Eucharistic Ministers

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Tish said:
Please don’t think that any one would ever make anyone kneel if it caused them physical distress. This just isn’t a church requirment - but following instructions issued by the Vatican must be adhered to.
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Since we can’t get Rome to change the policy of EMHC’s, let’s tear down the big churches and build small ones. Problem solved! Also, it would make it much more convenient for everyone because there’d have to be a mass scheduled every 1 1/2 around the clock. I like to sleep late and stay up late, so 2am mass would be perfect for me. 😃

I apologize for being a smart alect to you in particular, but that’s my solution to so many others who have nothing to do, but complain about EMHC’s.

As a new Christian with a year of Catholicism under my belt, I’ve got a mile long gripe list going and EMHC’s isn’t even close to making the list. :mad:
 
LeahInancsi said:
Since we can’t get Rome to change the policy of EMHC’s, let’s tear down the big churches and build small ones.
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The difficulty comes not from the policy, but rather from a lack of compliance with the policy.
 
LeahInancsi said:
Explain to me EXACTLY in numbers why EMHC’s are overused. Please be very precise.
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I really don’t think they are overused everywhere. Certainly, in some parishes, they are, but in my parish (1500 families) we manage with two or three per Mass, if there is one priest, and obviously if there is more than one priest and he is not frail or elderly, we don’t use them at all.

But I have been to Mass at a parish where the place wasn’t even half full, but they still had six EMHCs - which, for the situation, was way overdoing it. The priest could have easily handled the crowd by himself, or else with one EMHC to hold the chalice if he wanted to distribute the chalice as well, without taking the Mass past the one-hour mark - probably not even, since we got out of there in 45 minutes, if I recall correctly.
 
decn2b said:
Us Roman Catholics do have some to learn from the Orthodox. Using EMHCs is almost always an abuse in my diocese. My parish has two deacons and there is NO reason to have the extra 4-6 "mini-priests " up front. It is misguided modernist invention to “empower” the laity. It stinks and it is WRONG.
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:confused:
It’s the American branch of the Roman Catholic Church that needs to be educated and which usually goes far beyond what is intended when a decision comes from Rome.
 
JoeyWarren said:
Personally I find it to be most humbling experience to be an EM. Other’s may not view it in the same light as I do, but when I am standing there saying “The Body of Chirst” or “The Blood of Chirst” I feel more like I am actually there at the last supper playing the roles of Peter and Andrew whom help pass the bread and wine around to the rest of the apostles.
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It is a humbling experience to distribute Holy Communion as well as to receive it.

It is good that there are people willing to assist the priest when it is allowed by the Church’s norms and the bishops, and seems necessary in the judgment of the pastor.

The priest or deacon (or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion) says “the Body of Christ” or “the Blood of Christ” to indicate what it is that he is offering to the recipient of Holy Communion.

The priest or deacon (or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion) does not offer the recipient “bread and wine.”

The role of the apostles at the Last Supper was that of receiving the fullness of Holy Orders from Christ and being commissioned to celebrate the Eucharist until Christ should come again. This is not what the faithful who participate at Mass experience. Rather, the priest who celebrates Mass acts in the Person of Christ, making present and offering to the Father the exact same sacrifice as the sacrifice of Calvary.
 
LeahInancsi said:
Explain to me EXACTLY in numbers why EMHC’s are overused. Please be very precise.
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At the 4:00 pm Mass in my parish today (Saturday), there were approximately 100 people in the congregation. Distributing Communion under the form of bread only were the priest, the deacon and two extraordinary ministers. It took less than two minutes to distribute Holy Communion to everyone. Number of EMHCs needed: Zero. Number used: Two. Overused.

Betsy
 
Motivation is what makes it wrong. Priest & deacon need help? Good. Advance the laity? Bad. “Go with the spirit of the time?” Go play with the bees.
 
dylanschrader said:
It is a humbling experience to distribute Holy Communion as well as to receive it.
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Darn tootin! Since I was commissioned as an EMHC it’s really made me reconsider how I’m living my own life and what I can do to make myself more fit for such an honour and privilege.
 
here in Croatia we have never encountered problems concerning shortage of priests because our seminaries were always full- but in the last 15-20 years there are few candidates so our priests are quite old and there are less and less of them.

I am saying all this because the service of EMHC is extremely rare here, and still people get very surprised when a lay person distributes the holy communion. there are no rules on becoming a EMHC, but the service is reserved for people who are very active in the parish (so they are close to the priest) or belong to an order as laypersons (franciscan etc.)

i go to mass in two different parishes. one is a parish held by carmelite priests, there are about 15 of them in the monastery. and the other is a dominican parish with 4 priests. since there are enough of them, we do not have EMHC.
but there is another thing that bothers me - in the dominican parish - there is only one priest at the altar during the mass but when time comes to distribute the holy communion, the door opens and another two priests arrive to help the first to distribute it. i find it very disturbing. on the other hand, i guess that it would be difficult for all of them to be on 5 masses on sundays so that they could normally be present during the whole mass.

maybe involving laypersons in the distribution of the holy communion would be the answer, I think that it would be a better solution than when the door opens and two priests “stop by” to do the work.

I am sorry for writing such a long reply and if my english is bad. 😉
 
imaybe involving laypersons in the distribution of the holy communion would be the answer, I think that it would be a better solution than when the door opens and two priests “stop by” to do the work.

IOh no! It is such a blessing that you have sacred ministers available for the distribution of Holy Communion. Lay ministers are to handle Our Lord in only rare circumstances and only when a sacred minister is not available, when the sacred minister is too infirm to distribute himself, or when the Mass would be unduly long with out assistance. Never ever wish to have lay people step in to do a priests job - we are instructed to fervently pray for priestly vocations when ever we must resort to the use of extrodinary ministers and it is the duty of extraordinary ministers to refrain from distributing Communion when there are is a sufficient number of sacred ministers for the distribution of Holy Communion. Thank our Heavenly Father for the abundance of priests available to you and pray for more vocations everywhere!
 
mahalia said:
…but there is another thing that bothers me - in the dominican parish - there is only one priest at the altar during the mass but when time comes to distribute the holy communion, the door opens and another two priests arrive to help the first to distribute it. i find it very disturbing. on the other hand, i guess that it would be difficult for all of them to be on 5 masses on sundays so that they could normally be present during the whole mass

maybe involving laypersons in the distribution of the holy communion would be the answer, I think that it would be a better solution than when the door opens and two priests “stop by” to do the work.
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Your perspective is an interesting one. I find the practice of having available priests assist with Communion uplifting and exemplary. My experience is limited to the United States, but in parishes with multiple priests assigned, I have often seen this done. I think it speaks volumes about the sacred nature of the Sacrament and the importance of the role of the priest in bringing Christ to His people.
It’s the reverse practice that I find disturbing. I am presently in a parish with three priests (pastor, parochial vicar, and senior priest in residence) and two permanent deacons. It is not uncommon to have seven or eight EMHCs assist the celebrant with Communion and then, moments later, to leave the church and see the other priest and one of the deacons outside to greet and chat with the parishoners. We have been clearly instructed numerous times that EMHCs are to be used only when ordinary ministers are not available.
 
I understand your point of view, maybe you are right. Still, for me it is difficult to see the holyness of this practise because here before me is one priest and the other two are a couple of rooms away chatting and drinking coffe, not present at the act of transsubstantiation. and then - “oh, look at the time, we should go and distribute the holy communion”. and they just come in during the mass from that room behind the altar (I don’t know the word in english 😊 ) and “do the work”.
but I guess you are right. better this than laypersons.
 
mahalia said:
I understand your point of view, maybe you are right. Still, for me it is difficult to see the holyness of this practise because here before me is one priest and the other two are a couple of rooms away chatting and drinking coffe, not present at the act of transsubstantiation. and then - “oh, look at the time, we should go and distribute the holy communion”. and they just come in during the mass from that room behind the altar (I don’t know the word in english 😊 ) and “do the work”.
but I guess you are right. better this than laypersons.
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I do not know how many Masses your parish has on Sunday. Normally, a priest is only allowed to say 2 Masses on a Sunday. So if there are 3 Masses, the priests would not be allowed to concelebrate at each Mass. That may be the reason why the priests just come to distribute Communion rather than say the whole Mass.
 
LilyM said:
Darn tootin! Since I was commissioned as an EMHC it’s really made me reconsider how I’m living my own life and what I can do to make myself more fit for such an honour and privilege.
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WOW! There’s three of us! :extrahappy:
 
Having returned to the Church about 10 months ago; I’ve had my misgivings about receiving Holy Communion from the lay Eucharistic Ministers in our parish. I will change aisle sides to go to a priest when I can. However, when I have no choice (like when I’m singing in the choir and a lay person is designated to give that section of people Communion sometimes) I do accept the Communion from the lay person. There is always a lay person giving wine from the chalice. I’m thinking it’s okay since the wafers and chalice have undergone transubstantiation; become the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I will still go to the priest whevever it is possible.🙂 Rosalie
 
At least 80% of communicants who come to the front of the church for the Eucharish, choose to receive from the priest.

It doesn’t hurt my feelings as an EMHC, I understand why.
 
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