Am I allowed to serve Holy Communion?

[awalt]

One of our local hospitals is in desperate need of people to give Holy Communion to Catholic patients on the weekends. So I thought I would volunteer for the day a moonth they need.

While I have not talked yet to the person in charge at the hospital chapel yet, I was told that they train me to give Communion but I am not being trained as a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, which is what I thought I needed to be.

Can I serve Holy Communion at the hospital, or is there a quesiton or two I shoudl ask when I speak to them about this? I want to help out but I don’t want to do anything wrong - I have to believe they know what they are doing, however!

Thanks and God bless

 

[Joe_Kelley]

awalt:

. . .
While I have not talked yet to the person in charge at the hospital chapel yet, I was told that they train me to give Communion but I am not being trained as a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, which is what I thought I needed to be.

. . .

There may be a communication problem here. Ask the person in charge and get the answer directly.

One who brings Communion to the Sick is an EMHC by definition *

What they may mean is that they will not train you to serve at the altar. While your commission will cover both ministry to the sick and at the altar, you would require further training to serve at the altar. If you do not wish to serve at the altar at this time you may not want to take the additional training at this point.*

 

[awalt]

Thanks for the clarification, I’ll follow up with them directly but I bet you are right.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

There really is no offical training to be a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

Some bishops have guidlines for training, some bishops leave it to the pastors of each parish to set up something but there is no offical training program for it.

The training I underwent was a 4 hour session on a Saturday. We met at the Church, talked about about the Eucharist, did a little “touchy feely” exercise and then went though what to do at the Mass.

That was before I fully went Byzantine. I also never served as one, just was learning to fill in when there were no shows at the Mass I was sacristan for.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

awalt:

One of our local hospitals is in desperate need of people to give Holy Communion to Catholic patients on the weekends. So I thought I would volunteer for the day a moonth they need.

While I have not talked yet to the person in charge at the hospital chapel yet, I was told that they train me to give Communion but I am not being trained as a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, which is what I thought I needed to be.

Can I serve Holy Communion at the hospital, or is there a quesiton or two I shoudl ask when I speak to them about this? I want to help out but I don’t want to do anything wrong - I have to believe they know what they are doing, however!

Thanks and God bless

In this diocese you are trained to serve at the altar first. Then after serving at the Altar for one year you can then receive additional training to carry the Blessed Sacrament to the sick and homebound.

 

[puzzleannie]

In this diocese there is a prescribed “basic training” for all ministries, and then a specific training for lectors, EHMC etc. This program is only a couple of years old and most parishes are not on board yet. Unless you are talking about someone paid to be a hospital chaplain, the persons who take communion to the sick come from the parish that is assigned to look after that medical facility (in our town the 3 parishes rotate at the 2 medical centers). You are trained and commissioned as an EHMC by your parish, and assigned by whoever is in charge of visiting and ministry to the sick.

If you have a family member who will be ill at home or in hospital for a while, you can be commissioned just to bring communion for them, and receive the host after the Mass you usually attend. Be sure to go directly home with no stops, administer the sacrament, and be sure to return the pyx to the parish office when you are through.
there is a rite for administering the sacrament to the sick which ministers should be trained for.

 

[flamingsword]

Canon Law says

"Can. 911 ß1 The duty and right to bring the blessed Eucharist to the sick as Viaticum belongs to the parish priest, to assistant priests, to chaplains and, in respect of all who are in the house, to the community Superior in clerical religious institutes or societies of apostolic life.

“ß2 In a case of necessity, or with the permission at least presumed of the parish priest, chaplain or Superior, who must subsequently be notified, any priest or other minister of holy communion must do this.”

"Can. 910 ß1 The ordinary minister of holy communion is a Bishop, a priest or a deacon.

"ß2 The extraordinary minister of holy communion is an acolyte, or another of Christ’s faithful deputed in accordance with can. 230 ß3. "

"Can. 230 ß1 Lay men whose age and talents meet the requirements prescribed by decree of the Episcopal Conference, can be given the stable ministry of lector and of acolyte, through the prescribed liturgical rite. This conferral of ministry does not, however, give them a right to sustenance or remuneration from the Church.

"ß2 Lay people can receive a temporary assignment to the role of lector in liturgical actions. Likewise, all lay people can exercise the roles of commentator, cantor or other such, in accordance with the law.

"ß3 Where the needs of the Church require and ministers are not available, lay people, even though they are not lectors or acolytes, can supply certain of their functions, that is, exercise the ministry of the word, preside over liturgical prayers, confer baptism and distribute Holy Communion, in accordance with the provisions of the law. "

More than you ever wanted to know.