Samuel J. Howard drew attention on X to the statement, which noted that requests for altar rails are “picking up steam.”
“Some pastors have been inquiring about reinstalling an altar rail. According to the current directives, there is no need for it. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) specifies that the normal posture for the reception of Communion is standing,” states the memo, found in the December 2024 combined mailing from the Vicar General.
“To install a rail would suggest a posture other than GIRM’s stated norm. No one is sure where the impetus for this is originating, but it seems to be picking up a bit of steam,” the notice concludes.
In fact, the tradition of the Catholic Church, unbroken until the era of liturgical experimentation in the 1960s and 1970s, is that the lay faithful receive the Blessed Sacrament, administered by a priest, his hands having been consecrated for the handling of the sacred Eucharist, on the tongue while kneeling.
The tradition of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue while kneeling is directly tied to the reality of what – or rather, Who – the Eucharist is: As the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, the Eucharist deserves nothing less than a posture of profound reverence.
The movement to return to this traditional posture is accordingly inspired by a deep love and reverence for Our Lord Jesus Christ and recognizes that the manner in which He is received also has a direct impact on the belief of His Real Presence in the Eucharist. The posture of kneeling is proper to worship of God Himself while standing is, on the other hand, a posture one uses when interacting with an equal.
Years after the abusive practice of receiving Holy Communion standing and in the hands was codified in practice, a 2019 survey showed that only 3 in 10 Catholics believe the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ during Mass.
The laity overwhelmingly responded by calling on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to reinstitute traditional liturgical practices, with one non-Catholic suggesting: “Start treating it like you believe it’s the Real Presence.”
Dr. Thomas Carr, O.P., president of the Ave Maria Lay Dominicans, shared to X last year the commentary of an anonymous priest friend, who explained that the practice of receiving Holy Communion standing and in the hand began as an abuse expressly forbidden by Pope Paul VI.
“However, many bishops, starting in Europe, disobeyed the Pope and continued the illicit practice. Out of concern for widespread disobedience, Pope Paul VI eventually issued an Indult allowing for Communion in the hand in those dioceses where the practice had become more common and widespread. However, he specified that this practice was not to be instituted in all the other dioceses across the world, and that the proper way to receive the Holy Eucharist continue to be on the tongue while kneeling,” the priest stated.
“Sadly, in continued disobedience, most bishops across the world eventually allowed for the reception of Holy Communion in the hand. This was not the will of Christ,” he continued.
“The care and reverence given to the true Body and Blood of Jesus has been gravely diminished,” the priest noted. He concluded, “Latin-rite Catholics ought to make the effort to receive the Holy Eucharist on the tongue while kneeling.”