Holy Communion in the Romanian Church Practice

[Roman]

Does anyone know exactly, why do the Romanians (at least the Old Calendarists ones) cannot partake the Holy Communion more than just four times a year (after the four fast seasons happens throughout the liturgical year)??
Indeed, at the Divine Liturgy, the priest simply does not come out to give communion to anybody (so the children don't communicate as well), as I could witness myself while being at the Dormition Monastery in Bucharest, and when visiting other Romanian Old Calendar churches and monasteries.
When was this practice introduced or begun? For what reasons?
I've seen it while I've been staying there, but I don't know why I did not ask about.
I was there for Theophany, and I thought that in a big Feast they would give Communion to the crowd of faithful. I was wrong.
The only information they gave me was that they could communicate only four times a year, no matter if they were monastics and laymen. Only the priests communicated.
I was really shocked with such practice, which I had never heard about nor seen before, in any other orthodox tradition I know, either personally or by reading.
I really appreciate any information about this issue.
Thanks in advance.

Asking your prayers for me,
Roman, The Sinner

[spiridon]

this was and is the same practice on Mt.Athos, except for The Holy Fathers known as the Kollyvades , who at a point in time went to find silence in prayer in the nevermost cliffs of Mt.Athos and were enlightened to do otherwise- or simply prescribed more Frequent Communion. The Kollyvades includes many, many holy Fathers that arent even known to many people, for they lived a Strict and Heavy Life of Asceticism in harsh conditions and all they had at times to eat was Holy Communion...some of these Great and Holy Fathers known are St makarios of corinth,St.Nikephoros of chios, St.Nikodemos the Hagiorite, they were a big influence on St.Paisy Velichovsky, aswell as St.Seraphim of Sarov, and probally the reason the Russian church prescribes Frequent Communion...
all I know is this- if its Truely the Body and blood of Christ, and one has properlly prepared with canons and prayers and fasting, and confessed ones sins, why NOT receive as frequent as possible- everyday if one can, Right? this was St.Seraphims Prescription that was handed down to him...St Seraphim of Sarov pray to God for us all...to keep people from receiving the Holy Body and Blood of Christ to me seems very strange, and I would definitly question my participation at these gatherings- if its just prayers that matters except 4 times a year, one could simply stay home and pray...

[Lenexa]

I would be interested if there has been any serious study on this issue. Many churches to this day have this practice of only offering communion to the faithful four times a year. I talked to one priest who visited a Serbian Church and was appalled and asked why he did this and simply explained that is what he was taught.
I could hazard many guesses as to why this happens and have read and heard many things over the year, such as the development of very stringent Preparation Rules that require fasting for 36 hours, but I am not sure.
Roman, and to everyone who might know or get in contact with a priest who does this, was there no way that you could have talked to the priest or priests at the Church and asked them about the practice? Perhaps if I have time I will send out some E-Mails to people who might know. I would start by trying to contact someone in the Synod in Resistance since they are in Communion with the Romanian Old Calendarists.

[Andrei]

Taking the Holy Communion does require non-oil (strict) fasting for 8 days for non-fasting period of Church Year or 3 days of non-oil fasting applied for one of the four fasting times of the Year - according to the Holy Canons as mentioned in the Pedalion of Saint Nikodemus the Hagiorite.
So Roman I understand that you are a continuous (endless) faster, since you do Commune frequently (or perpetual).Yes, the Kollyvades sustained and practiced frequent Communion, but they were great ascetics, and some of them abstained themselves not only of eating fish, milk and cheese, but also from wine and oil for all their life!

Another issue: since I am a TOC of Romania, I can undoubtly tell you that in Romania there is not a unwritten law to commune "only 4 times a year", but as frequent as the man deserve to comune (judging from a very spiritual perspective), but not more frequently than once at 40 days. You said that you visit Romania during the days following the Feast of Nativity and that you are really "shocked" that nobody has communed those days.
Simple response for you: taking in consideration that Nativity was no more than 8 days ago (and all of those who confessed their sins and received a pennitential Canon, and also receive a blessing for communing), and that for those days was no fasting at all, I am shocked you sustain that someone should have commune [after eating meat!]. This has been the 2-millenium-old practice in craddle-Orthodox Romania, and many people became Saints. Can you deny that?

Frequent Communion seems to me more like a Protestant practice, induced in non-Orthodox countries by some "zeallots without conscience" missionaries. Holy Communion has to be deserved to be taken, and not to be taken instead of Prosphora.

[Jean-Serge]

Frequent Communion seems to me more like a Protestant practice, induced in non-Orthodox countries by some "zeallots without conscience" missionaries. Holy Communion has to be deserved to be taken, and not to be taken instead of Prosphora.

You should read Saint Nicodemus's book about frequent communion. It advocates for this, even for laymen and insists that people should prepare before communing. By the way, he refutes the thesis about communing once in 40 days. Frequent communion is praised by all the Fathers, with frequent preparation of course. Unfrequent communion is actually a 17th century decadence, just like not fasting on Wednesday and Friday, unfrequent confession. The orthodox ideal is frequent communion with frequent confession.