Are we allowed?

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Garret

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Recently in my parish the extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, which I am, were told to drink the blood not consumed by the congregation and to do the purification of the chalice with water ourselves. This doesn’t seem right. Can anyone shed any light on this subject? I was under the impression only the priest is suppose to do this.
 
If you are an EMHC, aren’t you supposed to know the rules? I mean, didn’t your training go over this document? If not, I guess I’d ask why not.

usccb.org/liturgy/current/norms.htm
  1. When more of the Precious Blood remains than was necessary for Communion, and if not consumed by the bishop or priest celebrant, “the deacon immediately and reverently consumes at the altar all of the Blood of Christ which remains; he may be assisted, if needs dictate, by other deacons and priests.” (54) When there are extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, they may consume what remains of the Precious Blood from their chalice of distribution with permission of the diocesan bishop.
 
I was an Eucharistic Minister for awhile, and we were not told this. That was before the new GIRM or whatever it was called. But even now I don’t see the EM’s doing that.
 
We have never been trained to that extent in my parish. We just changed priests (within the last 3 weeks) and our former pastor did not do things this way, hence my question. Also, our new pastor has not, and is probably unlikely to do, any training. I have, however, removed my name from the EM list because of other problems this priest has introduced into my parish that I know are incorrect and is unwilling to change.
 
There is a requirement, possibly only for our diocese but I suspect more widespread, that EMHC’s receive training at least once a year. this acts as both a refresher and to catch them up on any changes.
 
The EMEs do this in my parish, and at my college I always saw a brother (monk) consume it after Mass.
 
From “Redemptionis Sacramentum
On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided
regarding the Most Holy Eucharist”
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html#Chapter%20VII

[154.] As has already been recalled, “the only minister who can confect the Sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi is a validly ordained Priest”.[254] Hence the name “minister of the Eucharist” belongs properly to the Priest alone. Moreover, also by reason of their sacred Ordination, the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are the Bishop, the Priest and the Deacon,[255] to whom it belongs therefore to administer Holy Communion to the lay members of Christ’s faithful during the celebration of Mass. In this way their ministerial office in the Church is fully and accurately brought to light, and the sign value of the Sacrament is made complete.

The correct terms are:
  1. “minister of Eucharist” - The priest at the Mass who confects the Sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi
  2. “ministers of Holy Communion” - Bishops, Priests and Deacons
    who have not at that particular Mass confected the Sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi, but these men have Holy Orders which includes the distribution of Holy Communion.
(Notice that the word 'Eucharist" is only in the title for the priest who is doing the confecting."

I.E.
Q:"Who confected the Sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi at this Christmas Midnight Mass? (Asked while looking at the altar which includes several priests and the Bishop of the Diocese)
A: "The Bishop is the minister of Eucharist at this Mass,
while the other priests and deacons are distributing Holy Communion as their role as ministers of Holy Communion.
  1. “extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion” -
    These are those lay persons who, as laity do not have the Sacrament of Holy Orders, have the extraordinary duty to assist in the distribution of Holy Communion.
Note: This third term, like the second, does NOT have the word 'Eucharist" in it.
 
Kenny - maybe if we post this often enough, people will get it right although I sometimes wonder.

I have visited the web sites of several parishes lately which talk about training for the Eucharistic Ministers :banghead:
 
40.png
deogratias:
Kenny - maybe if we post this often enough, people will get it right although I sometimes wonder.

I have visited the web sites of several parishes lately which talk about training for the Eucharistic Ministers :banghead:
Click to expand...
You think the problem is that people use the wrong term (when, in fact, it is the correct term, because they are NEVER used in only extraordinary circumstances but rather at every Mass, even one with only 4 people, as I have seen done)? The REAL problem is that they exist at all…
 
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deogratias:
Kenny - maybe if we post this often enough, people will get it right although I sometimes wonder.
Click to expand...
I must point a finger at myself.

While I know that the laity are NOT Eucharist Ministers, I am only recently learning that the “minister of the Eucharist” is the priest who officiates at the particular Mass; who confects the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
That the other attending priests and Bishops who are not concelebrating {not participating in the Eucharist Prayer) are at that Mass…
"ministers of holy communion.

That the word “Eucharist” is reserved only for the title for he who confects.

So, I hope that I have learned this by reading it on websites and on posts, and now by posting it myself.
 
If the new priest is introducing things that are wrong, the Bishop should be notified. He can look into it and insist on conformity if necessary.
 
You think the problem is that people use the wrong term (when, in fact, it is the correct term, because they are NEVER used in only extraordinary circumstances but rather at every Mass, even one with only 4 people, as I have seen done)? The REAL problem is that they exist at all…
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/statusicon_cad/user_offline.gif forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cab/report.gif
Click to expand...
Trad

Don’t tell me what I think.

I do think A PROBLEM is that they are in disobedience to explicit instructions given in the recent document Redemptionis Sacrementum when extraordinary ministers who assist with the distribution of Holy Communion are referred to as Eucharistic Ministers.

This can never be the correct nomenclature because only the priest can confect the Eucharist, not deacons or acolytes or any lay person.

It is not the Extraordinary word I am referring to but the Eucharistic part of the phrase.

Do I think they they are overused? Yes I think they are unnecessary.

But the word “extraordinary” in this case is used to differentiate between Ordinary ministers which is what Priests and Deacons are.

Extraordinary in this case means not ordained and has nothing to do with the function.
 
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