Eucharistic Ministers Simply Don't Belong

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Ukrforever

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Seeing eucharistic ministers handing out the body and blood of Christ really make me cringe. Those people have no right to hand out the gifts to the congregation. Really when you think about it it just doesnt make sense- if it was Christs own body and blood the average person would be bowing down to it, not touching it with their unholy hands, unless of course they received holy orders. To all eucharistic ministers take a few min to ponder this do you think you have the right to give out Christs own flesh and blood. If you say I do whats too stop you from forgiving sins, or as I see many eucharistic ministers doing saying Mass!! . This is just not right. If you want to give out communion just become a priest.Like they used to do in the old days when people had more reverence for the church.
 
I am not going to argue or debate the merits or evils of the option of using EM’sHC at Mass.

What I will say is this-
without EM’sHC, there are many people in my community who would otherwise NEVER receive the Eucharist. We have way too many residents in skilled nursing facilites and homebound for the priests alone to handle.

So my question is- what do you tell these people- “too bad, so sad”…?

These are the people who built & supported the Churches in our communities, and it is my belief that we need to continue to consider these people members of our communities, and one way of doing that is by having an EMHC lead a Word & Communion services in facilities and having people bring Holy Communion to the home-bound. In my community, it would be impossilbe without the help, support & commitment of the lay faithful who do these things.
 
Ukrforever said:
Seeing eucharistic ministers handing out the body and blood of Christ really make me cringe. Those people have no right to hand out the gifts to the congregation. Really when you think about it it just doesnt make sense- if it was Christs own body and blood the average person would be bowing down to it, not touching it with their unholy hands, unless of course they received holy orders. To all eucharistic ministers take a few min to ponder this do you think you have the right to give out Christs own flesh and blood. If you say I do whats too stop you from forgiving sins, or as I see many eucharistic ministers doing saying Mass!! . This is just not right. If you want to give out communion just become a priest.Like they used to do in the old days when people had more reverence for the church.
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Well, the Catholic Church magisterium disagrees with you. And they’re the ones Jesus left in charge.
[155.] In addition to the ordinary ministers there is the formally instituted acolyte, who by virtue of his institution is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion even outside the celebration of Mass. If, moreover, reasons of real necessity prompt it, another lay member of Christ’s faithful may also be delegated by the diocesan Bishop, in accordance with the norm of law, for one occasion or for a specified time, and an appropriate formula of blessing may be used for the occasion. This act of appointment, however, does not necessarily take a liturgical form, nor, if it does take a liturgical form, should it resemble sacred Ordination in any way. Finally, in special cases of an unforeseen nature, permission can be given for a single occasion by the Priest who presides at the celebration of the Eucharist.
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[156.] This function is to be understood strictly according to the name by which it is known, that is to say, that of extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and not “special minister of Holy Communion” nor “extraordinary minister of the Eucharist” nor “special minister of the Eucharist”, by which names the meaning of this function is unnecessarily and improperly broadened.
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[Redemptionis Sacramentum](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...0423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html#Chapter VII) ¶¶ 155-56.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus handled Jesus’ actual body, and they weren’t bishops, priests, or deacons. They were just disciples – and secret ones at that.
 
Ukrforever said:
Seeing eucharistic ministers handing out the body and blood of Christ really make me cringe. Those people have no right to hand out the gifts to the congregation. Really when you think about it it just doesnt make sense- if it was Christs own body and blood the average person would be bowing down to it, not touching it with their unholy hands, unless of course they received holy orders. To all eucharistic ministers take a few min to ponder this do you think you have the right to give out Christs own flesh and blood. If you say I do whats too stop you from forgiving sins, or as I see many eucharistic ministers doing saying Mass!! . This is just not right. If you want to give out communion just become a priest.Like they used to do in the old days when people had more reverence for the church.
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The Church is the Pillar and Foundation of truth. She has said that Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion may be used.
 
Ukrforever said:
Seeing eucharistic ministers handing out the body and blood of Christ really make me cringe. Those people have no right to hand out the gifts to the congregation. Really when you think about it it just doesnt make sense- if it was Christs own body and blood the average person would be bowing down to it, not touching it with their unholy hands, unless of course they received holy orders. To all eucharistic ministers take a few min to ponder this do you think you have the right to give out Christs own flesh and blood. If you say I do whats too stop you from forgiving sins, or as I see many eucharistic ministers doing saying Mass!! . This is just not right. If you want to give out communion just become a priest.Like they used to do in the old days when people had more reverence for the church.
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The Catholic Church allows the use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion in the Latin Rite of the Church where a genuine need exists at least within the OF Mass. In the Byzantine/Ruthenian Catholic Church in the USA this definition is absolute: One extraordinary minister of Holy Communion maybe be used for every 150 communicants.

The Catholic Church’s instruction on this matter may not match your personal preferences but that is something for you to resolve, not the Church.
 
Ukrforever said:
Seeing eucharistic ministers handing out the body and blood of Christ really make me cringe. Those people have no right to hand out the gifts to the congregation. Really when you think about it it just doesnt make sense- if it was Christs own body and blood the average person would be bowing down to it, not touching it with their unholy hands, unless of course they received holy orders. To all eucharistic ministers take a few min to ponder this do you think you have the right to give out Christs own flesh and blood. If you say I do whats too stop you from forgiving sins, or as I see many eucharistic ministers doing saying Mass!! . This is just not right. If you want to give out communion just become a priest.Like they used to do in the old days when people had more reverence for the church.
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Please, be more flexible ! Christ came for the sinners not for holy people. We all are sinners, no one of us, not even the Pope deserves to touch the Body and Blood of Christ. Dont worry, Ministers will never hear Confession or say Mass. They are there just to help for there is a shortage of priests.

Take it easy: remember who were the apostles, poor guys who, after the 1st mass, ran away with the Passion of Christ and Peter denied Him and He became the 1st Pope.

Dont get upset because that takes you away from the essential: Christ.

Cheers,🙂
 
It’s gotten way out of hand.

The “remote people” argument isn’t why that at a suburban church in NC there are 22 Eucharistic Ministers at one of the morning masses. 22

With both species…by the time they do all their vessel passing…a hymn and a half are over.

7 minutes.

It’s become a new part of the Mass in fact.
 
The Holy Catholic Church says they belong.

I believe what the Holy Catholic Church teaches.

End of discussion.
 
One thing that I think is lacking is proper formation for EMHCs. If I was the pastor I would make the formation considerable. At least 12-24 hours. Most of it prayer. And if you didn’t complete the formation, you wouldn’t get commissioned. That would weed-out a lot of people.

I have seen many EMHCs who probably should step down from the ministry. People who shake so badly that they have no ability to give COT. One person in my parish is so unstable in their walk that they need to lean against a railing while distributing communion and that’s just wrong.
 
Ukrforever said:
Seeing eucharistic ministers handing out the body and blood of Christ really make me cringe. Those people have no right to hand out the gifts to the congregation. Really when you think about it it just doesnt make sense- if it was Christs own body and blood the average person would be bowing down to it, not touching it with their unholy hands, unless of course they received holy orders. To all eucharistic ministers take a few min to ponder this do you think you have the right to give out Christs own flesh and blood. If you say I do whats too stop you from forgiving sins, or as I see many eucharistic ministers doing saying Mass!! . This is just not right. If you want to give out communion just become a priest.Like they used to do in the old days when people had more reverence for the church.
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By your logic, letting us sinners even take the Body and Blood of Christ is an abomination: after all, if we are so unholy how dare we take Christ into our bodies? 🤷
Without EMHCs, handing out Communion would take forever. The Church has decreed that they are acceptable and as Catholics we must submit to Her teachings otherwise what separates us from Protestants and heretics?
 
One of the saddest things I see/hear on Sundays is the clique of EMHCs and readers that hang-out in the sacristy and laugh/talk loudly before Mass. It’s really an inside club and they are an abomination. Their noise resonates through the entire church. Our priests only show up a few minutes before Mass and by then they are in full party mode.

I have been a reader/EMHC/server/sacristan for a number of years but I will NEVER allow myself to be part of that horrid clique. For what it’s worth, the qualities I have noticed in those who exclusively take communion to the homebound and those who exclusively distrubute communion during Mass are considerable.
 
The Church says there is a role for it. And there is. But it’s what we do with it.

22 Eucharistic ministers at a mid-large church at a single Mass is ridiculous.
 
Edward_H said:
It’s gotten way out of hand.

The “remote people” argument isn’t why that at a suburban church in NC there are 22 Eucharistic Ministers at one of the morning masses. 22

With both species…by the time they do all their vessel passing…a hymn and a half are over.

7 minutes.

It’s become a new part of the Mass in fact.
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I think most of us would think agree that this is an excessive overuse of Extraordinary Ministers. But your one example of overuse doesn’t mean all use has “gotten way out of hand.”
 
SKWill said:
I think most of us would think agree that this is an excessive overuse of Extraordinary Ministers. But your one example of overuse doesn’t mean all use has “gotten way out of hand.”
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Well you’re right…it’s gotten out of hand in my parish.
 
PerfectTiming said:
By your logic, letting us sinners even take the Body and Blood of Christ is an abomination: after all, if we are so unholy how dare we take Christ into our bodies? 🤷
Without EMHCs, handing out **Communion would take forever. **The Church has decreed that they are acceptable and as Catholics we must submit to Her teachings otherwise what separates us from Protestants and heretics?
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My parish church holds about 1,100 people. In the old days about 600 would show-up for early Mass and we had 4 parish priests. I would guess maybe 150 actually went to communion.

Now maybe 400 show up. Not only do they all go to communion, we have communion under both species and we have one parish priest.

There is a legitimate need for EMHCs.
 
ElToro said:
My parish church holds about 1,100 people. In the old days about 600 would show-up for early Mass and we had 4 parish priests. I would guess maybe 150 actually went to communion.

Now maybe 400 show up. Not only do they all go to communion, we have communion under both species and we have one parish priest.

There is a legitimate need for EMHCs.
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or a Communion rail.
 
Yes, I don’t have any issues with the idea, as necessary. When it’s an “Extraordinary” circumstance.

I have a problem when the whole pair wise vessel exchange exercise becomes its own part of the Mass.

One priest immediately distributing communion for 7 minutes could feed 1/3rd of the congregation, assuming one species. But instead we pass vessels for 7 minutes.
 
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