Concelebration

[2] Concelebration occurs in Eastern Christianity, but in the Roman Catholic Church the practice fell into disuse for several centuries but has been revived with the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council as dictated in the document Sacrosanctum Concilium.

[6] An example of studies in the immediate post-conciliar years regarding the matter of this liturgical practice is the volume of essays by a distinguished group of Roman Catholic churchmen (Burkhard Neunheuser et al.) titled Théologie et pratique de la Concélébration (Maison Mame, 1967, translated from the Italian original, La Concelebrazione, which Edizioni Queriniana had published).

Liturgical law allows concelebration on any occasion, but it is more common on feasts, especially those at which the (arch)bishop traditionally presides, such as the Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday.

An article in La Civiltà Cattolica of 2 October 2004[7] pointed out that the reintroduction of Eucharistic concelebration in the Latin Church was in line with the teaching of Pope Pius XII, who taught that the two "assistant bishops" at the consecration of a new bishop should speak all the words of consecration, thus indicating clearly that, instead of being merely witnesses, they were co-consecrating, concelebrating the sacrament of orders.

[citation needed] However, the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church directs other clergy to "stand with the celebrant at the Altar, and join in the consecration of the gifts, in breaking the Bread, and in distributing Communion.