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Animi caussa… I played Wordle today for the first time in a long time. Leo XIV, answering a question from kids in these USA, mentioned that he uses a different start word each day for Wordle. Hence, I tried again and I got it.
You would think that we would be happy with this. But we are not.
This micromanaging of the postures of the faithful is far from traditional. In the Traditional Mass, there are basically no rubrics for the faithful (as the Church has traditionally understood the variety of… https://t.co/X9gnr0N4AS
— Rorate Caeli (@RorateCaeli) November 21, 2025
I agree with Rorate on this point. Yes, kneeling to God is a good thing. However, why the mania about uniformity? Does everything have to be “micromanaged”?
And…
NIGERIA
Children at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Kontagora have been abducted, along with some of their teachers
Is the world going to keep standing by and watching this happen to Christians in Nigeria? pic.twitter.com/ikSQyV2aLZ
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) November 21, 2025
White to move and mate in 2. This was not easy for me.
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.
Our Lady of Hope Clinic is worthy of support.
Right now they have a project going. Here’s what they sent to me.
To help them CLICK HERE
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I am in total agreement that the posture of the faithful during the Holy Mass ought not be micromanaged, but I wonder if the new directive to kneel after Communion is meant to be something of a corrective after previous directives from the diocese to stand. That said, the better option would’ve been to say:
The previous bishop mandated that the faithful stand after receiving Holy Communion. He was wrong. Respecting the pious desire of many of the faithful to kneel after receiving Our Eucharistic Lord, mindful of the many physical limitations that affect God’s holy people, and fully supporting the freedom of the laity, we hereby repeal the erroneous mandate of our predecessor. May our unity be one of belief, rather than of posture.
Talk about putting a Band-aid on a bullet wound. There is no saving the Novus Ordo.
I welcome the course correction.
Some are mis-reading the Bishop’s letter.
He says to kneel after the Agnus Dei until the Communion Procession.
He doesn’t mandate kneeling after Communion.
It seems to me that the 2 stories mentioned here – a micromanaging of postures, in this case positive but more often used to discourage piety, and the war on Catholics in Nigeria by Islamic extremists both stem from the same source – a hatred of authentic Catholicism.
At Our Church Run by an Order of Brothers and Nuns, The Brother in charge of the Altar Severs teaching them to operate with Military style precision. Many Priests have commented on this over the years.
My Son is 6’ 6” and served when a student there. One day while serving for a small elderly Priest. (G0d Rest His Soul). He stumbled backwards. My Son caught Him with his right hand, stood Him Up and they both continued without missing a beat.
Not: Now that’s “full, conscious and active participation”!
Years ago a parish I lived close to was built without any kneelers and the tabernacle was outside the sanctuary (no, this wasn’t constructed as a temporary place of worship when it opened circa 1990). However, after the long term pastor retired (he turned 80 and the local ordinary ordered him to retire) a new pastor was assigned.
Over the years a capital campaign led by the newer pastor remodeled the sanctuary. Today there are kneelers and a tabernacle. It’s also a more vibrant parish than it was when I lived closer to there (I voted with my feet and drove an extra 15 minutes in those days). People are looking for something not watered down.
What I recall from the 1950s is that the congregation at a Solemn Mass did all move together, frequently standing, sitting, kneeling, and to me as a child, incomprehensibly. Later as a teenager I recall incompetent micro management on Good Friday, when after each Bidding the deacon would say “Flectamus genua”, and the sub-deacon “Levate” without any pause between instructions. Indeed my Missal mentions that the pause is ‘now omitted’.
I think a lot of this “uniformity” ideal comes from parochial schooling by nuns/sisters. Obviously, if you’re wrangling an entire schoolful of kids, especially during the Baby Boom years, you’d want uniformity as part of keeping control over the kids. (And being able to spot problems quickly, because any odd movement would stand out.)
And of course, religious orders tend to inculcate more or less uniformity of action in church, depending on what kind of order they are. Willing order is nice and peaceful.
But what’s desirable in a religious order, or a schoolful of kids, is not what you’d expect to happen, or want to happen, in a parish church full of lay Catholics of all ages. Historically, it wasn’t what Catholics did.