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Views from the Choir Loft

Vatican Breaks Its Silence On Kneeling For Communion In The USA

Jeff Ostrowski · September 10, 2014

878 Kneeling for Communion VER since I confirmed that our Mass texts are copyrighted and sold by various entities (even non-Catholic ones) we’ve been receiving tons of mail. Outraged Catholics are wondering how a practice so wrong continues.

A similar case can be seen in kneeling for Communion in the USA. Here’s what the Vatican said in 2003:

“…while this Congregation gave the recognitio to the norm desired by the Bishops’ Conference of your country that people stand for Holy Communion, this was done on the condition that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds. Indeed, the faithful should not be imposed upon nor accused of disobedience and of acting illicitly when they kneel to receive Holy Communion.”   (source)

Still, some priests continue to abuse those who kneel for Holy Communion.

Here in Texas, I’ve witnessed such abuse several times. I clearly remember an incident two years ago, when a young child knelt down to receive Communion. The priest yelled, “Get up! Don’t kneel. We’re on a journey! We’re on a journey!” I was horrified, and this incident left a weird feeling in the back of my throat.

AS WE’VE MENTIONED, the Church in the United States has recently clarified its position—pardon the pun!—on kneeling for Communion (SEE BELOW), but I have doubts whether this will end the persecutions. Years ago, my friend wrote to Rome about the illicit sale of indulgenced texts. The Vatican responded that his concerns were totally correct, but we must be patient. As Aurelio Porfiri noted, Rome usually moves at a very slow pace.

For the record, here’s what the USCCB said in 2012:

No. 160 of the GIRM states clearly there that the “norm” established for the United States for reception of Holy Communion is standing. In the 2003 GIRM, it stated that no one should be refused Communion if they kneel, but that afterward they should be properly catechized. In the current edition, the exhortation to catechesis is removed and the exception to the norm of standing is left to the discretion of the faithful: “unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling.” The Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 91, is then cited.
Source:   BCDW Newsletter, January 2012


I’ve been told that, as a Cardinal, Pope Francis served on the Congregation for Divine Worship, but nobody has been able to confirm which years he served. It would be interesting to know whether he was there for the 2002-2003 rulings on kneeling for Communion. I don’t expect media folks will care too much about the facts, because they seem too busy fabricating misinformed nonsense about Pope Francis.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: United States Catholics Can Kneel For Communion 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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If I could only make the faithful sing the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei…that would be to me the finest triumph sacred music could have, for it is in really taking part in the liturgy that the faithful will preserve their devotion. I would take the Tantum Ergo, the Te Deum, and the Litanies sung by the people over any piece of polyphony.”

— ‘Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Letter to Msgr. Callegari (1897)’

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