Found a host...

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Recently, I purchased a desk from our Parish, in exchange for a donation. When I was cleaning out the drawers, I found a host. I did not know if it was consecrated or not (the room where the desk was located was sometimes used for Daily Mass in the wintertime), but I was unsure what to do - if it was consecrated, I certainly did not want to discard it, but I also know you are not supposed to “self-communicate” either, so I didn’t consume it.

What I ended up doing was I took the host to the sacristy, and left a note with it for the Priest explaining the situation. Is there a set “protocol” for such situations, or did I do the right thing?
 
give it to a priest to be disposed of properly

i can easily say that since it was lying inside a desk drawer, it could have fallen off the packaging of the unconsecrated hosts, but we can’t rule out anything. at this point, its better to be safe than sorry
 
Yes, there is a sink-like basin in the Sacristy that goes into the earth instead of the sewage system. You left it in the right place.
 
I was an EM or whatever the current politically correct term for it is now at the local hospital some years ago… We were informed that should one drop a Host on the floor (Completely unsanitary and therefore unsafe to recieve it), you were to place it in a safe place until you were done and then place IT in a glass of ordinary water until it dissolves and to place the water in the piscina (where available) or outside where it will dissolve back into the ground.
 
JaMc said:
Recently, I purchased a desk from our Parish, in exchange for a donation. When I was cleaning out the drawers, I found a host. I did not know if it was consecrated or not (the room where the desk was located was sometimes used for Daily Mass in the wintertime), but I was unsure what to do - if it was consecrated, I certainly did not want to discard it, but I also know you are not supposed to “self-communicate” either, so I didn’t consume it.

What I ended up doing was I took the host to the sacristy, and left a note with it for the Priest explaining the situation. Is there a set “protocol” for such situations, or did I do the right thing?
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Short answer is yes you did the right thing. 👍

Peace
James
 
JaMc said:
Recently, I purchased a desk from our Parish, in exchange for a donation. When I was cleaning out the drawers, I found a host. I did not know if it was consecrated or not (the room where the desk was located was sometimes used for Daily Mass in the wintertime), but I was unsure what to do - if it was consecrated, I certainly did not want to discard it, but I also know you are not supposed to “self-communicate” either, so I didn’t consume it.

What I ended up doing was I took the host to the sacristy, and left a note with it for the Priest explaining the situation. Is there a set “protocol” for such situations, or did I do the right thing?
Click to expand...
I don’t think you should have left the Host out in the open with a note in the Sacristy. It would have been much better to contact someone directly about this. As far as I know, you may self-communicate in cases of necessity (for example, if someone is about to desecrate it & you’re able to take it from them in order to stop them- it would be best to then consume it because that would be the most certain protection you could offer).
 
Something that I don’t think has been mentioned here is what to do about the drawer it was found in. This is because there may be bits of host that fell off of the main and remain in the drawer.
It should be wiped clean with a cloth and clear water, and then the cloth rinsed out with the rinse water poured on the ground.

Peace
James
 
ZxM said:
i dont see how a consecrated host would make it into a desk.
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Neither can I, but since we cannot cannot determine if it was consecrated or not by simple appearance, it is best to treat is as such to avoid any disrespect.

Peace
James
 
ZxM said:
i dont see how a consecrated host would make it into a desk.
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I’m pretty sure it could happen in the same way as what the OP did: someone finds a host (maybe on the floor after Mass), takes it to the sacristy and leaves it there with a note. Then later on some papers get absentmindedly laid on top of the note and the host, and eventually the whole stack is moved to a drawer.
 
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