The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-03-28
Proper Manner of Assisting .
At Church Services

| When going to Communion, leave
on your gloves and cloak, If you
wear them, lay down your book. join
your hands palm to palm before
your breast with the fingers pointing
upwards, and go quietly to the COM
munion rail. genufect. and kneel
there. holding the communion cloth
In manner that would prevent the
Sacred Host from falling on the
floor, should it perchance slip from
the priests hand. Do not rise from
your knees the moment the priest
has placed the host on your tongue,
lest you should jostle the person next
you; but after swallowing the Sacred
Host, rise and go quietly back to your
place as you came, and remain for
some time in meditation and prayer,
without using book. For a quarter
OF an hour you must conscientiously
abstain from splitting. Your thanks
giving should never be less than
quarter Of an hour.
l have sometimes given commun.
lon to girls who wore hats with very
broad brims and who, to make matters
worse, kept their heads bowed down.
This was awkward, as had to choose
between STOPPING down to see where
l. was to place the host, or give the
girl sign to raise her head. At other
times a girl with a waving plume
would suddenly bow her head after re-
ceiving. at the risk of having the orna-
ment come in contact with the hosts
IN the ciborfum. These matters are
deserving of attention. Girls and wom-
en- should wear wells, taking care how
ever, that these becoming articles be
not In the way. They remove their
gloves before approaching the COM
munion rail.
Do not point the tongue too far,
let 1t rest on the lower lip. and, when
1t is too dry, moisten it. Do not stare
at the priest. but for an instant, look
at the Sacred Host, and then receive
it with downcast eyes.
Preparation For Confession.
When going to confession, the first
thing to be attended to is, of course,
the preparation. AS soon as your
turn comes, CO. promptly, respectfully
and humbly to the confessional, as
becomes a person who has a contrite
heart. 1t would be exceedingly i'm
proper, and might even indicate
want of faith, to lean carelessly over
the bench, to gaze around and Joke
With ones neighbors, to behave with
levity while awaiting your turn, and
in this spirit to present yourself to
the priest for confession. In like
manner it would be contrary to all
Christian sentiment to leave the
church Immediately after confession,
without spending any time in recollec-
ton and thanksgiving. II
A true penitent likewise never
speaks out of the confessional of
what he told the priest. or what the
priest said to him.
When your turn comes, be ready
to go in at once at the confessional,
but while waiting do not kneel or
stand SO close that you run the risk
of hearing what is said to or by
another penitent.
When prayers are said aloud, every
one should join, saying his part in a
clear and audible voice but without
shouting, and neither dragging nor 60
ing too fast. Are we not justified in
crying shame on the congregation in
which only few of the children give
the answers, the other people remain
ing silent or muttering the prayers un-
der their breath? Prayer said in COM
mon, when it is said earnestly and be-
comingly, is pleasing and edifying, but
If it is said carelessly or only by
small fraction of the congregation, 1t
disedifies.
Where the beautiful practice of con-
gregational singing has been intro.
duced, all the parishioners should try
to qualify themselves to join; but
there are some unfortunates who have
neither voice nor ear, and for them it
may be best that they say their own
prayers, without attempting to sing.
When the choir alone sings, it would
be out of place for an individual in
the body of the church to take it upon
himself to join in, as this cannot but
distract the people around him and
interfere with their devotions.
| Conduct in the Choir.
AS to conduct in the choir, l think
cannot do better than to quote here