Extraordinary Ministers

[YoungTradCath]

If parishes only used instituted acolytes to help distribute communion at Mass would we see a similar amount of threads questioning their use and affect on vocations?

No. Those men who are instituted acolytes have shown at least a degree of receptivity to the idea of becoming priests, even if they didn’t become acolytes as a step to the priesthood.

 

[TimothyH]

Thank you for the correct words. Does reducing the time from 15 minutes to 5 minutes constitute a reason of real necessity? Seems like a brief prolongation to me?

15 minutes is a long time for someone who is on luch break. If people were late getting back to work then they would stop coming all together.

-Tim-

 

[agapewolf]

Thank you for the correct words. Does reducing the time from 15 minutes to 5 minutes constitute a reason of real necessity? Seems like a brief prolongation to me?

Actually, in some parishes when there are masses back to back, the extra 10 minutes is more than a “brief prolongation”. Those extra 10 minutes are precious to the changeover time: sanitizing the vessels, setting up for the next mass, greeting after mass, parking lot changeover, musicians changeover and warm up, a moment to get something to eat for the priest and/or music minister who has to do 3 or 4 masses in a row.

On top of that, I would challenge the premise that taking out the extraordinary ministers would only prolong mass for 10 minutes. Communion would take AT LEAST an extra 20 minutes at my parish without EMHCs

 

[JGMendes4049]

15 minutes is a long time for someone who is on lunch break. If people were late getting back to work then they would stop coming all together.

On a Sunday?

If parishes only used instituted acolytes to help distribute communion at Mass would we see a similar amount of threads questioning their use and affect on vocations?

Instituted acolytes are still Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, just the first choice in them, as opposed to “regular” Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

 

[JGMendes4049]

Communion would take AT LEAST an extra 20 minutes at my parish without EMHCs

How many are there? What if it was just fewer EMHCs?

 

[YoungTradCath]

Actually, in some parishes when there are masses back to back, the extra 10 minutes is more than a “brief prolongation”. Those extra 10 minutes are precious to the changeover time: sanitizing the vessels, setting up for the next mass, greeting after mass, parking lot changeover, musicians changeover and warm up, a moment to get something to eat for the priest and/or music minister who has to do 3 or 4 masses in a row.

On top of that, I would challenge the premise that taking out the extraordinary ministers would only prolong mass for 10 minutes. Communion would take AT LEAST an extra 20 minutes at my parish without EMHCs

And that might, just might, constitute a necessity.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

How many are there? What if it was just fewer EMHCs?

At my parish there are usually 4. Even with 4 EMHCs and 3-4 clergy, communion takes 15-20 minutes.

 

[promethius]

At my parish there are usually 4. Even with 4 EMHCs and 3-4 clergy, communion takes 15-20 minutes.

I was going to say, at my parish communion takes 15 minutes and that’s with 7 EMHCs. If we had to do it with ONLY the two priests and the seminarian the priests would be attending 8 masses in a weekend and communion would take FOREVER (not to mention the overlap factor).

Is there SOME abuse of using EMHCs? Sure. But it’s a lot more rare than many would like us to think.

And I don’t buy the logic that “extraordinary” means that they’re not supposed to be used every Sunday (where there is a need)… if that were the case then the traditional catholics need to stop attending the EF so ordinarily.

As to vocations, blaming it one female EMHCs and altar servers is like blaming toyotas for the lack of ferraris on the road. That has FAR more to do with the lack of families having any significant number of children. If I were to announce a desire to join the priesthood I know my very catholic father would do backflips against it because if that happens, the family name dies out. When people start following church teaching to stop contracepting and have children, the church’s vocation problem in the west will go away.

 

[GwenL]

How about when 8 women (and yes they are always women) are jumping up on the altar at the Communion? Because if we didn’t have them, Communion might take fifteen minutes instead of 5 minutes. Oh yes, and they will give blessings as well, even though they definitely aren’t supposed to do that.

I can’t imagine why the priesthood isn’t attractive to men anymore.

Let me go out on a limb here. Any man who loses his “vocation” to the priesthood because he sees some poorly trained female EMHCs probably wasn’t meant to be a priest. What kind of man (not boy) would be scared off by a group of laywomen, if he was truly called by Christ to be His priest?

 

[TimothyH]

Actually, in some parishes when there are masses back to back, the extra 10 minutes is more than a “brief prolongation”. Those extra 10 minutes are precious to the changeover time: sanitizing the vessels, setting up for the next mass, greeting after mass, parking lot changeover, musicians changeover and warm up, a moment to get something to eat for the priest and/or music minister who has to do 3 or 4 masses in a row.

Not to mention about 50 classrooms of kids getting out of PSR one half hour before the busiest Mass of the day.

And that might, just might, constitute a necessity.

And then people would complain how irreverent people are for coming to Mass late when the real reason is that they couldn’t find a parking space becuase the previous Mass went 10 minutes too long.

And people would complain that they didn’t have enough time to properly prepare for Mass as stated that they must do in section 12, chapter 1432, subchapter 45, paragrpah 16 of the Sacrosiliam Rule for Proper Mass Preparation for the Laity promulgated by His Holiness Pope St. Simplicius in 472.

Or people would complain that they were being rushed out of Mass without being given an appropriate opportunity to pray afterwards, as is their God given right, earned for them through Jesus’ death on the Cross.

Or it would be so rushed that a sacristan would forget to light a candle or the key would be left in the tabernacle or an altar server wouldn’t wear the alb correctly or the announcement of some funeral or liturgy would be skipped and people would come to CAF and complain that the priest is derilict in his duties and everyone would chant “Report him to the bishop” in Latin.

-Tim-

 

[YoungTradCath]

And then people would complain how irreverent people are for coming to Mass late when the real reason is that they couldn’t find a parking space becuase the previous Mass went 10 minutes too long.

And people would complain that they didn’t have enough time to properly prepare for Mass as stated that they must do in section 12, chapter 1432, subchapter 45, paragrpah 16 of the Sacrosiliam Rule for Proper Mass Preparation for the Laity promulgated by His Holiness Pope St. Simplicius in 472.

Or people would complain that they were being rushed out of Mass without being given an appropriate opportunity to pray afterwards, as is their God given right, earned for them through Jesus’ death on the Cross.

Or it would be so rushed that a sacristan would forget to light a candle or the key would be left in the tabernacle or an altar server wouldn’t wear the alb correctly or the announcement of some funeral or liturgy would be skipped and people would come to CAF and complain that the priest is derilict in his duties and everyone would chant “Report him to the bishop” in Latin.

-Tim-

Probably.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

No. Those men who are instituted acolytes have shown at least a degree of receptivity to the idea of becoming priests, even if they didn’t become acolytes as a step to the priesthood.

So then the issue is not extraordinary ministers…

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

Thank you for the correct words. Does reducing the time from 15 minutes to 5 minutes constitute a reason of real necessity? Seems like a brief prolongation to me?

15 minutes for communion does seem rather excessive in the USA.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

On a Sunday?Instituted acolytes are still Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, just the first choice in them, as opposed to “regular” Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

Actually the idea of “1st choice” is rather deceptive. They are still extraordinary ministers.

We need to remember that even the role of Lector was once reserved to clergy alone. It seems rather odd to be upset over extraordinary ministers in one circumstance but not another.

And, of course, when the priest or deacon acts as an extraordinary minister (in other matters) there are few complaints.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

Actually the idea of “1st choice” is rather deceptive. They are still extraordinary ministers.

We need to remember that even the role of Lector was once reserved to clergy alone. It seems rather odd to be upset over extraordinary ministers in one circumstance but not another.

And, of course, when the priest or deacon acts as an extraordinary minister (in other matters) there are few complaints.

I was actually happy to be confirmed by our extraordinary minister of confirmation (our priest). Of course we only have one priest and no deacon so it kind of makes EMHC’s more of a necessity…

 

[MartyrForJesus]

I was going to say, at my parish communion takes 15 minutes and that’s with 7 EMHCs. If we had to do it with ONLY the two priests and the seminarian the priests would be attending 8 masses in a weekend and communion would take FOREVER (not to mention the overlap factor).

Is there SOME abuse of using EMHCs? Sure. But it’s a lot more rare than many would like us to think.

And I don’t buy the logic that “extraordinary” means that they’re not supposed to be used every Sunday (where there is a need)… if that were the case then the traditional catholics need to stop attending the EF so ordinarily.

As to vocations, blaming it one female EMHCs and altar servers is like blaming toyotas for the lack of ferraris on the road. That has FAR more to do with the lack of families having any significant number of children. If I were to announce a desire to join the priesthood I know my very catholic father would do backflips against it because if that happens, the family name dies out. When people start following church teaching to stop contracepting and have children, the church’s vocation problem in the west will go away.

The people complain when there are as many EMHC as there is in the pews at Mass.

 

[Dan_Daly]

Read this:

wdtprs.com/blog/2009/07/the-question-of-extraordinary-ministers-of-holy-communion/

It does a good job of breaking down Redemtionis sacramentum as it relates to the problems with EMHCs.

I believe the only reasonable conclusion is that the manner in which EMHCs are used in the vast majority of US parishes is not in accordance with the laws of the Church. I believe this is one of several causes for the declining belief in the True Presence and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

As a lay person, you it is not your decision to make. You can respectfully speak to your priest, and if he is not receptive, you can speak to your Bishop, and if he is not receptive you can speak to Rome. You can also exercise what authority you do have- for example deciding not to receive from an EMHC as a means of prayerfully working towards correction of these problems.

Pax Christi

 

[Mrs_Sally]

As to vocations, blaming it one female EMHCs and altar servers is like blaming toyotas for the lack of ferraris on the road. That has FAR more to do with the lack of families having any significant number of children. If I were to announce a desire to join the priesthood I know my very catholic father would do backflips against it because if that happens, the family name dies out. When people start following church teaching to stop contracepting and have children, the church’s vocation problem in the west will go away.

That is absolutely true! My son is the only boy in his generation, and there are only 6 of them altogether. Even though my husband and I would welcome him becoming a priest, if he had a vocation, his grandparents would freak out.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Or it would be so rushed that a sacristan would forget to light a candle or the key would be left in the tabernacle or an altar server wouldn’t wear the alb correctly or the announcement of some funeral or liturgy would be skipped and people would come to CAF and complain that the priest is derilict in his duties and everyone would chant “Report him to the bishop” in Latin.
-Tim-

 

[mozier]

I do not mind EMHCs at all. What I object to is them giving out blessings during communion as if they were priests. Blessing your children at home or praying for someone is one thing, but giving out blessings during Mass is not right.

This “cross your arms across your chest and get a blessing” thing done at my parish is very irritating to me.