Monday, December 14, 2009

Bishop Schneider, the Pope, and the mode of receiving Communion

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, who was one of the featured speakers at the Call to Holiness Conference at the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, MI, on October 10, 2009, "continues his worldwide pilgrimage in defense of Traditional Communion" (Rorate Caeli, December 13, 2009). A baltic blogger reports, via translation provided on Rorate Caeli site:
Bishop Athanasius Schneider visited Estonia December 10, 2009, for the publication of his book Dominus Est in Estonian. After the presentation, Bishop Schneider celebrated a Missa Cantata in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

In the book presentation the Bishop explained how the present form of hand communion has nothing to do with the practise of hand communion in the early centuries. The new way was adapted by some liberal priests in Holland directly from the Calvinists in 1965.

The Bishop ultimately decided to write a book defending the traditional way of receiving Holy Communion, and when the work was finished he gave a manuscript to the Holy Father. The Pope wrote back to the Bishop praising the work and his accuracy of knowledge of the patristics.

Bishop Schneider told he had also asked the Pope to stop distributing Communion in the hand in Papal Masses, and even if the Pope's answer was supportive it was not certain that it would happen. But since only a few months later, all communicants have been asked to receive Holy Communion from the Pope only kneeling and on the tongue. A true miracle, says Bishop Schneider.
[Hat tip to N.C. at Rorate Caeli]

2 comments:

PIETRO said...

I heard the wonderful talk by Bishop Schneider at the Call to Holiness conference. I also purchased his book, Dominus Est. I was pleasantly surprised at his relating of personal stories about holy women in his life that inspired him with their profound love and reverence for the Eucharist.

The Bishop's argument for a return to a reverent method of reception of the Eucharist is strongly reinforced every time one experiences the free for all that often takes place during commumion at so called modern liturgies. One sees a rag tag group of "extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist" rumble around the altar who then hand over our Lord to many people who just grab and go. I have seen hosts dropped more than once and it is very disturbing. May our Holy Father heed the kind exortation of Bishop Schneider to restore the practice of receiving the Lord on the tongue and kneeling. May sanity be restored.
Pax tibi.

Pertinacious Papist said...

If anyone knows where copies of Bishop Schneider's Dominus Est can be purchased, please let us know. They're apparently not being marketed on Amazon.