Tables Near The Sanctuary

Another reader writes:

I love the work you are doing for our faith, and include you and
Catholic Answers in my prayers daily.

Thanks! I (and we) can use them!

Our pastor wants to have all the First Communicants sitting at tables
between the front row of pews and the Sanctuary steps, close to the
altar. The First Communicants will stand in front of their respective
tables to face the priest when he administers the Eucharist to each in
turn. This will occur at a special First Communion mass, apart from
the Sunday masses.

Is this an abuse? If so, could you please cite the appropriate
documents?

I’m not hearing anything here that is an abuse. It’s certainly one of those "please don’t eat the daisies" situations in that the legislator could not be expected to envision people putting tables between the pews and the sanctuary, but as long as the kids aren’t in the sanctuary, I’m not hearing anything that is a violation of law. The kids do need to kneel at the appropriate points in Mass, but if they do that at their tables, it doesn’t seem that anything illicit is being done. There’s nothing that says you have to be in a pew or seated with the rest of the faithful during Mass, or that you can’t use tables in lieu of a Communion rail. It’s just kind of an odd situation.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live." View all posts by Jimmy Akin