I'm thinking about going to Forthys church 4 Mass on Sunday

[ilovetchotchkes]

Is that new? It's happened in every Catholic church I've been to, and it seemed to be the custom in the church my boyfriend grew up in. Not that people would glare at you if you didn't go up, but if you were of the right age, you were expected to.

Until I officially converted to Judaism, my parents STILL pressured me to take communion. "it won't hurt!" and if I didn't believe in transubstantiation why was I refusing. Because apparently my refusing was a sign that I did believe in it. They REALLY don't get that it was a respect issue !

[NurseNell]

I have never seen this, and think it is rather unnecessary. The chalice the wine was poured into is drunken up, then water is poured in it while still at the altar, and the priest swirls it a few times and then drinks the water with the rest of the wine, so the chalice is usually washed in the normal way. They are not worried about molecules, the rule is: If bread and wine loose the appearance of being bread and wine (miniscule crumbs, completely diluted in water), it ceases to be sacrosanct.

Things like the cotton balls oil is applied with during confirmation and similar stuff is usually burned.

There is a special drain for pouring the water used to rinse out the chalices. The extra wine is poured back into the wine container, the priest does pour water in and drink it but the chalices still have to be washed and cleansed. I had that job at one parish. Also if a piece of the host falls on the floor it is picked up and put in the mouth.

And yes, there is non-alcoholic wine for alcoholic priests.

[NurseNell]

Is that new? It's happened in every Catholic church I've been to, and it seemed to be the custom in the church my boyfriend grew up in. Not that people would glare at you if you didn't go up, but if you were of the right age, you were expected to.

Catholics are only required to receive communion once per year, at Easter time. It's called the Easter duty. People are encouraged to receive more often and most do. I belong to a Spanish speaking parish and at least half of the attendees at any Mass do not go to communion. They are much stricter in their practice of confession and if they haven't gone before Mass they don't go to communion.

[QAF_Rocks]

Catholics are only required to receive communion once per year, at Easter time. It's called the Easter duty. People are encouraged to receive more often and most do. I belong to a Spanish speaking parish and at least half of the attendees at any Mass do not go to communion. They are much stricter in their practice of confession and if they haven't gone before Mass they don't go to communion.

Interesting. I suppose the rate of confession does vary from group to group. As far as I've been able to determine, most Catholics don't actually go to confession before church.

[Cran]

When I say "new" I mean "less than 100 years or so". ;)

[Constance Vigilance]

Here in Irish Catholic land no one in my generation went to confession before going to communion (except the ritual First Confession before our First Communion which happened when we were SEVEN don't even get me started). I think some older folks did/do.

We weren't even taught to fast for an hour before communion, I don't know what my teachers were doing. My grandaddy and aunty near flipped their lids when they found out :lol:

[Librul]

The sacrarium is the special sink found in the sacristy of many/most Catholic churches. It is a drain with a hinged lid that runs straight down into the earth.

The sacrarium provides for the proper disposal of sacred substances such as consecrated wine, old baptismal water, (blessed water), leftover blessed ashes from Ash Wednesday, last year's holy oils (once you get the new oils after the Chrism Mass).

These substances can also be poured or placed directly into the earth. Left over consecrated wine is typically consumed at the end of communion.

More than you EVER wanted to know, for sure. I would LOVE to go to Frothy's parish (just for a visit, of course). It is evidently the mother ship for politically conservative, theologically conservative and liturgically traditional Catholic powerplayers in the DC area.

[fluttershies]

The priest who celebrates is required to receive both bread and wine. While the leftover bread is put in the tabernacle and used at the next service or to take to the sick, the consecrated wine has to be drunk completely and won't be poured back into the container. The priest has to drink up or distribute it during mass. Reason: As the body of Christ (the consecrated wine) must be treated with utmost respect, it is unthinkable to mix it with wine not consecrated, or pour it down the drain, or leave it standing about. And who would want to drink wine that has been locked up in the tabernacle for a week...

In Catholic belief, Christ cannot be separated in the Eucharist (part of it in the bread, part of it in the wine), no matter what you receive, you receive the one and wholeChrist, so it is not necessary to receive the wine, too.

The custom to give out only bread stems mostly from custom and practical reasons - it is much harder to give out liquids to a large congregation than breads (one chalice - hygiene? several small cups - symbolism lost?, duration of service).

That makes sense, regarding Christ being the whole Christ in the bread even if you don't have the wine. In Anglican churches the norm is to use one or two chalices for the wine, maybe more if it's a very big church. We kneel at the communion rail and it gets passed around, or alternatively the bread/wafer is dipped in the wine by the officiating clergy and then given to the parishoner (this is often done when illnesses are going around, it was done during the H1N1 scare).

In retrospect I think the wine in the cathedral might have been poured down the sacrarium, it makes more sense anyway.

[Nothing2CHere]

At the Roman Catholic church my mom attends, they posted in their bulletin that due to cold and flu season, they were not going to be distributing wine with communion during the winter months.

[saraelise]

What is Vatican II?

[Cran]

It is the most recent council of the Catholic church, where doctrine is debated and ruled what is in line and what is not. It was in the sixties of the last century.

[saraelise]

It is the most recent council of the Catholic church, where doctrine is debated and ruled what is in line and what is not. It was in the sixties of the last century.

Thanks for explaining!