Cleaning up after communion

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on_the_hill

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I went to a neighboring church yesterday for the vigil Mass. After the Eucharist was distributed, each of the EMHCs walked up to the altar and handed their ciboriums or chalices to the deacon, who placed them at the side of the main altar.

Vessels with wafers were handed to the priest, who gathered them into a single ciborium. Then he handed it back to the deacon. Chalices that had leftover precious blood were drunk by the deacon.

Then the priest returned the “main” ciborium to the tabernacle.

They didn’t “wash the dishes” afterward. I thought this was a part of the Mass. Now, the priest did something at the tabernacle while his back was to the congregation. It’s possible he did some sort of clean up at that moment.

However, all of the other 6 or 8 vessels remained at the side of the altar.

Also, it seems that the EMHCs’ chalices were “pre-loaded” when they were taken up as the offering.

I guess these things are all ok?
 
Nope, the deacon merely set them on a table as they were handed to him and then he turned and faced the priest until he joined him for the end of Mass.

Wouldn’t the “extra” chalices have been consecrated along with the priest’s when they were on the altar during the Eucharistic prayers?.
 
What’s interesting is that the priest doesn’t wear a chausible but a monastic scapular, and what looks like a stole draped over his left forearm.
 
on_the_hill said:
a chausible but a monastic scapular, and what looks like a stole draped over his left forearm.
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The second thing you mentioned is called a maniple. The first one sounds like a fiddleback chasuble, which, as it says in the name, is a chasuble.
 
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I believe that it is permitted to purify the sacred vessels after Mass is over in the sacristy, although typically it happens at the altar before Mass ends.

As to the “pre-loaded chalices”…I’m not sure. My parish typically does not offer the Precious Blood at Communion so I don’t have much experience with that.
 
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Glennon_P said:
I believe that it is permitted to purify the sacred vessels after Mass is over in the sacristy, although typically it happens at the altar before Mass ends.
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It would be nice if they started doing that at our church. Would save nearly ten minutes as the priest tries to work his way through multiple vessels with the altar servers making repeated back-n-forth trips.
 
on_the_hill said:
Also, it seems that the EMHCs’ chalices were “pre-loaded” when they were taken up as the offering.
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Unconsecrated wine is poured into individual cups to avoid spilling the precious blood. As long as they were on the altar during the consecration, nothing is amiss.
 
In a previous parish the cups used by the EMHC were filled in the sacristy and placed on the side table. Only the hosts and a small amount of wine was brought forward. The filled cups were consecrated while on the altar with the hosts and small amount of wine.

That parish also did not purify the vessels at the altar or a side table. It was done in the sacristy by the EMHCs.
 
At our church, each chalice get water and wine at the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

It seems there are quite a few time-savers our priest could use.

He seems to get really stressed before and after communion as he tries to juggle his way through. He’s new.
 
It does. There used to be an indult in the US for EMHCs to do it, but that expired several years ago without renewal.
 
I don’t know if it does or doesn’t. It very well may be that it does, however in that parish it wasn’t. I was a sacristan for a short time but I had to stop as I was too anxious every time it was my turn. I am an EMHC now at my current parish, it brings me such peace & joy to assist at Mass in this way.
 
No, actually, there’s no prescription about that. It can be done anywhere, during Mass or after, provided it’s done by clergy.

Ideally, the celebrant does it immediately after communion because it actually complements and completes the ablutions during the offertory. (He washes his hands before the sacrifice, then washes the dishes after the meal.)
 
Instituted acolyte. Those are few and far between other than in a seminary.
 
1Lord1Faith said:
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Cor_ad_Cor:
provided it’s done by clergy.
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The text in the two posts above mine says it can be done by an acolyte.
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Yes, and acolyte can do it. However, very few parishes ever have an acolyte. Seminarians are instituted as Acolytes relatively shortly before being ordained a Deacon. Depending on the diocese, it could be 1 to 12 months before Diaconate ordination.

While there are laymen (non-seminarians) who are Acolytes, they are pretty scarce.
 
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phil19034 said:
Yes, and acolyte can do it. However, very few parishes ever have an acolyte. Seminarians are instituted as Acolytes relatively shortly before being ordained a Deacon. Depending on the diocese, it could be 1 to 12 months before Diaconate ordination.

While there are laymen (non-seminarians) who are Acolytes, they are pretty scarce.
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I know we’re an outlier, but the Diocese of Lincoln has had instituted acolytes in parishes since the late 1970s/early 1980s. My parish of around 850 families has 46 instituted acolytes.

Some of our priests purify the vessels and the acolytes simply remove them to the credence table. Others have the acolytes perform the purification.
 
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Glennon_P said:
instituted acolytes in parishes since the late 1970s/early 1980s. My parish of around 850 families has 46 instituted acolytes.

Some of our priests purify the vessels and the acolytes simply remove them to the credence table. Others have the acolytes perform the purification.
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that’s cool. But do all 46 of you men often wear cassock and surplice at mass?

I think you are one of only approx 3 dioceses in the whole USA that does that.
 
phil19034 said:
that’s cool. But do all 46 of you men often wear cassock and surplice at mass?

I think you are one of only approx 3 dioceses in the whole USA that does that.
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In my parish (and all others that I’ve seen) the acolyte wears an alb, unless it’s a seminarian. They wear cassock and surplice.

We have just one acolyte per Mass unless there will only be one priest distributing Communion. Then we’ll have a second acolyte to distribute Communion with the celebrating priest and the other acolyte.

As I said, I know we’re an anomaly in this instance.

Out if curiosity…who are the other dioceses that do this?
 
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