two questions
  • henry
    Posts: 241
    1. Does anyone know how the custom of the "Entrance Procession" developed after Vatican II? Before that, didn't the priest just enter the sanctuary from the sacristy?
    2. Even though we kneel after the Agnus Dei, our pastor says he thinks we're supposed to remain standing, even for the duration of the Communion Rite. I always thought we remained kneeling until everyone received and the Blessed Sacrament was returned to the Tabernacle. Does anyone know of any official pronouncements on this?
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,204
    1) In the NO (Novus ordo missae, ordinary form), depending on the configuration of your church, the procession either moves from the back of the church to the altar, or in the case of a traditional cruciform church, from the sacristy down the side aisle, as far as the aisle that crosses the nave, and then up the center aisle. This, at least, is what I've seen at places like St. Agnes in St. Paul, MN, where they do the NO in Latin.

    2) In the "Appendix for Dioceses in the United States" for the GIRM, IIRC it states that we should kneel at at the conclusion of the Agnus Dei, and remain kneeling throughout the communion procession. The best place to check would be through the offices of the diocese, as the Ordinary (bishop) is the authority. If your pastor is imposing the posture of standing, he may be acting in contradiction to instructions from the Ordinary.
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    2) If you are in the United States, you should kneel after the Agnus. After receiving communion you may kneel or sit. These are the norms in the US which should be observed unless the local bishop has established a different norm. This is not the norm in Europe, so occasionally when one of our Masses is attended by a large number of European tourists, many people remain standing throughout the communion rite. In any case uniformity of posture is desirable. Not to sound dismissive, but the answer to this question (like many of the questions posted on this forum) is found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which should be the first place one looks when there is a question about the Ordinary Form of the Rite.
  • Praying The Mass
    Posts: 70
    Henry - In the U.S., kneeling after the Agnus Dei is the standard, unless the Bishop decides otherwise. This decision is NOT left up to parish pastors (unless the Bishop has somehow delegated the decision, but I don't think he can do that...).

    As for posture during the Communion Rite, Cardinal Arinze of the CDWDS has said it is not Rome's intention to dictate posture during that time.

    See this and this.
  • paul
    Posts: 60
    This all came up right after the GIRM came out because there's a statement there about standing during the communion procession. My understanding is that when Cardinal George asked for clarification from Rome, he was told this only referred to people who wanted to kneel during the communion procession. One of those little fine points that never seemed to get out to the general public.
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