Communion without priest?

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Hi all,

I went to daily mass at my parish for the first time today, and I’m puzzled. There was no priest or deacon present! The readings and homily were all done by a middle-aged lady. I thought she did a fine job on them, and she was very respectful. Seemed fine so far.

But then, communion. She took a basket of hosts from the tabernacle and brought them to the altar. She didn’t say the words of consecration, so I assume they were already consecrated by a priest.

Is this liturgically acceptable? I guess it’s similar to an extraordinary minister bringing the eucharist to the homebound. But it seemed very odd.

Thanks!
 
It is a communion service.
We used to have them a lot in place of daily mass, when I was attending at the base chapel in Germany.

It’s fine, and I believe it is liturgically correct.

I know there are parishes out there that have to do this for Sunday masses, because of the priest shortages. The local priest comes around for a full Mass once a month, or whatever, and consecrates enough hosts until his next visit.
 
NaturalEnquirer said:
Hi all,

I went to daily mass at my parish for the first time today, and I’m puzzled. There was no priest or deacon present! The readings and homily were all done by a middle-aged lady. I thought she did a fine job on them, and she was very respectful. Seemed fine so far.

But then, communion. She took a basket of hosts from the tabernacle and brought them to the altar. She didn’t say the words of consecration, so I assume they were already consecrated by a priest.

Is this liturgically acceptable? I guess it’s similar to an extraordinary minister bringing the eucharist to the homebound. But it seemed very odd.

Thanks!
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Yes, it is acceptable. But personally I do not agree with a Communion Service being a substitute for Daily Mass. A Communion Service should only be conducted on Sundays and Holy Days.
 
I agree with Br. Rich. Our parish is fortunate to have several priests assigned to us; when they all go on retreat once in a while, there is no daily mass, unless they can find someone to come from another parish or the local Navy base.

For example, the Navy trains lay people to hold communion services for ships that don’t have chaplains. We were clearly told what exactly our limitations were, including a general discouragement against doing daily services and no preaching or reflections- read the sermon in the book.

On a ship named after a Catholic chaplain, I was it, because the other lay leader (who happened to be unmarried and a guy and therefore at least theoretically eligible to be a priest, unlike me) declared himself the “music minister” and refused to read! We happened to be in port for a few Sundays; in almost five months of deployment, we had a priest on board once (who consecrated enough hosts to last the remainder of the deployment) and found local parishes once or twice. (including the one in Greece… at least we understood the Kyrie!)
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
Yes, it is acceptable. But personally I do not agree with a Communion Service being a substitute for Daily Mass. A Communion Service should only be conducted on Sundays and Holy Days.
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The Church does not even hint at this…
 
I fully expect that this is a dumb question – but what better way to learn?

What’s the difference between a communion service and a daily mass? Just the absence/presence of a priest?
 
NaturalEnquirer said:
I fully expect that this is a dumb question – but what better way to learn?

What’s the difference between a communion service and a daily mass? Just the absence/presence of a priest?
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The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the re-presentation of the most significant event that has ever taken place – the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to His Father for our sins. Bread and Wine are confected into the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ by the ordained priest standing at the altar in* Persona Christi *-- in the Person of Christ. There is nothing more mystical, profound or beautiful on this Earth.

A communion service is just that – a community gathering where people are nourished spiritually through the word of the Lord (the Bible) and sacramentally by receiving His pre-sanctified Body, Blood Soul and Divinity.
 
NaturalEnquirer said:
What’s the difference between a communion service and a daily mass? Just the absence/presence of a priest?
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I would say that the difference is the absense of the consecration. Of course, the usual reason there cannot be a consecration would be because of the lack of a priest.
 
Sam88 said:
I would say that the difference is the absense of the consecration. Of course, the usual reason there cannot be a consecration would be because of the lack of a priest.
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The difference is you were not in the presence of the eternal and perpetual sacrifice of Calvary.
 
THurifer2 said:
The difference is you were not in the presence of the eternal and perpetual sacrifice of Calvary.
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I disagree. Jesus is forever and eternally sacrificed for us, as in Revelation, there was a lamb, that appeared to have been slain. So, wherever Jesus is sacramentally present, the eternal and perpetual sacrifice on Calvary is present.
 
Due to this kind of confusion, I was told they are looking at a new form of communion service. Rather than based on the Mass, it will be based on the Liturgy of the Hours.

Maybe by next year, the difference will be obvious (no daily readings, no pentential rite, etc. just praying the psalms, either the Benedictus or Magnificat, and the Lord’s Prayer).
A communion service is connected to the Mass where the hosts were consecrated. Rather than being a mass, it is more of a communion of people who showed up late and were still offered communion, or communion for the homebound who could not come to the mass.
 
NaturalEnquirer said:
I fully expect that this is a dumb question – but what better way to learn?

What’s the difference between a communion service and a daily mass? Just the absence/presence of a priest?
Click to expand...
They are not even close.

This is why I Personally do not think it is a good idea to hold daily Communion services, it blurs the lines.
 
Evan said:
Due to this kind of confusion, I was told they are looking at a new form of communion service. Rather than based on the Mass, it will be based on the Liturgy of the Hours.

Maybe by next year, the difference will be obvious (no daily readings, no pentential rite, etc. just praying the psalms, either the Benedictus or Magnificat, and the Lord’s Prayer).
A communion service is connected to the Mass where the hosts were consecrated. Rather than being a mass, it is more of a communion of people who showed up late and were still offered communion, or communion for the homebound who could not come to the mass.
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Now I personally would support Holy Communion during or after Morning or Evening prayer.
 
Actually, the proper form currently is for a Communion Service to be conducted as a part of the Liturgy of the Hours and should not look like Mass without Consecration. Sadly, most of the laity are not familiar enough with the Liturgy of the Hours and the fall back position in most parishes is to follow the Missal Order of Mass and except out the words of consecration

My husband and I were out of town thos passed Sunday and the parish [very small] that we attended had a Communion Service as the Augustinian priest was called to an annual retreat with his order. They had a Communion Service that followed the Mass, just a period of silence [no reflection] after the Gospel. Although I realized that this is not the optimum, it was a reverent and we were thankful to join that community [as we always are when there] on a Sunday.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
They are not even close.

This is why I Personally do not think it is a good idea to hold daily Communion services, it blurs the lines.
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Hmm.

So, I still have no idea what the difference is. Anyone? Am I just being dense? One person said Christ’s sacrifice is not present, one person said it is, and one person said they’re not even close. 🤷
 
I take it that you’re not Catholic. If you are then read the following book, it not, read the following book or listen to the downloads on The Lamb’s Supper and Conversion. Both give a very good description that may make more sense to you from someone talking about it form a Protestant perspective.

ftp://217.160.246.215/pub/audionet/EWTN_programs/Scott_Hahn/The_Lamb’s_Supper/

Ironic, I just posted this on another thread. Read Scott Hahn’s conversion story. But read his book “The Lamb’s Supper”. That will give you a better idea of what the mass is about. Dr. Hahn explains it very clearly. It’s an easy read, unless you have little moneys crawling over you like I did. Then is stretches pretty far. It’s thin, the link is to several free downloadable mp3. Back up on the link and you’ll find a gold mine of resources.

I feel that this situation is justification for increasing the number of deacons in the rural areas in keeping with my theme – encourage more priests to attend for spiritual renewal retreats in their faith formation. This way a communion service would be a bit more meaningful with someone whose vocations fits the Liturgy of the Word. And since a deacon is not an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion but rather more appropriately an Ordinary Minister of the Eucharistic, I feel this would actually work better. I have never been drawn to a communion service. But the Liturgy of the Word would be pretty cool with the deacon giving a homily, followed by communion. There are some really good deacons out there.

I’m uncomfortable with an EMHC trying to do all of this properly, no offense to anyone. I am going through training for EMHC and hope I do not have to do that unless I become a deacon. But it will never be a replacement for the Mass. I plan to visit the sick and prisons if asked. That’s a special case. I’ve heard of too many abuses. But there are priests guilty of abuses too. We just have to try an not be scrupulous. Just my simple opinion.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist brings the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to us or the other way actually. The Sacrifice was done once, but is an eternal sacrifice that is realized only through a validly ordained priest. It’s a miracle.
1569
"At a lower level of the hierarchy are to be found deacons, who receive the imposition of hands ‘not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry.’"53 At an ordination to the diaconate only the bishop lays hands on the candidate, thus signifying the deacon’s special attachment to the bishop in the tasks of his "diakonia."54
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1570
Deacons share in Christ’s mission and grace in a special way.55 The sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint (“character”) which cannot be removed and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the “deacon” or servant of all.56 Among other tasks, it is the task of deacons to assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity.57
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YADA said:
Actually, the proper form currently is for a Communion Service to be conducted as a part of the Liturgy of the Hours…
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Actually the proper form for a communion service is defined in the Church’s ritual Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass.
 
Spirithound said:
I disagree. Jesus is forever and eternally sacrificed for us, as in Revelation, there was a lamb, that appeared to have been slain. So, wherever Jesus is sacramentally present, the eternal and perpetual sacrifice on Calvary is present.
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No. That’s why we are required to attend Mass over 50 times/year while we are only required to receive Holy Communion 1 time/year. Being AT the foot of Calvary during the Ultimate Sacrifice is exceedingly important and it’s not something that can be realized outside of Mass or the Eastern Divine Liturgies…
 
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