US Cardinal emphases need to receive Communion in procession

Cardinal Cupich at St John Vianney College Seminary, 14/03/21 Wiki Image: MTF-GR

Source: Chicago Catholic

In a letter to his diocese on Wednesday, Cardinal Blase J Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, advises against solo kneeling to receive Communion.

He points out that the Second Vatican Council called for "the full, active and conscious participation of all the baptized in the celebration of the Eucharist to reflect our belief that in the sacred liturgy the faithful become the Body of Christ that they receive."

"Our ritual for receiving of Holy Communion has special significance in this regard. It reminds us that receiving the Eucharist is not a private action but rather a communal one, as the very word "communion" implies.

"For that reason, the norm established by Holy See for the universal church and approved by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is for the faithful to process together as an expression of their coming forward as the Body of Christ and to receive Holy Communion standing."

"Certainly reverence can and should be expressed by bowing before the reception of Holy Communion, but no one should engage in a gesture that calls attention to oneself or disrupts the flow of the procession. That would be contrary to the norms and tradition of the church, which all the faithful are urged to respect and observe."

Read the full letter here: www.chicagocatholic.com/cardinal-blase-j.-cupich/-/article/2024/12/11/-as-we-pray-