Can a Eucharist be Validated Without a Priest?

[Duckling]

Hello,

Just wondering if a devout catholic can validate a Eucharist and communion if a preist is not or cannot be present?

I understand that this is would usually be the duties of a preist but if a priest cannot be there for whatever reason could someone take over that duty in (and ONLY in) that kind of situation?

 

[Maximilian75]

What do you mean by validate? if you mean consecrate, no. only priests can confect/consecrate the Eucharist. Lay persons can, however, distribute the Eucharist reserved from past Masses in the Tabernacle.

 

[Kei]

Lay persons can pray for it to happen, but there is nothing guaranteeing it will happen.
This is not like priests, who are given authority to cause the consecration every time it is done with proper form.

 

[Spyridon]

I believe the technical term you wanted is “confect.”

And no, a Layman cannot confect the Sacrament. Only a Bishop or Priest can confect the Sacrament.

The only Sacrament which a lay person can validly confer without a priest is baptism.

 

[Blessedwithfive]

And Marriage. The priest (or deacon) just witnesses the sacrament

 

[thistle]

Just wondering if a devout catholic can validate a Eucharist and communion if a preist is not or cannot be present?

NO. Only priests can do this.

Can. 900 §1 The only minister who, in the person of Christ, can bring into being the sacrament of the Eucharist, is a validly ordained priest.

 

[stpurl]

No. That is not possible. IF there is no priest available say on a Sunday, I believe it is possible for lay people to conduct a communion service using hosts that have already been confected by a priest at an earlier time and ‘reserved’ specifically for this purpose, but it is not possible for any lay person to consecrate or confect the hosts on his or her own.

 

[Reuben_J]

Communion service like you said, can be done by lay people when there’s no priest, for example, catechists.