I ALWAYS read Elizabeth Harrington’s “Liturgy Lines”.
Her recent articles at the beginning of this year have been outstanding.
Last week, she reminded us that when we pray, particularly together in liturgy, we engage our whole selves and our posture is part of our prayer.
I am concerned and alarmed about the removal of kneelers from the furniture of some churches.
It seems the reason given for doing this is because of either actual or potential litigation against the parish arising from injuries sustained.
Is this an example of the creeping litigiousness of our society?
Must a parish remove something that is part of our tradition? Can a way around this not been found?
Have the implications of the removal of kneelers on our liturgy been thought through?
At Mass, posture is not just something we do without purpose and meaning. So we stand for a reason and we sit for a reason and we kneel for a reason.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, in its current form, mandates kneeling for the consecration.
It has been our custom in Australia to kneel from after the Sanctus (Holy, Holy) until the Great Amen.
When the means to enable people to kneel, that is the kneelers, are taken away, my observation is that the majority of people will sit.
Sitting does not capture the reverence for this central prayer of the Mass, nor for the consecration, that kneeling does. So, by default, we become a sitting community and so we incrementally lose a posture.
As well, when some kneel and some sit, it becomes awkward for those who may still choose to kneel.
All of this, of course, speaks of the majority who physically are able to kneel. There will always be some who through injury or age cannot kneel.
Further, by default, our liturgy is changed in a significant way.
The only way changes like this should happen to our liturgy is through our Conference of Bishops.
To unilaterally change our liturgy is fraught with danger for the liturgy belongs to the Church, not to an individual priest not to an individual parish.
FR PAUL CHANDLER
Southport, Qld
