www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Question about infant receiving communion in RC church

As the saying goes,
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

We have had three different responses to requesting Communion for our Children at RC parishes:

• 1) Most RC priests are more than willing to commune them. One told me, "Make sure you come to my line, because the EM's won't understand." Another told me, "If you end up in an EM line, receive in the hand and share with your son."
• 2) A couple of priests have communed our child after Mass
• 3) One priest told us he would have to ask the Bishop. We never mentioned it to him again, although if we make it our regular parish we will. Meanwhile, we just abstain when we attend that parish.

But our young children have NEVER been flat-out denied Communion. If a priest seems reluctant to commune your child, you might want to suggest #2 or #3 to him.

Tammy

Tammy,

Pardon my ignorance here, but what is an EM?

Peace,
the_grip

Eucharistic Minister. A layperson who helps distribute Communion. Very common in the Latin Rite, NEVER used in the Eastern Rite.

Tammy

Tammy,

Thanks for explaining! i once was at a Latin church in San Francisco, and there was a woman distributing the Blessed Sacrament. i was very confused by this, and my wife and i walked all the way to the back of the church and around to the side that the priest served from. Needless to say, i think we got some dirty looks... but now i see what was going on.

Anyways, sorry to digress.

Yours,
the_grip

Extraordinary Minister Of Holy Communion - well that's the latest term for them.

Stricly speaking these lay helpers may not refuse Communion to anyone.

Training does vary from parish to parish and Diocese to Diocese

Hope this helps

Anhelyna

Hmmm, one of my friends calls the EMs "old bags in pantsuits." Oh well, a rose by any other name...

Matthew, first of all you can believe whatever you will and may God go with you. We have indeed inherited the faith of the Constantinoplitan tradition, and our communion with Rome was sealed by the legitimate Metropolitan of Kyiv, Mikhail Rahoza. I do not presume to judge yours or anyone else's orthodoxy. That is for God.

Your church is not in communion with other "canonical" Orthodox churches who profess the first seven Ecumenical Councils and hold the same sacraments and celebrate the same services. That to me is likewise confusing. Not in communion generally means excommunicated.

You perhaps have missed my statements once again. My children were not been refused communion in Roman churches. That is no different than my own practice received from the Constantinopolitan tradition. That being the case, if they (RCs) respect my received Byzantine tradition, as they do, Roman, as they do, I have no problem being in communion with them but that does not make me a Roman Catholic. They are free to practice their own diverse traditions as am I.

And no, my Greek Catholic priest would not refuse communion to any children if they approached. If they are RCs visiting, that is up to the discretion of the parents.

Dear Diak,

I don't think I have perhaps missed your statements once again. I was not speaking of your specific limited personal experience regarding the subject. To be very clear I was in general addressing the issue of infant communion.

The fact of the matter is that a Latin rite child in a Latin rite Church in communion with Rome is denied the Eucharist. This is the accepted teaching and practice of the Latins. From what I have heard on occasion children from other rites that are in communion with the Bishop of Rome are sometimes also denied Holy communion. Apparently, things such as these are not seen as a serious issue, and I can't say just fine to that, neither does Orthodoxy.

As far your comments regarding my Church and what you find to be likewise confusing, perhaps my mentioning that you have confused some issues may be of some help. Suffice it to say, children are not denied communion in my church and can go to any other Orthodox Church and receive communion as well.

You are correct to mention that "They are free to practice their own diverse traditions as am I."

In Christ,

Matthew Panchisin

Tammy,

Actually, the Eastern Code allows it, subject to the Particular Law of each Church sui iuris. It is permitted by the Particular Law of the Pittsburgh Metropolia and at least one Ruthenian parish - in the Van Nuys Eparchy, I believe - is using same. The function is, however, limited to males, as far as I know.

Many years,

Neil

I think that there is no problem for a Eastern Catholic child receive the Holy Communion in a RC Church because receiving Him in the childhood is in the eastern tradition. In the other hand, for a RC child receive the Holy Communion in a Eastern Cathoic church I suppose it is better the child�s parents look for their Latin bishop before attending the Divine Liturgy, once bishops have enough authority on this matter.

Hello and thanks to everyone who responded! We are back from our holiday travels.

I didn' realize that such a big discussion would ensue, but thank you for all of your help.

It turned out to be a rather moot point, however. When it came time for us all to receive, my inant was napping. He does it so rarely, I was not about to wake him. And my 4 year-old went up with my to the priest, but then got freaked out by the newness of it all and refused to partake. So the priest just gave him a blessing.

Ah, kids. They certainly make life interesting.

This is a little late, but I can tell you how it's handled at my parish. We're Western Rite Orthodox, so while we use hosts that look just like the ones you'd find at an RC liturgy, all our children are communed from baptism just like they would be at any eastern church. Our priests break a little piece off of the host that they're giving to the parents and give the (very) small piece to the child. It's the parent's job to make sure they keep it inside. They're given the chalice whenever the parents decide they can handle it. And as in your experience, Sahm, babies who are napping get a blessing till the next week.

Christ is Born!

David Lewis

Dear David,

As an (Eastern rite) Orthodox, thanks for sharing that!

I am wondering, are you under the Antiochian Archdiocese?

I am fascinated by the fact that we have a Western rite in Orthodoxy. Do you ever attend the Eastern rite? Were you formerly Episcopalian?

Sorry for so many questions, but I would really like to know more....

In Christ,
Alice

Matthew, I can certainly appreciate your zeal. However in charity you simply don't know me well enough to be the judge of my life experience. Since that time period that my children were under the age of 8 spanned over a dozen years, and included visits to about the same number of different RC dioceses in my travels then, I wouldn't personally consider that to be "limited".

Reading all of the posts here as I have, it is apparent that others have had the same positive experience, and therefore my experience also does not appear to be "specific".

I will try to clarify my previous comments about the ecclesiastical reality of your church (ROCOR). She currently is not in communion with several "canonical" Orthodox jurisdictions. In fact Fr. Michael Pomozansky of blessed memory himself (and of whom I have great admiration) and others have posited that several of these churches have sacraments that are potentially "without grace".

That being the case, if chrismation is without grace, how could a priest in good conscience communicate anyone prior to chrismation?

Thanks for asking, Alice.

I'm a Member of St. Peter's in Fort Worth. We're Antiochian, in what will I think soon be called the diocese of Wichita and Middle America. His Grace Bishop Basil, is very much loved, and is very protective of his western rite parishes.

My wife and I attend eastern parishes when we're away from home, of course, as there just aren't very many western rite parishes around.

We weren't episcopalian, and I didn't end up at a western parish by principle or design. I just fell in with them and stayed.

Thanks again,

David