YOURS TRULY CELEBRANT FOR ALL SAINTS DAY SUNDAY SUNG HIGH MASS IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM AT THE CATHEDRAL-BASILICA OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTISM IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA AT 1 PM; BE THERE OR BE SQUARE, LAFAYETTE SQUARE THAT IS!

 

NOVEMBER 1st FEAST OF ALL SAINTS

FEAST OF ALL SAINTS

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / WHITE
This is the great family feast of the Mystical Body in its final triumph. The unnumbered and nameless multitude of saints, "out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues," are our brothers and sisters in Christ at home with our Redeemer-Brother. Their sainthood is the fulfillment of living the eight Beatitudes. They are the great Christian heroes. "Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him" (I Cor. 2:9).

INTROIT 
Let us all rejoice in the Lord as we celebrate the feast in honor of all the saints upon which the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God. 
Ps. 32:1. Rejoice in the Lord, you just; praise befits the upright. 
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
Almighty and eternal God, through Your grace we honor the merits of all Your saints in the one solemn feast of today. Grant us the abundant mercy we ask of You through this army of heavenly intercessors. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ . . .

LESSON Apoc. 7:2-12
In those days, behold, I, John, saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying: "Hurt not the earth nor the sea nor the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads." And I heard the number of them that were signed. An hundred forty-four thousand were signed, of every tribe of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Ruben, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Aser, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Nephthali, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Manasses, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand signed. After this, I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: "Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb." And all the angels stood round about the throne and the ancients and the four living creatures. And they fell down before the throne upon their faces and adored God, Saying: "Amen. Benediction and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, honor and power and strength, to our God, for ever and ever. Amen."

GRADUAL Ps. 33:10, 11
Fear the Lord all you His saints, for nothing is wanting to those who fear Him. 
V. Those who seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.

Alleluia, alleluia! Matt. 11:28
Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.Alleluia! 

GOSPEL Matt. 5:1-12

Image via Wikipedia

At that time, Jesus, seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him. And opening his mouth he taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart: they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great in heaven."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Wisdom 3:1-2, 3 
The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they appeared to perish, but they are in peace, alleluia!

SECRET 
We offer these gifts to You in sacrifice, O Lord. May the honor we pay to Your saints please You, and may these offerings, through Your mercy, bring us closer to our salvation. Through Christ Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 5:8-10
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER
May Your faithful always delight in paying reverence to all the saints, O Lord, and may the constant intercession of the saints be our protection. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit . . .

CAN’T WE JUST NAME THESE PEOPLE FOR WHOM THEY ARE; ENEMIES OF GOD AND HIS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH?

 Press title for sickening article:

Girl Scouts respond to backlash over since-deleted tweet celebrating Amy Coney Barrett: 'We are neither red nor blue'

I LOVE SATIRE; OR IS IT?????

 

SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A MODEL OF RESTORATION, AD ORIENTEM AND PERPETUAL ADORATION AS WELL AS CARE FOR THE POOR AND HOMELESS, REOPENS!

 

It is horrible what happened to this urban church in Louisville. But it has brought attention to this gem of a church and parish.

It appears they celebrate the Ordinary Form ad orientem having removed the free standing altar that cluttered the sanctuary and was in the way. Way to go!

They offer perpetual adoration 24/7. In fact there was security when the vandalism occurred and prevented it from being much worse than it was, the damage happening in a seconds. 

They allow the poor/homeless to be in the church if they behave properly. 

They have ministries apart from adoration to assist the poor and homeless. 

And, by the way, they also offer the Extraordinary Form Mass weekly. How cool is that?

This is from their pastor this morning:

Dear parishioners,

I am pleased to announce that the church will reopen today at 11:30am, that noon Mass will occur, and Adoration will resume immediately following Mass. Let us all join in thanksgiving for our police, for healing of those who suffer from mental illness and addiction, the clean up crew and all the others who were able to get the sanctuary usable in short order. Join me and Fr. David today in prayers for peace and swift restoration of our beloved church.

In Christ,

Fr. Paul Beach

Pastor

TOO INSPIRATIONAL?

THIS IS HOW THE PRE-VATICAN II (EXTRAORDINARY FORM) RITE OF BAPTISM OF INFANTS INCORPORATED THE VERNACULAR

 

This allowance for the vernacular in a sacramental celebration prior to Vatican II could have been the template for doing so for the Mass, prior to Vatican II and the EF today. Allowing for this indeed would make the EF Mass go viral throughout the world, instead of being a "boutique" Mass:

Participation Guide 

When only English is provided, the priest will pray in English.When both Latin and English are provided, the priest will pray in Latin:

You can view the PDF of the EF Rite of Baptism of Infants by pressing this sentence.

My only concern, in the Covid 19 age and any other age, is that I must place my sputum on the ears, nostrils and tongue of the child. Am I dispensed from this peculiar and for some disgusting gesture?  I can remember when I was child that my Protestant proselytizing friends would tell me that the priest in my mouth when he baptized me. I was shocked by this anti Catholic statement only to find out that the priest did do that to me! O my!

Scrupulous EF liturgists must give me advice on the  sputum and if I can dispense myself from doing so.  

I WONDER IF THIS WILL HELP OR HINDER VOTING?

 

THANK GOD FOR MY PROTESTING ITALIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS!THEY MAKE ME PROUD!

From Crux:

In the pope’s own backyard, protests erupted throughout Italy after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over the weekend announced the latest round of new restrictions as Italy’s infection rates continue to rise, including orders for bars and restaurants to close at 6p.m. and the complete closure of cinemas and gyms.

In Rome, Milan, Turin, and Naples, people have taken to the streets in opposition to the national directive as well as additional regional restrictions. With the loss of mass tourism and limited business hours taking an additional toll on Italy’s sprawling restaurant and hotel industries, poverty levels have shot through the roof as millions of people now find themselves unemployed with little compensation from the government and no savings left to cushion another lockdown.

My places of birth, Napoli as viewed from Vomero, where we lived:

MY FORMER PARISH IN MACON, GA MAKES THE NEW YORK TIMES, WELL, ALMOST

 This photo made the New York Times! That’s First Baptist Church in Macon, GA. It is on the highest point downtown. To its immediate left is my former parish, St. Joseph. The two are so close I could almost touch first Baptist by reaching my arm out of the rectory window. Not sure, though, how flattering this lone truck parade is, though. A little trivia, the Jesuits made sure St. Joseph’s spires were taller than First Baptist.

UPDATED BELOW:

Vice President Joe Biden's dozen at Warm Springs, GA (Associated Press photo):

 

BEFORE AND AFTER

 

St. Martin of Tours Church in Louisville was seriously damaged by an anarchist high on drugs. Of course it made local and state news, but not national news. Given the number of Catholic altars and statues being vandalized, I wonder why the MSM seems so nonchalant?

AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY

 

AP is now reporting that the comments came from a highly edited interview where Pope Francis also said “what I said is that they have a right to a family. And that doesn’t mean I approve of homosexual acts, not at all.”

Keep in mind, too, that when Pope Francis says homosexuals “have a right to a family” His Holiness was not speaking of them having children or adopting children in a “civil partnership”. He was speaking about their family of origin. 

In other words, the pope is encouraging Catholic parents and siblings not to disown their homosexual children/siblings, etc. 

Does that mean parents must attend a “wedding” of a “civil partnership” or they must condone homosexual acts? No they don’t have to be complicit in sin.

Would you accompany your son, daughter, brother or sister as they enter a bank to rob it? Would you join them in planning out how they will carry off the robbery? 

All moral issues are connected. Keep that in mind and it would do well for the Holy Father not to have amnesia about that either. 

However, parents and siblings should visit their children in prison, even if that prison is a relationship of mortal sin.

BISHOPS AND PRIESTS AND PASTORAL OUTREACH TO OUR OWN AND ECUMENISM

 

I don’t get it; but I do get it. My generation of priests, some younger and some older than me, were taught and believed, even prior to entering the seminary, because of their parish priests and nuns experience, that the so-called “new” Mass was vastly improved over the “old” Mass.

In other words, the old Mass was bad. Why? Because it wasn’t the new Mass that allowed for more of a horizontal approach to the Mass, more flexibility and free-lancing, and, this is the most important, a post-Vatican II ecclesiology that allows for lay lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Common Chalice, Sign of Peace and a casual atmosphere. 

Yet, these Catholics who despise the Latin Mass (and let’s face it, a goodly number simply despise the Latin (and with the Latin, I can understand why people don’t like the EF Mass—they like their own language) they have no problem with ecumenism and Protestant worship. Yet, these very same progressives in the area of ecumenism will not be ecumenical with their own fellow Catholics who prefer the EF Mass and the Church as it was prior to Vatican II. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. 

As everyone who reads my blog, I am eclectic when it comes to the Liturgies of the Church. I love the vernacular “new” Mass when the priest and the laity “read the black and do the red”. I have said this before, the only official change that I wish would be mandated, isn’t ad orientem, although I think it would lead to a healthier Church, but kneeling for Holy Communion, even if receiving on the hand is maintained as a legitimate option. Standing and receiving on the run does nothing for building up the Church true believe in the Real Presence.

I love the Latin Mass too, in its ancient form. I could easily be a pastor in an exclusively EF parish although I have no disdain for OF parishes which I have been a part of since the transition phase beginning in late 1965. 

Therefore, those bishops and priests who see EF Catholics as ecclesiological part of the post-Vatican II Church should be praised and congratulated. 

Our past two bishops actively allowed the EF Mass in parishes throughout the diocese. Our new bishop, Bishop Stephen Parkes greeted EF Mass goers at our Cathedral after Mass a week ago Sunday. He was in his episcopal cassock to boot. 

And in two Sunday, the Sunday after All Saints Day, he will “preside” from the throne at the Cathedral’s EF Mass with our Vicar General and my former altar boy and parishioner in Augusta, Fr. Daniel Firmin. 

Bishop Parkes, brother, the other Bishop Parkes of St. Petersburg, celebrated an EF Confirmation Liturgy last year. 

Why poke EF Catholics in the eye by ignoring them and making them feel as though they are lesser than Protestants that these same “poke in the eye of EF Catholics” are glad to assist?  

OH JOY! POPE FRANCIS APPOINTS NEW CARDINALS INCLUDING THE FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF ATLANTA NOW THE CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON, DC

Pope Francis announces the names of 13 new Cardinals after recitation of Angelus on Sunday  (Vatican Media)

Pope announces a consistory for the creation of 13 new cardinals

On 28 November, New cardinals will be added to the College of Cardinals: 9 are under 80 years of age, among them is the Guardian of Sacro Convento in Assisi, Father Mauro Gambetti.

By Vatican News

The Church will have thirteen new Cardinals. Nine of them are younger than 80 and therefore have the right to participate in a future conclave. Four others are older than 80 years of age. Pope Francis’s announcement came as a surprise, after the recitation of the Angelus of Sunday, 25 October. He communicated the news regarding the creation of the new cardinals to the faithful present in St Peter’s Square as well as to those connected throughout the world.

Two of the new Cardinals work in the Roman Curia: the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Maltese Mario Grech and the Italian Marcello Semeraro, former Bishop of Albano and the new Prefect for the Congregation of the Causes of Saints.

Six other pastors in the Church throughout the world are joining them: the Archbishop of Kilgali, Rwanda, Antoine Kambanda; the Archbishop of Washington, United States, Wilton Gregory; Archbishop of Capiz, in the Philippines, Jose Fuerte Advincula; Archbishop  of Santiago, Chile, Celestino Aós Braco; the Apostolic Vicar of Brunei, Cornelius Sim; the Archbishop of Siena, Italia, Augusto Paolo Lojudice.

In addition, the Pope has also appointed the current Guardian of the Franciscan Sacro Convento in Assisi, Mauro Gambetti.

To these Cardinals who are younger than 80 years of age, Pope Francis has also added four other Cardinals who are older than 80. They are: Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, Archbishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas (Mexico); former Apostolic Nuncio Silvano Tomasi, former permanent observer at the United Nations in Geneva who then worked in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Papal Household; and the pastor of the Shrine of Divine Love, Father Enrico Feroci.

Cardinals wear the color red which indicates their willingness to sacrifice themselves usque ad sanguinis effusionem, that is, to the point of sheding their own blood, in the service of the Successor of Peter, and even though they reside in the remostest regions of the world, they become the titular of a parish in the Eternal City so that they are incardinated in the Church of which the Pope is Bishop.

 

IS POPE FRANCIS’ PAPACY LEADING TO A SCHISM? PERCEPTIONS AND USING AMBIGUOUS REMARKS FROM THE POPE CAN LEAD TO NEFARIOUS CONSEQUENCES

 This is what the “world” perceives of the pope’s opinion. His opinion is like the Coronavirus igniting a pandemic of perceptions that disfigures  Divine Truth expressed explicitly in the perennial Magisterium of the Church, Scripture and Tradition and implied in Natural Law. The pope is now perceived in his mere opinion as now correcting 2000 years of the teachings of the Holy Spirit discovered in Scripture and Tradition and the Sacramental life of the Church:

Let’s be clear. Schism occurs when a portion of the Church, to include bishops, priests, religious and laity separate from the papacy because of disagreements with the pope and his authority. 

Where Peter is, there is the true Church. 

But not all Catholics believe that, which is heretical. The Eastern Church at the Great Schism did not believe it, albeit they had some legitimate gripes with the popes of that period.

The Catholics of Germany and elsewhere did not believe it when Martin Luther was able to instigate the Reformation. 

The Catholics who formed the Old Catholics did not believe it after Vatican I. 

But what are Catholics to do when the pope makes his opinions more important than defined truth or completely changes the course of the Church as it concerns natural law in which we discover Divine Truth?

Let’s be clear, perception of things, true or false can weaken or destroy institutions. The Church will not be destroyed, although she can be weakened. The papacy won’t be destroyed although it is weakened. Think of the times when there was a perception that there was more than one pope. Eventually, the Church clarified who was the true pope and who was the anti-pope. But this weakened the moral authority of the papacy although as time when on that moral authority was recovered. 

Pope Francis has crossed the rubicon. Prelates are asking for his repentance and conversion. This is a new phase in the Church and only the pope can heal it or exacerbate it. What will Pope Francis do? The past with him can predict the future. He’ll ignore it. 

This is from Fr. Z’s post:

When “going to the periphery” crosses the line is when the exception becomes the rule of law. What about COURAGE ministry, isn’t this a slap in the face of those trying to enact 12 step program to leave homosexual lifestyle?

Yes, it is a slap in the face.

It is a slap in the face of every faithful Catholic priest who has tried to preach about human sexuality with both compassion and truth.

It is a slap in the face of every faithful Catholic struggling with same-sex attraction and striving to live a continent life.

It is a slap in the face of every faithful Catholic politician who has worked to defend or pass laws that uphold the natural law.

It is a slap of every Roman Pontiff who has taught about this difficult topic with charity and clarity.

It is a slap in the face of the human writers of every verse of Sacred Scripture which reveals the mind of the Creator about human sexuality.

It is a slap in the incorporeal faces of the Holy Angels who are horrified when certain acts are committed.

It is a slap in the face of St. Joseph, Pillar of Families.

It is a slap in the face of the Blessed Virgin, Mother Most Chaste.

It is a slap in the face of the Lord who said, “Go and sin no more!”

It is a slap in the face of the Trinity, which models the relationships of God’s created images.

Yes, it is a slap in the face.

What we are witnessing in the consternation and open resistance of many Catholics to the recent world-conforming statements is the sensus fidei fidelium, “the faithful’s sense of the Faith”.

Sensus fidelium is the deeply rooted resonance of the faithful with the Truth as taught by the Church and which reverberates in us as images of God.

Sensus fidelium is not the whim of a majority.

The sine qua non of sensus fidei fidelium is that one has to be faithful to have it.

And “faithful” means faithful to the Tradition as interpreted by the authentic Magisterium.

Yes, it is a slap in the face.

FROM THE JUST TOO KOOL CATHOLIC TRIVIA LITURGICAL POP FILE

 

You have to love 60’s music to remember this great group. Today I learned something I never new about the Chantels. It’s great Catholic trivia:

Considered by many to have been the best of the girl groups, the Chantels were one of the first female R&B vocal groups to have nationwide success.

Arlene Smith (lead), Lois Harris (first tenor), Sonia Goring (second tenor), Jackie Landry (second alto), and Rene Minus began their musical journey in their preteens while attending choir practice at St. Anthony of Padua school in the Bronx. By 1957, they had been singing together for more than seven years. A staple of their diet was Gregorian chants taught to such perfection that changing notes and parts were second nature.

Unlike their male counterparts, girls weren't able to "hangout" on street corners at all hours practicing. So in 1957 much of their practice took place in the girl's lockeroom at St. Anthony's. Arlene Smith was a member of the girl's basketball team and, win or lose, the group would sing after every game.

Smith who had been trained as a classical singer had performed solo at Carnegie Hall when she was twelve. All the girls had sung in the choir where classical music was interspersed with Latin hymns. Their ages ranged between thirteen and sixteen.

The Chantels began doing talent shows with the Sequins and the Crows at the P.S. 60 Community Center and St. Augustine's church.  That same year their school team played St. Francis de Chantelle. One of the girls suggested that they end their seach for a group name by calling themselves the Chantelles. It soon became the Chantels.

WELL, WELL, WELL, THE UNITED STATES WORLD PREMIER OF “FRANCESCO” TAKES PLACE IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA WHICH IS ALSO A DIOCESE IN GEORGIA COVERING THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA

 From the National Chismatic Reporter (NCR) by way of Religion News Service (RNS)

Six things you need to know about Pope Francis and gay civil unions

Oct 24, 2020

by Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

 

Opinion

Vatican

AP francis c.jpg

Pope Francis delivers his message on the occasion of the weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Oct. 21. (AP/Gregorio Borgia) 

In a documentary that will be premiered in the United States this Sunday at the Savannah Film Festival, Pope Francis has indicated his support for civil unions for same-sex partners. (It is sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design “SCAD”).

"Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family," said the pope in "Francesco," the documentary directed by Evgeny Afineevsky. "They're children of God and have a right to a family," he said. "Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it."

"What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered," said Francis.

There are six things you need to know about Francis and civil unions.

Read the rest at NCR.

Is it a coincidence that this USA premiere will take place on the eve that I have a wedding for the daughter of the World Series Winning pitching coach last year for the Washington Nationals, whose World Series $40,000 ring I wore at his daughter’s rehearsal last night at our Cathedral-Basilica? I report; you retort. Just saying:

I HAVE BEEN RIGHT ABOUT SO MANY LITURGICAL MATTERS THAT I EVEN AMAZE MYSELF

 

Ever since I began this blog so many years ago, I have called attention to the possibility that the common chalice, because it is so unsanitary and is a cesspool or viruses and other bacteria, could contribute to a worldwide pandemic. I also indicated that our persistence in promoting the common chalice could lead to lawsuits if someone died after contracting a virus from a common chalice. 

Keep in mind, the health department if it had authority over the Church’s handing of “food and drink” as progressives are prone to describe the Most Holy Eucharist, we would have been shut-down decades ago. 

Of course, the pandemic exacerbating common chalice was the first to go in this pandemic along with packing people close together and facing each other in church in a half moon or in the round. The Sign of Peace needed to be reformed or eliminated.

But now there is a big debate over the possibility that standing for Holy Communion, face to face with the “communion minister” and receiving in one’s filthy, dirty, pandemic spreading hands is more dangerous in our new age than kneeling for Holy Communion and receiving on the tongue. 

Of course, it is a no brainer that it is more reverent and promotes authentic, orthodox belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. But it also promotes good health practices during and epidemic or pandemic. 

Thus scientists, who can never be challenged, by the way, say that kneeling for Holy Communion and receiving on the tongue is healthier and safer than standing and receiving in the hand. Who knew? I did of course!

Communion on the tongue safer than communion in the hand: Polish doctors

In an open letter, a number of Polish doctors warned the bishops and the faithful that receiving Holy Communion in the hand is more dangerous than the traditional practice.

Thu Oct 22, 2020 - 12:31 pm EST

 

By Dorothy Cummings McLean

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WARSAW, Poland, October 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A group of Polish doctors warned that reception of Holy Communion in the hand is dangerous.

The open letter to the Catholic Church in Poland, published in the most recent weekend edition of Catholic newspaper Nasz Dziennik(“Our Daily”) and addressed to “the bishops, priests, and brothers and sisters in the faith of the Catholic Church,” and signed by over 60 medical experts, the doctors say they are concerned by the new practice.

Receiving communion in the hand was not the norm in majority-Catholic Poland before the coronavirus crisis. However, in an October 6 statement, the bishops “recalled that people who, for various reasons, wished to receive Holy Communion in their hands with faith and veneration, cannot be accused of disrespecting the Eucharist. The Holy See accepts this way of giving the faithful the Lord’s Body as worthy.”

The doctors now wrote, “We are concerned about the fact that in recent months there has been encouragement on the part of priests (and even orders in some parishes) to receive communion on the hand as a more hygienic method that allegedly protects the faithful from SARS-CoV-2.”

“We don’t know on what basis, particularly on what scientific research, such a thesis was built, or which medical premises confirm it,” they added.

“We believe, from the medical point of view, that one can’t treat giving Holy Communion in the hand as a method much safer than receiving Holy Communion by mouth.”

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PETITION: Stand with priest who faces Church penalties for saying "You can't be a Catholic and a Democrat."

 

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The doctors pointed out that hands are the “point of contact” between human bodies and their surroundings. Many experts have emphasized the existence of multiple micro-organisms that could include pathogens on hands, they noted, and listed both the germs and their unpleasant effects on the human body.

“Even if we splash disinfectant on our hands before entering church, we have to remember that during Mass they touch things or places we haven’t disinfected: pews, clothing, glasses, hair and even money (the home of many germs) folded in the [offering basket],” they warned.

The doctors are also concerned by the modern practice of communicants standing face-to-face with the person administering the Blessed Sacrament.

“From the epidemiological point of view, we must warn that the standing position also encourages the spread of infection as it makes the priest and communicant more vulnerable to mutual infection,” they wrote.

Original text of the open letter

They observe that either could infect the other with airborne droplets moving from one mouth or nose to the other’s, or even through the eyes. Therefore, they recommend that all communicants receive Communion as far as possible from the priest’s face: they suggest kneeling.

“It should be stated, from the medical point of view, that the giving of Holy Communion directly in the mouth and in the kneeling position is a decidedly safer and more appropriate method than receiving Holy Communion in the hand and standing,” they said and made a dramatic appeal:

“Out of concern for the health of the faithful, we wish to appeal strongly to the Polish Episcopate, to bishops and all priests, for a swift return to administering the Body of Christ on the tongue [to those] in a kneeling position.”

The lead signers of the document were three pathologists from the Medical University of Białystock: Dr. Marek Baltaziak, Dr. Maria Elżbieta Sobaniec-Łotowska, and Dr. Stanisław Sulkowski.

In September, 27 German doctors gave similar advice to the German bishops, declaring that there are “no medical reasons for a ban of Communion on the tongue.”

Like the Polish doctors, the Germans pointed out that hands are very easily contaminated and that face-to-face Communion is more dangerous that receiving Communion kneeling at a distance from the priest’s face. They noted also that if a priest should accidently touch a communicant’s tongue, he can disinfect his fingers immediately afterwards.