Dear Friends in Christ,

Many parishioners have asked for clarifications about the proper way to receive Holy Communion at Mass, so here is a quick review of the current doctrine and discipline of the Church.

1. Only practicing Catholics in the state of grace should receive Holy Communion. Non-Catholic Christians are always welcome to join us at Mass but should refrain from receiving the sacrament because they are not yet in full communion with the Church. Moreover, any Catholic who is married outside of the Church or who is conscious of grave sin and has not first been to Confession should not receive Holy Communion. Not attending Mass on Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation without just cause must be confessed in the Sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion.
2. Those who intend to receive Holy Communion should fast for at least one hour prior to Mass. Water and medicine may be taken at all times and do not violate the fast.
3. A communicant should be present for the entire Mass at which Holy Communion will be received. Coming in after Mass begins does not allow a proper interior preparation for the reception of the sacrament.
4. As the person just ahead of you is receiving Holy Communion, each communicant should make some sign of reverence: a genuflection, a profound bow, or the sign of the Cross are all appropriate.
5. Receiving the Host on the tongue remains the normative discipline of the Church and is the preferred way of receiving Holy Communion. Receiving the Host in the hand is permitted only by indult, and when this method is used, the communicant should use one hand to form a throne for the other, allowing the minister of Communion to place the Host in the open palm.
6. On occasions when the chalice is available, it is absolutely forbidden for the communicant to receive the Precious Blood by self-administered intinction**. The only lawful way to receive the Precious Blood by intinction is for the Minister of Holy Communion to dip the Host in the chalice and place it on the tongue of the communicant.

All of these disciplines are meant to reflect our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. In the Most Blessed Sacrament we receive, under the appearance of bread and wine, the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of the risen and glorified Christ, and we must therefore approach this divine Mystery with faith, reverence, and fear of the Lord.

Fr. Jay Scott Newman
(Parish Priest Greenville SC.)

**in·tinc·tion (în-tîngk¹shen) noun
Ecclesiastical.
The administration of the Eucharist by dipping the host into the wine and thus offering both simultaneously to the communicant.

[Late Latin intìnctio, intìnction-, a dipping in, from Latin intinctus, past participle of intingere, to dip in : in-, in. See in-2 + tingere, to moisten.]

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition is licensed from Houghton Mifflin Company. Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.