Fr. Casey Jones: Is Kneeling for Communion a Disruption?

His Eminence Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago has recently written a letter in his archdiocesan publication discouraging the practice of kneeling for the reception of Holy Communion. Now, I state straightaway that I am not here to encourage anyone to be disrespectful to their ordinary, and it is not my place to theorize on motives. However, I wish to express my respectful disagreement and remind the faithful of their canonical right to receive Holy Communion while kneeling, regardless of the form of the Sacred Liturgy that they attend.

I will get to the point right away. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states quite plainly: “The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling” (160, emphasis mine). The GIRM then makes a cross-reference to the 2003 Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments’ Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum,which states:

“The faithful should receive Communion kneeling or standing, as the Conference of Bishops will have determined,” with its acts having received the recognitio of the Apostolic See. “However, if they receive Communion standing, it is recommended that they give due reverence before the reception of the Sacrament, as set forth in the same norms.” (90, quoting the former GIRM) ….

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