November 15, 2011 – Catechism 1140 – 1144

Even though we do celebrate together, there are certain roles that some have that others do not. Priest are a specially ordained part of the community that have duties that cannot be taken on by the laity in the congregation. I don’t know if I have seen it as much, but I have some, of this attempt to hand off some of the duties for priest to the laity. Whether conscience of it or not, it is destroying our image of the priest and the important role that he plays and the special grace that comes from Holy Orders. Something as small as the people gathering around the alter (which we used to do on retreats) can take away from the understanding that a priest has a unique position and is there in the place of Christ. I remember when being an Extraordinary Minister holding the host and consuming it at the same time as the priest. These are just two example I can think of that are not allowed and for the reason that they bring the laity into a realm that is meant solely for the ordained. But this separation does not take away the responsibility to participate in the Mass. We each just have different roles to play.