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Question Title Posted By Question Date
Re. Mensa and Corporal Steven Friday, October 8, 2004

Question:

With reference to Deacon Larry's question about the use of corporals at Mass, I wonder whether the following points may be of any help.

1. In my parish, it is customary to use several additional chalices (and sometimes additional ciboria, if the Blessed Sacrament in the tabenacle is in short supply) to facilitate Communion under both forms. As these do not all fit within the corporal, we use an additional corporal which is spread on the altar before Mass (so that only one corporal is actually unfolded at the Offertory, to avoid unnescessary distractions. The additional corporal also remains on the altar until after Mass for the same reasons).

2. I was also taught that it is generally accepted that the priest intends only to consecrate bread and wine which are actually within the corporal, and not necessarily all that which is placed on the altar. This used to be relevent in my school, where the chaplain celebrated Mass daily in a very tiny chapel with no credence table - congregations varied in size from day to day, and so it was sometimes necessary to remove some altar breads from the pattern or add extra at the last minute, and so the priest usually kept a pyx or host box on the altar to take these. This was placed well away from the corporal, at the extreme end of the altar table along with the cruets (in which wine sometimes remained), and these were not reckoned to be consecrated. I have also seen similar when priests have celebrated private Masses at side altars, and reserved some wine in the cruets for use at the ablutions.

Hope this is of help,
Pax Christi,
Steven.

Question Answered by Mr. Jacob Slavek

Dear Steven,

Thank you for the comments.

Mr. Slavek
Footer Notes: (a) A Eucharistic Minister is clergy (Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion). Laity are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and should never be called Eucharistic Ministers.

(b) There is no such Mass called the Novus Ordo. The Current Mass is the Roman Missal of 2000, or the Oridinary Form of the Mass. The Tridentine Mass is the Roman Missal of 1962, or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Please refrain from using the term, Novus Ordo. Thanks.

(c) The titles of Acolyte and Lector belong exclusively to the Installed Offices of Acolyte and Lector, who are men (only) appointed by the Bishop. These roles performed by others are Altar Servers and Readers, respectively.