The Flame Re-Ignites: Ad Orientem

The mind of the Council, of any council in history, is to be found in only one place: its decrees and documents. The Second Vatican Council did not countenance Mass versus populum or Communion in the hand and it if did, it would have said so, as it did with the possibility of limited use of vernacular languages in the Mass. We have seen that the old truism, give them an inch and they will take a mile, has operated with regard to the vernacular at Mass. Yet even without an inch being given by the Council Fathers, versus populum and Communion in the hand have become well-nigh universal.

Read whole post by Fr Hugh Somerville-Knapman OSB here.

Fr Hugh’s blog Dominus Mihi Adjutor. A monk’s-eye view of things.

Popular Misconceptions About the Catholic Mass

A number of liturgical reforms seen in the U.S. since Vatican II were not actually mandated or even recommended by the Council, but were reactionary shifts that had more to do with the culture of the decade – it’s time to revisit those changes.

By Michael Raia

Part I: Music

Part II: Ad Orientem

Part III: Communion reception

Communion in the Hand: a post by Father B. Jerabek, J.C.L.

The Church does give us the right to receive Holy Communion in the hand. But, as Bishop Schneider says in this book that I am currently reading, our Lord Jesus Christ has rights also: above all, to be treated with the respect and adoration that belong to the Divinity.

If you were to ask me, I would advise you against ever receiving Holy Communion in the hand. I hope that at least some who read these things will be inspired to re-think their own posture with regard to Holy Communion.

Read the full post here.

Why Aren’t More Masses Offered Ad Orientem?

Priests who already offer the Mass ad orientem told me that the faithful (by and large) accepted the change following targeted catechesis, both through homilies and bulletin inserts. This isn’t to say that some parishioners didn’t leave; rather that their departure was offset by the arrival of new families intentionally seeking the sacred. In addition, the change was at times preceded by a return to male only altar servers, kneelers brought out for Holy Communion, and a general overall return of reverence.

Read full article here.