Extraordinary Ministers

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Could I ask your opinions about the Indiscriminate, needless use of Extraordinary Ministers which appears to go directly against Rome.

I recently attended a Mass at a small urban church with a small congregation.
Two priests officiated at the Mass.
The celebrant took no part in the distribution of Holy Communion.
The other priest distributed Holy Communion with the assistance of four EMs, all female.

Extraordinary surely means means non-customary ie used only if the situation demands it.

A lot of churches, nowadays, have an all-pervasive matriarchal predominance in the parish council, its officers and church organisations.

Could it be that this abuse have evolved as part of a sop to female catholics who seem to be in the majority in the EM ranks.
 
With your post, I would have thought one of the priests would have assisted with Communion distribution even if they had to have several women to serve the Cup, and perhaps another to give the Hosts. I am used to the priest either going to the same place every time to give Communion like at my parents church in the middle near front of the altar, or like my priest who goes to different sections (at one Mass he will in the middle - near front of the altar, another time at one of the sides) and has Extraordinary ministers to assist in other areas both male and female.
 
Even those of us who agree with the use of EMHCs – even the widespread use of them – agree that this sounds excessive. Of course, we can’t read the priests’ minds; it’s entirely possible that, for some reason, the celebrant wasn’t able to distribute Communion (Rome has said that a priest may use EMHCs and not distribute himself for reasons of frailty, illness, etc.).

Generally speaking, you should never see the use of EMHCs combined with an ordinary minister of Holy Communion (priest or deacon) refraining from distribution unless the ordinary minister is unable to distribute for some reason. And, true, the reason might not be obvious to the congregation. But it shouldn’t be happening regularly. EMHCs are intended to be used only when needed.

The sex of the EMHC is irrelevant. Both sexes may serve. If people think there aren’t enough males volunteering to be EMHCs, then they should encourage more men to volunteer.
 
lifequest said:
Could I ask your opinions about the Indiscriminate, needless use of Extraordinary Ministers which appears to go directly against Rome.

I recently attended a Mass at a small urban church with a small congregation.
Two priests officiated at the Mass.
The celebrant took no part in the distribution of Holy Communion.
The other priest distributed Holy Communion with the assistance of four EMs, all female.

Extraordinary surely means means non-customary ie used only if the situation demands it.

A lot of churches, nowadays, have an all-pervasive matriarchal predominance in the parish council, its officers and church organisations.

Could it be that this abuse have evolved as part of a sop to female catholics who seem to be in the majority in the EM ranks.
Click to expand...
Dont put problems where there are no problems.
You seem to be distracted with so many details that distract you from the essential
 
“Dont put problems where there are no problems.
You seem to be distracted with so many details that distract you from the essential”
I believe by not paying attention to the details we have today an attitude of “do whatever you like” as long as you are present at mass. Sorry ibo I do not agree with you.
 
ibo said:
Dont put problems where there are no problems.
You seem to be distracted with so many details that distract you from the essential
Click to expand...
The sad thing is that abuses are not trivial when it comes to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If we cannot be faithful in small matters, how can we be trusted in greater ones?
 
There are absolutely abuses in the use of of EMHCs in some places.
 
leroy656 said:
“Dont put problems where there are no problems.
You seem to be distracted with so many details that distract you from the essential”
I believe by not paying attention to the details we have today an attitude of “do whatever you like” as long as you are present at mass. Sorry ibo I do not agree with you.
Click to expand...
I agree with you entirely, leroy656.

I was an ex Anglo-Catholic in the Church of England for over 50 years, I am now a Roman Catholic in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The main reason that I ‘defected’ to Rome was the gross liberality now being practiced in the Church of England, with regard to women priests (soon bishops), divorcees, abortion etc, to the detriment of the essentials of faith.

The Church of England has its own version of EMs but they are not the accepted norm and are only used where the situation demands it.

I believe that we should not compromise nor abuse the tenets of our faith (and, for that matter, Canon Law) by pandering to increasingly-trendy liberality.

It is my sincere prayer that Roman Catholicism does not go the way of the Church of England.

In many churches the solemnity of the Mass has been significantly eroded.

As you may have gathered, I am a traditionalist at heart but I assure Ibo that my concerns will never affect the essentials of my faith.
 
benedictgal said:
The sad thing is that abuses are not trivial when it comes to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If we cannot be faithful in small matters, how can we be trusted in greater ones?
Click to expand...
My sentiments exactly, Benedictgal.
 
I will not judge your priest for his reasons for not distributing HC. But I do agree that EMs are overused. I am still discerning if I want to become an EM, but it would be mainly for bringing HC to shut-ins, hospitals, nursing homes.

However, it is still the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

It would be wonderful if more men would come forward to serve, both as EMs and get more involved in church matters.
 
The habitual use of EMHC’s is not permitted.

From *An Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest *
“Extraordinary ministers …] may also exercise this function [distribute Holy Communion] at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion.”
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“To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated where such have emerged in particular Churches:
…]
the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass thus arbitrarily extending the concept of “a great number of the faithful”.
Click to expand...
 
Another problem is Extraordinary Ministers doing the readings before the Gospel.

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“101. In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture.”

We understand the term “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion”. But we do not have similar term for people who are not instituted lectors, but proclaim the readings before the Gospel. The lack of a term highlights for me the lack of awareness of the issue.

What term could be used?
Extraordinary Minister of the First Reading
Extraordinary Minister of the Readings Before the Gospel
Extraordinary Lector
Extraordinary Reader
Non-instituted Lector
Non-instituted Reader

I think the term “Extraordinary Lector” would be best.
 
John_Lilburne said:
Another problem is Extraordinary Ministers doing the readings before the Gospel.

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“101. In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture.”

We understand the term “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion”. But we do not have similar term for people who are not instituted lectors, but proclaim the readings before the Gospel. The lack of a term highlights for me the lack of awareness of the issue.

What term could be used?
Extraordinary Minister of the First Reading
Extraordinary Minister of the Readings Before the Gospel
Extraordinary Lector
Extraordinary Reader
Non-instituted Lector
Non-instituted Reader

I think the term “Extraordinary Lector” would be best.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure I even like the idea of a title. Train some laypeople to read the readings, then let them read (not the Gospel, obviously). It’s not an office; it’s just a function that’s needed in some parishes or for some Masses.

EMHCs need more training, so I support the idea of formalizing it to avoid the risk of desecrating the Eucharist. But let’s not break down the various roles in the liturgy to the point that everyone has a title. “I’m one of the ushers” or “I’m one of the musicians” is fine to describe what you’re doing at Mass. But EMHC and person-who-reads are not offices within the Church, and I’d rather not expand such things.

:twocents:
 
What would a priest be? If there is a deacon he proclaims the Gospel. If a priest does this he could be called an “Extraordinary Minister of Proclaiming the Gospel”. This would highlight that the deacon is the Ordinary Minister for this.
 
lifequest said:
Could I ask your opinions about the Indiscriminate, needless use of Extraordinary Ministers which appears to go directly against Rome.

I recently attended a Mass at a small urban church with a small congregation.
Two priests officiated at the Mass.
The celebrant took no part in the distribution of Holy Communion.
The other priest distributed Holy Communion with the assistance of four EMs, all female.

Extraordinary surely means means non-customary ie used only if the situation demands it.

A lot of churches, nowadays, have an all-pervasive matriarchal predominance in the parish council, its officers and church organisations.

Could it be that this abuse have evolved as part of a sop to female catholics who seem to be in the majority in the EM ranks.
Click to expand...
It is rash judgment to conclude that the case you witnessed is an abuse.

When this happened at our parish, I happened to know that the celebrant was unsteady on his feet and did not participate in the distribution of Holy Communion because he was afraid he would lose his balance and drop the Blessed Sacrament.

In our archdiocese, the ideal is that the Precious Blood be available to the faithful. We don’t have enough priests and deacons to do that without EMsHC. The program for training EMsHC is run by the deacon, not a woman, and both men and women function as EMsHC. There are enough scheduled so that there will be enough people to help out if the presider is the only clergy present, but if other clergy are there, then there is an orderly method for deciding which EMHC automatically steps down. The “extraordinary” ministers are scheduled and used as a matter of routine, but that is because a clergy shortage is the norm. On the rare day when we had enough priests and deacons present to fill all the slots, there isn’t a layperson used. That happens as a matter of course. The deacon who does the training makes certain that the EMsHC he trains all know who is ordinary and who is not!
 
John_Lilburne said:
Another problem is Extraordinary Ministers doing the readings before the Gospel.

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“101. In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture.”

We understand the term “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion”. But we do not have similar term for people who are not instituted lectors, but proclaim the readings before the Gospel. The lack of a term highlights for me the lack of awareness of the issue.

What term could be used?
Extraordinary Minister of the First Reading
Extraordinary Minister of the Readings Before the Gospel
Extraordinary Lector
Extraordinary Reader
Non-instituted Lector
Non-instituted Reader

I think the term “Extraordinary Lector” would be best.
Click to expand...
I tend to use “reader” for non-instituted lectors and “lector” for instituted lectors.
 
lifequest said:
I recently attended a Mass at a small urban church with a small congregation.
Two priests officiated at the Mass.
The celebrant took no part in the distribution of Holy Communion.
The other priest distributed Holy Communion with the assistance of four EMs, all female.
Click to expand...
OK, number one: female has NOTHING to do with this. What does that matter? Either EMHC are to be used or they’re not to be, male or female is irrelevant.

Now, onto the issue of the celebrant not distributing communion. Perhaps he was unable to due to illness or a physical issue. Or perhaps the 2nd priest was a last minute surprise and they already had EMHC there who had arranged their weekend schedule around being at that Mass so on this one occasion the celebrant sat out the distribution of communion.
Extraordinary surely means means non-customary ie used only if the situation demands it.
Click to expand...
Not quite. Extraordinary in this context deals with ones role by law. It doesn’t mean non-customary but rather are “not the 1st choice” for the role.
A lot of churches, nowadays, have an all-pervasive matriarchal predominance in the parish council, its officers and church organisations.
Click to expand...
What is your obsession with women in the church? It has nothing to do with the issue at hand.
Could it be that this abuse have evolved as part of a sop to female catholics who seem to be in the majority in the EM ranks.
Click to expand...
Once again, what’s your problem with women in the church?
 
NewEnglandPries said:
Now, onto the issue of the celebrant not distributing communion. Perhaps he was unable to due to illness or a physical issue. [quite possibly. I wouldn’t rule it out.] Or perhaps the 2nd priest was a last minute surprise and they already had EMHC there who had arranged their weekend schedule around being at that Mass so on this one occasion the celebrant sat out the distribution of communion. [That’s no excuse. When we have extra concelebrants or assisting deacons at our parish, if all of the scheduled EMHCs come up, either the MC or celebrant simply waves them off. They understand their role, so there are no hard feelings. Actually, at midnight Mass, we had lots of priests, and all the EMHCs came up. Far from having hard feelings, they were overjoyed that their assistance was no longer needed!]
Click to expand...
 
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