UPDATE:
Someone should remind the Bishop of Charlotte of the USCCB position on liturgical screens: pic.twitter.com/Gjc1zpiWlS
— Multiclassing Cleric (@lukei4655) September 5, 2025
Firstly, I warmly recommend the documentary Bread Not Stones. It puts a human face on the reports of suffering of the faithful in Charlotte. Go HERE for the video. Please share it with as many people as you can. If you know any bishops, send them the link to the documentary. Link: https://youtu.be/cbxmxotl-xE
At Rorate there is a post about more from Charlotte’s bishop. If this is true, he seems determined to horizontalize and desacralize the Mass.
Now he is reportedly taking aim at Catholic school children.
From Rorate (emphasis in the original:
We have received a report of the new liturgical directives which Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte wishes to impose on the masses of Paul VI celebrated in the three Catholic high schools under his jurisdiction. The goal is apparently the decatholicization of the new liturgy in the schools under his authority.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, they are exactly what we would expect, given what we have previously seen of his ideas about “liturgical norms.”
The use of kneelers and communion rails for the distribution of Holy Communion is forbidden.
There must be students to serve as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.
A projector and screen are to be installed in the chapels to facilitate the singing of hymns and longer parts of the Mass such as the Gloria and the Creed. (It is, of course, a major pastoral problem that young people today spend too much time reading from books, and not enough time interacting with screens.)
At large Masses, a student is to give a testimonial about their faith life, lasting 3-5 minutes, between the final prayer and the blessing and dismissal.
[…]
Read the rest there.
Please, Lord, let this not be true.
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It’s astoundingly inappropriate for kids to be extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. On a scale of zero to 10 bananas, it’s 57 bananas.
Lord Jesus, deliver us from the participation fanatics.
My Catholic all girls high school had students giving Holy Communion 40+ years ago. All I can hope is that a new generation somehow will refuse to volunteer for this. Rather kneel in silence… The trouble is, among other things of course, participation is good for the “service hours” that I daresay the parents want to see on college resumes. Maybe pray for the intercession of the Crusader saints of yesteryear.
It’s like he asked himself “how can I make the Mass even more unbearable”?
I really hope Pope Leo takes corrective action against this. This is no time to move at “Church speed.”
+Lord, bless Holy Father Pope Leo, that he will become the good and holy shepherd you need him to be for the sake of your Church.
May he and all the bishops soften their hearts towards those among the faithful who desire greater reverence in the Sacred Liturgy, especially those who desire access to attend the Traditional Latin Mass.+
Yeahhhhhh. You know what happens if you ask kids to testify at Mass at school?
They complain about whatever they don’t like about school life, which is full of things to spiritually complain about with Biblical support.
I know this, because I did this when I was in, like, 4th grade. Imagine all the angst you will get from high schoolers.
Ha ha ha ha…ouch. I hope they complain about the bishop right in front of the bishop, because it will serve him right.
I thought that the bishop’s rationale for eliminating the TLM and other practices was to ensure that everyone at Mass throughout the diocese is doing the same thing, but now he wants Masses with students to have student testimonials, i.e. a feature which will make those Masses different from other Masses?
Bishop Martin’s new directive permitting the projection of liturgical texts undoes the previous bishop’s directive prohibiting it: https://charlottediocese.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/08_11_23-Bishop-norms-on-screens.pdf
Also, the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship states:
“The current policy of the Committee on Divine Worship is that permission is not granted to project readings and liturgical texts on screens during the liturgy. The bishops have the perspective that since so many people spend much of their time looking at screens, the Sacred Liturgy ought to be a prayerful break from that experience. The bishops also believe that screens are a distraction from what is actually taking place in the liturgy.”
Source: https://www.usccb.org/committees/divine-worship/policies/copyright-permissions-requirements
Pray for the bishop’s salvation.
Also, do not stand too close to him during a thunderstorm. :-)
Back when they inflicted the Novus Ordo on us they installed a projector screen to the left of the Altar. It told us the responses and when to kneel and stand.
All reverence went out the window. Ushers would ask , Do you want a good seat for the movie?
God help them in Charlotte.
My first thought was: “this guy can’t be old enough to have grown-up in the 6o’s and 70’s”, but – he was born in ‘61. Just the age to have imbibed heavily of the Spirit of the Council!™ It would be charitable to think that – as was said about the traddies of that era – he’s just nostalgic for the rites of his youth!
Then I looked at his c.v. – M.Ed. from BC, spent 2y before his (1989) ordination and thence until 2022 (25y total) in the educational realm… his sole pastoral experience, lasting almost nineteen months, immediately preceded his elevation to the purple. So much for the “smell of the sheep”… but the “do as I say” mentality is starting to make more sense :(
With regard to the intention to use students as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (whether or not such Extraordinary Ministers are, actually, needed is another story), the ever-helpful EWTN has this to say about the age of EMHC’s:
Even among those churches whose bishops have issued norms [NB, not every diocese has done so and there is clearly no universal statement], there is quite a difference in opinion.
“In the United States it would appear that the most common minimum age is 18. This is the norm in dioceses such as New York and St. Louis. Some others have a lower age, such as Detroit which indicates “high school age.” [Does anyone know if Charlotte has 1) issued norms and 2)what they are?]
Most European countries such as Germany and Italy as well as some Latin American bishops seem to opt for higher minimum ages of between 21-30 years old, although exceptions can also be found.
In Italy, the bishops set the minimum age for seminarians to receive the ministries of instituted lector or acolyte at 21. The bishops consider that ‘before this age it is difficult that the person has reached a stable orientation and the candidate an acquired pastoral rapport.’
If this is required of a seminarian who has received several years of formation, some bishops draw the conclusion that an even higher level of maturity is required of laypeople. Thus many Italian dioceses, such as the Patriarchate of Venice, have established 25 years as the minimum age for extraordinary ministers.” (https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/teens-as-extraordinary-ministers-4541)
Some other interesting tidbits, this time from the 1973 (yes, Post-Conciliar!) instruction Immensae Caritatis:
“The faithful who are special ministers of communion must be persons whose good qualities of Christian life, faith, and morals recommend them. Let them strive to be worthy of this great office, foster their own devotion to the eucharist, and show an example to the rest of the faithful by their own devotion and reverence toward the most august sacrament of the altar. No one is to be chosen whose appointment the faithful might find disquieting.” — Who is going to be appointing these EMHCs, and are they in an adequate position to verify that they have “good qualities of Christian life” or “show an example to the rest of the faithful by their own devotion and reverence…”? NB: these questions apply to any EMHC, of course, but imagine the scandal that could be easily given in a high school setting if someone with a…notorious reputation (merited or otherwise)…is selected as an EMHC!
“The usage of communion in the hand must be accompanied by relevant instruction or catechesis on Catholic teaching regarding Christ’s real and permanent presence under the eucharistic elements and the proper reverence toward this sacrament.
The faithful must be taught that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and that therefore the worship of or adoration belonging to God is owed to Christ present in this sacrament. They are also to be instructed not to omit after communion the sincere and appropriate thanksgiving that is in keeping with their individual capacities, state, and occupation.” (https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/on-facilitating-reception-of-communion-in-certain-circumstances-2178)
I really hope that these students are being adequately instructed on the “real and permanent presence” of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and the proper reverence due the sacrament…
No words.
My Novus Ordo parish does not use altar girls or ‘extraordinary ministers’ and somehow things get along just fine.
Born in 1963 here. The school mass liturgical “norms” are bringing back some HORRIBLE memories from my childhood! None of this works out well…I speak from experience from a family of 7 of which only 3 of us are still Catholic. This kind of stuff is toxic–especially for teens.
The only good news is that many of the kids, especially the ones coming from orthodox households, will look at this stuff and go, “okay boomer!” The bad news is that they may also turn away from the faith. Hopefully they turn towards tradition (as I did), though we need to make sure there are Traditional alternatives to receive them. The resistance needs to receive them.
Maybe it is time for Priest bolt holes and hidden TLM masses in Charlotte. St Edmund Campion, pray for them!
Eucharistic ministers?.
Only an Ordained Catholic Priests is allowed to touch the Host with his Consecrated hands. Does the Host lose its sanctification when man or women handled by a Lay Person?
Fr. Z- I am in the Diocese of Charlotte and it is 100% true. If anyone decides to investigate Bishop Martin, it will become clear he should not have been made a Priest much less a Bishop. These acts are vengeful. I’ll leave it at that.
After reading this I hope parents at these three Catholic high schools take the time to think where there money is going. Some of these parents spend $60K to $100K for Catholic high school. This is money that could be used elsewhere. If enough families decide to say send their children to other schools that could send a message to the newer bishop.
About Eucharistic Ministers, I was one at a Catholic college (mid to late 1980s). The priest there at the time (now deceased) told us we had to have been baptized, received first communion, been confirmed, and be a practicing Catholic. I don’t recall an age requirement, but we were told that we should not engage in certain behaviors as we were to set an example. I think that’s enough without giving extra details.
I am glad someone mentioned service hours because many confirmation programs require them. Some has a
purpose, but sometimes it’s a way to do
some “voluntold” for students. I recall some of my mainline Protestant friends getting confirmed (early 1980s primarily) and from what they told me the preparation didn’t seem much different than my Catholic confirmation in 1981.
Let’s have a student whose family was affected by the TLM pogroms give his or her testimony. Also utilize the new projectors projectors for a visual aid and a playing of clips from Bread, Not Stones.