Communion services
There's a church very near where I work that has Masses on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30. I know I've mentioned it in my blog at some point. Since becoming baptized, I've also been going to their communion services, offered M-W-F.
On Monday, the Deacon presides and it is almost identical to a Mass with the exception of the deletion of the Eucharist prayer and the addition of the Te Deum or the Magnificat. On Wednesdays and Fridays, it is led by a lay minister and is very truncated - no homily, no eucharist prayers, simply the readings and a few basic prayers.
I worried about the legitimacy of this quite a bit, but when I talked to my RCIA teacher, Deacon L, he said that it was perfectly licit. So I'm not so worried anymore. I've heard comments for and against communion services with lay ministers, but I figure if it's the only opportunity I have for daily reception of the host, and my Deacon says it's licit, then it's Ok.
I stayed afterwards to ask the Deacon there about the Liturgy of the Hours and ended up talking to him and a couple of other parishoners for an hour and a half. They were all amazed that I was already attempting to pray the LOTH and I'm such a recent convert. (Obviously they have not met my friend L. She's been praying the 4-volume LOTH for years.)
It's good to feel like I have a weekday home. I'll feel better when I have a weekend home as well. While the Cathedral is still my parish, and I've decided to support it, it frustrates me that they have no Daily Mass on Saturdays, so I'm essentially forced to go to another chapel for Saturday Mass. I'm so grateful for St. Jude, because I can pop in and out of there on a Saturday and it's super convenient. I want to get in the habit of going to my parish on Sundays, though, so I'll haul myself down to the Cathedral on Sundays.
posted by DB @ 12:36:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
"Provided there is no priest to celebrate Mass and the norms of the bishop are followed, there is no reason why a Communion service could not be conducted during the week. We say this with special regards to parishes who do not have priests to conduct daily Mass. The purpose of the Communion service is to impart the sacramental grace of the Eucharist to the faithful when there is no priest available. There is nothing wrong with having a Communion service on any day of the week provided that the proper guidelines are followed."
Here is a good article on the subject.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur23.htm
Nope, no daily mass in either English or Spanish at the Cathedral on Saturdays - only the Vigil Mass. No, they do not have enough priests. As a matter of fact, Fr. Ramone, our head priest, left just last Monday (under odd circumstances) and they had to bring in a priest from another parish to be our rector. And a few weeks ago, we lost our Columbian priest because his father passed away and he had to go back home.
Jeff-
Thank you for the link! I'll definitely check it out!
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