Reserved sacrament
As a Communion celebration is called the Catholic Church a communal worship in which the celebrants Holy Communion is served from the tabernacle. In the Communion celebration itself so there is no presentation of the gifts, no high prayer and no conversion, as the Eucharistic species were consecrated in a previous celebration of mass. The Communion celebration is always preceded by a Liturgy of the Word with biblical readings. It is headed by a priest, a deacon, or a lay person duly authorized.
As a community celebration of the Communion celebration is to be distinguished from the Communion Extra Missam (outside the celebration ) to individuals that they seek in the Church ( can. 918 CIC ), or, especially the sick and dying, in a private home, in hospital or other facility such as at the scene, get (sick communion, death communion).
Condition of these exercises is the conviction of the permanent presence of Christ ( real presence ) in the Eucharist with the resulting practice of Eucharistic storage as well as the benefits of frequent communion.
On Good Friday
A special Community Communion celebration, where usually headed by a bishop or priest of the parish, in the Roman rite is part of the Celebration of the Passion and death of Christ on Good Friday, since the Death of Christ, no Mass is celebrated. The Good Friday liturgy is embedded in the celebration of the Triduum sacrum, the österlichem celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, which begins on the evening of Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord's Supper and continues up to the celebration of the Easter Vigil. In the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, the gifts for communion celebration on Good Friday are sanctified. The practice in some places in the German-speaking omission of Communion celebration on Good Friday is not covered by the existing ecclesiastical order and is controversial in the liturgy.
On weekdays
On other days of the year, a communion ceremony may be held if the place a Eucharist - for example because of a shortage of priests - is not possible. This also applies to funerals and church weddings, which is headed by a deacon. In parish churches the communion celebration is to offer on days without measuring celebration when a group of believers asks ( can. 918 CIC in conjunction with the Roman Ritual, The administration of the Holy Communion outside of Mass, the rite with extended Liturgy of the Word ).
On Sundays
Regarding the Sundays different settings can be observed: The Board " every Sunday church service without a priest " ( Directorium de celebrationibus dominicalibus absente presbytero ) of the Congregation for Divine Worship on June 2, 1988 provides for this contingency before the administration of the Communion to the congregation: " From the different types of services that are in accordance with the liturgical tradition held when no celebration of Mass to take place, the liturgy of the Word is highly recommended that - where it is appropriate - can be completed by communion. So the faithful are nourished at the same time with the Word and the Body of Christ. If it namely hear the word of God, they realize that the miracles of the Lord, be preached reach its peak in the paschal mystery, whose memory is celebrated sacramentally in the Mass and in which they participate through the reception of Holy Communion '. "-" the celebration of a Sunday service instead of a fair consists of two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and of distributing Communion. In the celebration not to be inserted, which is typical for the fair, especially not Offertory and Eucharistic Prayer no. "
In Germany and Austria, there is widespread inclination or even transfer, with word of God celebrations that are celebrated due to the shortage of priests, instead of a Sunday Mass, do not give out the Communion generally. This is intended to equate that the faithful Holy Mass and Communion celebration not mistaken. In the framework of order " Liturgical Sunday celebration without priests," the diocese of Linz ( 1994), for example, reads: " On the issue of Communion a way to be gone, which takes seriously the theological objections to the Communion in the same way as the grown Communion piety order. obtain centrality of the Eucharist and promote communion may, but are not regularly donated. services of the word should not be kept with Communion when on the same day is a celebration of mass. [ ..] More and more conscious renunciation of the Communion at the same time effort to design festive liturgy of the Word. "
Even on Sundays applies can. 918 CIC: If believers ask for a just cause for the reception of Communion outside the Eucharist, "she is to donate them outside of Mass; while the liturgical rites are to be observed. " The ecclesiastical order provides for the outpouring of the Holy Communion after a previous, for individuals, short or at a community celebration, extended Liturgy of the Word for this case. The corresponding liturgical book is in its German edition the title Communion and Eucharistic adoration outside Mass and is part of the rituals Romanum (see the text below).
In the Eastern Churches
An Eastern Orthodox equivalent of the Community Communion celebration is the Byzantine liturgy of the vorgeheiligten gifts or Präsanktifikaten liturgy. It is in the Byzantine rite ( today only ) celebrated during Lent as a combination of Vespers and Communion to the community always under the guidance of a priest. Named after the Lord's brother James Palestinian form of Präsanktifikaten liturgy came in the Middle Ages into disuse, but is experiencing in the Greek a certain rebirth. In addition, were and are in the Eastern Churches various forms of extra- Missam Communion (outside the celebration ) are common, which are also made by a deacon or, if given, of a deacon. Also maintained sickness and death Communion Communion.