Baffled by a bishop

It was not my own bishop who baffled me, just to be clear. It was instead the Most Reverend Michael Martin, OFM Conv., Bishop of Charlotte. In fact, his recent pastoral letter woke me from my blogmatic slumber. It had been years since I had posted a blog, but because actions like his might one day reach as far as Lansing, I decided to offer a parish priest’s perspective.

Bishop Martin came to my attention earlier this year when he announced that, in his diocese, in order to complete the implementation of Pope Francis’s Apostolic Letter Traditionis Custodes, he was going to limit the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Charlotte to one chapel, a renovated former Protestant church in Mooresville, NC.

A few days later, a draft document on liturgical norms for the Diocese of Charlotte was leaked. It made for remarkable reading. Lengthy and filled with prohibitions and preferences, it seemed allergic to many things that were “old” or, better still, smacked of tradition. Ad orientem worship, Latin responses, altar rails, even candles on the altar and missal stands were called into question. Since the author(s) seemed never to have read Sacrosanctum Concilium I wondered if it might be an AI hoax meant to make the bishop look bad. Nope; it was authentic.

The Spirit of the Liturgy

The reason I care is that I’m a priest who has tried to enact principles from Pope Benedict XVI’s wonderful text, The Spirit of the Liturgy. I have long appreciated what one might call Pope Benedict XVI’s “mutual enrichment” doctrine, and it has influenced the way I celebrate the Mass.

Beginning in Advent 2012, I set up what is called the “Benedictine Altar Arrangement” on the altar. It helped me “face east” even though I still celebrated Mass facing the people. A couple of years later, during Advent, I began celebrating the Novus Ordo ad orientem. It was a major change for me and for the faithful of my parish.

Personally, I found that “turning around” transformed my ability to pray the Mass. And it wasn’t just me. After I made the change, members of my parish mentioned that they never before realized how much they looked at the priest’s face during the Eucharistic Prayer. Now, instead, they were looking at Jesus on the crucifix.

Though I tried it as an experiment for Advent, I’ve never turned back.

Eliminating Kneelers and Altar Rails

Even if Bishop Martin never ends up prohibiting other traditional elements of worship, such as ad orientem, many will feel a sense of loss and frustration that they will no longer be able to have the benefit of a kneeler or altar rail for communion.

The list of mandates is pointed and plain:

1. Temporary or movable fixtures used for kneeling for the reception of communion are to be removed by January 16, 2026.
2. Clergy, catechists, ministers of Holy Communion, and teachers are to instruct communicants according to the normative posture in the United States. They are not to teach that some other manner is better, preferred, more efficacious, etc.
3. The use of altar rails, kneelers, and prie-dieus are not to be utilized for the reception of Communion in public celebrations by January 16, 2026.

These actions stem from inferences Bishop Martin draws from the norms of the USCCB (included in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal). He claims,

The episcopal conference norms logically do not envision the use of altar rails, kneelers, or prie-dieus for the reception of communion. Doing so is a visible contradiction to the normative posture of Holy Communion established by our episcopal conference.

Even if we grant the bishop’s questionable logic, he admits that the norms have been changed to allow individuals to receive communion on their knees. The norms do not demand uniformity of posture, so why eliminate kneelers and altar rails? If he is willing to allow people to receive on their knees, why make it harder for them?

A Pastor’s Experience with Patens, Prie-Dieux, and Altar Rails

Since my arrival at my current parish in 2012, I have steadily sought to help recapture a sense of reverence in the celebration of the Mass and a recognition of the sacredness of the Blessed Sacrament. The use of patens to catch hosts (or particles thereof) fostered that, beginning in 2012. Shortly thereafter, members of the lay faithful started kneeling to receive. More followed, without ever a prompt from me.

As a pastoral response, I first brought out two prie-dieux on each side of the center aisle, where I distributed communion. People could stand or kneel as they saw fit, some receiving in the hand, some on the tongue. It was not planned or organized; it was organic. I expanded the number of kneelers to three on each side, then finally four.

Please note that I have never instructed the lay faithful about this. I didn’t say this, or that was “better.” But the opportunity to kneel conveniently (especially for those who were aged) made it possible for more of those who preferred to kneel to do so.

Bishop Martin seems to believe that the faithful are kneeling because someone told them to. My sense is that when the faithful see others kneel, they often desire to do so too. It’s not people telling them what to do, but rather others showing them what’s possible.

Our recent church renovation included the reintroduction of the altar rail. The dedication of the altar was this past January 25, 2025, fifteen months before Bishop Boyea’s 75th birthday. As we worked through the design and construction phases, I often mentioned that I wanted the interior of the church to fulfill the promises of its exterior. Like many churches after Vatican II, my church had been “updated” in ways that flattened it, effectively diminishing the sense of transcendence and participation in the heavenly liturgy. Frankly, it was more auditorium than temple. See for yourself.

Prior to the renovation, I had only rarely distributed communion at an altar rail. When we began celebrating Mass in the renovated church, I was struck to see my sons and daughters in Christ at the altar rail. Whether kneeling or standing, they were waiting patiently and (so it seemed to me) prayerfully to receive the One they came to worship.

An altar rail is not just a physical aid to those who need it. In my experience, it allows a bit of “holy tarrying” in the presence of the Lord, as the faithful wait for me or an extraordinary minister of holy communion to bring the host to them. Even though it allows such prayerful tarrying, it’s more efficient in terms of time required for the distribution of Holy Communion. In my book, that’s a win-win.

Paths Forward

My own experience makes me equal parts frustrated and sad for the Diocese of Charlotte.

I can’t help but wish that Bishop Martin would one day, with an open heart and mind, celebrate Mass at St. Ann’s where I had the privilege of celebrating a Nuptial Mass in November 2017. I’d recommend that he distribute communion at the altar rail and observe.

See how they wait and how they receive. They love Jesus.

My advice to the lay faithful, even if he never does what I propose, is to keep on praying, keep on receiving, and keep on having babies. The future is theirs. And it’s reverent.

(Editor’s note: This essay was posted first on the author’s personal blog and is reposted here in slightly different form with kind permission.)