Eucharistic ministers and throat blessing

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I guess it’s good that EMHC’s can do this throat blessing thing, but I’m not particularly comfortable with it and will continue to get in the lines for the deacon or priest.

Question for any deacon or priest reading here: Is it normal for the deacon to NOT make the sign of the cross when he blesses the throat? Is that something only a priest can do? Although I normally find my local deacon to be very holy and he helps with reposing the host at the close of Adoration, I was bothered by getting a blessing without the Sign of the Cross. When you are in line getting a blessing and the priest running the next line seems to be doing something different than the deacon at the head of your line, it made me wonder if the priest blessing somehow contained additional components.
 
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If memory serves, the priest celebrant can give one blessing, to all, from the sanctuary. If there are so many people that finding sufficient ministers is a problem, perhaps that might be a good alternative (although Joe and Sally in the pews might feel like they ‘missed out’ on something)… 🤷‍♂️
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I guess it’s good that EMHC’s can do this throat blessing thing, but I’m not particularly comfortable with it and will continue to get in the lines for the deacon or priest.
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I’d say this is my position. It is the Church (the keys) that is giving the blessing and she determines who can give any particular blessing. So if she says a lay minister can give it then they can. The blessing isn’t the priest’s or the deacon’s. It is the Church’s.

That said, I much prefer going to a priest or deacon. Part of the reason why is it feels like they want to rush these blessings, which is why they have lay ministers. In my parish this is even more so since they started doing the blessing in groups. To me it contributes to decreased reverence and doesn’t allow me to grow in the virtue of patience.
AdamP88 said:
Yes. Only a priest/deacon can give a blessing of this nature. “Blessing” from an extraordinary minister is not something that is really sanctioned by the Church.
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Not true. The Church determines who can give a particular blessing and allows lay ministers to give this blessing. There are plenty of blessings a layman can’t give, but this isn’t one of those.
 
Eucharistic Ministers are priests, bishops.

Do you mean Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, lay people?
 
AdamP88 said:
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Eric_Hyom:
But who really does the blessing, the priest, the minister or our Lord?
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Our Lord, through the minister. But if you’re going to argue that a layperson has the same authority to bless as an ordained priest then you’d be arguing against Church teaching and tradition.
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Both priests and lay people do not have the power to heal, so if any healing happens after a blessing, it comes from our Lord. I experienced healing after having my throat blessed, and whilst a priest did the blessing, our Lord did the healing. With faith, I would expect the same healing to have happened through a layperson.

My two cents.
 
AdamP88 said:
Yes. Only a priest/deacon can give a blessing of this nature. “Blessing” from an extraordinary minister is not something that is really sanctioned by the Church.
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This is not at all accurate. The blessing rite clearly states lay people may do the blessing of the throats.
 
Thanx, I didn’t know that an EMHC can give
the blessing of the throat.(I know of a nominal
catholic who has throat cancer.)
 
An Extraordinary Minister has the authority to give this blessing.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I guess it’s good that EMHC’s can do this throat blessing thing, but I’m not particularly comfortable with it and will continue to get in the lines for the deacon or priest.
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They cannot. There is nothing about being appointed to assist the priest with the distribution of Communion that makes someone eligible to impart blessings.

On the other hand, a priest can ask lay persons to assist with the blessing, and these persons can be the same ones who previously filled the function of EMHC during Communion-time. The point is that the connection is purely coincidental. EMHCs are incapable of giving blessings.

Also, it is really the priest who imparts the blessing. The laypersons only touch the throats and say a prayer. The blessing itself is still imparted by the priest over the entire congregation. Once that blessing is done, the laypersons merely assist by doing the actual touch-throat-with-candle part.
Question for any deacon or priest reading here: Is it normal for the deacon to NOT make the sign of the cross when he blesses the throat? Is that something only a priest can do? Although I normally find my local deacon to be very holy and he helps with reposing the host at the close of Adoration, I was bothered by getting a blessing without the Sign of the Cross. When you are in line getting a blessing and the priest running the next line seems to be doing something different than the deacon at the head of your line, it made me wonder if the priest blessing somehow contained additional components.
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A priest (or deacon) is to make the sign of the cross whenever he blesses anyone or anything. The deacon might have mis-read the rubrics, or maybe the sign just wasn’t visible enough. The deacon should have made the sign of the cross–that much is a given.
 
1ke said:
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AdamP88:
Yes. Only a priest/deacon can give a blessing of this nature. “Blessing” from an extraordinary minister is not something that is really sanctioned by the Church.
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This is not at all accurate. The blessing rite clearly states lay people may do the blessing of the throats.
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Not really.

Only a priest or deacon actually imparts a blessing.

A layperson says a prayer over the person. It’s a prayer, but it doesn’t actually impart a blessing.
 
NewCatholic said:
An Extraordinary Minister has the authority to give this blessing.
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No.

An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion is exactly that and nothing more than that.

An EMHC is one who assists the priest in distributing Holy Communion when there is a genuine need.

Nothing about being an EMHC makes that person qualified to give any blessings.

No such “authority” exists.
 
Thanks, Father, for explaining this. If the deacon just forgot or made a mistake, I am less concerned. He’s an elderly man and I know he is a pious and holy person who takes his duties very seriously. I was more worried about deacons possibly lacking some authority to make the Sign of the Cross which seemed to me something that clergy, including deacons, should be able to do in this situation.
 
I was unfamiliar with the correct terms. I intended lay persons who also administer Holy Communion in addition to the priest.
 
I converted from Protestant into the Latin Mass community where the priest gives all blessings and liturgical operations. Now because of long driving distance we often attend a closer parish that does everything in the ordinary form. Love Latin Mass, just wish more parishes offered it. Also being from Latin Mass I didn’t know the differwance between Eucharistic Minister and EMHC.
 
StEligius_fan said:
I was unfamiliar with the correct terms. I intended lay persons who also administer Holy Communion in addition to the priest.
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Not your fault.

Too many people either forget (or just refuse) to use the proper term “extraordinary minister of Holy Communion” and instead say “Eucharistic minister” with regard to lay persons. So it’s only natural that you would learn the words that way too.
 
1ke said:
This is not at all accurate. The blessing rite clearly states lay people may do the blessing of the throats.
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Indeed. And this deserves to be re-emphasised:
1626 The blessing of throats may be given by a priest, deacon, or a lay minister who follows the rites and prayers designated for a lay minister. If the blessing is conferred during Mass, the blessing follows the homily and general intercessions, or, for pastoral reasons, the prayer of blessing may take the place of the final blessing of the Mass. When the blessing is given outside Mass, it is preceded by a brief celebration of the word of God. If the blessing is to be celebrated at Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, it is given after the reading and responsory (and homily) and before the gospel canticle.
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In my case, for several years now I have had the lay minister assisting me at the Masses at which I am Presider on the Feast of Saint Blase do the blessing of my throat; she has as many people in her line as I do in mine as we proceed to give the blessing of the throats to the liturgical assembly.

The presence of lay ministers, be they at Eucharist or in other situations and circumstances, is something to be very grateful for in the post-Conciliar Church.

I rejoice that, more and more, lay ministers are being utilised as time passes.
 
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