A humble plea to the Vatican and local parishes:
Reintroduce the Communion-Plate
As an ordinary feature of every Holy Mass.
"The Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful should be retained, so as to avoid the danger of the sacred host or some fragment of it falling.”
"Redemptionis Sacramentum", Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, April 23, 2004
Why use the communion-plate?
Each and every particle of the Most Holy Eucharist is Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Hidden Godhead
As the Catholic Church infallibly teaches, even the most minute parts of the Sacred Host and the Precious Blood are Our Lord, whole and entire; Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He is present truly, really and substantially [2], [3]. As faithful Catholics, it is our duty to defend and reverence our God and Redeemer by protecting this most generous gift of Himself to us in any way that we can.
Tragically Common
As priests can attest to, when the communion-plate is not employed, these particles and fragments do indeed fall to the ground— whether our eyes can discern this or not. This is why after Communion, the rubrics of the Mass explicitly tell the priest to purify the particles over the chalice, to be consumed immediately afterward [1].
Representational photo. Particles shown are of unconsecrated hosts
Without the communion-plate, particles of the Most Blessed Sacrament inevitably flake off and fall to the ground as Our Lord is administered during Holy Communion... later to be trampled upon by those walking nearby.
I heartily recommend the initiative “Reintroduce the Communion-Plate”. The Holy Eucharist contains substantially “the common spiritual good of the whole Church” (St. Thomas Aquinas, S. th., III, 65, 3, 1), it is the very heart of the Church. The dogma of faith says that “Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts” (Council of Trent, Session 13, Canon 3). The belief of the Church manifests itself always in a corresponding exterior prayer and gesture. The Holy See, in explaining the reasons for the use of the communion-plate, affirmed: “In the administration of the Eucharistic Sacrament, one must demonstrate a particular zeal, so that no fragments of the consecrated Hosts be lost since in each particle is present the entire Body of Christ.
Therefore, one should take the greatest care that fragments do not easily separate from the Host and fall to the ground, where—horribile dictu! —they could become mixed with the garbage and be trampled underfoot” (Instruction of the Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments, 26 March 1929). The Church in our day must really take to heart the following words of Pope John Paul II, which are a kind of legacy he left for the Church: “There can be no danger of excess in our care for this mystery” (Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 61). May God bless abundantly all who promote the noble and meritorious initiative “Reintroduce the Communion-Plate” and all priests who will out of faith and love for the Eucharistic Lord put it into practice.
+ Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana
Endorsement by
Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Auxillary of Astana, Kazakhstan
His Excellency has supported this initiative with a written recommendation, which we are immensely grateful for. His full statement is below:
SPREAD THE WORD
Print the Brochure
Brochures are now available to print and spread at your local parish! These can be given to fellow parishioners, handed to priests, or placed in areas of your church where the faithful are allowed to offer prayer cards and other materials. Sharing these with those in other dioceses is strongly encouraged so that this effort can spread as far and wide as possible.
When a parish begins to use the communion-plate, it's often thanks to a group of dedicated parishioners simply bringing the issue up to their pastor. Many priests aren't even aware that this is an option, nor are they aware of the Vatican's instructions in 2004 which affirm that the communion-plate needs to be used. The more individuals there are in a parish who realize the importance of the communion-plate, the more likely a pastor will as well.
Layout of the double sided page to print
Download Brochure (PDF)
How to prepare these brochures:
Download the PDF for your region.
Print the document as black and white, landscape, and double-sided. (If asked, page should flip on the short-edge)
Once printed, make sure the paper is flipped so that the back side (beginning with the "Why use the plate?" section) is facing up
Note the faint dotted lines at the top and bottom of the page between sections
Fold the last section (on the right) inward to completely cover the middle section
Leave a crease and unfold it
Repeat steps 5 & 6 for the first section, folding over the middle as well
[PLACEHOLDER] Sign the Petition
Make the Communion-plate an ordinary part of every Mass.
Once our target number of signatures are collected, we plan to take tangible steps to demonstrate to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments that there is significant global support by the faithful for the need of the Communion-plate in defense and reverence of Our Lord.
We also plan to propose this cause in the USA to the USCCB for their ongoing Eucharistic Revival effort.
We don’t ever thank the Lord enough for the gift He has given us in the Eucharist!"
-Pope Francis
Pray
Please pray for the success of this cause, especially in asking for the intercession of our patrons: Our Lady of Sorrows, and St. Padre Pio.
For Priests and Pastors
How to introduce the communion-plate at your parish
There are two common methods of employing the paten:
1. Traditional form: Communicants lined up in a row
The faster and more traditional option, this uses kneelers or an altar rail as Holy Communion is given to the faithful, who are lined up horizontally. An altar server (or other assistant) walks with the priest, holding the paten under each Sacred Host.
2. Newer form: Communicants approaching one-by-one
More common today in the Ordinary Form, communicants approach one-by-one and receive the Blessed Sacrament either kneeling or standing. A server or other assistant stands next to the priest the entire time, holding the paten under the Sacred Host each time it is administered.
3. Hybrid form: Single Optional Kneeler
Nearly the same as method #2, with a single kneeler placed in front of the one distributing Holy Communion, slightly off to one side so that communicants attached to recieving Our Lord standing can still recieve this way without offense.
Who holds the paten? Are additional servers required?
Ordinarily, altar servers handle the communion-plate, but laypersons serving in another capacity (for example, sacristans) can be employed as well if no servers are available. This can also be an opportunity for those wanting to serve Mass in some capacity, but who are otherwise unable to due to physical or mental difficulties.
Alternatively, if there is only one altar server and two ministers of Holy Communion, one side of the church could recieve with the server using the communion-plate lined up (method 1 above), while the other side recieves one-by-one without the communion-plate (method 2). This would be a compromise, but is better than no communion-plate at all and can serve to ease a parish into this method more gently.
Instructional video for how the Communion-plate is to be used at a Mass in the Ordinary Form.
Credit: The Basillica of Saint Mary, Alexandria VA, USA. We are not affiliated in any way with this parish or its diocese.
After Communion is finished
When communion is finished, the communion-plate is placed on the altar to be purified along with the celebrant's own paten. After Mass, the communion-plate should be handled with care and treated with reverence, since it has been in contact with the Holy Eucharist.
How do I obtain a Communion-plate?
They are readily available at most Catholic stores. Parishioners, especially any who pointed you to this website, would likely gladly offer funds needed if they are able, or raise funds in some other way.
"The Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful should be retained, so as to avoid the danger of the sacred host or some fragment of it falling.”
Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, April 23 2004
“The Eucharistic presence of Christ endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.”
From the Magisterium
“Also in every part of the consecrated host or the consecrated wine, when separated, the whole Christ is there”
Decree for the Armenians, paragraph §1322, Council of Florence, 1438-1445.
“After communion, the left-over hosts, as well as any particles that may have fallen from them and that still have the form of bread, are to be reserved or consumed with the reverence due to the eucharistic presence of Christ"
Cum de fragmentis, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, May 2, 1972
"The Angel appeared to the children and prostrated himself on the ground before a Chalice and Host and said, "Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.”
Fatima, Portugal, third visit of the Angel,
To St. Francisco, St. Jacinta and Sr. Lúcia
From the Saints
"O loving Pelican! O Jesu, Lord!
Unclean I am, but cleanse me in Thy Blood;
Of which a single drop, for sinners spilt,
Is ransom for a world's entire guilt."
Adoro Te Devote
St. Thomas Aquinas
"Once when St. Therese of Lisieux saw a small Particle of a Host on the paten after Holy Mass, she called the novices, and then carried the paten in procession into the sacristy with gracious, adoring comportment that was truly angelic."
Taken from Jesus Our Eucharistic Love
Fr. Stefano Manelli, O.F.M. Conv.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a communion-plate?
It is a metal plate, preferably made of or coated with a precious metal. During Communion, a server or assistant holds the plate under each Sacred Host being administered to the faithful, and any Particles that would otherwise fall to the floor are caught by it.
I am convinced that the Communion-plate is necessary. I have signed the petition. Besides prayer, what else can I do to help reintroduce the communion-plate at my parish and in my diocese?
As Catholics we can also respectfully share our concerns with our priests and bishops regarding the need for the communion-plate. Our Lord will surely reward you abundantly for this act of Love. Perhaps even gifting your local parish well-made communion-plates, which are easily available at Catholic stores will be a small Christmas present to give back to Our Lord, after He has given Himself in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Wouldn't this prevent Communion on the hand?
While we do not support Communion on the hand, we recognize that the communion-plate can easily be used for communicants receiving this way. The plate is simply held under the Sacred Host, at a short distance under the hands of the communicant.
Our Goal
To spread the use of the Communion-plate as an ordinary part of every Holy Mass worldwide...
...consoling Him by ensuring that every Particle and Fragment of the Most Holy Sacrament is reverently consumed.
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Join the mailing list for updates on our progress.
