To promote unity and reverence for the Eucharist in the Archdiocese of Louisville — and to dispel confusion related to sitting, kneeling and standing during Mass — Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre has issued a new document, “Norms for Posture and the Communion Rite.”
The norms were sent to pastors on May 14 along with a letter to the faithful explaining the new norms, which will go into effect on June 22, the feast of Corpus Christi.
“Throughout our liturgies are moments when we collectively engage in specific actions that emphasize our communal worship,” said Archbishop Fabre, commenting on the new norms. “The Mass is imbued with deep significance, where each gesture and action conveys profound meaning.
“We are encouraged to remember that the Sacred Liturgy is fundamentally an act of the whole People of God united as one. The gestures of the Christian faithful serve as a tangible representation of our shared faith,” he said.
The letter to the faithful notes that in the Archdiocese of Louisville, “the previously recommended practice was to stand throughout the entire distribution of Holy Communion.”
“While commendable, this is not the norm in most places throughout the United States and has led to some confusion and disunity,” it says.
Under the new norms, the congregation will kneel after the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) and remain kneeling until their turn to join the Communion procession. Returning to their seats, congregants will kneel again for a period of personal prayer. Those who are unable to kneel may sit.
For reception of Communion, the norm is to be standing and to bow the head before receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The letter explains that communicants shouldn’t be denied Communion if they kneel, but catechesis should instruct that standing is the “normative posture.” Those who serve in the sanctuary should model the norm, it says.
Communicants may continue to choose whether they receive the consecrated Host on the tongue or in the hand.
After the “remaining hosts are returned to the tabernacle in the sanctuary or are taken out of the sanctuary,” the congregation should sit.
The letter also instructs that “pastoral adaptations” should be made for “those who cannot take the normative postures due to physical limitations.”
These norms are already common in some parishes, while others may experience a more significant change, said Dr. Karen Shadle, director of the archdiocese’s Office of Worship, which helped develop the new norms.
“For a lot of parishes, this will be a piece of cake. It’s what they’re already doing,” she said.
At St. Patrick Church, “We have to adjust,” said Father Jeff Shooner, the pastor. “We’ll have to provide some catechesis.
“It has been common for years for people who move here not to understand the posture we do and for parishioners who come back from vacation wondering why we do what we do.
So there is some confusion. This helps to eliminate some of that confusion.”
In preparation for the changes, he intends to offer instruction at upcoming liturgies and in the parish bulletin.
“We will use Office of Worship resources; we will probably have some instruction at every liturgy. We may do a video on it,” he said. “We may take four or six weeks to insert some instructions here.”
He also expects that the congregation will need time to adjust.
“Pastorally, on the first weekend, everyone is not going to be there,” he said, adding that instruction will continue into the summer.
The “Norms for Posture and the Communion Rite” provides an in-depth explanation of the postures and offers a reminder about other practices, such as taking Communion to the sick and the reservation of the Eucharist in the tabernacle.
Shadle said the new norms aren’t aiming for “robotic uniformity.”
“The rite already has diversity. You can choose to receive (Communion) in the hand or on the tongue,” she noted. “People who are unable to kneel are not required to kneel. It’s not about robotic uniformity, we want to pray the same way.
“That doesn’t mean there was something wrong with what we did before,” she noted. “It really is around unity, so that we can pray together and we don’t have to focus on that; we can focus on the prayer and pray well.”
Shadle explained that the changes being made are under the purview of the bishop.
“There are parts of the liturgy the bishop has some discretion over. That’s why Catholics might experience something different when they go to Mass out of town” in another diocese, she said. “We as an archdiocese want to have one playbook that we’re working from.”
Regarding the topic in the Record titled “Sit, Stand, Kneel”, there is absolutely no mention of what to do when “all of the kneelers” have been removed from the pews. Memory serves me well, there was a directive to remove kneelers in the Catholic churches some years ago, now, with clarification of what to do when there are kneelers, the topic is clear. As always, I would assume that no kneelers means no kneeling, but to sit instead. That would be the logical solution. I will “sit” on this matter.
I have a question relating to the part of the mass where we say the Our Father – in many places they do not hold hands or hold their hands up during the prayer. Is it acceptable to do this?
I will forward your question to the director of the Office of Worship. Thank you!
According to the Archdiocese of Louisville Office of Worship:
The instructive documents on the Mass only indicate that the celebrant holds his hands open in the orans gesture during the Lord’s Prayer. No gestures are given for the assembly, so the Office of Worship does not recommend the practice of holding hands or making the palms-upward orans gesture for the assembly. As a general rule, we should not add our own rituals and gestures to the Mass above and beyond those indicated in the liturgical documents.
I attend weekday mass in many of our rural parishes, the practice of holding hands is not prevalent there. I have observed the palms upward in the orans gesture by the congregations. I had always been taught (I will admit I am on the older side of 65 yrs old, LOL) that the posture was only to be used by the priest. If the Archdiocese Office of Worship recommends this as a general rule not be used, then shouldn’t there be some catechesis to maybe correct this practice? I feel that many priest are reluctant to instruct the laity for fear of being rebuked, better to be rebuked by them and maybe not by God later. Peace be with you.
We’ll pass on your suggestion to the Office of Worship. Thank you!
I like bringing more unity to sit stand knell, bow gestures at mass communion time. Also at least an equal source of confusion & disunity are hand gestures. These include before reading the gospel some make the triple sign of cross over forehead nose & mouth, some keep hands to their side. Before the Our Father some position hands outward & raise further at end, others keep hands down to side. The uprising halelua hands some use. The hand shake sign of peace disappeared during Coved but some are bringing it back.
WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE INJURED AND THE ELDERLY WHO FIND KNEELING PAINFUL? ALSO A MEMBER WHO WIFE OR HUSBAND IS NON CATHOLIC?
The new norms explain that those who are unable to kneel are not required to. Thank you for your question!
And they do not address the posture of a non-Catholic in attendance.