Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion rookie

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Well @Knight this is about post 24 .

Are you any the wiser ?

Have you received much info regarding training and others’ experience ?

I have been a Eucharistic Minister only once , and that was for a Mass during Pope John Paul II’s visit here .

So I haven’t much experience to share with you . Unlike all the rest . :cry:
 
Being an EMHC is a true blessing. I bring Holy Communion to many home-bound people and facilitate a Communion Service at the nursing home where I work once a month.

Bringing Jesus to those who would otherwise not be able to receive Him is just as much a blessing to me as it is to them.

And, as someone who was homebound for a while, being able to receive Communion when I could not get to Mass was also a great blessing and integral to my healing process.

Thanks be to God that the Church has allowed for their use and many blessing to you as your start in this ministry.
 
I’ve learned that we can bring up any topic and our fellow brothers and sisters will find ways to debate them. 😄

oh well, we love each other just the same. I do enjoy the back and forth and I see it as a good thing. Challenging each other to maybe bring up some questions we perhaps didn’t think of. So I say type on my fellow internet crusaders!
 
As was said up thread, mileage will vary depending on the Diocese you belong to, but all of your questions should be answered in your training.

If they don’t make sure to ask!!
 
I’ll definitely be asking questions. I won’t be doing the driving out to homes and whatnot since I’m already spread fairly thin with family duties so I’m just helping during the mass we regularly attend. Maybe when I get more free time I’ll take the Eucharist to homebound folks.

Thank you for your info.

😃
 
I started out being an EMHC at Mass. It has morphed into me seeing almost 100 people a month (30 of which are at my nursing home).
It is a wonderful ministry, no matter where or how you do it. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:
 
Knight said:
I’ll definitely be asking questions. I won’t be doing the driving out to homes and whatnot since I’m already spread fairly thin with family duties so I’m just helping during the mass we regularly attend. Maybe when I get more free time I’ll take the Eucharist to homebound folks.
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In most parishes, these are separate “sign-ups,” even though there are often parishioners who do both.
 
Knight said:
I was simply asking about what kinds of things should I be aware of? What do I say to a person who is asking for a blessing? What happens if something drops? If a person walks away without consuming? Stuff like this.
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Find out what your bishop says to do, and do that. It is definitely worth knowing what to ask, though, because sometimes a question of this nature is inadvertently skipped. (People who do the training are human, too, even when it is the pastor.)
 
And yet, in spite of this, I found myself having to argue against scheduling EMHCs for an Ordination Mass and for the new priest’s First Mass the next day when we already had knowledge that at least 10 priests would be concelebrating the first and at least 6 would concelebrate the second.
 
My reply was regarding the word “extraordinary”. It does not mean in “Churchspeak” what you or @semper_catholicus is trying to imply it means.

If that were the case, why wouldn’t the same meaning of the word “extraordinary” apply to the Missal of 1962?

“Extraordinary” as in minister of Holy Communion just means not an ordinary minister, i.e. Bishop, Priest or Deacon. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now, whether or not the are used too much is a whole different story, and one that neither, you, semper_catholicus, or I have any say in.

And, as far ars their use is concerned, the USCCB, in her authority, has given guidelines for the US, that have been approved by the Vatican. Ultimately, it is up to the Ordinary of the Diocese to make the general rules for his See and for the Pastor to make decisions based on what is best for his parish within the bounds of what the Bishop says.

No where does it say that @(name removed by moderator) and @semper_catholicus must agree with what the Priest or Bishop allows.
 
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The documents that you link to do not usurp the current GIRM for the US.

And “extraordinary” just means “not ordinary”, as in not a Bishop, Priest or Deacon.

I am not incorrect. You are just trying to interpret the documents and Canon Law to suit your own agenda.

The GIRM, which has been approved by the Holy See, is where you will find the correct information regarding EMHC for the US. Sorry if you don’t like that, but that’s the truth.
 
And also as a student of Canon Law and Liturgy, I have given you my opinion, and the opinion of the last 2 Bishops I have worked for.

The GIRM is where any liturgist will tell you to go to find out the norms for Mass is a particular area.
 
Our priest just asked my wife and I on Sunday to become EMHC with training in December. Our parish always uses several EMHC on Sunday, and one to three for daily mass. We typically have a Deacon on Sunday, but still use EMHC because we have over 300 at each service. With all due respect to the posters here, I’m just going to follow my priest’s guidance.
 
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I’ve been an EM for 20-25 years. Mostly I brought Communion to the sick and homebound every week until I retired and moved to another state, just over a year ago. Many years ago, (at least in my diocese), we had to be invited by the Pastor. If we accepted, we attended an annual formation at the diocese, which would take up an entire day. Then we’d have another training session with the Pastor, that included a spiritual retreat, so another day. I’m pretty sure people now are simply trained by the Pastor or the Director of EM’s, which in our case was a Deacon. Btw, congratulations! It’s a wonderful ministry. One thing I’ll never forget is when Father told me, “Remember, you’re not an EM only on Sunday, you’re an EM 24/7” In other words, you’re representing your parish for all eyes to see, make Jesus proud.
 
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To be precise what the Church teaches is that ordinary ministers should distribute Holy Communion. The same ordinary ministers should also take Holy Communion to the sick.
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When such ordinary ministers are not available they can be supplemented with EMsHC (yes “minister” is plural, not “Communion”). Supplemented both during Mass and supplemented taking Holy Communion to the sick.

IN PRACTICALITY, bishops apply this very differently. Some truly use them in only extraordinary circumstances, others use them all the time.

The same holds true for pastors: Some hardly ever use them, others use them every week.

In my experience, people seem to flock to a parish that represents their own view on the use or abuse of extrordinary ministers.

I, myself, whenever present at Mass, even if not as the deacon will vest and help distribute, even as other deacons remain sitting in the congregation, or who assist in distribution without vesting. That’s just the way I was trained in the seminary.

What does seem fruitless is to try and change a particular priest’s mind on this. If he doesn’t like using EMsHC, you’re not going to convince him to do so. If he always wants them, you’re not going to convince him to curtail it. Triply so of bishops.

How blessed we are to receive our King,
Deacon Christopher
 
@Knight here’s my experience with home visits.

When I was in so much pain that I couldn’t attend Mass, a lovely lady in my town would bring me Holy Communion. So if you bring Communion to the same person on a regular basis, expect to develop a friendship with the person. I’ll describe my experience so you know what might unfold. (I’m going to use the name Anne, which is not her real name.) Before her arrival, I would cover my coffee table with a white cloth, put out two electric candles and my favorite portrait of Jesus. Preparing the table was my idea, not hers.

When Anne arrived, she would set the pyx on the white cloth on the coffee table. Then, she’d hand me a church bulletin. We’d have a casual chat of about 10 to 15 minutes – usually about parish matters. That would make me feel like I was still a member of the parish.

Discussions usually dealt topics such as fund-raisers and such. Anne would always ask me about my physical condition. I’d give her the briefest answer possible. But that’s because I’m a private person. She followed my cue.

Then, she brought a printed prayer we would recite before I received Holy Communion. I couldn’t stand or kneel because of my pain situation. In our parish, we always receive the host in the hand. So she would bend down, hold up the Host, and say, “The Body of Christ, Lisa.” After quiet prayer and reflection, I’d pull myself up on my cane and hobble over to the door. I’d then offer her profuse thanks and blessings. When my pain situation improved (thank God), she came over for her last visit. We exchanged a big hug and said goodbye. The whole visit was done in about 15 to 20 minutes. But I felt cared for as a person, not a name on a list.

So, to sum up, expect to develop a relationship with the communicant. If you have to cancel, be sure to notify your communicant as soon as possible. I was fine with text messages. But everyone is different. Bring a bulletin to discuss church topics. (It’s a great ice breaker.) You’ll probably want to ask the person about their condition. Expect to deal with a variety of answers.

Always adapt to the person’s disability and personality. Bring a printed prayer to say before the Eucharist. Have a nice goodbye together. Believe me that you’ll be a great blessing to that person and vice versa. God bless you in your important ministry. Please message me if you need more help about home visits.
 
CilladeRoma said:
This is what the Code of Canon Law says about EMHC. Please show me where you are finding the term “only in extraordinary” circumstances.
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Because that is exactly what the word “extra-ordinary” means.

The very definition of the word extraordinary means times when the situation is other-than the ordinary (usual, typical, expected, normal, etc.).

This is like asking “where does the Church say that red vestments must be red?”
 
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