It wasn’t until the 1960s that some episcopal conferences requested permission from the Holy See to once again place the consecrated host directly in the hands of the faithful. Permission for administering Communion in the hand was granted by the Holy See to the United States on June 17, 1977 and has since become almost the universal norm in the Ordinary Form.
 
Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, touched on the debate over Communion during the coronavirus crisis in a letter to bishops. "In times of difficulty (e.g. wars, pandemics), bishops and episcopal conferences can give provisional norms which must be obeyed. These measures given by the bishops and episcopal conferences expire when the situation returns to normal," Cardinal Sarah wrote.  "A sure principle in order not to err is obedience. Obedience to the norms of the Church, obedience to the bishops." 
 
Catholics have debated whether it’s better to receive the Eucharist on the tongue or in our hands during the past decades. Anytime the Church gives us a choice, we tend to have a habit of believing our way — or the tradition we follow — is best. I want to thank many of you who have opted to receive Jesus in communion in the hand during this pandemic. If you want to receive communion on the tongue, kindly approach one of the clergy members or Sr. Dominic, who will be distributing communion when Fr. Brian celebrates mass. And whatever way you choose to receive communion, your inner disposition is what counts and not whether it is in the hand or on the tongue. Blessings!

Fr. Paulson