Birmingham Oratory Deleted This Homily About Reception Of Communion

Sermon on the Reception of Holy Communion by Fr Ignatius Harrison, Cong. Orat, Birmingham Oratory (published - and later deleted - on birminghamoratory.org.uk August 11th, 2020)

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

I am speaking at all Masses this weekend about the current situation regarding the reception of Holy Communion in our church.

The facts are as follows. The Bishops of England and Wales have been in extensive dialogue with the government concerning health and safety requirements necessary because of the Covid pandemic. The bishops have issued guidance for all Catholic churches in England and Wales, and the archdiocese of Birmingham and all its parishes are no exception.

The instruction for all parishes came to us in June, for implementation as and when churches would open again for public Mass. The instruction was, and remains, clear, that for reasons of possible contagion, Holy Communion should only be received on the hand, not on the tongue.

The Fathers were struck by the fact that apparently no consideration was given to celebrations in the traditional rite, the Extraordinary Form. It is of course possible that consideration had been given, but had not been made public. Anyway, we assumed, but wrongly, that an exception could be made in E.F. Masses. We assumed this because the universal law of the Church says that every communicant may always choose how to receive, and also, it is not permitted to give H.C. on the hand in the traditional Mass.

We also hoped, again wrongly, that if we continued quietly and discretely with our previous custom, we would not be causing any trouble. But in the light of some complaints made to the archdiocese, the previous instruction was reiterated, courteously, and unambiguously. The Fathers therefore felt that our duty was, and is, to comply with the Archbishop’s instruction, albeit thirty days late. (Our church re-opened on Sunday 5th July.)

In correspondence that I and a number of you have already had with the diocese, it is clear that they are united with us in hoping that the present restrictions are temporary. We are also assured that they will be reviewed as soon as circumstances permit. I believe this to be true.

I must also emphasize that the Archbishop has not singled out the Oratory parish for harsh or special treatment, and that he himself has never shown us anything but kindness. Indeed, as you will remember, His Grace has himself celebrated the traditional Mass here on several glorious occasions, and with kind words of encouragement. I recall especially the splendid pontifical Mass of thanksgiving which he celebrated here after the canonization of St John Henry.

We therefore believe that the virtue of obedience must be our guide, and that compliance is the proper way to proceed. We also hope to seek His Grace’s temporary permission to give Holy Communion (in both ways) as a separate rite, after every Mass, until all restrictions can be lifted. I did not know this before, but have since been told, that this is already the practice in a number of other churches, both in this country and abroad, for the faithful who prefer to receive on the tongue. I am told this is what happens in Portsmouth and Shrewsbury dioceses.

Meanwhile, H.C. will not be given on the hand at E.F. Masses. We know your sensibilities too well for that! And as the current instruction is clear that H.C. may not at this time be given on the tongue, I ask you please to make a devout act of spiritual communion. I ask you to implore the Lord that this injustice may soon be remedied.

Larger questions remain. How detailed was the consultation between the Bishops Conference and the government about this particular matter? Is there any conclusive evidence that communion on the tongue is more of a contagion risk than communion on the hand?

My dear brethren, let us pray for our shepherds. Let us offer up to heaven any hardship and disappointment that we may feel, in union with the sufferings of the Redeemer. Prayer and penance are never wasted. The Cross of Christ is the healing of all woes. A blessing I wish for you all.
Our Lady of Sorrows
They need to read Pope Pius X1 Encyclical Government has no authority to dictate to the Catholic Church"Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state"
catholictruthblog.com/…/preaching-socia…