Eucharistic Liturgy

[Veridicus]

Is it a big deal for the priest not to kneel at the prescribed times during the Eucharistic Liturgy. One of the priests in my area participates in a communal bow along with everyone in attendance at these prescribed times. I mean he's capable of kneeling...he's not wheel-chair bound or anything. He simply chooses not to kneel and instead has de novo decided to have a community wide bow in place of what the GIRM suggests.

This same priest has decided to have his entire community stand for the entirety of the Eucharistic Liturgy despite their perfectly good kneelers. He has cited in a card in the pews that "the early Church forbade kneeling on Sundays and so our community stands as the early church did."

Is it okay to just ignore GIRM 42-44?

These are really more of the inocuous of his liturgical faux pas...

[CatherineM]

One of my favorite priests did the same thing. We also wasn't in a wheelchair, but he needed a hip replacement. He didn't want people to know because he was a very private person, and was putting the surgery off as long as possible because he was afraid of it. Sometimes you can't know what cross someone else carries.

[StColette]

As Catherine pointed out, it is possible that the priest may have an underlying medical issue that can be hidden. He may not need a wheelchair or a cane, but it's possible that he has a physical/medical issue that is keeping him from kneeling. He may have asked the entire community to bow with him for the sake of unity. So to reiterate, just because someone does not appear to have a physical/medical issue it doesn't mean that they don't. For example, from the very early stages of my pregnancy, before it was noticeable that I was expecting, I had huge difficulties with kneeling. I would actually get very short of breath and feel very dizzy. Rather than pass out in the pew I made the decision that it was best for me to sit and bow my head rather than but myself and the baby at risk.

Now for the second part of your question.

The GIRM states:

In the dioceses of the United States of America, they should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.

The posture can be changed for reasons of health, lack or space, large number of people present, or some other good reason. Your priest could see that his parish is in need of the posture change because of one of those reasons. There might be enough people there who are physically unable to kneel that for the sake of unity he asks all to stand instead. The GIRM tells us that the faithful should kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Bishop determines otherwise. Kneeling or not kneeling after the Agnus Dei seems not to be a decision that the individual priest can make. Rather it is a decision to be made by the Bishop of the Diocese. So if the Bishop hasn't said that the posture for the Diocese shall be to stand after the Agnus Dei, if I'm reading the GIRM correctly then the priest is taking liberties to change something that he has no authority to change.