. I was told at one point that the bishop raised the issue a number of times, but they kept right on.
https://franziskus-frankfurt.de/index/berichte/articles/fronleichnam-2019.html
Another Shipmate and I attendedMass at Franciscan Priory on Oxford Street in Sydney Neither of us went forward. We were told later that all would have been well. My companion apparently knew some of the same people as the priest in another state but I don’t think that was a reason we would have been served as the priest did not know that till later.
There is usually no bar on people coming forward to receive Communion. It should be assumed that they are aware of the usual practices of the Catholic church. If a person is sure that he or she shares completely the faith of Catholics , particularly those articles of faith to do with the eucharist. and if that person is not aware of being in a sinful state and if although being baptised they are not formally a member of the Catholic community but cannot find a celebration of the eucharist being held within the community of which they consider themselves members, then on their own responsibility they might wish to go forward.
A Catholic priest celebrating the eucharist or a lay minister distributing the eucharist is not the judge as to who should come forward and should not refuse anyone who comes forward
On the other hand a person Catholic or Christian or of any other or no religion who happens to be in a church at the time of distribution of Communion should not just come forward because others are doing so or because that person just wishes to do so even although they are dismissive about what the eucharist means to Catholics.
It is good that both Catholics and non-Catholics understand these teachings within the limits of the possible.
I've been offered communion by Jesuits but did not partake as I knew we'd both be breaking the rules. It does grieve me and, like Leetle Masha of blessed memory, I do think the antidoran is a good thing.
I tend to adopt a 'when in Rome' principle so wouldn't partake of RC communion elements I don't think, unless the rules changed.