Can children be EMHC's?

[RosalieM]

I usually receive communion from the priest, except when I am in the choir and have no choice as to whom I receive from.
Last Sunday, there was a little boy about 12 years old (I’m guessing) who was helping to distribute. I know the little boy is probably very nice and sweet; but I wondered about receiving communion from a school child.
Then, too the homilist was casting doubt on the existence of the Magi.
I got sick after that mass, literally.

 

[Tietjen]

I usually receive communion from the priest, except when I am in the choir and have no choice as to whom I receive from.
Last Sunday, there was a little boy about 12 years old (I’m guessing) who was helping to distribute. I know the little boy is probably very nice and sweet; but I wondered about receiving communion from a school child.
Then, too the homilist was casting doubt on the existence of the Magi.
I got sick after that mass, literally.

The Church as a whole has not expressed any offical requirements that I have heard of, though many dioceses require that a person must have been baptised, made 1st Holy Communion and been confirmed as well as having gone through instruction. The USCCB simply states:
Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America:

When the size of the congregation or the incapacity of the bishop, priest, or deacon requires it, the celebrant may be assisted by other bishops, priests, or deacons. (42) If such ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are not present, “the priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist him, i.e., formally instituted acolytes or even some of the faithful who have been commissioned according to the prescribed rite. In case of necessity, the priest may also commission suitable members of the faithful for the occasion.” (43) Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion should receive sufficient spiritual, theological, and practical preparation to fulfill their role with knowledge and reverence. When recourse is had to Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, especially in the distribution of Holy Communion under both kinds, their number should not be increased beyond what is required for the orderly and reverent distribution of the Body and Blood of the Lord. In all matters such Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should follow the guidance of the diocesan bishop.

 

[ConstantineTG]

The Church as a whole has not expressed any offical requirements that I have heard of, though many dioceses require that a person must have been baptised, made 1st Holy Communion and been confirmed as well as having gone through instruction. The USCCB simply states:

It makes sense that if one is to partake in a ministry in the Church, one has to be a part of the Church (ie Catholic).

As for the age, I also do not recall an age being prescribed. It may come down to the Bishop’s decision. But I would question the wisdom behind this, the young boy may not have enough appreciation of the Holiness of the Eucharist and may not handle it properly or with due reverence. Besides, as his age he should be an altar server instead.

 

[dfp42]

Is it just me or are there starting to be more and more strange scenarios going on at mass around the world? From homilies that make you wonder why the priest said what he said to crystals in the holy water. I don’t know the rules for this, but I sure am seeing or hearing a lot of confusion from many people lately. I know there are rules such as GIRM but why we hear these stories and the rules aren’t followed is a mystery.

 

[RosalieM]

I forgot to mention the little boy also blessed someone who was not receiving communion. He made the sign of the cross with the host.
I’m truly sorry to feel this way, it all may be perfectly “legal”; but it just didn’t feel right to me. I knew I was receiving Our Lord; but not in the way I would choose.
I heard the Pope’s homily for Epiphany today and he was brilliant speaking about the Magi. I don’t know why some homilists let intellectual speculation cast shadows. I’m ready to quit choir and change parishes. But I’ve been there before.
Maybel I’ll wait to see what the new changes bring next Advent. God bless our holy father, Pope Benedict XVI!!!

 

[PabloPira]

Hi Rosalie, I tried to see if I could find the answer to your question. Actually it helped me find a reason to go over many Church documents.

Last Sunday, there was a little boy about 12 years old (I’m guessing) who was helping to distribute. I know the little boy is probably very nice and sweet;

Twelve sounds VERY young. I would be surprised, too. Let’s suppose it was not an extremely strange occasion and that what you are mentioning is more or less usual. Let’s try to go through the documents to see what we can find out about this

The GIRM mentions:

1. In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon; they may carry the cross, the candles, the thurible, the bread, the wine, and the water, and they may also be deputed to distribute Holy Communion as extraordinary ministers.

Well, we already knew that… someone may be “deputed to distribute” and there is no indication that that Holy Communion is in any way not as good as one given by a priest. Ok. Let’s try to get into the age question… First… who says who qualifies to be an extraordinary minister. Checking GIRM again…

1. In addition to the ordinary ministers there is the formally instituted acolyte, who by virtue of his institution is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion even outside the celebration of Mass. If, moreover, reasons of real necessity prompt it, another lay member of Christ’s faithful may also be delegated by the diocesan Bishop, in accordance with the norm of law, for one occasion or for a specified time, and an appropriate formula of blessing may be used for the occasion.

something similar is mentioned in the code of Canon Law

Can. 230
§3. When the need of the Church warrants it and ministers are lacking, lay persons, even if they are not lectors or acolytes, can also supply certain of their duties, namely, to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside offer liturgical prayers, to confer baptism, and** to distribute Holy Communion, according to the prescripts of the law**

Well… what “norm of law” are we talking about. I couldn’t find it exactly but some dioceses pusblish their guidelines. So it is likely that this law a local one. You should check if your diocese has mentioned anything about this. Many dioceses somehow address the age question. For example, the diocese of Saint Petersburg says

Those selected to be Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are to be fully
initiated members of the community, both male and female, **of sufficient age and
maturity, **and of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Who knows?.. maybe the boy in question may be a very mature 12-year old. However, I was unable to find out what “sufficient age” means. Maybe you can find some other document where a number is specified.

but I wondered about receiving communion from a school child.

From what I gather, it’s exactly the same communion you would get from the priest.

This is extraordinary, indeed. Twelve sounds too young but it is likely that a boy this young may be baptized, confirmed, adequately trained and instructed and maybe even old enough for whatever your diocese requires. Just in case… I think it would be best to speak to your priest and calmly find out what this is all about. Maybe you just had the grace of receiving communion from a modern-day Saint Dominicus Savio.

JP

 

[Newbie2]

In our parish, we allow those who have been confirmed to be EMHCs.

 

[FloridaJoan]

Is it just me or are there starting to be more and more strange scenarios going on at mass around the world? From homilies that make you wonder why the priest said what he said to crystals in the holy water. I don’t know the rules for this, but I sure am seeing or hearing a lot of confusion from many people lately. I know there are rules such as GIRM but why we hear these stories and the rules aren’t followed is a mystery.

Pray, pray in earnest for our Holy Mother Church.

 

[Phemie]

Has anyone considered the possibility that he just LOOKED about 12? I was mistaken for a pre-teen when I was 22 so it’s quite possible that it’s the same case here.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Has anyone considered the possibility that he just LOOKED about 12? I was mistaken for a pre-teen when I was 22 so it’s quite possible that it’s the same case here.

LOL true
Especially Asians. I have a co-worker now who’s done with university but especially when she first joined the company, she looked like she goes to middle school.

 

[RosalieM]

Our parish is attached to the parish school and the school children sometimes distriubte communion. The grades are from kindergarten to 8th grade.
I know that I still received Our Lord, as I said. But without arguing, I stated that I prefer to receive from the priest’s anointed hands and on the tongue. That is my preference and I couldn’t do it that way last Sunday unless I wanted to walk up to the priest in my choir robe, out of my line and make a spectacle of myself.
I guess the homilies would be OT and another thread. But you can bet on Easter Sunday we’ll get the same priest making a joke about the Ressurection, quoting a third grader.
I’m not a parent of a child going to the parish school. The choir I’m in is not singing at the “family mass”. I don’t see why they had to have a little boy distributing communion and blessing people not receiving communion. It wasn’t his fault, he was doing what he was told to do. And there weren’t that many people. They don’t need so many EMHC’s at my parish anyway, but I don’t dare make suggestions. They’ve been doing things that way since before I arrived there.
So I thank this forum for letting me “vent” a little. It really does help!! I’m sorry, I’m a “revert” and I thought I was adjusting. But every so often something happens…
God bless you all.

 

[Joannm]

In our diocese an EMHC must be 18 but can be 17 if he or she is serving at their CATHOLIC HS. They have to go to a special training session for them and must be nominated by the school principal and their parish pastor.

I know I would be upset with a child distributing communion.

 

[ConstantineTG]

In our diocese an EMHC must be 18 but can be 17 if he or she is serving at their CATHOLIC HS. They have to go to a special training session for them and must be nominated by the school principal and their parish pastor.

I know I would be upset with a child distributing communion.

Think of it this way, John would have been in his teens at Pentecost.

 

[Joannm]

Think of it this way, John would have been in his teens at Pentecost.

Yeah, and Mary gave birth to Jesus as 13, so should we encourage teenage girls to get married and have babies? Our diocesan training for EMHCs involves four to eight hours of lectures in Eucharistic theology, understanding the Mass, Eucharistic spirituality, care for the sick, and practical aspects of being an EMHC. I doubt a 12 year old is going to be able to understand even a third of what we cover in those sessions. So how well prepared are they going to be, or is it just a reward for being a nice kid who goes to Mass. Let kids be servers. I don’t even let kids lector until they are 16 (the only exception is at the school mass and that is because the principal is insistent, but most of the kids have no idea what they are reading).

 

[laszlo]

I usually receive communion from the priest, except when I am in the choir and have no choice as to whom I receive from.
Last Sunday, there was a little boy about 12 years old (I’m guessing) who was helping to distribute. I know the little boy is probably very nice and sweet; but I wondered about receiving communion from a school child.
Then, too the homilist was casting doubt on the existence of the Magi.
I got sick after that mass, literally.

Two toughts:

• Let be realistic. The sweet little bot is probably cleaner from sin than some adult Eucharistic ministers or even priests. What is important?
• On other hand the common sense requires that an Eucharistic minister let be at least full member of the Church so someone confirmed.

 

[Phemie]

Two toughts:

• Let be realistic. The sweet little bot is probably cleaner from sin than some adult Eucharistic ministers or even priests. What is important?
• On other hand the common sense requires that an Eucharistic minister let be at least full member of the Church so someone confirmed.

In our parish most 12 year olds would meet that requirement – in fact, for 10 years most 7 year olds met that requirement.

 

[PatriceA]

Our parish is attached to the parish school and the school children sometimes distriubte communion. The grades are from kindergarten to 8th grade.
I know that I still received Our Lord, as I said. But without arguing, I stated that I prefer to receive from the priest’s anointed hands and on the tongue. That is my preference and I couldn’t do it that way last Sunday unless I wanted to walk up to the priest in my choir robe, out of my line and make a spectacle of myself.
I guess the homilies would be OT and another thread. But you can bet on Easter Sunday we’ll get the same priest making a joke about the Ressurection, quoting a third grader.
I’m not a parent of a child going to the parish school. The choir I’m in is not singing at the “family mass”. I don’t see why they had to have a little boy distributing communion and blessing people not receiving communion. It wasn’t his fault, he was doing what he was told to do. And there weren’t that many people. They don’t need so many EMHC’s at my parish anyway, but I don’t dare make suggestions. They’ve been doing things that way since before I arrived there.
So I thank this forum for letting me “vent” a little. It really does help!! I’m sorry, I’m a “revert” and I thought I was adjusting. But every so often something happens…
God bless you all.

If I had been in your shoes, I probably would have felt the need to “vent” as well. The homilies and the EMHC situation would be enough I think for me to consider finding a different parish. The age of the EMHC is close to my daughter’s age and I cannot think of one child in her class or even older that I feel would be capable of being an EMHC. (She no longer attends the parish school.) They can’t even get the kids to take the training to be altar servers properly. Maybe the kids at your parish school are thoroughly and properly trained in their faith formation and are fully capable of being EMHC, but the kids from our parish school still think its appropriate to make “fart” jokes during the weekly school mass.

 

[RosalieM]

Two toughts:

• Let be realistic. The sweet little bot is probably cleaner from sin than some adult Eucharistic ministers or even priests. What is important?
• On other hand the common sense requires that an Eucharistic minister let be at least full member of the Church so someone confirmed.

I’m not thinking who’s “cleaner from sin”. That’s not for me to judge. What’s important is I’m entitled to receive from the priest’s annointed hands, on the tongue, as I prefer.
St. Francis once said, when being asked if he would receive from a sinful priest, that he would kneel before the priest’s annointed hands to receive. (paraphrased…his statement was more dramatic.)
I think that’s realistic, spiritually.

(St. Francis said to the sinful priest, after kissing his feet, “All I know
is that your hands bring me Jesus Christ, I know nothing else.”)

I think we may be getting OT here.

 

[joandarc2008]

I pulled the Article for you from the Vatican document - it does not mention age but thought it may help in general and is good to have:

This is the link if you want to look at it

Article 8

The Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

The non-ordained faithful already collaborate with the sacred ministers in diverse pastoral situations since “This wonderful gift of the Eucharist, which is the greatest gift of all, demands that such an important mystery should be increasingly better known and its saving power more fully shared”.(95)

Such liturgical service is a response to the objective needs of the faithful especially those of the sick and to those liturgical assemblies in which there are particularly large numbers of the faithful who wish to receive Holy Communion.

§ 1. The canonical discipline concerning extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion must be correctly applied so as to avoid generating confusion. The same discipline establishes that the ordinary minister of Holy Communion is the Bishop, the Priest and the the Deacon.(96) Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are those instituted as acolytes and the faithful so deputed in accordance with Canon 230, § 3.(97)

A non-ordained member of the faithful, in cases of true necessity, may be deputed by the diocesan bishop, using the appropriate form of blessing for these situation, to act as an extraordinary minister to distribute Holy Communion outside of liturgical celebrations ad actum vel ad tempus or for a more stable period. In exceptional cases or in un foreseen circumstances, the priest presiding at the liturgy may authorize such ad actum.(98)

§ 2. Extraordinary ministers may distribute Holy Communion at eucharistic celebrations only when there are no ordained ministers present or when those ordained ministers present at a liturgical celebration are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion.(99) They may also exercise this function at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion. (100)

This function is supplementary and extraordinary (101) and must be exercised in accordance with the norm of law. It is thus useful for the diocesan bishop to issue particular norms concerning extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion which, in complete harmony with the universal law of the Church, should regulate the exercise of this function in his diocese. Such norms should provide, amongst other things, for matters such as the instruction in eucharistic doctrine of those chosen to be extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, the meaning of the service they provide, the rubrics to be observed, the reverence to be shown for such an august Sacrament and instruction concerning the discipline on admission to Holy Communion.

To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated where such have emerged in particular Churches:

— extraordinary ministers receiving Holy Communion apart from the other faithful as though concelebrants;

— association with the renewal of promises made by priests at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, as well as other categories of faithful who renew religious vows or receive a mandate as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion;

— the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass thus arbitrarily extending the concept of “a great number of the faithful”

 

[Catholic90]

I usually receive communion from the priest, except when I am in the choir and have no choice as to whom I receive from.
Last Sunday, there was a little boy about 12 years old (I’m guessing) who was helping to distribute. I know the little boy is probably very nice and sweet; but I wondered about receiving communion from a school child.
Then, too the homilist was casting doubt on the existence of the Magi.
I got sick after that mass, literally.

For some people, it can be very difficult to tell how old they are. A friend of my son is 19 and in college. He honestly still looks like an 11 or 12 year old. He is very short, very slight. In fact, the first time he came to a party my son had, I honestly thought he was the younger brother of one of his other friends. Then I later met his parents - they are both very small, short, thin people, so it follows that their son would also be small. He has an older brother who is in his mid 20s who looks to be about 14.