communion

[smcrvl]

I have a question which needs to be answered quickly since I will broach it with the pastor tonight at our parish council meeting–I do not plan on doing this during the meeting itself.
Recently, I have been at Sunday mass twice and seen one of the priests sit down during the Eucharist and let the EMEs give out communion. The problem is this is a 7:30 am mass so we are apparently over-staffed for the Eucharist. Only 1 priest presides at this mass with no deacon. My thoughts are that an EME is an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist so one of the EMEs should head back to the pews–the priest is the last person that should be excluded from distributing communion. I asked my wife about thios since she is an EME and has gone through the archdiocesan training and updates. She agreed with me and said she was also concerned.
Smcrvl in Omaha

 

[deaconswife]

Yes, you and your wife are correct, the ordinary minister (priest or deacon) should distribute the Eucharist if they are present at that Mass. It sounds like some of the trouble might be with whoever is doing the scheduling not scheduling the appropriate numbers of EMHCs.

 

[Katholish]

Here is a concrete source for you. God bless you in your effort.

Redemptionis Sacramentum:

[157.] If there is usually present a sufficient number of sacred ministers for the distribution of Holy Communion, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may not be appointed. Indeed, in such circumstances, those who may have already been appointed to this ministry should not exercise it. The practice of those Priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons.[258]

 

[Joe_Kelley]

smcrvl:

I have a question which needs to be answered quickly since I will broach it with the pastor tonight at our parish council meeting–I do not plan on doing this during the meeting itself.
Recently, I have been at Sunday mass twice and seen one of the priests sit down during the Eucharist and let the EMEs give out communion. The problem is this is a 7:30 am mass so we are apparently over-staffed for the Eucharist. Only 1 priest presides at this mass with no deacon. My thoughts are that an EME is an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist so one of the EMEs should head back to the pews–the priest is the last person that should be excluded from distributing communion. I asked my wife about thios since she is an EME and has gone through the archdiocesan training and updates. She agreed with me and said she was also concerned.
Smcrvl in Omaha

The only exception would be if the priest had some physical disability that made it difficult for him to distribute Communion.

I had one incident, in a weekday mass, in which the priest called me forward to give out Communion and he sat down. Several people got very upset. It turned out that he was quite sick that morning and was trying to make it through the mass. He needed the few minutes of sitting to recover enough to complete it.

We have also had instances of an older priest who had trouble with getting up and down the steps; so would sit out Communion.