Weekday Word and Communion services in the Diocese of Little Rock were discontinued Nov. 29 to order to comply with a Vatican document.
It has been a common practice in some places for a deacon or trained layperson to lead the Liturgy of the Word and distribute Communion if a priest was not available. On weekdays, the services were often held on the pastor’s day off.
Father Shaun Wesley, director of the Office of Divine Worship, said the services can still be held on Sundays or holy days of obligation because receiving the Eucharist on these days are “of utmost importance.”
“Of course, preference should always be given to the Mass, where celebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice and the receiving of Communion are united,” Father Wesley said. “But in a case where Mass is absolutely not available, at least a communal celebration of Word and Communion is allowed to fulfill the responsibility of the faithful. The Church and the document in no way downplay the spiritual and devotional importance of those members of the faithful who desire to receive Communion on a daily basis but to remind us that this is not a necessity in those cases where the celebration of the Mass is not available. The Church and the document wishes to remind us that it is not only the reception of the host in holy Communion that is important, but that equally important, and theologically inseparable from that is the priest celebrating and the faithful participating in the Eucharistic Sacrifice that is only available in the entire celebration of the Mass.”
Priests were informed of the changes during their continuing education classes in Little Rock in October. After approval from the Presbyteral Council and Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, the diocese’s “Guidelines for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest” was revised and given to the pastors and parish administrators last week. According to the guidelines, weekday Communion services can only be held if they receive “explicit” permission from the bishop or vicar general. If a pastor is absent for a regularly scheduled Mass, it is more appropriate for a deacon or layperson to lead morning or evening prayer.
The “ordinary and primary” of receiving the Eucharist is during Mass and should be distributed outside of Mass only in “extraordinary circumstances,” according to Father Wesley, who is also pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Eureka Springs and St. Anne Church in Berryville.
“Although daily attendance at Mass and reception of Communion is a virtuous practice, it is not a requirement,” he wrote.
The Vatican’s instruction on the liturgy, “Redemptionis Sacramentum” (“The Sacrament of Redemption”) was published by the Congregation for Divine Worship in 2004. Paragraphs 162 to 167 pertain to celebrations in the absence of a priest.
The six parishes affected by the change are:
Blytheville, Immaculate Conception: They formerly had a service at 8 a.m. Tuesdays.
Fayetteville, St. Joseph: They had services at 6:45 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays.
Little Rock, Cathedral of St. Andrew: They had a service at 12:05 p.m. Mondays.
McGehee: St. Mary: They had services at 8 a.m., Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
North Little Rock, St. Anne: They formerly had services at 6:45 a.m. Fridays.
Russellville, St. John: They had services at 8 a.m. Mondays.
In a letter addressed to the laity, Father Wesley wrote, “I know that this change will be difficult for some of us to accept, but it is ultimately our responsibility as Catholics to put forth every effort to understand and be faithful to the teachings of the Church. It is a wonderful and holy thing to love the Eucharist, and to desire to receive it as often as possible. Neither the Church nor any of her priests desire to take that opportunity away from you, but it is of utmost importance that we receive the Eucharist, as God intends and is most beneficial to us, within the holy sacrifice of the Mass.”
Father Wesley said the feedback on the change has been mixed.
“The feedback has been some positive, commending the diocese for doing its best to follow the mind of the Church, even though it is difficult, and some negative, mostly regarding the difficulty for those faithful who wish to receive Communion on a daily basis,” he said.
Father Matt Garrison, rector at the Cathedral, said the Communion service on Mondays was a regularly scheduled service when he was assigned there in June. He said about 20 people regularly attended the service led by a rotating schedule of lay people.
He said he has heard from a few people who think taking away the weekday Communion service is “regressing on the spirit of Vatican II, which gave more responsibility and involvement to the laity.”
With the removal of the Communion service, the Cathedral will have a new weekday schedule. Father Garrison will celebrate Masses at 7:15 a.m. Mondays and 5:30 p.m. Wed nesdays. Masses on Thursdays and Fridays will continue to be celebrated at 12:05 p.m.
Father Tom Stehlik, pastor of St. Anne Church in North Little Rock, said a weekly Communion service has been a tradition at the parish for many years.
“The services were led by four different lay ecclesial ministers who clearly understand the difference between the Eucharist and the Communion services,” he said. “They wanted to communicate daily, and I saw them as a valuable resource, as ministers trained to be able to serve in an emergency on Sunday or when I am out of town.”
While most weekday Masses are usually attended by about 20 people, the Friday service attendance was a little lower, the pastor said.
Father Stehlik said he has suggested the lay people pray the Liturgy of the Hours on Fridays. He said one parishioner told him the hours “can be prayed by the faithful throughout the day where they are at. While a beautiful way to praise God, it is not a substitute for receiving his Body and Blood.”
Father Stehlik said he will try to make sure his parishioners have access to Mass on Fridays at least during Lent and Advent. He said Friday is the day he normally celebrates Mass with the other Vincentian priests.
Bill Conway, the caretaker at St. Mary Church in McGehee, said about six or seven parishioners will continue to gather on weekdays to read the Scripture and Psalm from the Liturgy of the Word and recite a decade of the rosary.
“The two former eucharistic ministers will continue to lead the weekday morning services,” he said.
Pastor Father Chuma Ibebuike will continue to come from Crossett on Tuesday mornings to celebrate Mass.
Father Wesley said parishes that hosted weekday Communion services could still gather the laity on those days and pray the Liturgy of the Hours. He said user-friendly versions of the prayers will be given to the pastors to share with their parishioners.
To read Father Wesley’s Nov. 29 letter to the laity and the revised guidelines, visit www.dolr.org.
