Can EMs really give out communion?

[forever_always]

Yes, the number of EMHCs has bothered my for a long time. There is a parish near me that uses 12 EMHCs (although the drums, clapping, and leaving early bothered me just as much). It is a large parish, but not that large; Communion there takes five minutes and you have to keep a fast walking pace in line.

My parish uses 3 EMHCs to keep the dual-line, both species system flowing smoothly. I would very much like to see our priest and one EMHC take their time with only one line, even if it takes 20 minutes.

The most important part of our Faith is so rushed…

I agree =\ This is what Im seeing too, and i find it really sad.

 

[Dicerning]

Nice try at deflection, benedictgal, but it would appear that those who firmly state that the Pope is against blessings in the Communion line are wrong, but won’t admit it.

Actually if you read the SPirit of the Liturgy you may experience what the pope wants for communion. And it doesn’t involve standing up.

 

[PJM]

So at this church I went to over the weekend (finance worked, so we couldn’t make it to mass at our usual parish), they had three other members (other than the priest) handing out communion. I have seen this before in other parish’s, but I always try to end up in the line where the priest is handing out communion. well it didn’t work out this time, (half way through the line i realized this) and i was stuck in line to recieve communion from an eucharistic minister… or EM i believe? I didn’t think it felt right to recieve communion on my tounge as i always do, and so i recieved it in my hand. my finance, (who is in RCIA), always walks up for a blessing from the priest because he can’t recieve communion. so he politely stepped aside and waited for me to recieve commuion. the EM then said rather loudly to him, “come over here so i can bless you”

so my question is this… i thought only the priest can hand out communion except in special circumstances? Also, can an EM bless someone?? Furthermore, is it wrong to recieve commmunion on my tounge, when an EM is administering communion?

Thanks for you help =]

You are right and correct!

They are termed “Extrodinary ministers of Holy Communion,” however everyday, every Mass (almost) and everywhere is hardly extrodinary! Therefore “Ordinary ministers of Holy Communion” is far more accurate.

In 1980 His Holiness JPII wrote an Encyclical Letter of instruction
entitled Inaestimabile Donum ***Instruction *Concerning Worship of the Eucharist, 1980

Article # 8 "Extrodinary ministers may distribute Communion at Eucharistic Celebrations where no Ordinary (bishop, Priest and or Deacons ONLY) are present."…

It continues: “The habitual use of ministers of Holy Communion at holy Mass thus arbirtarly extending the concept of a GREAT MANY (my emphisis) faithful is to be discouraged.”

So "can they’? Yes,

B]Should they? No!
To the best of my knowledge no Indult has been granted to allow and permit…l EM’s to be OM’s!

 

[Lux_et_Tenebrae]

Hi again,

The bottom line is that the pastor is the boss, and what he says goes.

The determination of use of EMHC is left to his judgement, and it is very rare that anyone will override that judgement,

This goes for the procedure for Holy Communion. If he says EMHC’s are to ask blessings (the non-priestly intercession) for those not receiving, this is what you should do, if you do not wish to step down.

You can voice your concerns, but I doubt this will change anything, These are not serious irregularities and a bishop would rarely override a pastor to correct this type of situation.

Lux

 

[The_Smiter]

I agree =\ This is what Im seeing too, and i find it really sad.

Agreed.

 

[The_Smiter]

Hi again,

The bottom line is that the pastor is the boss, and what he says goes.

The determination of use of EMHC is left to his judgement, and it is very rare that anyone will override that judgement,

This goes for the procedure for Holy Communion. If he says EMHC’s are to ask blessings (the non-priestly intercession) for those not receiving, this is what you should do, if you do not wish to step down.

You can voice your concerns, but I doubt this will change anything, These are not serious irregularities and a bishop would rarely override a pastor to correct this type of situation.

Lux

It is not up to the parish priest to decide whether or not EMHCs give blessings. It is not an appropriate thing for them to do and is in fact forbidden for them to do so. Your blind loyalty to a pastor is not commendable as Vatican II states that we have responsibilities as laypeople to participate in the liturgy as such. As participants it is also our responsibility to make sure that no abuses occur. It is not disrespectful or disobedient to point this out. And to simply bow out without bringing such abuse to the pastor’s attention (and if he is not receptive, to the bishop) is shirking your responsibility as well.

 

[Lux_et_Tenebrae]

Actually if you read the SPirit of the Liturgy you may experience what the pope wants for communion. And it doesn’t involve standing up.

Standing is the preferable option in the US, and the pope did acknowledge that his preference takes nothing away from the standing and hand options. We know that the Pope is ultra conservative in worship preferences, but even he stated that his preferences do not detract from other valid options.

You cannot use the Pope’s preferences as a valid argument against permitted options.

Lux

 

[Lux_et_Tenebrae]

It is not up to the parish priest to decide whether or not EMHCs give blessings. It is not an appropriate thing for them to do and is in fact forbidden for them to do so. Your blind loyalty to a pastor is not commendable as Vatican II states that we have responsibilities as laypeople to participate in the liturgy as such. As participants it is also our responsibility to make sure that no abuses occur. It is not disrespectful or disobedient to point this out. And to simply bow out without bringing such abuse to the pastor’s attention (and if he is not receptive, to the bishop) is shirking your responsibility as well.

Be careful not to confuse blessings with intercessions.

 

[The_Smiter]

Be careful not to confuse blessings with intercessions.

Perhaps you could enlighten all of us and direct people to the particular strictures for EMHCs. Yes - they can offer an intercession if you will. But many do this with the host in their hand. That is I believe what people are talking about here.

Being careful has little to do with anything. Being accurate is the ideal.

 

[forever_always]

It is not up to the parish priest to decide whether or not EMHCs give blessings. It is not an appropriate thing for them to do and is in fact forbidden for them to do so. Your blind loyalty to a pastor is not commendable as Vatican II states that we have responsibilities as laypeople to participate in the liturgy as such. As participants it is also our responsibility to make sure that no abuses occur. It is not disrespectful or disobedient to point this out. And to simply bow out without bringing such abuse to the pastor’s attention (and if he is not receptive, to the bishop) is shirking your responsibility as well.

nods in agreement

 

[forever_always]

That is correct because even the celebrant does not have the authority to do so. In other words, EMHCs are only commissioned to assist in the distribution of Holy Communion. They cannot impart blessings because these are not theirs to give.

This was my point all along. =]

 

[forever_always]

I am not against the concept of having an EMHC. I do this at Mass. What concerns me is the fact that we are not used in the proper manner. The Church has given us parameters, but, both the clergy and the EMHCs tend to blur the line. For example, when I handled the Chrism Mass and the other diocesan liturgies, I never requested EMHCs to assist. We had a plethora of priests and deacons. That is their ordinary ministry. It is something that is proper to them. Now, for the Chrism Mass, I did have EMHCs assist in filling up the bottles of oil and geting them packaged and ready for distribution. But, this was done in the Sacristy after the oils were blessed and consecrated.

We just need to know our proper roles.

I agree with you. EMHCs need to know their proper roles, just as everyone else in the congregation does. I do not think it is right for them to be handing out Holy Communion without first knowing what is acceptable and what is not. To give blessings that are reserved for the priest to give, is NOT acceptable.

 

[a_pilgrim]

…In fact, two weeks ago, I assisted him (the parochial vicar) in distributing Holy Communion. We just happened to get non-communion aged kids at the same time and we both gave Holy Communion to the parents (although the kids had their arms crossed). We got funny looks, but continued…

Hi, Benedictgal!

Question, if I may: How did you (and the parochial vicar, for that matter) know that these “non-communion aged kids” who approached with arms crossed were not Eastern Catholic children. If they were Eastern Catholic, they’d have likely been communed as infants and are, indeed, worthy to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion from that point on in any Catholic Church, your parish included. Also, the crossed-arm posture is, in fact, the norm with regard to the reception of Holy Communion in many Eastern Catholic Churches. These children may have merely been approaching in the fashion they’re accustomed to in order to receive Our Lord and not just for a blessing. What a shame if they were unjustly denied!

Did you know these children? And, if not, did you and/or the parochial vicar ask them if they were Eastern Catholic or did you just assume that they weren’t? How was the possibility of Eastern Catholic children approaching you for Holy Communion handled in your training as an EMHC?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[benedictgal]

Hi, Benedictgal!

Question, if I may: How did you (and the parochial vicar, for that matter) know that these “non-communion aged kids” who approached with arms crossed were not Eastern Catholic children. If they were Eastern Catholic, they’d have likely been communed as infants and are, indeed, worthy to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion from that point on in any Catholic Church, your parish included. Also, the crossed-arm posture is, in fact, the norm with regard to the reception of Holy Communion in many Eastern Catholic Churches. These children may have merely been approaching in the fashion they’re accustomed to in order to receive Our Lord and not just for a blessing. What a shame if they were unjustly denied!

Did you know these children? And, if not, did you and/or the parochial vicar ask them if they were Eastern Catholic or did you just assume that they weren’t? How was the possibility of Eastern Catholic children approaching you for Holy Communion handled in your training as an EMHC?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Well, for one thing, these are regular parishioners and our parish is 98% Mexican-American. The children in question are in catechism. After Mass, they come to the sacristy so that we can stamp a little booklet to prove that they were there. To my knowledge, we don’t have any members of the Eastern Church in my parish, let alone our diocese.

 

[a_pilgrim]

Thanks, Benedictgal!

Clearly you knew the children you refer to in this instance.

What if, however, you did not know the children in question and they approached you in this same fashion? I’m sure you’ll agree that Eastern Catholic visitors to your parish are a distinct possibility, correct? What would you (and the parochial vicar) have done if you did not know these children? Would you have handled the situation any differently than you did?

How was the possibility of very young (even infants and babes-in-arms) Eastern Catholic children approaching you for Holy Communion handled in your training as an EMHC?

Thanks again, Benedictgal!

 

[benedictgal]

Thanks, Benedictgal!

Clearly you knew the children you refer to in this instance.

What if, however, you did not know the children in question and they approached you in this same fashion? I’m sure you’ll agree that Eastern Catholic visitors to your parish are a distinct possibility, correct? What would you (and the parochial vicar) have done if you did not know these children? Would you have handled the situation any differently than you did?

How was the possibility of very young (even infants and babes-in-arms) Eastern Catholic children approaching you for Holy Communion handled in your training as an EMHC?

Thanks again, Benedictgal!

Hi, pilgrim!

Frankly, that has never been discussed because down here, it is not an issue. I would imagine that if we did have an Eastern Catholic attend a Latin-Rite Mass, they would probably want to inform the celebrant before the liturgy begins so as to avoid confusion.

I met an Eastern-Rite bishop who came to concelebrate the Mass for the erection of our diocese nearly nine years ago. My bishop aked me to give him a tour of Laredo, which he quite enjoyed. But, that is the extent of my contact with anyone from the Eastern Rite, except in these forums.

 

[Lux_et_Tenebrae]

Perhaps you could enlighten all of us and direct people to the particular strictures for EMHCs. Yes - they can offer an intercession if you will. But many do this with the host in their hand. That is I believe what people are talking about here.

Being careful has little to do with anything. Being accurate is the ideal.

I have never seen an EmHC bless with the Host. I agree this is very wrong and should be corrected. I am speaking of the situation where someone comes up in the communion line, and does not wish to receive Holy Communion for whatever reason. What should be done? Say God bless you or say nothing? Embarrass the person? Just what is the best choice at that moment?

Lux

 

[benedictgal]

Perhaps you could enlighten all of us and direct people to the particular strictures for EMHCs. Yes - they can offer an intercession if you will. But many do this with the host in their hand. That is I believe what people are talking about here.

Being careful has little to do with anything. Being accurate is the ideal.

First of all, we can’t give what we are not authorized to impart. Second, we cannot create a new “ritual”. The line is only for those who are receiving Holy Communion, not a blessing. The letter from the CDWDS is very clear about it. It is not up to EMHCs to lay hands on anyone or to say anything or, let alone, do anything apart from what we are commissioned to do. We cannot do our own thing. We can only do what the Church asks us to do and refrain from things that the Church does not allow us to do. That is plain and simple.

This is a bad liturgical practice that needs to stop. It’s not a matter of being uncharitable. What would be uncharitable would be to engage in a practice that Rome has already deemed as questionable and has asked us to stop. Honesty is the best policy as far as this goes. Tell the person that you are sorry, but you cannot bless them or do anything other than distribute Holy Communion. Then, make sure that the celebrant knows what the Holy See has already stated regarding this matter.

 

[Aramis]

In the past whenever I’ve been an EM, I’ve always blessed people by saying “God bless you” and laying a hand on their shoulder or in the case of children, their heads. I don’t see anything wrong with that because I don’t view it as the same as the priest giving them a blessing. It’s the same thing I and my husband do for our children every night before bed and often through out the day. We make the sign of the cross on their foreheads and bless them that way. It is a parent’s blessing and that’s how I view any blessing I give someone (or someone other than a priest gives me) in the communion line or at any other time.

Just my :twocents:

What’s wrong with that is that it is forbidden. It was explicitly forbidden for EMHC’s to do so during communion.

 

[Sir_Knight]

What’s wrong with that is that it is forbidden. It was explicitly forbidden for EMHC’s to do so during communion.

Even if that is what the Pastor instructs them to do?
*

Hi again,

The bottom line is that the pastor is the boss, and what he says goes.

The determination of use of EMHC is left to his judgement, and it is very rare that anyone will override that judgement,

This goes for the procedure for Holy Communion. If he says EMHC’s are to ask blessings (the non-priestly intercession) for those not receiving, this is what you should do, if you do not wish to step down.

You can voice your concerns, but I doubt this will change anything, These are not serious irregularities and a bishop would rarely override a pastor to correct this type of situation.

Lux