Summer Parish Potlucks and The State of the Parish: Part IV

VII: The Installation of Kneelers

In my last column, I mentioned that we have serious capital improvement needs around the parish campus and called for the beginning of a discussion on the scope and form of these future improvements. In my view, we are still three to five years from being able to do anything on a large scale. This is much longer than I originally anticipated when I first arrived at St. Thomas. In my original mind-frame, I was content to wait on the installation of kneelers in the church until we were able to do something more comprehensive. I have changed my mind, however, because of the length of time necessary to execute a future capital campaign and renovation of the church. It is something that needs to be addressed immediately and for a number of reasons.

As a reminder, this is something that was announced by Father Paul Huesing, anticipated in the Faith on the Hill renovation and confirmed by me when I first arrived here and at the beginning of my second year here. Kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer and in anticipation of the reception of Holy Communion, is the posture prescribed by the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (the official directory on the celebration of the Mass) for the Catholic Church in the United States. Since we belong to a universal Catholic Church, and especially since we have so many visitors and students from other Catholic Churches where kneeling is the norm, it is very important that we celebrate Mass as the Church intends. The Mass does not belong to me, the clergy or to any individual person and our personal preferences. It belongs to the whole church and the faithful have the right to celebrate the Mass as it is, not as we would have it. This is not to say that we have had it wrong all these years. When the church was renovated in 1988 it wasn’t totally clear whether kneelers were necessary in official Church thinking but more than that we couldn’t afford it. Now, it is clear that this is the expectation from the Church and we can afford it.

More than all of this, however, I firmly believe that kneelers will deepen, renew, increase and reenergize our Eucharistic devotion, awe and reverence. The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, really, truly and substantially present in our midst. Our God comes to visit us and it is normal and natural that we should humble ourselves before him and worship him in our bodies and our posture as well as our soul. In other words, the posture matches and is appropriate to what is going on at that time in the liturgy and expresses what we want going on in our hearts and community.

I have presented this at three potlucks over the course of the summer and will address it and questions about it on September 27th at the last potluck. Although there were some who clearly did not agree or voiced concerns about this, the vast majority of those present were affirming, in agreement and excited.

We will be installing kneelers in the Church sometime in mid-October. We will be securing the pews to the floor as they are currently laid out in the Church and attaching the kneelers to the existing pews. This will necessitate the removal of one pew from most sections to create more room for kneeling. We will lose some seating, but not a significant amount. The entire cost of this improvement is being paid for by two, non-solicited, donors and not from the offertory collection. Father Peter and I will be addressing this at Mass before the installation of the kneelers to remind everyone of when to kneel! In case you are wondering, it is after the “Holy, Holy, Holy” until the “Great Amen” and again after the “Lamb of God” until the priest receives communion. After that, you are still free to sit or kneel. Of course, those who are unable to kneel are not required to do so and will simply sit during these times.

I realize that change is oftentimes difficult, but I think that after time, it can also lead to a new way of being, a new way of seeing things, a new way of worshiping. I ask everyone to remain open to the Holy Spirit and His movement in our hearts. He is always able to surprise us. As always, I am available to listen to your questions and concerns and to talk about things but hope that you will rejoice with me in the new capacity of our church to accommodate the Roman Rite of which we are a part.