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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Which Way Does Your Priest Face For The Prayer After Communion?

Jeff Ostrowski · September 27, 2013

365 Paul VI Pope Paul VI in India E HAVE EXAMINED the rubrics of the Ordinary Form here and here, and we saw that the current Missal assumes priest and people will be facing the same direction during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

However, there appears to be a discrepancy in the Rubrics … no great surprise, since the current Missal was put together with haste, and even the Vatican dicastery had to apologize for all the errors and typos contained in those early 1970s directives. The discrepancy has to do with the direction the priest must face to read the Prayer after Communion.

AS BISHOP PETER J. ELLIOTT has pointed out (Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite, §350), “The celebrant may choose to say the Prayer after Communion and impart the final blessing at the altar.” The rubrics do indeed allow this, but they seem to imply that the Prayer after Communion be read facing the people:

The 2011 GIRM says:

165. Deinde, stans ad sedem vel ad altare, sacerdos, versus ad populum, dicit, manibus iunctis: Orémus et, extensis manibus, orationem post Communionem recitat, cui præmitti potest breve spatium silentii, nisi iam præcesserit statim post Communionem. In fine orationis populus acclamat: Amen.

166. Expleta oratione post Communionem, fiant, si habendæ sunt, breves annuntiationes ad populum.

167. Deinde sacerdos, extendens manus, salutat populum, dicens: Dóminus vobíscum, cui respondetur a populo: Et cum spíritu tuo. Et sacerdos, manus denuo coniungens, et statim, manum sinistram super pectus ponens et manum dexteram elevans, subdit: Benedícat vos omnípotens Deus et, signum crucis super populum faciens, prosequitur: Pater, et Fílius, + et Spíritus Sanctus. Omnes respondent: Amen.

165. Then, standing at the chair or at the altar, and facing the people with hands joined, the Priest says, Let us pray; then, with hands extended, he recites the Prayer after Communion. A brief period of silence may precede the prayer, unless this has been already observed immediately after Communion. At the end of the prayer the people acclaim, Amen.

166. When the Prayer after Communion is concluded, brief announcements should be made to the people, if there are any.

167. Then the Priest, extending his hands, greets the people, saying, The Lord be with you. They reply, And with your spirit. The Priest, joining his hands again and then immediately placing his left hand on his breast, raises his right hand and adds, May almighty God bless you and, as he makes the Sign of the Cross over the people, he continues, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. All reply, Amen.

Roman Missal, Third Edition says:

139. Deinde, stans ad altare vel ad sedem, sacerdos, versus ad populum, iunctis manibus, dicit: Oremus. Et omnes una cum sacerdote per aliquod temporis spatium in silentio orant, nisi silentium iam praecesserit. Deinde sacerdos, manibus extensis, dicit orationem post Communionem. Populus in fine acclamat: Amen.

140. Sequuntur, si necessariae sint, breves annuntiationes ad populum.

141. Deinde fit dimissio. Sacerdos, versus ad populum, extendens manus, dicit: Dominus vobiscum. Populus respondet: Et cum spiritu tuo. Sacerdos benedicit populum, dicens: Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, + et Spiritus Sanctus. Populus respondet: Amen.

139. Then, standing at the altar or at the chair and facing the people, with hands joined, the Priest says: Let us pray. All pray in silence with the Priest for a while, unless silence has just been observed. The the Priest, with hands extended, says the Prayer after Communion, at the end of which the people acclaim: Amen.

140. If they are necessary, any brief announcements to the people follow here.

141. Then the dismissal takes place. The Priest, facing the people and extending his hands, says: The Lord be with you. The people respond: And with your spirit. The Priest blesses the people saying: May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. The people reply: Amen.

I FEEL THE RUBRICS HERE are not precise. First of all, why should the rubrics say again to face the people for the blessing if the priest is already facing the people (see above)?

It is true that the 1969 GIRM says:

122. Postea, stans ad sedem vel ad altare, sacerdos versus ad populum, dicit: Orémus et, extensis manibus, orationem post Communionem recitat, cui præmitti potest breve spatium silentii, nisi iam præcesserit statim post Communionem. In fine orationis populus acclamat: Amen.

122. Then, standing at the altar or at the chair and facing the people, the priest says, with hands outstretched: “Let us pray.” There may be a brief period of silence, unless this has been already observed immediately after communion. He recites the prayer after communion, at the end of which the people make the response: “Amen.”

However, if you click here, you’ll see that the 1970 Missale Romanum (“Ordo Missæ cum populo”) omits the injunction to face the people. All it says is:

Deinde, stans ad sedem vel ad altare, sacerdos dicit:

Then, when it’s time for the final blessing, the 1970s rubrics say:

Sacerdos, versus ad populum, extendens manus, dicit:

How can we understand this discrepancy? My guess is, they wanted the priest to face the people when he says “Orémus.” Then, he ought to turn around to read the Prayer after Communion, because it would be strange to have a server hold the Missal on the altar steps. Then, when it’s time for the final blessing, the priest once more turns around. (If you think this is a lot of turning around, you should see a Low Mass according to the 1962 Missal at this point).

Finally, remember that the Missal rubrics don’t always explicitly tell the priest to “turn toward the altar.” For instance, the rubrics omit this when it’s time for the priest to kiss the altar: it’s common sense that he needs to turn around for this.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ad Orientem, Mass Facing The People Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant.”

— Statement by the Supreme Pontiff (Sacramentum Caritatis, 22-feb-2007)

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