Dropped Eucharist

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Every Monday a bunch of us go to a nursing home to pray the Rosary. We usually get 15-20 people. We also distribute Communion. Today one of them spit out the Eucharist unto the floor. I got a napkin to pick it up. Another lady buried into the dirt of a flower pot. Was this the right way to treat it?
 
Ugh. No.

Place the discarded host into a glass of water. Let it dissolve. Once it’s dissolved, pour the water directly to the ground (not down a drain).
 
I assume it would dissolve in the dirt of the flowerpot. It appears as though we were close to doing the proper thing. At least there was not deliberate intention to offend God. Nevertheless the one thing we were certain of was to NOT put it down a drain.
 
Right – sorry if, in being terse, I gave you the impression that I was saying that you were trying to do anything but the proper thing.

The idea, though, is that the Eucharist should never be ‘disposed of’. Once the Eucharistic bread or wine ceases to have the appearance of bread or wine, then it is no longer the Eucharistic presence of Christ. At that point, then, it may be disposed with honor (i.e., straight to ground). As it is, what you buried wasn’t simply physical material, it was the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Perhaps this is a good opportunity for this group of you to request a refresher in instruction of what to do, from your parish priest… 👍
 
Of course, you could always return to the flowerpot, retrieve the Eucharist, and then treat it properly… 👍
 
Gorgias said:
Of course, you could always return to the flowerpot, retrieve the Eucharist, and then treat it properly… 👍
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^^^^^^^ This is what needs to be done. Go to the parish which is responsible for the nursing home and talk to the pastor, he will direct you in what to do.

In the future take the napkin which you picked up the contaminated host with to the church parish and there should be a glass of water next to the tabernacle. Place the host in that glass of water and place it into the tabernacle or in the secured closet in the sacristy. The Eucharist needs to be protected properly and respected properly. After it dissolves it can be poured down the sacrarium which is found in the sacristy normally at the church.

This is grave matter. Proper care of the Eucharist is critical.
 
Gorgias said:
Of course, you could always return to the flowerpot, retrieve the Eucharist, and then treat it properly… 👍
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Yes, please, do so as soon as possible.

There’s a tiny illicit tabernacle somewhere 😛 showering all those around with countless blessings without them even being aware of it :heaven:

But, jokes aside, the greater fault is of those who allowed you to carry the Blessed Sacrament without giving you the best possible instruction on this matter. Because, indeed, it is Christ we are carrying.
 
It seems we were on to the correct idea but we were not completely correct. Although I did not immediately know what happened I should have taken some control afterwards. After leaving the nursing home I drove about two blocks from a parish and definitely could have easily gone there. My mistake there.

The members of our group come from a variety of parishes. The parish where it came from is on the other side of town (if it is the one I think of).
 
I realize that your question was on what to do in this specific circumstance, but if I may make a suggestion…Although it may seem redundant to do this with each visit to the home, I would check with the primary caregiver or nurse of each patient you think may not be “with it” enough that day to receive the Eucharist. Obviously those that are totally lucid are fine, but for those who mental capacities vary day-by-day or those whose capacities are rapidly declining- it would be best to see if they are capable of receiving the Eucharist first before giving out Communion. It would decrease the chance of the host being spit out or placed in a planter.
 
I, too, was wondering if these individuals might be suffering from dementia. It sounds like a good idea to check with the care givers.
 
wondrousgnat said:
It seems we were on to the correct idea but we were not completely correct. Although I did not immediately know what happened I should have taken some control afterwards. After leaving the nursing home I drove about two blocks from a parish and definitely could have easily gone there. My mistake there.

The members of our group come from a variety of parishes. The parish where it came from is on the other side of town (if it is the one I think of).
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Taking the body and blood of Jesus and burying it in a flower pot is without question NOT “on to the correct idea.”

It actually makes me sick to think that you did that.

It makes me want to never come to this site again so Idon’t have to know how absolutely crazy everything is.

How could “people from several parishes” be so completely ignorant of what they were doing, and yet still be given the responsibility of distributing Communion.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE BEYOND BELIEF.

Do you know that people have given their lives, actually BEEN BEATEN TO DEATH, in order to protect the Holy Eucharist from profanation.

SICKENING…

St. Tarcisius Pray for the Church
 
Has anyone gone and retrieved the Host from the flower pot yet?? 😦
 
petiteguignol said:
It actually makes me sick to think that you did that.

It makes me want to never come to this site again so Idon’t have to know how absolutely crazy everything is.
ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE BEYOND BELIEF.
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While the host was obvioulsy not treated as it should have been, in my opinion we can do no more harm to Christ than we already have done.
 
wondrousgnat said:
Every Monday a bunch of us go to a nursing home to pray the Rosary. We usually get 15-20 people. We also distribute Communion. Today one of them spit out the Eucharist unto the floor. I got a napkin to pick it up. Another lady buried into the dirt of a flower pot. Was this the right way to treat it?
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May God richly bless you for praying and bringing Holy Communion to the home residents.

“Truly, You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, Savior!”
 
petiteguignol said:
Taking the body and blood of Jesus and burying it in a flower pot is without question NOT “on to the correct idea.”

It actually makes me sick to think that you did that.

It makes me want to never come to this site again so Idon’t have to know how absolutely crazy everything is.

How could “people from several parishes” be so completely ignorant of what they were doing, and yet still be given the responsibility of distributing Communion.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE BEYOND BELIEF.

Do you know that people have given their lives, actually BEEN BEATEN TO DEATH, in order to protect the Holy Eucharist from profanation.

SICKENING…

St. Tarcisius Pray for the Church
Click to expand...
Ignorance is no excuse? Funny, God doesn’t seem to hold that view. We should all thank Him that He judges us with His perfect mercy and not our severely flawed version of it.
 
Everyone, please note that user petiteguignol has been banned, apparently because of that post.
 
We are a bunch of retirees (one is 92) and stay at home moms who go there. No bishop, priest, theologian, deacon, etc goes there so we do what we can. Yesterday morning I called one of the people who handled it to ask where it was. She did not return my call until last night to inform me that it was buried in a flower pot with a fern. I will go there soon to retrieve it and I will take it to a nearby parish.

Maybe petiteguignol overreacted but he/she seems to take the Eucharist seriously (wish more people did) and I do not believe a ban on this issue was warranted. (I also take the Eucharist seriously otherwise I would not have started this thread.)
 
petiteguignol said:
Taking the body and blood of Jesus and burying it in a flower pot is without question NOT “on to the correct idea.”

It actually makes me sick to think that you did that.

It makes me want to never come to this site again so Idon’t have to know how absolutely crazy everything is.

How could “people from several parishes” be so completely ignorant of what they were doing, and yet still be given the responsibility of distributing Communion.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE BEYOND BELIEF.

Do you know that people have given their lives, actually BEEN BEATEN TO DEATH, in order to protect the Holy Eucharist from profanation.

SICKENING…

St. Tarcisius Pray for the Church
Click to expand...
Whoa easy there. First of all it wasn’t the OP that put it into the flower pot if you read his/her post correctly.

Secondly, the real scandal here is not what the persons did. They were both trying to do the right thing and did what they thought best.

The real scandal is sending out improperly formed EMHCs for this task. They should be properly trained in how to deal with situations such as these, before being allowed to handle the Blessed Sacrament. Clearly they weren’t, and I would say the fault lies higher up the chain of command.

Un peu de retenue svp.
 
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