- St. Augustine
How often can a Catholic receive Communion?
Many older Catholics remember when they were allowed to receive the sacrament no more than once a day. If you received Communion at a funeral Mass on Saturday morning, you weren't allowed to receive Communion at Mass that evening.
In the early Church, Christians received Communion daily, but by the time of St. Paul, reception had dropped to only "the first day of the week." Even the early doctors of the Church such as St. Jerome and St. Augustine didn't know how often the faithful should receive Communion. They left it up to the individual.
During the Middle Ages, reception of Communion declined so much that in 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council decreed that Catholic must receive Communion at least once a year, or risk excommunication.
Today's Canon law permits the reception of Communion at two different Masses on the same day.
- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw