New Auxiliary Bishop in Toronto

Bishop Kirkpatrick consecrated by His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins

Toronto has a new Auxiliary Bishop, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Wayne Joseph Kirkpatrick. His Excellency will serve the Church at Toronto in the northern region. 

It was fascinating to see in the Catholic Register this picture of His Excellency providing the Most Holy Eucharist to a communicant at Mass. There is nothing particularly unusual about the picture, it is a Shepherd of the Church in the Cathedral feeding the Bread of Heaven to a faithful Catholic, wearing a head covering, kneeling, with her eyes closed and receiving Him on her tongue.



Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick places the Eucharist
on a parishioner's tongue during his first mass at
 St. Michael's Cathedral as Toronto's newest auxiliary bishop.

I note this and you should too.

Why?

Because I continue to hear weekly how priests in this very diocese refuse, attempt to "correct," criticize, insult, complain, and scandalise those Catholics who wish to receive Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue.

Make no mistake. While in Canada, the norm for receiving Holy Communion is standing and that is the bishops choice, it is the individual Catholics' choice to kneel if they so choose. Pope Benedict XVI only gives Holy Communion on the tongue to communicants who are kneeling.

While Holy Communion can be received on the hand, that is an indult and can be removed with the stroke of the Holy Father's pen, and I believe will be one day not too far into the future. Notwithstanding many episcopal leaders in this country ordering the prohibition of Holy Communion on the tongue during the H1N1 scam, that prohibition by any priest, bishop, archbishop or even cardinal was wrong. They had no right. The law of the Church is that the norm for receiving Holy Communion is the tongue, the exception is the hand.

Now, my point in this post is not to cause His Excellency any discomfort but in fact, to acknowledge that he is fully aware of the law of the Church and he clearly respect it and the right of this communicant. The photo above appeared in fact, in The Catholic Register. The reason for this post is to arm you, loyal Voxett, so that you know and have visual proof the next time a priest of this Archdiocese attempts to scandalise you at the communion rail, if you can find one.

May God bless our new Auxiliary Bishop and may He abide in him.