PHOENIX (EWTN News)—The Diocese of Phoenix announced its plans to adopt the updated norms for Communion, which will allow the chalice to be offered during Mass in only three instances or at the discretion of a parish priest.
“The new norms will promote unity in the celebration of the Eucharist all around the world,” the diocese said in a Sept. 21 statement.
In June of this year, the third edition of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal was released, which reduced the number of times — 14 down to 3 — when the chalice could be offered during Mass within the U.S. Church.
The updated ritual states that the chalice can be offered to the faithful during Holy Week’s chrism Mass, the feast of Corpus Christi, and for Catholic couples at their wedding Mass. The cup will also be available to first Communicants and their family members, confirmation candidates and their sponsors, as well as deacons, non-concelebrating priests, servers and seminarians at any Mass.
“In addition, a priest may select other important solemnities in which it may be offered,” the diocese clarified, such as “parish patronal feast days or the celebration of the dedication of the church building, provided the conditions are met.”
The Phoenix Diocese said that the new norms are a positive advancement, since they serve to protect the Blood of Christ from “profanation,” such as careless treatment and spills, and allow greater emphasis to be put on special feast days and other important moments in the lives of the faithful.
The norms will also help maintain “normal circumstances” during Mass, as only priests and deacons are ordinarily allowed to distribute the Eucharist. As the diocese pointed out, “When both forms of Communion are used frequently, ‘extraordinary’ ministers of holy Communion are disproportionately multiplied.”
The statement explained that the Church in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Oceania have had special permission to experiment with Communion under both forms for the last 25 years.
Despite the practice of both forms becoming common in certain parts of the country, “the vast majority of the parishes throughout the world have not had Communion under both forms.”
Although American Catholics — “a very small segment of the Catholic population” — might see the new norms as a restriction, from “the broadest, most inclusive perspective, the new norms are a great expansion of the practice,” the diocese said. “The norms invite us as U.S. Catholics to a more global and inclusive perspective, especially with those poor countries which cannot afford large amounts of wine for frequent usage.”
The diocese announced that local bishops have held meetings and that a time frame for adopting the norms will take place in the next few months.
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Boy has THIS been kept QUIET! WHY? Love it! Thanks be to GOD!
Is this just for Phoenix, or for all dioceses as we adapt the new translation of the Roman Missal?
Also, it says that it is down from 14 times to 3. Do they mean this is how it was done in Phoenix, or everywhere in the U.S. In my diocese parishes offer the chalice at every Mass, even daily.
Finally. This made my day. All we need know is a norm saying that pastors can implement kneeling for communion. Looks like sanity is slowly returning to the Catholic Church in the U.S. Many times I have felt like Moses and the Jews of the Old Testament wandering in the desert for 40 years…likes of serpents around too.
One more step in the Bishop’s desire to return to pre Vatican II.
What about folks with gluten intolerance? Will there be an exception for them?
There is no rupture between the pre and post Vatican II church. God does not change. Praise God, and thank you Bishop Olmsted! Persons with gluten intolerance can make prior arrangements with their priest as was done in my former N. Virginia parish.
I have to agree with Willis it really seems we are moving backwards. Christ offered HIS Body and HIS Blood. And when he did he did not say,“Take my body and on special occasions drink my blood.” I think there are people out there that do not believe that they are receiving the Body and Blood of our Savior and Lord. The transfiguration of the body AND blood of Christ was given to us by Christ. This gift is a nonnegotiable aspect of our faith. The reverence of both species should always be present and offered by everyone and not because the Pope or any bishop says it is okay but because CHRIST commands it. Very Sunday as Catholics we do as we were commanded to do by Christ which is we take his body and drink his blood in remembrance of him.
I recognize that not everyone is able to receive the waver or the wine and those people should be able to just receive one or the other and still be able to have received Christ. However, if as Catholics we do not believe that Christ has transformed it into HIS BODY and BLOOD then why are we receiving it at all? The BODY and BLOOD of Christ along with the Resurrection of Christ are the fundamentals of our Church. If we do not recognize those then why are we Catholic at all.
Although Debbi is right there is no rupture between pre and post Vatican II there was a growth that happened and that growth helped the church by teaching lay people more about the mass, theology and mystery as well as increasing youth involvement and acknowledging that our youth and lay people our the future of the church. Pope John Paul II understood that the church was fragile and the lay person knowledge and respect needed to grow. Somehow we have forgotten the seriousness of the mass and all its parts. We are going to church as if it is a chore we do like picking the kids up from soccer. Instead of going to CHURCH for spiritual guidance and instruction; which is what it is suppose to be.
Fr. James Faraglia -If you feel that you that your parish is in an Exodus of some sort with serpents around have you ever wandered why? Is it not the priest job to first display the reverence for the mass? If the priests do not show that reverence first how is his congregation suppose to do that? When priests’ cellphones go off during mass or their is a lack of focus from the priest celebrating the mass how is his congregation suppose to treat it? So, many times I have seen a priest eyes wandering around the church looking at other people while readings are going on. Or waiting until the night before to do their homily like children do their homework (yes we can tell). No, father if their is a problem with the congregation respecting the mass and all its part it starts first with the priest that is leading it. And if the devil is present is it not the priest’s job as the representative of Christ through the Apostolic Ascension to cast him out.
Last Thoughts:
Faith is a hard concept to get in a society that believes if I can see it and touch it then it must be true. Forgiveness is something hard to accept in a society that is currently about getting revenge and payback. How can reconciliation have any power when we are not able to forgive others “as we would have [GOD] forgive us.” I may only be a lay person but I was raised to respect the mass and all its parts. And I struggle every day to be the person CHRIST wants me to be and not the person I want to be. I struggle to share my faith in a society that denies GOD and all HIS power.
I have to agree with Willis it really seems we are moving backwards. Christ offered HIS Body and HIS Blood. And when he did he did not say,“Take my body and on special occasions drink my blood.” I think there are people out there that do not believe that they are receiving the Body and Blood of our Savior and Lord. The transfiguration of the body AND blood of Christ was given to us by Christ. This gift is a nonnegotiable aspect of our faith. The reverence of both species should always be present and offered by everyone and not because the Pope or any bishop says it is okay but because CHRIST commands it. Very Sunday as Catholics we do as we were commanded to do by Christ which is we take his body and drink his blood in remembrance of him.
I recognize that not everyone is able to receive the waver or the wine and those people should be able to just receive one or the other and still be able to have received Christ. However, if as Catholics we do not believe that Christ has transformed it into HIS BODY and BLOOD then why are we receiving it at all? The BODY and BLOOD of Christ along with the Resurrection of Christ are the fundamentals of our Church. If we do not recognize those then why are we Catholic at all.
Although Debbi is right there is no rupture between pre and post Vatican II there was a growth that happened and that growth helped the church by teaching lay people more about the mass, theology and mystery as well as increasing youth involvement and acknowledging that our youth and lay people our the future of the church. Pope John Paul II understood that the church was fragile and the lay person knowledge and respect needed to grow. Somehow we have forgotten the seriousness of the mass and all its parts. We are going to church as if it is a chore we do like picking the kids up from soccer. Instead of going to CHURCH for spiritual guidance and instruction; which is what it is suppose to be.
Fr. James Faraglia -If you feel that you that your parish is in an Exodus of some sort with serpents around have you ever wandered why? Is it not the priest job to first display the reverence for the mass? If the priests do not show that reverence first how is his congregation suppose to do that? When priests’ cellphones go off during mass or their is a lack of focus from the priest celebrating the mass how is his congregation suppose to treat it? So, many times I have seen a priest eyes wandering around the church looking at other people while readings are going on. Or waiting until the night before to do their homily like children do their homework (yes we can tell). No, father if their is a problem with the congregation respecting the mass and all its part it starts first with the priest that is leading it. And if the devil is present is it not the priest’s job as the representative of Christ through the Apostolic Ascension to cast him out.
Last Thoughts:
Faith is a hard concept to get in a society that believes if I can see it and touch it then it must be true. Forgiveness is something hard to accept in a society that is currently about getting revenge and payback. How can reconciliation have any power when we are not able to forgive others “as we would have [GOD] forgive us.” I may only be a lay person but I was raised to respect the mass and all its parts. And I struggle every day to be the person CHRIST wants me to be and not the person I want to be. I struggle to share my faith in a society that denies GOD and all HIS power.
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