By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press
Individuals prepared to receive the sacraments of initiation, who had to wait because of coronavirus restrictions, may now do so.
Letters from Bishop McManus and information from the diocesan offices for Divine Worship and Religious Education paved the way for people to be baptized, confirmed, and receive their first Communion at their parishes.
This includes young people and adults awaiting the sacrament of confirmation this spring, people who participated in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) who were to be baptized, confirmed and received their first Communion at the Easter Vigil, and young people awaiting their first Communion. Another group is baptized non-Catholics seeking full communion in the Catholic Church.
Priests need to be delegated by the bishop to confirm young people and baptized Catholic adults, explained Elizabeth A. Marcil, director of the Office of Religious Education and associate director of the Office for Divine Worship.
Priests also need the bishop’s permission to celebrate the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and Eucharist) “outside the usual time,” which is the Easter Vigil, for those participating in the RCIA, she said.
Bishop McManus delegated priests to perform these functions in letters dated May 25.
Priests already have canonical permission to confirm, at any time, the baptized non-Catholics whom they are receiving into full communion in the Church, Ms. Marcil said.
And priests regularly celebrate first Communion for the young people in their parishes. Parishes can decide when to hold first Communions.
“Due to the complications and restrictions which the … pandemic has presented, I am unable to gather with you, your confirmation candidates, sponsors and families to administer the sacrament this spring,” Bishop McManus told priests in one of the letters. “Therefore, in order not to delay the administration of this sacrament … I hereby delegate you to confirm the members of the parish you would have presented to me for confirmation this spring.” He asked them to do so at public Masses between June 1 and June 30.
Parishes can chose the day and time for the confirmation Masses.
Ms. Marcil said this applies to confirmations originally scheduled for March, April and May. Bishop McManus still hopes to confirm people this fall, she said.
“Please extend to your candidates, their sponsors and families my congratulations and prayerful best wishes … and my regret at not being able to be with them personally,” Bishop McManus said in his letter.
In the other letter, the bishop also set this month as the time for celebrating the sacraments that people in the RCIA were to receive at the Easter Vigil.
“You have my permission to celebrate the sacraments of initiation outside the usual time with all those who celebrated the Rite of Election ...,” he wrote.
The Rite of Election, part of the RCIA, is for catechumens preparing for the sacraments of initiation. Also celebrated at that time in the Worcester Diocese is the Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates, for baptized people who preparing for first Communion and/or confirmation.
Bishop McManus authorized priests to “celebrate the sacrament of confirmation with those baptized adult Catholics” who prepared for it with the catechumens, between June 1 and June 30.
“It is my understanding that these sacraments will be celebrated by you between June 1 and June 30, 2020,” the bishop wrote. Orantes said this should be done at Lord’s Day Masses.
Information from the Religious Education office said that some parishes have postponed first Communion until fall, and that a few parishes said some parents want their child to celebrate as soon as possible, and other parents want to wait.
The office suggested that the parishes work with individual families; “if a child is ready, we certainly do not want to delay their being nourished and strengthened by the great mystery of eucharistic communion.”
Protocols for social distancing and liturgical adaptations are to be followed at the various celebrations, so multiple celebrations may be needed.