Beginning at Advent, the faithful of the diocese are to kneel after the ‘Lamb of God’ prayer of the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass, according to a decree issued by Bishop Alberto Rojas on Nov. 9.
The decree seeks to bring greater consistency in the response of Mass attendees during that moment of the liturgy, and to provide greater clarification for parish priests in how to instruct their congregations on the matter.
“In harmony with the directions from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal Section 43, following the Lamb of God, the people of the Diocese of San Bernardino will resume kneeling until they stand for the Communion procession, receiving in the manner of their discretion,” reads the decree.
Since 2003, the diocesan norm has been for the congregation to stand after the ‘Lamb of God,’ but Bishop Rojas said increasingly he is asked by both priests and parishioners to clarify what is the diocesan norm. Father Rafael Partida, EV, Director of the Diocesan Office of Divine Worship, said a “mixed response” after the ‘Lamb of God’ is now visibly apparent in many churches of the diocese as the popularity of kneeling has increased. This is problematic because the response of the faithful should be uniform, according to Church teaching, he added.
“Unity is the oldest tradition of the Church and unity includes posture,” said Fr. Partida, who is also the Episcopal Vicar for the Riverside Pastoral Region and Rector of Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino.
Bishop Rojas’s decree stipulates clearly that those with physical or health conditions that prevent them from being able to kneel are free to remain standing after the ‘Lamb of God.’ Further, in churches of the diocese that do not have kneelers in the pews, congregants may remain standing after the ‘Lamb of God.’
Following some debate amongst the U.S. Bishops in the late 1990s it was decided that the local diocesan bishop would have final authority for his diocese on whether the congregation should kneel or stand after the ‘Lamb of God.’ “Each bishop’s decision is neither correct nor incorrect,” Bishop Rojas notes in his letter announcing the decree.
Bishop Rojas also notes that both responses have been acceptable over the course of Church history.
“Some of our Roman fathers have stood, some of our Roman fathers have knelt. Standing and kneeling are both in keeping with what we have received.”
News of the decree was first made public on Nov. 9 when Fr. Partida provided Bishop Rojas’ letter and the decree to the priests of the diocese in an email. It was expected that parish pastors and their leadership teams would communicate the new diocesan norm to their parishioners leading up to the start of Advent on Nov. 30, when it takes effect.
“It is my heartfelt hope that these new norms put hearts at ease,” Bishop Rojas wrote in his letter announcing the decree, “illustrate the unity of the local Church, and help the entire diocese to remember the prayer of Jesus in St. John’s Gospel: “that all may be one.”