Another Weird Place to Find Consecrated Hosts!

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My parish has one of those real cool tabernacles where the doors open with the twist of a key and slide/retract into the walls of the tabernacle.

Yesterday I found 3 consecrated hosts that had fallen next to the “rail” the door runs on. It was immediately visible when I opened the tabernacle. Given the type of host (we have two types – one is smaller/thinner for those who cannot swallow well) they were likely dropped by an EMHC preparing to take communion to someone at their home or in a facility. It was fairly recent too as the hosts were not stale. With some patience and a pair of tweezers we were able to retrieve the hosts.

How could a trained EMHC drop hosts and not pick them up?I’m getting angry at this point – I was the guy who found two hosts over two months in my parish’s sanctuary – I waited until I had a witness this time.

At this point I think everyone needs to be re-trained. Be as flexible as possible but if someone can’t make the training, they are through until they can. Then testing following the training. If you don’t pass, you don’t handle the Blessed Sacrament.

Finally, sharply limit the number of people with access to the church and the tabernacle. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that 100 people have the combination to the church and far more than 50 know where the tabernacle key is kept.

My pastor is a good and able guy but he really inherited a place with very poor practices.
 
Be sure to make a prayer of reparation, or even a Holy Hour of Reparation, to the Most Blessed Sacrament. 🙂
 
quick solution is to lock up the tabernacle key so the EMHC has to get it from the pastor, sacristant or secretary. but retraining is definitely in order. I think similar situation in many parishes. combo lock to chapel in former parish may as well be on the internet, everybody has it, and that is the actual tabernacle as well. very lax security, because the combo made it so hard for people who had a legit reason to be there it defeated the purpose.
 
Hi! 🙂 Your vigilance is greatly appreciated and your suggestions sound like the beginning of the solution. It appears that some serious discussion is needed. Perhaps the EMHC/s responsible may have known what occurred but were less aware of the sacredness of the host, or simply afraid to admit their mistake and ask for help to retreive the hosts. Their awareness may need to be heightened and if they feel unable to overcome embaressment in favor of human respect, then perhaps they might be better to withdraw from the ministry.

Our parish has just withdrawn all keys and changed the locks as a serious theft involved the use of a key not a break-in which underlined a need to be very vigilant regarding the number of people who hold keys. Perhaps there needs to be a regulated time for allowing people to open the tabernacle, perhaps a couple of trusted supervisors with whom the EMHCs have to cordinate?

Bless you, Trishie
 
One of our parish priests is overweight so as soon as Communion is over, he hands everything over to one of the EMHC to put away, always a different person. He then goes and sits down. I have seen an EMHC hand Communion to a woman who walked up in the Communion line with her hand extended in the same form as someone being handed a pencil or donut. The EMHC had to ask the person to hold out her hand in the right way. After Mass, I found the woman and (of course she was not catholic) explained about who can receive. When I consider such things, I cringe when I see the EMHCs heading toward the Tabernacle.
 
Trishie said:
Hi! 🙂 Your vigilance is greatly appreciated and your suggestions sound like the beginning of the solution. It appears that some serious discussion is needed. Perhaps the EMHC/s responsible may have known what occurred but** were less aware of the sacredness of the host, or simply afraid to admit their mistake and ask for help to retreive the hosts. **Their awareness may need to be heightened and if they feel unable to overcome embaressment in favor of human respect, then perhaps they might be better to withdraw from the ministry.

Our parish has just withdrawn all keys and changed the locks as a serious theft involved the use of a key not a break-in which underlined a need to be very vigilant regarding the number of people who hold keys. Perhaps there needs to be a regulated time for allowing people to open the tabernacle, perhaps a couple of trusted supervisors with whom the EMHCs have to cordinate?

Bless you, Trishie
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If they are not aware of the gravity of the matter (which I am beginning to believe is a real possibility) then it’s a bad mark on the entire system. If they are afraid to to admit their mistake (also a real possibility) then in my not so humble opinion they have no business handling the Blessed Sacrament. Not ever.

We put video cameras in the place yet we can’t change the combination! I have to check out a key to open the parish hall, but I have full access to the sacristy and church, 24/7. Argh. I suspect our new pastor will clamp-down sooner or later…
 
Depending on the type of ciboria and the practices of the parish, we’ve found it possible that when ciboria are stacked (as when carrying them to the credence table…unconsecrated) without tops, then arranged unstacked, very rarely a host will stick to the bottom of one of the ciboria, undetected.

When they’re put in the tabernacle, it’s always with the lids, so this is unlikely to happen, but I wonder if this is even a remote possibility in the OP’s parish?
 
Newbie2 said:
Depending on the type of ciboria and the practices of the parish, we’ve found it possible that when ciboria are stacked (as when carrying them to the credence table…unconsecrated) without tops, then arranged unstacked, very rarely a host will stick to the bottom of one of the ciboria, undetected.

When they’re put in the tabernacle, it’s always with the lids, so this is unlikely to happen, but I wonder if this is even a remote possibility in the OP’s parish?
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No. Let me speculate…

Either while removing the ciborium, replacing the ciborium or removing hosts from the ciborium while it was still in the tabernacle there was a spill right at the entrance to the tabernacle. Likely the entire contents and 3 worked their way into the channel.

It’s possible someone did not notice – in which case they have no business being EMsHC. It’s possible someone did not care to make the effort to fully repose Jesus in the ciborium – in which case they have no business being EMsHC.
 
Spiller said:
Finally, sharply limit the number of people with access to the church and the tabernacle. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that 100 people have the combination to the church and far more than 50 know where the tabernacle key is kept.
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That doesn’t sound good…
Can. 938 §5. The person responsible for the church or oratory is to take care that the key of the tabernacle in which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved is safeguarded most diligently.
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tee
 
Spiller said:
My parish has one of those real cool tabernacles where the doors open with the twist of a key and slide/retract into the walls of the tabernacle.

Yesterday I found 3 consecrated hosts that had fallen next to the “rail” the door runs on. It was immediately visible when I opened the tabernacle. Given the type of host (we have two types – one is smaller/thinner for those who cannot swallow well) they were likely dropped by an EMHC preparing to take communion to someone at their home or in a facility. It was fairly recent too as the hosts were not stale. With some patience and a pair of tweezers we were able to retrieve the hosts.

How could a trained EMHC drop hosts and not pick them up?I’m getting angry at this point – I was the guy who found two hosts over two months in my parish’s sanctuary – I waited until I had a witness this time.

At this point I think everyone needs to be re-trained. Be as flexible as possible but if someone can’t make the training, they are through until they can. Then testing following the training. If you don’t pass, you don’t handle the Blessed Sacrament.

Finally, sharply limit the number of people with access to the church and the tabernacle. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that 100 people have the combination to the church and far more than 50 know where the tabernacle key is kept.

My pastor is a good and able guy but he really inherited a place with very poor practices.
Click to expand...
What you need is a Eucharistic Host storing and dispensing tabernacle. Hosts are neatly arranged, like coin dispensers in soda machines, in vertical stacks. Whenever Hosts are needed, one uses a keypad to type in the number of Hosts needed. The tabernacle gently shoots out the Hosts into a ciborium(s) placed below. If there are leftover Hosts, you empty the remaining Hosts in the ciborium into a funnel-like receptacle. The tabernacle then re-stores the Hosts for future use.
 
Madaglan said:
What you need is a Eucharistic Host storing and dispensing tabernacle. Hosts are neatly arranged, like coin dispensers in soda machines, in vertical stacks. Whenever Hosts are needed, one uses a keypad to type in the number of Hosts needed. The tabernacle gently shoots out the Hosts into a ciborium(s) placed below. If there are leftover Hosts, you empty the remaining Hosts in the ciborium into a funnel-like receptacle. The tabernacle then re-stores the Hosts for future use.
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No, we don’t. We need 4 things:

1.) People who believe.
2.) People who care.
3.) People who have been trained.
4.) Greater control over who has access.
 
Spiller said:
No, we don’t. We need 4 things:

1.) People who believe.
2.) People who care.
3.) People who have been trained.
4.) Greater control over who has access.
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Thank you, Spiller. I agree.

That “dispenser” gadget?
Yikes - we’re not dealing with Soylent Beige here, after all.
 
Madaglan said:
What you need is a Eucharistic Host storing and dispensing tabernacle. Hosts are neatly arranged, like coin dispensers in soda machines, in vertical stacks. Whenever Hosts are needed, one uses a keypad to type in the number of Hosts needed. The tabernacle gently shoots out the Hosts into a ciborium(s) placed below. If there are leftover Hosts, you empty the remaining Hosts in the ciborium into a funnel-like receptacle. The tabernacle then re-stores the Hosts for future use.
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Such a thing exists? No way!! Get out of town!

I find the idea of the Blessed Sacrament ever being dispensed by a machine far more offensive than allowing laity to have direct access to the tabernacle (which as far as I know is not allowed). If the thing ever went haywire…and with no one there?

Unthinkable.
 
EasterJoy said:
Such a thing exists? No way!! Get out of town!

I find the idea of the Blessed Sacrament ever being dispensed by a machine far more offensive than allowing laity to have direct access to the tabernacle (which as far as I know is not allowed). If the thing ever went haywire…and with no one there?

Unthinkable.
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No, such a “machine” tabernacle does not exist, but there are some ugly tabernacles out there.

EMHC was a bad idea. There are very, very few cases that actually might require someone other than the clergy to distribute holy communion. And when I say few cases, I mean situations in which there may be one priest for 15,000 people, as is the case in places in South America. This is not the case in the United States. Unfortunately, a fast-food mentality has afflicted the reception of communion in many churches. I’ve seen 6-8 EMHC for services including fewer than 1000 persons. Is there a need for speeding up communion? Is there anything more important than the Eucharist that one has to attend to after Mass? It just eludes me. I find it slightly ronic that in the “extraordinary” rite there are no “extraordinary” ministers of holy communion.
 
No, we don’t. We need 4 things:
Click to expand...
1.) People who believe.
2.) People who care.
3.) People who have been trained.
4.) Greater control over who has access.
Click to expand...
Only clergy should distribute holy communion. And yes, the clergy should believe, care, be trained and have access to the tabernacle.
 
Madaglan said:
Only clergy should distribute holy communion. And yes, the clergy should believe, care, be trained and have access to the tabernacle.
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That’s simply not true and comments like that do nothing to help solve the problem.
 
Madaglan said:
No, such a “machine” tabernacle does not exist, but there are some ugly tabernacles out there.

EMHC was a bad idea. There are very, very few cases that actually might require someone other than the clergy to distribute holy communion. And when I say few cases, I mean situations in which there may be one priest for 15,000 people, as is the case in places in South America. This is not the case in the United States. Unfortunately, a fast-food mentality has afflicted the reception of communion in many churches. I’ve seen 6-8 EMHC for services including fewer than 1000 persons. Is there a need for speeding up communion? Is there anything more important than the Eucharist that one has to attend to after Mass? It just eludes me. I find it slightly ronic that in the “extraordinary” rite there are no “extraordinary” ministers of holy communion.
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You are simply wrong.

In the olden days I used to attend the same parish church I do today. ONE PRIEST distributed communion. However, things were different back then. FAR fewer people came up for communion back then (at big feasts/solemnities we had multiple priests distributing communion.) Communion was largely under one kind.

Today that one priest could not offer the Blessed Sacrament to 1,000 people under both species (even via intinction) and do it in a way that didn’t take far too long.
 
Spiller said:
You are simply wrong.

In the olden days I used to attend the same parish church I do today. ONE PRIEST distributed communion. However, things were different back then. FAR fewer people came up for communion back then (at big feasts/solemnities we had multiple priests distributing communion.) Communion was largely under one kind.

Today that one priest could not offer the Blessed Sacrament to 1,000 people under both species (even via intinction) and do it in a way that didn’t take far too long.
Click to expand...
The Tridentine Latin Mass generally is longer than Novus Ordo Mass (1 hour 15 minutes compared to around 45-50 minutes). I attended one of the largest Latin Mass communities, and a great number people there received communion. 10-15 extra minutes is not going to ruin everyone’s Sunday.
 
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