Corpus Christi Watershed

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

Views from the Choir Loft

Do these Holy Thursday rubrics strike you as odd?

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AM TOLD that in the olden days Holy Communion was seldom received by the faithful during Mass. Rather, Holy Communion might be given after Mass, or even while another Mass is going on, at a side altar. I haven’t studied the situation enough to know with certainty. What do you make of this page, from a 1957 book by Solesmes, which deals with the Pius XII (“Revised”) Holy Week? It’s as if nobody has ever distributed Holy Communion to the Faithful before…

236 pius xii


We mentioned some of the items at play here in this article about the second (third) Confíteor.

By the way, I cannot imagine kissing the bishop’s ring before receiving the SANCTISSIMUM. In my humble opinion, that would be inappropriate, because the full focus should be on our Lord.

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