EMHC to Sick Question

[maimay234]

Hi all,

I’ve recently become an EMHC at one of the hospitals near me and I had a question. I know, at Mass, EMHCs are responsible for dipping their fingers into a bowl of water after distributing the Eucharist so that no particles are mishandled. As you can imagine, there is no bowl of water nearby at a hospital for me to dip my fingers in.

Is there something I should be doing that would prevent the mishandling of the Eucharist? I have been trying to think of things to do, but I am just not sure.

Thanks!

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Hi all,

I’ve recently become an EMHC at one of the hospitals near me and I had a question. I know, at Mass, EMHCs are responsible for dipping their fingers into a bowl of water after distributing the Eucharist so that no particles are mishandled. As you can imagine, there is no bowl of water nearby at a hospital for me to dip my fingers in.

Is there something I should be doing that would prevent the mishandling of the Eucharist? I have been trying to think of things to do, but I am just not sure.

Thanks!

God bless you for this very special work! When I, as a priest, have been hospitalised, I have been so very grateful for those who brought the Eucharist to me when I was too ill to even begin to offer Holy Mass.

The ablution cup is indeed important to use to purify our fingers after Communion when we are distributing the Blessed Sacrament at Mass – we well may give Communion to hundreds of people and so particles of the Host can adhere to our fingers. When we are distributing to the sick, however, our contact with the host is far more minimal. There are three things I advise you, from my own ministry.

1. After you administer the Host, simply look at your thumb and index finger. If you do not see a white particle there, be at peace.
2. You can run your index finger and thumb over the rim of the pyx so that any particle would fall into the interior of the pyx, which you will subsequently purify.
3. As priests, we usually have a small (actually tiny) version of the purificator that we carry in the burse and under the pyx. At the very end of Communion calls, I run my thumb and index finger over the interior of that purificator, which I unfold slightly to do so and then re-fold to put back into the burse. This sacred linen is, of course, washed in the sacrarium before being laundered. You can ask your priest about this or obtain one from a supplier of sacred linens.

Once again, God bless you in this very special work on behalf of the sick.

 

[zgraf]

Is there something I should be doing that would prevent the mishandling of the Eucharist? I have been trying to think of things to do, but I am just not sure.

Well, you could simply pray that Christ’s presence would be honored and respected. That anyone who comes into contact with the Eucharist would give due reverence to what it truly is…

Perhaps by having the proper mindset, and by offering your ministry to God fully (as you are undoubtedly already doing), things will just “naturally fall into place”…

 

[Crusaderbear]

How about a small bottle of hand sanitizer? I’d say in a hospital setting it would be especially useful.

Our parish priest does this discretely before he handles the eucharist during mass as well.

 

[ProVobis]

Well, you could simply pray that Christ’s presence would be honored and respected. That anyone who comes into contact with the Eucharist would give due reverence to what it truly is…

Perhaps by having the proper mindset, and by offering your ministry to God fully (as you are undoubtedly already doing), things will just “naturally fall into place”…

Right. Realize too that the diets of patients may be restricted. Day of surgery, for example. And on those days when they could use prayers the most.

 

[John_Lilburne]

Post #1 has: “I know, at Mass, EMHCs are responsible for dipping their fingers into a bowl of water after distributing the Eucharist so that no particles are mishandled.”

But the General Instruction of the Roman Missal has:
“278. Whenever a fragment of the host adheres to his fingers, especially after the fraction or after the Communion of the faithful, the Priest should wipe his fingers over the paten or, if necessary, wash them. …”

So the washing of hands is only done if necessary. It is not an automatic part of the ceremony.