Eucharistic Ministers Simply Don't Belong

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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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I know what you mean My parish has over 16000 individual members with about 4000 in attendance at each mass if there were no EMHCs we would be there for at least another 4 hours.and believe me the priest would tire out very easily.
 
Ukrforever said:
Hi, maybe they are nessesary by todays standards however the more time communion takes the longer we have to contemplate and pray about the great gift we have received. Don’t forget the Church got on many many years without them. It has just gotten out of hand they have started saying masses and hearing confession where I come from. The more you give people the more they want.
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This staement really must be challenged.

As another poster has pointed out, what you have wrongly described as saying Mass must be leading a Communion service, which is allowed.

To describe a ‘Communion service’ as ‘Mass’ shows a grave misunderstanding of the significance of the consecration, and of the priest’s role.

And ‘hearing confession’? What do you mean? Hearing confession involves giving absolution. Are you saying that EMHCs are giving absolution? This must be reported to the Bishop, if so.

Or do you mean that EMHCs have been listening to people’s worries and perhaps counselling them? I’m sure that many of us do this all the time. It’s a spiritual work of mercy.
 
UKrforever hope I got that right 🙂 ]

I’m puzzled - very puzzled.

Why are you commenting on what is a valid practice in the Roman Catholic Church ?

You are , you say , a Ukrainian Greek Catholic and this practice of using Extra Ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist does not apply in your Church except under very very rare circumstances such as the inability of a priest to Serve and no Deacon to help him ]

You are questioning the validity of your baptism as well - it’s time you sat down with your priest and asked him to teach you your faith
 
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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in fact…too many, in portugal would 2/3. cheers:shrug:
 
SKWill said:
I saw something new this year at Palm Sunday Mass. I got to there later than planned, so had to stand along the back wall, which gave me the perfect vantage point to see a couple of people leaving during communion. When it was time for their row to stand and go to the right to the main aisle, they got up and ducked out to the left, down the side aisle and apparently right out the back!!!
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Yep! Everyone should sit in the back row of their parish church at least once during Mass, if you can find a space. It’s usually shoulder-to-shoulder.

We start communion with people from the back which works ou well. As soon as communion starts about 15-20 leave (they cannot receive for whatever reason, normally because they are re-married outside of Church.) The exodus continues throughout communion. It’s chilling to watch.

This is at a Sunday 07:00 Mass. Not a lot of these people are going to work for care for a loved one (I know most personally.) Somehow they began to leave it was OK. The responsibility for this sorta stuff rests not only with them but with the bishops and especially the pastors.
 
Bro_Justin said:
Per Se:

Yes. the lay-people have the right to give out the Body and Christ. It stems from the Holy Father to the designated bishops.

I was relucant at first, than got use to it.

How would y ou like to sit in on Mass for one hour because there were no distributors?

Because of the shortage of priests, the bishops have given this right. Those who do it, of course, take classes in it. But if there is a priest at your mass, you have the right to go to him and not the lay=person.

Often times I see people genuflect prior to receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. In your case you can receive Communion in your mouth if this seems better for you.

But maily because of the shortage of priests, the lay=person will help. Lay people even go to hospitals and nursing homes.

I hope this has been some help to you.

If you want to show reverence for Christ, you, too, can also genuflect prior to receiving the Body and Blood.

God bless you now.

Brother Justin, OP
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No such “right” exists. It’s an allowed privilidge.
 
Joannm said:
My pastor has to lean against the first pew to distribute communion. Should we suggest he step down as pastor.
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We have LEGIONS of EMHCs at each Mass. There would be a dozen to take this woman’s place. Is she distributing communion to serve God or herself?

As far as your pastor goes, why would you ask about him stepping down as your pastor? I’m not sure what you mean by “My pastor has to lean against the first pew to distribute communion.” but if he is as physically unsteady as the woman in my parish maybe someone could kindly get him a chair or spell him during communion?
 
Maybe we go back and remind ourselves of the original purpose and whether that purpose is being well served.

Is it the case that today we have more Eucharistic piety?

Has both species, communion in the hands, and “legions” of Eucharistic ministers led to more Eucharistic piety?

If not, what would?

The only thing that matters is that we receive Jesus like humble children, our full body, mind, and soul. With all our intellect, will, imagination, etc.

Catching a wafer isn’t enough. “Opening up” the role of the laity in this manner hasn’t really done the trick either, if we’re frank. Maybe for some isolated people who now more fully understand the Eucharist.
 
Edward_H said:
Maybe we go back and remind ourselves of the original purpose and whether that purpose is being well served.

Is it the case that today we have more Eucharistic piety?

Has both species, communion in the hands, and “legions” of Eucharistic ministers led to more Eucharistic piety?

If not, what would?

The only thing that matters is that we receive Jesus like humble children, our full body, mind, and soul. With all our intellect, will, imagination, etc.

Catching a wafer isn’t enough. “Opening up” the role of the laity in this manner hasn’t really done the trick either, if we’re frank. Maybe for some isolated people who now more fully understand the Eucharist.
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Based on my own personal experience I would suggest the people that I come in contact with who denigrate communion under both kinds, CIH and the use of EMHCs often sport a false sense of piety.
 
dulcismaria said:
I

One more thing: Pray daily in reparation for the sacrilege of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ which is dropped and spilled on floors of Catholic Churches around the world by extraordinary ministers!
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I have seen the host dropped by priests as well, even more times than by EMHCs, I think it has less to do with the person distributing than the person receiving. In fact more host are dropped when people are receiving on the tongue, mostly because they don’t open their mouth wide enough or they take it between their teeth. I have never, ever seen anyone spill the Precious Blood.
 
ElToro said:
Based on my own personal experience I would suggest the people that I come in contact with who denigrate communion under both kinds, CIH and the use of EMHCs often sport a false sense of piety.
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I know that you didn’t mean to imply that I was denigrating receiving both species.

I am simply wondering if we’ve lost track of the original purpose of Eucharistic Ministers…which was to, under extraordinary conditions, allow more to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

It wasn’t to give the lay more role, or prestige, or anything. It was “for others,” the receiving.

There’s plenty of substantive work in every parish left for that!! In my parish it’s given some people an excuse not to do the more long running work in the parish. “I’d love to but I am already a Eucharistic Minister”. So rather than give 2 hours to the parish, they give 2 minutes.

And with respect to piety…people seem a bit less inclined to chew gum when receiving on the tongue!!

People are perhaps a bit too quick to identify and denigrate “false piety”. I try to never denigrate strugglers.
 
Joannm said:
I have seen the host dropped by priests as well, even more times than by EMHCs, I think it has less to do with the person distributing than the person receiving. In fact more host are dropped when people are receiving on the tongue, mostly because they don’t open their mouth wide enough or they take it between their teeth. I have never, ever seen anyone spill the Precious Blood.
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I have on several occasions. Not drop the cup, but overslosh the Blood on to clothes. Not a quick fix.
 
Maybe focus less on people who you think “sport a false sense of piety”, and pray more for people who God knows “sport a real sense of disrespect or indifference”. The clear non-strugglers.

You and I may not know these people…but God does.
 
Eucharistic Ministers certainly belongs! Without them, there is no valid Mass.

:rolleyes:
 
Yes…sorry…I mean that what is being referred to in this thread really is not Eucharistic Ministers but EXTRAORDINARY Eucharistic Ministers. Our shorthand way is to drop the EXTRAORDINARY, and because of this we simply conclude they are commonplace.
 
dulcismaria said:
Pray daily in reparation for the sacrilege of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ which is dropped and spilled on floors of Catholic Churches around the world by extraordinary ministers!
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You need to study the meaning of the term “sacrilege.” If a host or the Precious blood is dropped or spilled because of an accident, then there is certainly no sacrilege.

I have seen the host dropped to the floor several times over the past years by priests distributing at an alter rail with patens in use. It happens. Though unfortunate it is an accident and nothing else.

Perhaps we need to pray for those who actually receive communion and go out and seriously sin without a second thought.
 
A Eucharistic Minister is one who confects the Eucharist. So only a Bishop or priest is a Eucharistic Minister. A Eucharistic Minister is different from a Minister of Communion. Deacons are Ordinary Ministers of Communion.
Edward_H said:
Yes…sorry…I mean that what is being referred to in this thread really is not Eucharistic Ministers but EXTRAORDINARY Eucharistic Ministers. Our shorthand way is to drop the EXTRAORDINARY, and because of this we simply conclude they are commonplace.
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There is no such thing as an extraordinary Eucharistic Minister. As mentioned above, a Eucharistic Minister is different from a Minister of Communion.
 
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