Holy Communion Twice in a Day... Not Ordinarily Says Rome

Can. 917 – Qui sanctissimam Eucharistiam iam receipt, potest eam iterum eadem die suscipere solummodo intra eucharisticam celebrationem cui participat, salvo praescripto can. 921, § 2.

Can. 917 – He who has already received the most holy Eucharist, is able to receive it again on the same day only within a eucharistic celebration in which he participates, without prejudice to the provision of can. 921, § 2.

Catholics are often told that they can receive Holy Communion twice in a day without qualification. It seems to be a “right” to receive Holy Communion twice in one day, no matter what the circumstances may be. Looking into the Church’s law on this question reveals something altogether different however. First, the Code of Canon Law is basing Can. 917 on a document from the then Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments entitled Immensae caritatis, which in English begins “The witness of immeasurable charity (immensae caritatis) which Christ the Lord left to his Church, his bride…” (Acta Apostolica Sedis, 65 [1973] 267 – 268) This document discusses highly important matters of Church discipline surrounding so august a Sacrament; Matters such as the distribution of Holy Communion by extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, a wider faculty – not unrestricted and limitless – for the reception of Holy Communion twice in one day, the mitigation of the Eucharistic fast for the infirm and the elderly and finally, the piety and reverence toward the Most Blessed Sacrament when the faithful receive the Host in the hand. Weighty matters and unfortunately I am not able to treat of them all. However, we now turn to the question of receiving twice in one day and will leave the rest for another day.


Lest I impose my own ideas on the matter, permit me to quote in full from an important paragraph of Immensae caritas,

“Like a provident mother, the Church has established from centuries-old practice and has received into its canon law a norm according to which it is lawful for the faithful to receive communion only once a day. That norm remains unchanged and is not to be disregarded simply for reasons of devotion. Any ill-advised desire to repeat communion must be countered by the truth that the more devoutly a person approaches the holy table the greater the power of that sacrament which feeds, strengthens, and expresses faith, charity, and the rest of the virtues. 6 (Cfr. S. Thomas, Summa Theol. III, q. 79, a. 7 ad 3 et a. 8 ad 1.) For the faithful are to go forth from the liturgical celebration to do works of charity, religion, and the apostolate "so that what they have received by faith and sacrament in the celebration of the eucharist they will hold to by the way they live." 7 (S. Congr. Rituum, Instr. Eucharisticum mysterium, 25 maii 1967, n. 13: A.A.S. 59 (1967), p. 549.)

First it must be clearly stated that there is an age old practice in the Church of receiving Holy Communion only once a day; this remains unchanged according to the Magisterium of the Church. Saint Thomas is instructive on this point:

“Reply to Objection 3: Receiving is of the very nature of the sacrament, but offering belongs to the nature of sacrifice: consequently, when one or even several receive the body of Christ, no help accrues to others. In like fashion even when the priest consecrates several hosts in one mass, the effect of this sacrament is not increased, since there is only one sacrifice; because there is no more power in several hosts than in one, since there is only one Christ present under all the hosts and under one. Hence, neither will any one receive greater effect from the sacrament by taking many consecrated hosts in one mass. But the oblation of the sacrifice is multiplied in several masses, and therefore the effect of the sacrifice and of the sacrament is multiplied.”

A serious need is required to receive Holy Communion a second time during the period of one day. The Holy See lists some examples:

“1. at ritual Masses in which the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, anointing of the sick, orders, and marriage are administered, as well as at Masses in which there is a first communion;

2. at Masses for the consecration of a church or an altar, for a religious profession, for the conferral of a "canonical mission";

3. at the Masses for the dead on the occasion of the funeral, news of the death, the final burial, or the first anniversary;

4. at the principal Mass celebrated in a cathedral or parish church on the solemnity of Corpus Christi and on the day of a pastoral visitation; at a Mass celebrated on the occasion of a major religious superior's canonical visitation to a particular religious house or chapter;

5. at the principal Mass at a eucharistic or Marian congress, whether international or national, regional or diocesan;

6. at the principal Mass of any kind of meeting, pilgrimage, or people's mission;

7 at the administration of viaticum, when communion may be given to the members of the household and the friends of the sick person who are present.

8. Over and above the cases already mentioned, the local Ordinary is allowed to grant for a single occasion the faculty to receive communion twice on the same day whenever, because of truly special circumstances. a second reception is warranted on the basis of this Instruction.”

The last paragraph is instructive because to receive a second time during the course of a day requires the faculty of the Local Ordinary if it is not one of the above mentioned circumstances or another circumstance made local law by the Local Ordinary. Further, the phrase “special circumstances” is a rather interesting translation of the “peculiaria adiuncta” which would be “peculiar circumstances.”

The lesson from all of this is that Catholics should stop receiving Holy Communion twice during the course of one day unless they are in one of the above mentioned circumstances or they have received the specific faculty to do so from the Local Ordinary.