Eucharist question

[jbelokur]

I have been attending the same church for the last 4 months(recent move) and twice during that time the priest because of a cold has opted not to distribute the elements but rather has extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist distribute both the hosts and the wine. Is this licit? To paint the picture we had three ladies and one man distributing the wine and two ladies distributed the hosts, (to less than 100 people!!) while the priest stood back in a posture of prayer. I wasn’t very happy but I wanted to see what you all know about it.

 

[Catholic90]

That may have been more than needed, but I think if he was sick with a cold, it was very nice of the priest NOT to distribute and take a chance of spreading his cold!

 

[Seatuck]

I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt about being sick. Maybe there were too many EMOHC. But that’s a problem everywhere.

 

[John_Lilburne]

If he is too sick to distribute Communion, then he is too sick to celebrate Mass with a congregation. The 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum has in n. 157: “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.”

 

[jbelokur]

I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt about being sick. Maybe there were too many EMOHC. But that’s a problem everywhere.

Absolutely, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, I’m not out to priest bash by any means, but he looked as thought he had the sniffles, and did not appear in any way to be affected by the cold during the rest of the mass.

 

[FrDavid96]

I have been attending the same church for the last 4 months(recent move) and twice during that time the priest because of a cold has opted not to distribute the elements but rather has extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist distribute both the hosts and the wine. Is this licit? To paint the picture we had three ladies and one man distributing the wine and two ladies distributed the hosts, (to less than 100 people!!) while the priest stood back in a posture of prayer. I wasn’t very happy but I wanted to see what you all know about it.

No, it isn’t licit. It’s not up to me to judge someone’s health status from an internet post, but I can say that if he’s healthy enough to celebrate Mass, and healthy enough to “stand” for Communion, then he’s healthy enough to distribute Communion. 6 EMHCs at a Mass with 100 people is abusing the option regardless of how unhealthy he might be.

It could be that he’s concerned about making someone else sick by passing along his germs as well. Please don’t think I’m judging him, but from a distance this does look a bit “fishy.”

 

[jmcrae]

No, it isn’t licit. It’s not up to me to judge someone’s health status from an internet post, but I can say that if he’s healthy enough to celebrate Mass, and healthy enough to “stand” for Communion, then he’s healthy enough to distribute Communion. 6 EMHCs at a Mass with 100 people is abusing the option regardless of how unhealthy he might be.

It could be that he’s concerned about making someone else sick by passing along his germs as well. Please don’t think I’m judging him, but from a distance this does look a bit “fishy.”

Isn’t this precisely why sanitary gel was invented?

My priest often uses sanitary gel, and makes the EMHCs use it, too.