Bishop bans use of altar rail at Charlotte Catholic High School

Students and Mass-goers at Charlotte Catholic High School in North Carolina have been told they may no longer use the altar rail for the reception of Holy Communion at daily Mass.

The instruction was issued by Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte, even though the rail itself had been installed in the school chapel in 2017 under his predecessor, Bishop Peter Jugis. According to reports circulated on social media, pupils and staff now kneel directly on the floor to receive the Sacrament.

The rail, which was installed eight years ago, was the result of a fundraising initiative led by a teacher at the school in memory of his younger brother, who had died. The project was warmly welcomed by families, clergy, and students, who saw in it a visible sign of continuity with the Church’s tradition.

Until this summer, the rail was used for the school’s daily Masses in the chapel. On one day each week, when the whole student body attended a larger liturgy in the gymnasium, pupils would receive Communion kneeling in a more makeshift setting. Otherwise, the carved wooden rail served as the regular place of reception.

That arrangement has now been brought to an end. According to the “Charlotte Latin Mass Community” account on the social media platform X, Bishop Martin instructed the school chaplain to leave the sanctuary and distribute the Eucharist from outside the altar rail. Despite this, most of the faithful present continued to kneel to receive Communion, except in cases where it was physically impossible for them to do so.

The Charlotte Latin Mass Community account, a lay-run group active on social media, is well known locally for its close ties to Catholics attached to the traditional liturgy and for its detailed knowledge of developments within the diocese.

The Catholic Herald has also spoken to a parishioner of the Diocese of Charlotte, who is close to Charlotte Catholic High School, and who confirmed that the new practice is in place.

The move comes at a time of wider restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Charlotte. On 8 July, the bishop issued a decree forbidding the celebration of Mass in the traditional Roman Rite at all but one location. The only authorised liturgy of the Vetus Ordo is now celebrated on Sundays at a chapel in Mooresville, with all other celebrations suppressed.

For many conservative critics of the bishop in Charlotte, the two decisions appear closely linked. The installation of the altar rail in 2017 had been seen as an expression of reverence that resonated with the wider recovery of tradition among the faithful. Now, the decision to forbid its use has been taken by some as a symbolic distancing from those same instincts.

In Charlotte, the shift in policy under the new bishop is particularly striking because of the contrast with his predecessor. Bishop Jugis oversaw the ordination of new priests, encouraged traditional devotions, and permitted the expansion of the Latin Mass within the diocese. By banning the use of the altar rail, among other things, Bishop Martin, who succeeded him last year, has taken a markedly different and more rapid approach.

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Photo credit: liturgy guy