EMHC fractioning the host?

[aurora77]

Father decided to get extra large hosts in order that we might all eat from the same Body. Great idea. At Mass last night, he begins to fraction them, stops, and calls over a female EMHC to assist him. Is this allowed?? A brief search here seems to indicate that it isn’t.

I was really disheartened by this; I’m hoping and praying that this was a one time event, but am concerned that it may not be. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see Our Lord’s body handled in such a way.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Father decided to get extra large hosts in order that we might all eat from the same Body. Great idea. At Mass last night, he begins to fraction them, stops, and calls over a female EMHC to assist him. Is this allowed?? A brief search here seems to indicate that it isn’t.

I was really disheartened by this; I’m hoping and praying that this was a one time event, but am concerned that it may not be. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see Our Lord’s body handled in such a way.

No, that is not allowed.

 

[aurora77]

Thanks, that’s what I thought. I’ll pray that this was a one-time deal.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Thanks, that’s what I thought. I’ll pray that this was a one-time deal.

It is mentioned in one of the liturgy documents that there should be one larger host and the rest individual smaller hosts. It is not recomended to have many large hosts that all need to be broken into smaller pieces.

 

[aurora77]

It is mentioned in one of the liturgy documents that there should be one larger host and the rest individual smaller hosts. It is not recomended to have many large hosts that all need to be broken into smaller pieces.

I was wondering about the practicality of this. I appreciate the sentiment, but it seems very time consuming and risky to have multiple large hosts.

 

[Halo]

I wish there was some better instruction for EEM’s . I am tired of seeing them break hosts, while distributing Holy Communion, and try to bless people who come forward in the Holy Communion line but cannot receive Our Lord. There also now seems to be a “stare me in the eye before I give you the host” sort of look, which I don’t care too much for. Shame to have so many distraction’s when going to receive Jesus.

 

[thespian12]

Not too sure about the specifics on this, but I think I remember being told at one point that one of the reasons why fractioning is not a good idea is because there is a greater chance that crumbs of our Lord could be made from the breaking and it wouldn’t consumed. . .and then obviously, if we lost track of those crumbs, the body of our Lord would be neglected. . . and that would be bad.

I do know that one time I went to Mass and there weren’t enough hosts to go around, so the priest had to fraction the ones we had so that everyone would be able to receive.

Does anyone know more details and doc citations about the practices/teachings on this for my own knowledge? Thanks.

 

[Joan_M]

I wish there was some better instruction for EEM’s . I am tired of seeing them break hosts, while distributing Holy Communion.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with EMHC’s breaking hosts while distributing Holy Communion if they are running short and there are more people than hosts. In fact, that is what they should do.

It is fractioning the large host at the altar that they should not do.

 

[Sir_Knight]

It is mentioned in one of the liturgy documents that there should be one larger host and the rest individual smaller hosts. It is not recomended to have many large hosts that all need to be broken into smaller pieces.

I attended a Catholic University run by Jesuit priests. They were also the professors for the seminary on campus which trained future priests. I regularily attended daily mass and I clearly remember there being one HUGE host and it had preferations in it where it could be broken into even pieces.

The priest broke the host along the preferations over the chalice and consumed one piece and distributed the rest to those present.

Since these are priests who are training future priests, I would HOPE that they were not doing something wrong.

Also, Father Peter Stravinskas does not seem to have a problem with this in his book (see underlined links pointing to supporting reference sources).

 

[Phemie]

I attended a Catholic University run by Jesuit priests. They were also the professors for the seminary on campus which trained future priests. I regularily attended daily mass and I clearly remember there being one HUGE host and it had preferations in it where it could be broken into even pieces.

The priest broke the host along the preferations over the chalice and consumed one piece and distributed the rest to those present.

Since these are priests who are training future priests, I would HOPE that they were not doing something wrong.

Also, Father Peter Stravinskas does not seem to have a problem with this in his book (see underlined links pointing to supporting reference sources).

There’s nothing wrong with ONE large host that can be divided into many pieces - anywhere from 12 to 60+ depending on the size and manufacturer. It’s using many of these very big hosts at one Mass that is a problem: a problem of time which then leads to using EMHCs to speed things up.

The host we use is scored so that it can be easily broken into 24 pieces. One of those is amply sufficient for daily Mass (divided into 12 pieces instead of 24) but needs to be supplemented with small hosts during Sunday Mass.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I attended a Catholic University run by Jesuit priests. They were also the professors for the seminary on campus which trained future priests. I regularily attended daily mass and I clearly remember there being one HUGE host and it had preferations in it where it could be broken into even pieces.

The priest broke the host along the preferations over the chalice and consumed one piece and distributed the rest to those present.

Since these are priests who are training future priests, I would HOPE that they were not doing something wrong.

Also, Father Peter Stravinskas does not seem to have a problem with this in his book (see underlined links pointing to supporting reference sources).

Technically there is no problem with this when there is a small number of people attending, maybe 20 or less? But for a normal parish Mass there should be a ciborium of smaller Hosts consecrated

 

[Halo]

I seem to remember reading something about EEM’s not being permitted to break hosts at all. I’ll look through my stuff to find the reference.
It may have been an article on addressing clear distinction between roles of Priests and laity. Will get back to you on that unless someone else does first.

 

[Phemie]

I seem to remember reading something about EEM’s not being permitted to break hosts at all. I’ll look through my stuff to find the reference.
It may have been an article on addressing clear distinction between roles of Priests and laity. Will get back to you on that unless someone else does first.

If they are giving out Communion and running out of Hosts it only makes sense to break the last few so that everyone may receive. I’ve been instructed to do just that when I was an EMHC. But it’s forbidden for them to help with the fractioning.

 

[NewUlm1976_2000]

Father decided to get extra large hosts in order that we might all eat from the same Body. Great idea. At Mass last night, he begins to fraction them, stops, and calls over a female EMHC to assist him. Is this allowed?? A brief search here seems to indicate that it isn’t.

I was really disheartened by this; I’m hoping and praying that this was a one time event, but am concerned that it may not be. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see Our Lord’s body handled in such a way.

It is unusual but I do not see anything wrong with it. As long as it is transubstantiated, size should not matter. Was there anything special in the homily to go along with the larger host size?

 

[Phemie]

It is unusual but I do not see anything wrong with it. As long as it is transubstantiated, size should not matter. Was there anything special in the homily to go along with the larger host size?

It’s not the size of the host that’s the problem, it’s the EMHC helping with the fraction rite.
From Redemptionis Sacramentum:

[73.] In the celebration of Holy Mass the breaking of the Eucharistic Bread – done only by the Priest celebrant, if necessary with the help of a Deacon or of a concelebrant – begins after the exchange of peace, while the Agnus Dei is being recited. For the gesture of breaking bread “carried out by Christ at the Last Supper, which in apostolic times gave the whole eucharistic action its name, signifies that the faithful, though they are many, are made one Body in the communion of the one Bread of Life who is Christ, who died and rose for the world’s salvation” (cf. 1 Cor 10,17).[153] For this reason the rite must be carried out with great reverence.[154] Even so, it should be brief. The abuse that has prevailed in some places, by which this rite is unnecessarily prolonged and given undue emphasis, with laypersons also helping in contradiction to the norms, should be corrected with all haste.[155]