Kneel-In Time? Denied Holy Communion for Kneeling in Diocese of Boise, Idaho

You've heard of the great Sit-Ins of the Civil Rights Era ... Anybody up for a Kneel-In? 

My family was greatly disturbed on our recent vacation to Idaho. After driving two hours out of the mountains to attend Holy Mass, the parish priest denied all of us, my children and my in-laws, Holy Communion because we knelt to receive the Eucharist. 

It was so sad to see my little children, kneeling reverently to receive the Eucharist, and then to see the priest wagging his finger at them. I thank God I went to the Sacrament of Confession right before Holy Mass, or I'm not sure what I would have done in response to the priest's brazenness. 

As you might expect, I spoke to the priest after Mass to let him know about his violation of the Church's law. He stonewalled me. He just kept saying, "I'm very aware of Canon Law." 

I emailed the priest afterwards, and he failed to reply. This began a series of emails with the Bishop of Boise, Idaho.

You can read all the emails to and from the priest who denied us Holy Communion for kneeling, as well as his bishop.  

Also, feel free to copy and paste these emails and use them if you are denied your right to receive the Eucharist kneeling. 

And also prayerfully consider whether it might be time for a reverent, respectful kneel-in to protect our Catholic civil rights!   

EWTN Radio Interview About Being Denied Holy Communion for Kneeling

If you would rather listen to me tell this story, here's the interview I did with Vanessa at Catholic Connection on EWTN Radio:

(Sorry in advance that I get a bit choked up)  

Father 's Homily Before He Denied Us Holy Communion for Kneeling

Irony of ironies, before denying my whole family Holy Communion, father had just preached a homily on inclusion, warning about exclusivity. He must have used the word "inclusive" over 12 times -- I think "inclusivity" received more mentions than "Jesus," if you can believe it.   

Father seemed like a really nice guy. I really didn't see it coming, until it was too late.

My Email to the Priest, After Being Denied Holy Communion for Kneeling: Full Statement from the USCCB on "The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass"

Dear Father [Name Redacted],

Good morning! We met before and after Mass at St. Charles Borromeo last Sunday. As you probably remember, you denied me and my family Holy Communion while we were kneeling. 

Here is the full statement from the USCCB on "The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass," if you like, but I have reproduced the pertinent parts below, which reference the GIRM, Canon Law, and Redemptionis Sacramentum, the instruction issued by the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship.

The General Instruction asks each country's Conference of Bishops to determine the posture to be used for the reception of Communion and the act of reverence to be made by each person as he or she receives Communion. In the United States, the body of Bishops has determined that "[t]he norm... is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling" and that a bow is the act of reverence made by those receiving (GIRM no. 160). This norm is supported by an Instruction by the Holy See regarding the Eucharist: "In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that 'sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them' (Code of Canon Law, can. 843 § 1; cf. can. 915). Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ's faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing" (Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 91).

As you see, there is no discretion given to either the bishop, the priest, or extraordinary minister to abrogate these rules. Indults may be granted by the local ordinary to add (reasonable) options, but not take away. 

I would be very interested in reading any documentation you have to support the legality of denying Holy Communion for kneeling. 

Would you now be willing to allow us to receive the Eucharist while kneeling next Sunday?  

Thanks!

ICtM&J,

Scott Smith

  

My Email to the Bishop of Boise, Idaho After Being Denied Holy Communion for Kneeling

Here is my first email to the Bishop of Boise, Idaho. In all this correspondence, I hope you will see that I maintained the utmost respect and charity:

Most Reverend [Name Redacted],

Happy Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

On a sad note, my family, my young children, and my in-laws were recently denied Holy Communion in your diocese because we were kneeling. This occurred at St. Charles Borromeo in Hailey on Sunday, August 20th. Fr. [Name Redacted] personally denied us Holy Communion, until and unless we stood up. I had an amicable discussion without resolution with Fr.  [Name Redacted] after Mass and followed up with the email below, in which I provided the relevant laws and norms from the USCCB, Canon Law, and the GIRM. As I'm sure you're aware, it is a violation of Church law to deny Holy Communion solely on the basis that a person is kneeling.   

This has caused my family a pain that has not gone away. What's more, Fr. [Name Redacted] seemed to indicate, though I could be mistaken, that this denial of Holy Communion was done on your authority. 

I hope that I have maintained a charitable tone in all this, but my family was all very disturbed. Fr. [Name Redacted] was even preaching on inclusivity during this particular Mass, but his actions were a "clanging gong" of exclusivity. Not only is my family disturbed by this, I am also worried about Fr. [Name Redacted] and those whom he shepherds. 

I had hoped that a discussion with Fr. [Name Redacted] would emend this problem, but he has not responded to my email after several weeks. As Matthew 18:17 instructs us, "If he refuses to listen, tell it to the Church." This is why I am writing to you today--also for today's Marian feast in hopes of her intercession, who especially teaches us to kneel before the Word made flesh.  

Would you please instruct Fr. [Name Redacted]--or whatever action you believe is best to resolve this problem--that Church law prohibits the denial of Holy Communion in this situation? And that demonstrating reverence before the Holy Eucharist, especially in these years of Eucharistic renewal, is to be encouraged? 

With deepest gratitude for your help -- 

In Christ through Mary and Joseph,

Scott Smith

Can you imagine what these guys, on the shores of Normandy beach after D-Day, would think about us being denied the FREEDOM to receive the Eucharist while kneeling? 

1st Reply from Bishop of Boise After Being Denied Holy Communion for Kneeling

Here is the first reply I received from the Bishop's Office of the Diocese of Boise:

Dear Scott,

Peace be with you.

Your message has been received and it will be reviewed with both the Bishop and the Vicar General for priests, Fr. [Name Redacted].

Sincerely in Christ,

Executive Assistant to

Bishop and Vicar General

2nd Reply from Bishop of Boise After Being Denied Holy Communion for Kneeling

Here is the Bishop's response:

September 13, 2023

Dear Scott,

Thank you for taking the time to write. 

I was confused about your email when you said you and your family did not receive because you were kneeling, but it seems you did receive when [Name Redacted] asked you to stand.  As our Church teaches when receiving communion, we are encouraged to have unity in our posture and gestures.  Perhaps in Louisiana the general posture when receiving is kneeling, but that is not the case in the Diocese of Boise. 

Blessings to you and your family –

As I remain sincerely yours in Christ,

Bishop [Name Redacted]

Bishop of the Diocese of Boise

I'm confused by the bishop's confusion -- passive-aggressive, maybe? As you can read from the emails above, I was clear that my family had to stand to receive Holy Communion.

Note also, the Bishop makes no response to the violation of the Church's law. 

He also seems to speak derogatively and dismissively of Louisiana. We're not a backwater of Catholicism, Your Excellency. We're giving life to the Church than you're trying to smother. 

  

My Reply to the Bishop's Response to the Denial of Holy Communion for Kneeling

Here is my response to the Bishop's reply, in which he again failed to address the violation of the Church's law:

Good morning, Bishop [Name Redacted]!

I was thinking about you and praying for you this morning during Prime prayers. There was a line from the second reading from (Bishop) St. Augustine for the feast of (Bishop) St. Januarius: "To be honest with you, my obligations involve me in so much turmoil that I feel as though I were tossed by storms on a great ocean. When I remember by whose blood I have been redeemed, this thought brings me peace, as though I were entering the safety of a harbor ..."  So, prayers for a safe harbor!    

Thank you for your response to my email. 

You said, "As our Church teaches when receiving communion, we are encouraged to have unity in our posture and gestures." The Church's unity comes from its universality, its universal law, history, origin -- in a word, its Catholicity. Protestants have local uniformity in gestures, etc.; the *Catholic* Church provides a far greater unity.

Speaking of the universal law of the Church, the GIRM (no. 160) and Canon Law (Code of Canon Law, can. 843 § 1; cf. can. 915) state that the conference of bishops decides the norms for postures while receiving Holy Communion. Accordingly, the USCCB states, as I provided to Fr.  [Name Redacted] (in full below), "Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ's faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing (Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 91)."

Can you please provide me with a legal basis for this violation of Canon Law and the norms established by the USCCB? Were you granted an indult or dispensation from this norm? If so, I would just plead that properly disposed communicants be allowed to show reverence before the Eucharist by kneeling to receive Holy Communion. 

Not following the norms established by the USCCB creates disunity, not unity. Whether we're from Louisiana or Idaho, "Jews or Greeks, slaves or free" (1 Cor 12:13) ...

"I appeal to you, [Your Excellency], by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of [us] agree and that there be no dissensions among [us], but that [we] be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren. What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I belong to Paul,' or 'I belong to Apollos,' or 'I belong to Cephas,' [or 'I belong to Bishop Peter' or 'I belong to Louisiana'] or 'I belong to Christ.' Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor 1:12)

Thank you, Your Excellency, for your time and blessing!

ICtM&J,

Scott Smith

Conclusions: Being Denied the Eucharist While Kneeling

Note that the Bishop never addressed the violation of Canon Law and the norms promulgated by the USCCB. This is not the meekness of the lamb. It's passive aggressive. We have to demand more from our priests and bishops. 

The Language of the Body is the Greatest Catechism of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. 

Why is this important? Because the language of the body is the greatest catechism of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. If the father of the family cannot teach his children by kneeling before Jesus, we are in deep trouble. 

Why, Biblically, Do We Kneel to Receive Holy Communion?

Okay, but why, Biblically, should we kneel to receive Holy Communion? Because we image the paschal lamb. Here's a full article on this, The Jewish Roots of Kneeling to Receive Holy Communion:

List of U.S. Bishops, Dioceses, and Parishes Violating Church Law that Protects Kneeling

Here is a list, provided by you, of the Bishops, Dioceses, and Parishes in the United States that are actively denying Holy Communion for kneeling and violating the Church's law prohibiting such denial:  

• California
• Diocese of Orange
• St. Mary's by the Sea (Huntington Beach, CA) >> According to the L.A. Times newspaper, "Kneeling 'is clearly rebellion, grave disobedience and mortal sin,' Father Martin Tran, pastor at St. Mary’s by the Sea, told his flock in a recent church bulletin. The Diocese of Orange backs Tran’s anti-kneeling edict." 
• I have contacted this parish on 10/5/2023 to confirm whether this is still the case or if the violation of Church law has been corrected. 
• UPDATE: The parish priest responded on 10/6/2023 that neither he, who has been pastor there over seven years, nor his predecessor pastor would deny or have denied Holy Communion on the basis of kneeling.  
• Diocese of San Bernardino
• St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Community (Beaumont and Banning, CA) >> According to LifeSiteNews, "The bulletin notes that the parish 'highly discouraged the receiving of [C]ommunion while kneeling down' due to unspecified 'incidents that happened in the past caused by people kneeling down when receiving [C]ommunion.'" And further, "You will also be legally responsible for any harm that your action may cause to the ministers or the people around you when taking [C]ommunion kneeling down."
• Idaho 
• Diocese of Boise, Bishop Peter Christensen >> according to a regular parishioner in the Diocese, not only is kneeling to receive the Eucharist prohibited (illegally), but "... per Bishop Peter of the Diocese of Boise: parish pastors are prohibited from even installing kneelers for Holy Communion because it might indicate a preferred posture for reception."
• St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Hailey, Idaho >> you will be forced to stand to receive the Eucharist
• Michigan
• Unknown Diocese >> denial of kneelers for the elderly to exercise their right to receive kneeling
• Texas
• Archdiocese of San Antonio
• St. Francis of Assisi Parish >> I have contacted this parish on 10/5/2023 to confirm whether this is still the case or if the violation of Church law has been corrected. 

Please comment below with additions to this list!

Example Email to Send to Catholic Parish to Ask Whether Kneeling to Receive Holy Communion is Prohibited

Here is the message I have been sending to individual parishes (and dioceses) to confirm whether they are actively violating the Church's law allowing for communicants to receive Holy Communion while kneeling. 

You are welcome to use this and adapt it to your parish, as well!

Good morning/afternoon!  

I have received a report that your parish is or was prohibiting parishioners and communicants from kneeling to receive Holy Communion -- is this true? I am curating a list of U.S. dioceses and parishes that are actively violating Church law by prohibiting kneeling to receive Holy Communion. Has this situation been corrected or is Holy Communion still being denied in your parish to those who choose to kneel? 

Thanks! 

In Christ, 

Scott Smith

Where is Kneeling in the Bible? Scripture Verses about the Reverence of Postures  

In addition to the Jewish Roots of Kneeling, which I have previously linked to, here is a list of references to Kneeling from the Old and New Testaments, courtesy of Adoremus.org:

Old Testament References to Kneeling 

Genesis 41:43

…and he [Pharaoah] made him [Joseph] to ride in his second chariot; and they cried before him, "Bow the knee"! Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 

I Kings 8:54

Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven 

I Kings 19:18

Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed down to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. 

II Kings 1:13

And the third captain of fifty went up, and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, "O man of God, I pray you…" 

II Chronicles 6:13 

Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court; and he stood upon it. Then he knelt upon his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven 

Ezra 9:5

And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garments and my mantle rent, and fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. 

Daniel 6:10 

When Daniel knew that the document [condemning him to the den of lions] had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem; and he knelt on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he had done previously. 

Isaiah 45:23

By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."

Psalm 95:6 

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 

New Testament References to Kneeling 

Matthew 8:2 

… and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

Matthew 9:18 

While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."

Matthew 15:25 

But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."

Matthew 17:14, 15 

And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him [Jesus] and kneeling before him said "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic…" 

Mark 10:17 

And as he [Jesus] was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life"? 

Mark 15:19 

And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. 

Luke 22:41 

And he [Jesus] withdrew from them [his disciples] about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed 

Acts 7:60 – And he [Stephen] knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them". And when he had said this, he fell asleep. [petition]

Acts 9:40 – But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, rise". And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 

Acts 20:36 

And when he [Paul] had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 

Romans 11:4 

But what is God’s reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal". 

Romans 14:11 

... For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God". 

Ephesians 3:14, 15 

For this reason I [Paul] bow my knee unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you …" 

Philippians 2:10 

... That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth.

>> All scriptural references, unless otherwise notes, are from the Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition translation

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