Catholic families: liturgy question

[fdrinca]

Our church just changed the way music ministers receive the Eucharist, and I'm trying to discern if I dislike the change (I tend to think change = bad), or if it's bad liturgy.

 

Currently, the ministers leave their spots and line up in the front of church just after the breaking rite ("Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof..."). It is silent as the priest distributes Eucharist to the EMs of Communion. Once the music ministers receive and return to their spots, they being to play the Communion chant. Our parish is small, and by this time, half of the congregation has received or is in line. 

 

They continue playing as Communion finishes, as Father cleans up, and as he closes the Tabernacle. They continue singing - until the song is finished - often after we have resumed sitting.

 

Does this sound awkward to anyone? Typical? I'm used to the music ministers receiving **after** the congregation, with sacred silence falling at the end of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. There is a period of sacred silence after the Communion chant and everyone has returned to sitting. 

[MysteryJen]

I have seen it done both ways.

[Noreen Claire]

Sounds awkward. However, as our church just went an entire year without any music/singing/organist *at all*, I am thankful any time the new organist shows up and sings. :-)

[Faithr]

Our parish does it one of two ways.  The choir sings and then when the song is over, the organist plays something while they get in line to receive usually towards the end of the communion period.  Often the organist is last to receive.  But sometimes, they have one singer cantor while everyone else goes up first thing and then they come back and sing and the cantor receives.  We don't have long silences.

[Ellie]

Our church just changed the way music ministers receive the Eucharist, and I'm trying to discern if I dislike the change (I tend to think change = bad), or if it's bad liturgy.

 

Currently, the ministers leave their spots and line up in the front of church just after the breaking rite ("Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof..."). It is silent as the priest distributes Eucharist to the EMs of Communion. Once the music ministers receive and return to their spots, they being to play the Communion chant. Our parish is small, and by this time, half of the congregation has received or is in line. 

 

They continue playing as Communion finishes, as Father cleans up, and as he closes the Tabernacle. They continue singing - until the song is finished - often after we have resumed sitting.

 

Does this sound awkward to anyone? Typical? I'm used to the music ministers receiving **after** the congregation, with sacred silence falling at the end of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. There is a period of sacred silence after the Communion chant and everyone has returned to sitting. 

 

In our church, there are 22 EMHC's at each Mass (11 for the Body, 11 for the Blood). Each has a designated position to go to. Our choir is in the transept; the designated position EMHCs for our side of the transept serves the choir first, then move over a few steps to serve the people. While that is going on, the other 10/10 EMHC's are serving the rest of the congregation.

 

During Ordinary time and Advent, we and the congregation sing something together; then we sing a choir solo. During Lent we are served after everyone else, because we're singing antroits, or antiphons, or some such thing, which the congregation does not know. And sometimes during Advent we are served after, for the same reason. I am not smart enough to remember why, lol. so the short answer is that, at least in Ordinary time, we are served simultaneously with the congregation.

[Faithr]

Wow, Ellie, 22 EMHC!  I thought our parish had a lot with 12 at each Mass.

[Noreen Claire]

In our church, there are 22 EMHC's at each Mass (11 for the Body, 11 for the Blood). 

 

TWENTY-TWO extraordinary ministers? Pardon my jealousy...the entire 10am Sunday morning service in our church doesn't always have 22 participants! :sad:

[AngelaNYC]

One member of our choir is a Eucharistic minister.  Right after we sing the Lamb of God she goes to up to the altar, receives, and then brings up a ciborium of hosts to give out to the choir.  Then walks back to the altar with it.  The church is huge and and she walks down from the choir loft, along the side-aisles and gets to the altar right before the "Lord I am not worthy..." and returns during the Communion hymn,  She's ok with missing that hymn.  We, the choir, are singing and receiving almost at the same time, but it works out fairly well.

[Daria]

I'm not Catholic, but I go to mass a lot because I work at a Catholic school.  We do it the way you describe it, with the choir receiving before they begin to sing.  That's also how it was done in the Episcopal church I grew up in.  

[dirty ethel rackham]

We have a cantor who receives when all the Extraordinary Ministers receive.  There are two EMs who go up to the choir loft sometime during communion.  Most often, the choir receives when the congregation is done and the priest is "cleaning" the altar.  This is usually the time of quiet reflection before the closing prayers and the organist/pianist is playing a quiet interlude.  It can be noisy, with people stepping down off the risers.

[MotherGoose]

Ours go first too, but we have a fairly large parish but a small building (so there's not far to walk) and they are usually back singing before many people are through. There is silence at the end too when Father is finishing up usually.

[ktgrok]

Our parish does it one of two ways.  The choir sings and then when the song is over, the organist plays something while they get in line to receive usually towards the end of the communion period.  Often the organist is last to receive.  But sometimes, they have one singer cantor while everyone else goes up first thing and then they come back and sing and the cantor receives.  We don't have long silences.

 

Same here. A few keep singing, while the rest receive first, before the congregation. Then the others go when they get back.There is never a gap in the music.

[Guest]

We have a large choir. I kid you not, with our old priest, the EM took the Eucharist to the first person. He then handed the vessel to the first person who turned and gave the Eucharist to the second person. First person then handed the vessel to the second person who turned and hmgave the Eucharist to the third person and on and on through about 30 choir members. That was one of the first things our next priest quickly put a stop to.

[ktgrok]

We have a large choir. I kid you not, with our old priest, the EM took the Eucharist to the first person. He then handed the vessel to the first person who turned and gave the Eucharist to the second person. First person then handed the vessel to the second person who turned and hmgave the Eucharist to the third person and on and on through about 30 choir members. That was one of the first things our next priest quickly put a stop to.

:scared:  :scared:  :svengo:

[Guest]

:scared: :scared: :svengo:

Our poor priest was just so old and tired, he didn't fight much.

[brehon]

I sing in one of the Cathedral choirs. The choir loft is above the congregation at the back of the Cathedral. The Cathedral was built in the 1880s in a basic Gothic style. During the noon Mass (the one at which I sing) an EM brings the Body up to the loft and the choir receives during the hymn. We sing the antiphon or psalm either before or after the hymn depending on what we're singing. For instance, today the short Tallis piece was sung after the hymn/the choir received Communion.

There isn't really a break in the music as the organist either riffs on the hymn or another piece. The choir as a whole, however, does encourage and approve the liturgical value of silence during the penitential seasons, especially during the Triduum. For reference the noon Mass is a very traditional NO mass with most of the Mass parts being chanted.

 

[edited to remove personal information]

[Violet Crown]

We have no EMHCs, so after Father communicates the acolytes, he communicates the choir, who have come down from the choir loft and knelt at the altar rail. A rail actually makes Communion a quick business, so they're back in the loft speedily. We get a hymn or two, which may or may not last to the ablutions, depending on how many receive.

 

The dynamic is a little different from most communities, though: most people don't join the choir in singing during/after the distribution to the faithful, so there doesn't feel like a great difference between the beginning of the distribution and the musical bit; and everyone kneels until Father prays the Oremus before the Postcommunion, so there's no great hankering for extra contemplative silence after the ablutions--we're all ready enough to get up before our knees give out. Or maybe that's just my middle-aged knees speaking.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Violet Crown

[brehon]

Sheesh. I didn't actually answer the question. Most of the time the choir (the one I sing with) receives at the same time as the congregation.

[Violet Crown]

 

Ha! We posted simultaneously. I was even thinking how if Brehon reads my post she's going to snort at the mention of "altar rail." By which I meant, "altar pew." Edited May 2, 2016 by Violet Crown

[chiguirre]

Trinqueta sings in a children's choir. They sing while they're in line, take communion, return to their seats and keep on singing. They receive first, before their assigned EMHCs move to another position in the back of the church. There are about 20 EMHCs for about 1000 people in attendance.

[carriede]

I couldn't vote because my answer would be all three.

 

That said, I don't think it matters. I think a communion song is optional anyway.