I was looking at the guidelines for EMHCs and did not see anywhere where it states if they must be confirmed or not. Does anyone know the answer to this? I do not want opinions, just the facts, please. And could you refer me to a document?
Thanks
No, my understanding is that it is not documented as a requirement.
An order of preference for who should be chosen as an Extraordinary Minister is given in the Instruction* Immensae caritatis* of 29 January 1973. It refers to acolytes (meaning instituted acolytes) then lists the order as:
“reader, major seminarian, man religious, woman religious, catechist, one of the faithful – a man or a woman. …”
(From Documents on the Liturgy 1963-1979, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1982, ISBN 0-8146-1281-4, page 651, n. 2078).
Here “reader” should be understood as an instituted lector.
My understanding is that confirmation is not a requirement for someone to be instituted as an acolyte or lector. It is not mentioned in the 1972 Motu Proprio Ministeria Quaedam among the requirements for the Admission to Ministries (see
romanrite.com/Churchdoc.html ). So it is theoretically possible to have a instituted acolyte without confirmation who should be given preference ahead of, for example, an instituted lector with confirmation.
Confirmation is required for ordination, according to the Code of Canon Law, canon 1033. It is to be done before marriage “if this can be done without grave inconvenience” according to canon 1065. (The Code of Canon Law: New Revised English Translation, HarperCollins Liturgical, 1997, ISBN 0-00-599375-X, page 239).
The Instruction says that the order for extraordinary ministers “may be changed at the prudent discretion of the local Ordinary”. But confirmation is not listed among the criteria.
