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I wonder if more priests would be in favor of them if they knew:
A) People can stand instead of kneel in their place if they prefer.
B) It gives every person a moment of recollection before receiving Holy Communion.
C) It’s faster than distributing Holy Communion with a… https://t.co/0k9F3fam7O
— Fr. Thomas Petri, OP (@PetriOP) March 17, 2025
“Jesus is working out His plan and purposes.”
Butch Wilmore, a NASA astronaut who was stuck in space for 286 days, glorifies Jesus Christ as he prepares for his return journey to Earth. pic.twitter.com/VXcnulHyDc
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) March 18, 2025
In chessy news… HERE
White to move. Mate in 4.
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White to move. Mate in 4.
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.
The American Cup continues in St. Louis. So and Sevian survived in the Elimination Bracket. Young Alice Lee beat Irina Krush in a 95 move slog.
Altar rails are also extreamly helpful for the elderly or those with bad knees (myself), as they provide something rock solid to lean on when getting up or down from kneeling. Or just lean on if one doesn’t kneel.
I have made this comment on these pages before, but am re-stating it because I think it’s helpful, and because it’s a positive example of “don’t let a good crisis go to waste!”
In the evil days of COVID lockdowns, our archdiocese was one of the first to re-open (with precautions) our churches for public access to Mass. We were sat every other pew, and for the distribution of Holy Communion, Father and a server would make their way around the church in the open pews, distributing the Body of Christ.
Good Effect Number 1: Only Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion!
Good Effect Number 2: Since we were already kneeling for this part of the Mass, many people elected simply to remain kneeling to receive Our Lord as Father came by, and of course to continue kneeling to make their thanksgiving after receiving.
When the Bad Times (TM) more or less ended and we returned to more normal Mass attendance and procedures (and we were an early adopter of the restoration of the Sunday Obligation, too), Monsignor the Pastor and Father his vicar brought in several prie-dieux and placed them at the bottom of the steps to the sanctuary (our altar rails having been removed decades prior). Wouldn’t you know it, many many people chose to continue what had by then become their practice, and knelt to receive! The option to stand remains, of course, and I do see this happening maybe a quarter of the time (in those rare cases where I’m paying attention to how others receive the Eucharist, which really is none of my business!).
Good Effect Number 3: what was originally a short-term practice has now blossomed in the days post-COVID. And we’re still only distributing with Ordinary Ministers. Of course, we are blessed to have two priests and five active deacons (plus another who is retired but also assists)…
A few Sundays ago I was helping with first communion preparations for CCD kids. Most are between 7 and 12 years old and I was elated that several kids asked good intelligent questions. There were about 80 kids total that were broken up into groups and several parents attended too. It gives me hope as many of them, boys and girls, wanted to be there.
It wasn’t “uh, let’s get this over with” that unfortunately I have experienced with confirmation preparation for teenagers. The parish I attend has a good DRE and some good priests and deacons. I was fortunate to have a good first communion preparation myself and I am grateful for that (I didn’t have a very good confirmation prep though).
Qh7+, Kf8
Qh8+, Ke7
Re1+, Bxe1 (or Be5 or Ne5)
Qxg7#
ajf1984 – prie-dieux -. . . I never knew that’s what they were called! Our church does the same thing in our newer church since it was built without altar rails. Since the pastor brought them out, more parishioners now use them. And wouldn’t you know it – ALL of the children who received their First Communion receive it kneeling on the tongue (if you couldn’t tell, I’m in an NO parish)!
I have an issue with Fr. Petri’s argumentation, because I think his arguments are too subjective – ‘what can the liturgy do for me?’
Now, I believe that this is still extremely important. We are human beings with emotions and we do experience the world subjectively, and the liturgy (as per the axiom legem credendi statuit lex orandi) has a subjective effect on the person going to Mass.
However, I think the liturgical debates should be more focused on the objective aspect of the virtue of religion – religion is worship of God, first and foremost.
At the same time, any debate now is reduced to politics – right vs. left, conservative vs. progressive – which eliminates all sense of the objective nature of truth.