Extraordinary Ministers - would you resign?

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Hence another subject, too many parshes do not provide a generous amount of hours for confession. We both live in the same diocese, and there is only one parish that really provides a generous amount of hours for confession, and there are a large number of people waiting in line everytime confessions take place, and its not theparish where the Indult is.
 
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JNB:
For up to 500 communicants, 2 priests can distribute communion in the TLM in a 10-15 minuite period or so, and the rail is just as fast as standing. ST TLM, just wondering, is there a good turn out for the Indult in St Louis?
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I have attended the TLM at St.Agatha for the past 10 years, and the turn out is excellent. Averaging 300- 400 people at each Mass, many traveling over 100+ miles to attend the Mass.
 
That is an excellent turn out, and with your current Archbishop, the Traditional mass should get even more support in your archdiocese, hopefully he will bring in the FSSP or ICK to staff your parish. I know the SSPX has a fairly good sized parish in St Louis as well, the dis unity among Traditional Catholics is a fustration that hurts the movment.
 
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JNB:
That is an excellent turn out, and with your current Archbishop, the Traditional mass should get even more support in your archdiocese, hopefully he will bring in the FSSP or ICK to staff your parish. I know the SSPX has a fairly good sized parish in St Louis as well, the dis unity among Traditional Catholics is a fustration that hurts the movment.
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There is a rumor that the arcdiocese is thinking about moving the Traditional mass to another church in the city, about 2 miles from St.Agatha…I guess the thinking is that with this strong of a following for the Latin mass, they can move it around and save alot of foundering churches within the city. Personally, I think this is a
‘big’ mistake…why don’t they just add an additional Latin Mass to the other church. Well, we will see.
If you are in the St.Louis area, stop by.
 
The most sucessful Traditional mass communities are the ones that have their own parish, usually served by either FSSP or ICK priests. If the mass is moved to another parish, it may be worth it if the mass gets its own parish. Abp. Burke is a strong supporter of the TLM.
 
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Catholic2003:
Calling something an indult doesn’t make it one.
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True enough, it’s not an Indult, but the Ordinary has the right to prohibit women from serving at the altar, as does the parish priest (pastor). In addition, no priest can be forced to employ altar girls when celebrating the Liturgy. There is no right, however, to exclude men from serving at the altar. Therefore, it is quite obvious, even if RS didn’t explictly state it, that men are to be preferred over women for serving at the altar.

As for your characterization of the Roman Theological Forum as a “traditionalist site,” I’m sure Frs. McCarthy and Harrison will be very surprised to find out that they are traditionalists. Opposing altar girls and women invading the sanctuary is not a strictly “traditionalist” position, although it is in accordance with the traditional practice of the Church. 😉
 
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JNB:
The most sucessful Traditional mass communities are the ones that have their own parish, usually served by either FSSP or ICK priests.
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I could not agree more. Every Catholic in his heart yearns for parish life, and those attached to the traditional Mass are no different. I am lucky enough to attend the traditional Mass at Mater Ecclesiae, in the Diocese of Camden, NJ – the only traditional parish staffed entirely by diocesan clergy.
 
That is one reason why some indulst arent doing as well as tyhey should be doing. It is difficult to build up a full parish life with just a once a week mass alone, all 7 sacraments are needed to form a stable traditional connubity.
 
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dcs:
Therefore, it is quite obvious, even if RS didn’t explictly state it, that men are to be preferred over women for serving at the altar.
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Certainly, male altar servers may be preferred over female altar servers.

My point is that if a bishop and a priest both choose to allow female altar servers on an equal basis with male altar servers (while still giving preference to installed acolytes), then no liturgical abuse is taking place.
 
There is not a lot of room for interpretation in Redemptionis Sacramentum. It specifically requires only the title of “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion” and nothing else. The time factor is the only real judgement call.
I’ve been asked to be an EMHC and I put it off because I was in the process of being initiated in the K of C at the time.
My response the next time will be to present a copy of Redemptionis Sacramentum and ask that person to read it and tell me what they think before I decide.
“Not infrequently, abuses are rooted in a false understanding of liberty.” (RS #7)
Perhaps what is lacking in some places is thorough catechesis. It is possible to confuse religious freedom as defined by Dignitatis Humanae in the context of the world of all humanity, with disobedience to the Holy Father. All experimentation in the liturgy was supposed to end in 1975, but the rebellion over Humanae Vitae led to a generalized disobedience. Some of the abuses catalogued here in this thread have a distinct feminist tilt.
 
Hello dcs: Mater Ecclesiae is a beautiful parish! We attend occasionally. I am hoping the talk Fr. is going to be giving on it will be available on tape…I’d like to hear him tell the whole amazing story!
 
What a great topic, something I have been struggling with for a while. We changed parishes about 18 months ago, for a variety of reasons, but mainly for the flagrant and growing number of abuses. Instead of church being less than 5 minutes away, we drive 15 instead. The new parish is served by the Redemptorists. We have found it to be much more traditional. After about 6 months, we were approached to become EMHC’s. I was somewhat reluctant, but agreed.

Ever since, I had been struggling with resigning. I just don’t feel that this is a ministry that the lay faithful should be serving, yet each time I make up my mind, God sends a situation that stops me and I continue. Recently, we were asked to take over the training and coordination of the EMHC’s. Why did I say yes? Why do I continue to serve? Because I have seen too much irreverance and abuse. I pray on this constantly, but I think that perhaps the reason God has asked me to serve in this capacity is so that through His grace and guidance I can lovingly educate the other EMCH’s to show the respect that this ministry requires. If the day comes when I feel that God is calling me out of the ministry, then I would gladly resign. If our pastor decided to eliminate EMCH’s I would not be offended, I would again, gladly resign. I do this ministry because I truly believe God has asked me to, I am totally unworthy, but I cannot refuse.
 
No. We no longer use schedules. We don’t enter the Sanctuary until the celebrant and the con-celebrant or assisting Deacon has taken the Eucharist. The church seats 750. There is 30 minutes between each of our four masses on Sunday. 2200 total families. Every Sunday mass presents an extraordinary situation.
 
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kmmd:
I have been asked several times (usually less than 1/2 hour before Mass begins) to be a Eucharistic Minister (note that this term is forbidden), when I explain that I have never been trained, they ask, “does that mean you won’t?” Several of the regular E.M.'s are women who have been divorced and remarried. Do they have annullments? Should I have to wonder?

Please pray for us!
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Do you know why the term “Eucharistic Minister” is forbidden for EMEs? Because only ordained clergy are true Eucharistic ministers. The “extraordinary” part is for just those situations. I have seen many EMEs push aside a deacon in order to distribute the Eucharist and/or Precious Blood. I have seen them stand at the altar with the priest and deacon during the Fractionery rite.

If you are serving with women who are divorced and remarried without annulments, they should not be receiving Communion, much less distributing it.
 
JC Nixon - looks like you may be in a good position to help you parish and priest(s)!

Thinking about this, and reading this, I do not think in my parish resigning would do any positive benefit. When there are not X number of “EM”, others take their place to make it X number.

I think one of the best ways to start to change this practice is to work on conforming to the appropriate name “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion”. This is not too big a change for most people to handle.

This may help with a new mindset about what this role is, vs. what many think this role is today. This new mindset will ease the way for conformity and acceptance of the rules and regulations regarding this.

In an ideal world, we would all simply change overnight and submit to the authority of the church. We do not live in an ideal world. And God is a very patient God, fortunately for us sinners!
 
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MParedon:
I’ve been thinking that there might be sooo many EMC’s maybe because they want to participate in the Mass so much and feel that worshipping as a congregant (sp?) isn’t enough or doesn’t give them that feeling of inclusiveness or taking part.
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Hi, MParedon!

It would appear as though Redemptionis Sacramentum also addresses this issue and, one could argue, prohibits the use of EMHCs who’s intentions are thus (emphasis mine)…

[151.] Only out of true necessity is there to be recourse to the assistance of extraordinary ministers in the celebration of the Liturgy. Such recourse is not intended for the sake of a fuller participation of the laity but rather, by its very nature, is supplementary and provisional.[252] Furthermore, when recourse is had out of necessity to the functions of extraordinary ministers, special urgent prayers of intercession should be multiplied that the Lord may soon send a Priest for the service of the community and raise up an abundance of vocations to sacred Orders.[253]

a pilgrim
 
“I think the use of EMs has been too enthusiastically implemented.”

I really like the way that this has been phrased.

Attending the TLM in Atlanta for approx for the last year, I have noticed that there has been significant growth. It is funny though the avenues of resistance that I came up against in attending. Once it became common knowledge that I was attending TLM in the mornings, I fell pretty far out of favor with the LifeTeen group that I helped with at another parish. I agree that the divisions within the Traditionalist movement are a hinderance. It makes it incredibly difficult to discern upon first glance if you just found your way into an SSPX Chapel or a Parish serviced by the FSSP or whomever. Also it lends the impression that Traditionalism lends itself to schism, which in my experience is as far from the truth as the east is west.

Too many communicants? why not add another Mass?
 
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Timothy:
I really like the way that this has been phrased.

Too many communicants? why not add another Mass?
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As someone who attends the TLM, you probably can’t help but notice how efficiently a priest can give communion at the rail. And that’s considering that he has to say a lot more (in Latin) before he can place it on the communicant’s tongue.
 
Indeed, it is a very efficient process, and recieving on the knees at the altar rail is incredibly profound… Brings back a bit of the feeling of the first time I recieved three years ago now (as of this week). It’s an awesome, incredible and terrifying experience of God, every time.
 
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