There’s a problem brewing in some of the chapels on Boston College’s campus, and the answer isn’t necessarily what you might expect.
Every Sunday at St. Joseph’s Chapel once the Sanctus (“Holy, Holy, Holy”) is sung, the predominantly freshman congregation looks around frantically at one another––“Do we kneel? Do we stand?” Their nervous glances communicate confusion with a twinge of peer pressure. Generally, what ends up happening is a disorganized and scattered half-kneeling, half-standing congregation, even amongst the choir. At the direction of BC Campus Ministry, which follows the lead of the General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM), the answer is to stand through this sacred part of the Mass. The purpose? For unity as one Body in Christ.
In North American Roman Catholic parishes, the norm is generally to kneel from the singing of the Santus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer. There is interestingly a dispensation from the Holy See for dioceses in the United States to kneel again from after the Agnus Dei until the end of the period of sacred silence after which communion has been distributed.
The GIRM lays out all aspects of the liturgy in extreme detail, which is wildly important in a Church that emphasizes universality––Mass should have the same barebones regardless of where in the world you are attending. They all bring about the same Jesus in the Eucharist.
Unity is the theme here. The GIRM explains: “A common bodily posture, to be observed by all those taking part, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered together for the Sacred Liturgy, for it expresses the intentions and spiritual attitude of the participants and also fosters them” (no. 42).
It also adds that “The gestures and bodily posture of both the Priest, the Deacon, and the ministers, and also of the people, must be conducive to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, to making clear the true and full meaning of its different parts, and to fostering the participation of all” (no. 42). Emphasis on the “participation of all parts”––once again underlining the importance of the unity of the congregation. We move as one, sing as one, praise as one. We are one Body.
So, the GIRM provides this instruction of when to stand, sit, and kneel, so that’s what we automatically should follow, right? Not quite. There’s a clause that explains that these instructions around kneeling during the consecration can change “when prevented on occasion by ill health, or for reasons of lack of space, of the large number of people present, or for another reasonable cause” (no. 43).
And here’s the key to BC’s disjunction: “For the sake of uniformity in gestures and bodily postures during one and the same celebration, the faithful should follow the instructions which the Deacon, a lay minister, or the Priest gives, according to what is laid down in the Missal” (no. 43). It is up to a leader in the community to lay out what is expected of the congregation. Given the position of leadership that has been entrusted to this lay or ordained minister, they make the judgment call on what is most inclusive for disabled members of the community, what is reasonable based on the space, and what makes sense for the capacity church. For example, at an overflowing Christmas Eve Mass in which part of the congregation is in the pews and part is standing in the side aisles and narthex, the priest might make the instruction for all to stand throughout this part of the Mass to show unity. Kneeling is not physically possible for all, and thus, other instructions are given.
On the first Sunday of the fall semester, BC Campus Ministers began each Mass with an announcement that due to the configuration of the chapels (most are kneeler-less) the unified directive is to stand from the Sanctus through the Amen.
Some students may try to kneel out of habit or out of piety, but the instruction from the GIRM and from our ministers is clear: for the BC community, we will be unified in standing. The details of our liturgy throughout time and throughout the world are shaped to fit the people who worship with it. Listening to the ministers who we trust to serve us is part of that worship.
Staff Photo Courtesy of Olivia Colombo
Previously the Campus News Editor and Catholicism 101 Editor, Olivia dabbles in The Torch’s writing and photography. She is a senior studying theology and applied psychology and human development with a minor in journalism. She is unashamedly passionate about youth ministry, Haiti, all things charismatic, the Oxford comma, and CatholicTV––where she can often be found as an on-camera news reporter or host of the To the Heights podcast.
- The Beauty of A Marathon - March 27, 2022
- A Tale of 5,000 Cookies and A Rare Disease - February 28, 2022
- Signing Off As Your Editor-in-Chief - December 25, 2021
I so miss kneeling in adoration.