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WASHINGTON (CNS) – As many of the restrictions imposed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic have been lifted, some of the country’s Catholic dioceses have returned or are returning, while others are pouring holy wine into the chalice of communion. waiting for that.
Some dioceses have lifted this restriction in June, especially for Corpus Christi or Pentecost.
The archbishop of New Orleans recently announced that churches can once again offer the communion cup.
Father Neil Gross, director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, announced in a Nov. 25 Clarion Herald column: “The long hiatus is finally over!”
According to him, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond has “officially lifted all restrictions on giving communion to both types in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Effective immediately, churches may reintroduce communion from the cup of precious blood. Some churches may have already started the practice.”
According to the priest, the decision was made “with due diligence and with the support of local and state health officials. The health of the local community is one of his (archbishop’s) top priorities.”
He also said: “Not every church may be ready to resume this practice, and that’s understandable. Some churches never offered chalice communion before the pandemic. Some pastors and pastoral councils may feel that it is best to wait until the flu season is over or until the fear and anxiety of the past few years has subsided. The decision is a pastoral decision that each church weighs.”
He emphasized that even in parishes that offer such an option, whether or not to receive the Communion Cup is a personal decision.
But he said Catholics in the archdiocese should “view it as a precious gift.”
“The possibility of receiving the Blood of Christ in the Mass connects us directly with the apostles who received the cup from Christ Himself,” he explained. “It connects us with the great saints who have done this throughout history.”
Having not used a Communion cup for nearly three years, he warned local Catholics that the holy wine “should not be offered to individual communicants in a private cup (plastic, paper, etc.). If there is fear of illness, then that person should abstain from the cup.
He also said that only priests were allowed to cup the owner of the intention, the communion. “People of faith,” he said, “can’t dip their soldiers in a pot, because it’s considered ‘communicating with themselves’, which the church forbids.”
Father Gross said the announcement of the return of the Communion Cup “marks an important moment in the life of the archdiocese.”
“Covid has happened and is a serious health threat,” the priest said. “However, leading the prayer and guidance of the health workers, Archbishop Aymond decided that it is time to strengthen our liturgical life with this important gesture.”
A week before the New Orleans announcement, the bishop of the neighboring Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, made a similar announcement.
In a Nov. 12 letter to Catholics in his diocese, Bishop Michael Duca said he “encourages and allows diocesan pastors to restore churches” to “fully return to our normal celebration of the liturgy.” If the ministers and the congregation are ready for it, the practice of sharing in both kinds from the first Sunday of Advent”.
The bishop said that joining the chalice is still voluntary and that each church can join when it is ready.
Churches can move at their own pace, he said, “taking into account the time required to train lay ministers and the willingness and desire of the people to partake of the chalice once more.”
Bishop Duca also warned Catholics: “While partaking is a spiritually meaningful experience for many, it is not necessary to receive the fullness of Christ in Holy Communion. As always, taking from the bowl when offered is an optional choice for the individual communicator. “
The bishop said there may be challenges to reinstating the practice, but he didn’t think they were insurmountable.
He said he hopes that once this latest restriction is lifted, churches will begin to return to the spiritual and liturgical traditions that existed before the pandemic.
While some bishops have yet to officially announce the lifting of the restriction, others have done so this summer, particularly in the United States to mark the start of the three-year Eucharistic revival.
Bishop David J. of Youngstown, Ohio. Bonnar said in June that churches in his diocese may begin offering holy wine at Pentecost, stressing that he made the decision after consulting with medical professionals.
He, like other bishops, noted that the decision to resume the practice was “not an order.” On all Sunday anniversaries and other holidays, the churches decide whether to serve wine from the vessel or not.’
A question-and-answer page on the diocese’s website states that “reception of Holy Communion is an act of faith. One makes this act of faith in the full presence of the Lord in receiving Holy Communion in one form or in both forms.”
Terence Sweeney, professor of philosophy at Villanova University in Philadelphia and theologian-in-residence at the Collegiate Institute of the University of Pennsylvania, headlined an August 15 column in America magazine: “It’s time to bring community back. vessel”.
“Since the onset of COVID-19, we have been lacking this,” he wrote. “Not touching the cup was an important precaution (although there is no reason to believe that drinking from a shared cup poses a risk of contracting COVID-19).”
He said that since previous pandemic restrictions had been lifted, “it is time to reconsider this sacred restriction”.
According to Sweeney, many people “continue to have legitimate concerns about COVID-19 and make their own health decisions.”
“However, as we’re opening society, we shouldn’t tip the scales too far,” he continued. “In many churches, after Mass, you can grab a donut from the tray, grab a cup of coffee, and chat with other parishioners. But you cannot take noble blood.’
But not everyone feels strongly about returning from the cup to Communion.
In the Sept. 6 Ask the Apostle section of US Catholic Magazine, a question was asked: “My church has a chalice at Mass, and it makes me uncomfortable because of COVID-19. I don’t think it’s safe. What can I do about it?’
Teresa Koda, who works in parish faith formation in Pennsylvania, wrote that the person answering the question could not receive communion from the chalice or contact the pastor or parish council to ensure the health of all parishioners.
This summer in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David A. When Zubik announced on June 24 that the diocese would allow each pastor to decide whether to reinstate the communion cup during Mass, there were mixed feelings.
An article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quoted the pastor as saying that parishioners had not asked for the chalice to be returned.
According to another, parishioners are very happy to have him back.
Diocese spokeswoman Jennifer Antkowiak told the newspaper that Bishop Zubik “has been receiving many emails and messages from parishioners who really want to see (the chalice) restored” and that there have been no serious concerns in the local Catholic community following his announcement. .
According to him, most people see this decision as a “sign of hope”.
Whatever steps dioceses take, the suspension of the Communion Bowl and, for some, its reinstatement, has been a time to explain the meaning of communion in two forms, in episcopal letters and on diocesan websites.
Father Dustin Dowd, deputy director of the American Bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship, explained to the National Catholic Reporter earlier this year what the church says about the two types of communion.
According to him, since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has emphasized that while the distribution of both the host and the wine “shows more fully the gift of Christ Himself at the Last Supper,” the fullness of grace is present in every form.
“When it comes to the sign, the sign is not full, the expression is not full,” he said. “But when it comes to grace, there is no deprivation of grace.”
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