92 It Happened in Iona

Because fasting from midnight was one of the disciplines re- quired for receiving the Eucharist, very few went to Communion at Sunday Mass. Even a sip of water was enough to break the fast. An exception to this pattern, however, happened once a month on the Sunday following the first Friday when large numbers of people made an effort to receive Communion. This was known as “Holy Name Sunday” and many parishioners would also have gone to confsesion the previous couple of days. People knelt for Communion and normally held their hands under the white cloth that extended the full length of the rail. In addition, an altar server went before the priest and held a brass plate under the chin of each communicant lest the Sacred Host or particles should fall. Receiving the Eucharist in church was commonly referred to in terms of “going to the rail” or “coming back from the rail”. Once while many were singing the praises of a recently deceased woman, an old gentleman was heard to murmur: “She was a great woman for runnin’ to the rail”.

Sunday Masses were generally routine and predictable, lasting about an hour, but throughout the year a few things intervened to break the normal flow. At certain times Benedic- tion and rosary were added at the end of Mass. In frigid weather the furnace habitually petered out toward the beginning of Mass and cold prayers were often the order of the day. From time to time someone would faint during Mass raising no small commo- tion with the accompanying sliding of chairs and kneelerS. Immediately two or more men would descend upon the scene, grab the victim and without fanfare carry him or her outdoors for air. Marriage banns also interrupted the usual flow of Mass and one could hear a pin drop when the priest read out “the calls” of upcoming marriages. Following parish weddings, habitually on Wednesday mornings, all eyes would be on the newly weds the following Sunday as the couple “appeared out” in this public assembly. Catechetical Sunday, usually in June each year, was another out of the ordinary events at Sunday worship. One Sunday every January the priest would read out the financial contributions of each family for the year just ended. It was a mini judgment scene for sure but the people didn’t seem to mind. For quite some time one Sunday around year’s end was ear- marked for the “drawing of the seats”. Each row of chairs was numbered and families simply drew a number out of a basket to discover their places for the coming year. A small fee, perhaps three dollars, was attached to the drawing and the whole process