Not only permitted, but encouraged and expected

November 7, 2011 

Dear Fathers, Deacons and Parish Liturgists, 

In light of recent statements by the bishops of the Dioceses of Phoenix and Madison regarding the limited use of Holy Communion under both kinds, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify our normative practice in our own local Church. 

In the Diocese of San Jose, Communion under both kinds is permitted whenever it may seem appropriate to the Priest to whom a community has been entrusted, provided that the conditions set in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 283, have been satisfied, namely: 

The faithful have been well instructed; 

There is no danger of profanation of the Sacrament; 

and 

There is no danger of the rite becoming difficult because of the large number of participants or some other reason. 

Because I firmly believe that all of our parishes and worshipping communities have met the above conditions, I want to reiterate that in the Diocese of San Jose, Communion under both kinds is not only permitted but also encouraged and is expected to be the norm at every Sunday and feast day Mass. 

As I said in my June, 2003, letter establishing this as a norm for our diocese, I echo the Church's encouragement of the laity's sharing in the Precious Blood at Mass:?"Since, however, by reason of the sign value, sharing in both eucharistic species reflects more fully the sacred realities that the Liturgy signifies, the Church in her wisdom has made provisions in recent years so that more frequent eucharistic participation from both the sacred host and the chalice of salvation might be made possible for the laity in the Latin Church" (Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States, 11). 

Furthermore, I firmly believe the Church's teaching that:"Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it takes place under both kinds. For in this form the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident and clearer expression is given to the divine will by which the new and eternal Covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord, as also the connection between the Eucharistic banquet and the eschatological banquet in the Kingdom of the Father" (GIRM, 281). 

As we prepare to implement the new English translation of the Roman Missal and continue the work of renewing the liturgy in our diocese, I ask you to ensure the availability of the Precious Blood to the laity at all Sunday and holy day Masses. I am grateful for your continued attention to this and catechesis of the faithful regarding this significant teaching of the Church. 

With every best wish and kind regard, I remain, 

Sincerely yours, 
Patrick J. McGrath 
Bishop of San Jose