Phoenix, Ariz., Mar 3, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Kneeling during mass plays a central role in worship and must be encouraged in Catholic parishes, said Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. In his recent column in the Catholic Sun, the bishop of Phoenix offered strong reasoning in favor of kneeling during the consecration at mass, a practice lost in many Arizona parishes and elsewhere.
“The practice of kneeling assists our whole person to be attentive to the Lord, to surrender to His will, to lift our soul and our voices in worship,” said Bishop Olmsted.
The human body has a vital role in the “full, conscious and active participation in the Sacred Liturgy,” he said.
He cited the General Instruction for the Roman Missal, which states that worshippers “should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.”