Guardians at Communion line?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cecilia97
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

cecilia97

Guest
Hey y’all,

I’ve been at my present parish for about a year now and never gotten around to asking this question. Not at every Mass, but frequently, we will have gentlemen standing next to the priest or EMHC at the head of the line, watching that the Hosts are recieved/consumed properly. Usually they’re the same men who serve as ushers.

We also have altar servers with a paten at each line. Our pastor has instructed us to make sure to recieve the Host over the paten and not to walk off while popping it into our mouth.

Our parish seems (to me) to have a great level or reverence for the Eucharist, I believe in part because we’re blessed with perpertual Adoration.

My questions are:
  1. what are these guys called? I would say Eucharistic Guardians but that’s actually the term we use for scheduled Adorerers in the chapel.
  2. why are they only doing this duty some of the time and not at every Mass? We have ushers at every Mass?
  3. how common is this? I’ve never seen it before in 30 years.
  4. are they mainly there to watch for falling hosts, or to watch for anyone trying to walk off with a host for improper reasons?
Thanks! I do have a meeting with my pastor for other reasons next week and can ask him or someone at Adoration, but I wanted to get a range of answers here if I could, especially to find out how common this is!
 
There’s one church I visit frequently that has the ushers performing this duty as well. I would just call them ushers. It’s the only parish where I can recall seeing this. I’m under the impression that their job is to make sure the person consumes the host. Perhaps it’s been a problem in the past and they’re trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
 
I don’t believe there is any special name for the ushers performing this service.

As for why this only happens at some Masses, I have no idea. Does this vary from week to week? Or always at the same Masses? It would make sense that these ushers are most common at the Masses which have the greatest attendance and/or Masses where there are most likely to be people who do not attend regularly (usually the later ones in the day). Such Masses may attract people who don’t know better than to receive on the spot, who think it’s OK to take a host home for later or to share with others, or who might actually wish to desecrate it.

I’ve rarely seen this but I have heard of parishes where it is a problem that people leave without consuming the host, which I believe is the problem being addressed. Such ushers might help if a host is ever dropped but I don’t think that is what is of concern.
 
SMHW said:
I don’t believe there is any special name for the ushers performing this service.

As for why this only happens at some Masses, I have no idea. Does this vary from week to week? Or always at the same Masses? It would make sense that these ushers are most common at the Masses which have the greatest attendance and/or Masses where there are most likely to be people who do not attend regularly (usually the later ones in the day). Such Masses may attract people who don’t know better than to receive on the spot, who think it’s OK to take a host home for later or to share with others, or who might actually wish to desecrate it.

I’ve rarely seen this but I have heard of parishes where it is a problem that people leave without consuming the host, which I believe is the problem being addressed. Such ushers might help if a host is ever dropped but I don’t think that is what is of concern.
Click to expand...
I also assume it’s to make sure the hosts are consumed and don’t leave the building. As to which Masses and why, I’m flummoxed. It’s a large parish so there’s not a way to know who typically attends. I usually go to the Saturday vigil and have seen the ushers there at times. Vigil is sparsely attended and it’s mostly singles like me and elderly parishoners. The Sunday morning Masses are crammed full of attendees and you’ll sometimes see ushers watching the line and sometimes not. 🤷
 
There is a very good reason not mentioned yet. Satanists attend Mass to obtain the hosts. They pretend to consume them, but don’t. Instead they acquire them for use in their twisted rites. I won’t describe what they do with these hosts, but it is sickening. :mad:
 
I_Believe said:
There is a very good reason not mentioned yet. Satanists attend Mass to obtain the hosts. They pretend to consume them, but don’t. Instead they acquire them for use in their twisted rites. I won’t describe what they do with these hosts, but it is sickening. :mad:
Click to expand...
You’re right, and I think someone did mention that. My confusion is…how does the parish decide which weekends/Masses we need people watching out at? Is there an all-points-bulletin service on satanist activities in our area or something?

If the parish was really concerned about this, you’d think the ushers would perform this duty at all Mass times, since we always have ushers present.
 
cecilia97 said:
You’re right, and I think someone did mention that. My confusion is…how does the parish decide which weekends/Masses we need people watching out at? Is there an all-points-bulletin service on satanist activities in our area or something?

If the parish was really concerned about this, you’d think the ushers would perform this duty at all Mass times, since we always have ushers present.
Click to expand...
I neither no what to call these gentlemen, nor why your parish (and others around you) may not have the service at all Masses. But I too have been told this service is more common in areas where practitioners of Santeria, Voodoo, and the like may attempt to steal the Blessed Sacrament (eg, the gulf coast, and much of Florida), and less common if at all in other areas (eg, Ohio). The sporadic seeming “schedule” might be based on past patterns of attempts at abuse?

:twocents:
tee
 
cecilia97 said:
You’re right, and I think someone did mention that. My confusion is…how does the parish decide which weekends/Masses we need people watching out at? Is there an all-points-bulletin service on satanist activities in our area or something?

If the parish was really concerned about this, you’d think the ushers would perform this duty at all Mass times, since we always have ushers present.
Click to expand...
We never know when they will appear among us. I suspect in metro areas they find it easy to acquire hosts. They could simply go from one parish to another. Work under the radar, so to speak.

The problem could be stopped dead in it’s tracks if the Church would forbid communion in the hand. To continue allowing this, is to enable Satan to go unchecked in his endeavor.

The most we can do is make our pastors and fellow parishioners aware of this concern.
 
Supposing a Satanist does walk through the line and get a host, and supposing that one of these usher guards notices that the Satanist is returning the pews with an uneaten host.

Now what happens? What is the usher going to do? :confused:
 
I_Believe said:
The problem could be stopped dead in it’s tracks if the Church would forbid communion in the hand.
Click to expand...
…Because the sacrament was *never *desecrated before that practice… :rolleyes:

Such is more *difficult *when distribution is on the tongue, but is hardly “stopped dead in it’s sic] tracks” (Which is why the rubrics allow distribution in the hand to be denied when there is danger of profanation or desecration)

tee
 
scottm said:
Supposing a Satanist does walk through the line and get a host, and supposing that one of these usher guards notices that the Satanist is returning the pews with an uneaten host.

Now what happens? What is the usher going to do? :confused:
Click to expand...
I have never encountered such guardians myself (though my bride has, in her travels). But a priest of my acqaintance tells me that he has more than once paused his distribution, followed up the aisle someone carrying away the sacrament, and confronted them: “Please consume that right now!”, and then watched while they did so. (If he has ever needed retrieve the sacrament from someone refusing, he has not told me about it)

:twocents:
tee
 
Two interesting things have happened in Communion line this past week. The one day I was at a late afternoon Mass and there were only 5 of us there. One middle aged man came in late…never followed any of the gestures…nor any of the responses and he really stood out. he sat where he could see what the rest of us were doing but still “did his own thing.” When time came for Communion…he approached the priest and the priest asked him if he was Catholic and he replied he was. Father stated that he noticed he was not following the responses. The priest asked him parish he attended and he mumbled something. He then became quite irate and the priest said he would speak with him after Mass and perhaps give him Communion at that time. He stated over and over that he had never been efused Communion before and the priest stepped back several steps guarding the Eucharist. A gentleman behind this man asked him nicely to please sit down…whcih he did. After Mass Father came out and asked to talk to him…whereby this man jumped up and walked briskly to the door…mumbling something. he had a distinct accent so it was kind of hard to understand anyway.

Then Saturday morning a woman approached for Communion in the hand and instead of waiting for father to put it into her hand she juist reached up and grabbed…yes grabbed it. I saw Father watching her to see what she did with the Host…

Kind of strange happenings…

:heart:Blyss
 
Some years ago a priest in my area was upset because he saw someone walk out of the church with the host after receiving it. Who knows what he was going to do with it, he worried. I presume at a parish where there is such a person, something similar happened, and I would assume it perfectly justified.
 
scottm said:
Supposing a Satanist does walk through the line and get a host, and supposing that one of these usher guards notices that the Satanist is returning the pews with an uneaten host.

Now what happens? What is the usher going to do? :confused:
Click to expand...
Chase after him and get him to consume it right away.

Our priest has done this, a few times - he just stops everything, goes after people who are walking away with the Host, and tells them to consume it right away. He’s a pretty big guy, and when he wants something, he gets it - nobody has ever said “No” to him, that I know of.
 
BlyssfulDreamer said:
Two interesting things have happened in Communion line this past week. The one day I was at a late afternoon Mass and there were only 5 of us there. One middle aged man came in late…never followed any of the gestures…nor any of the responses and he really stood out. he sat where he could see what the rest of us were doing but still “did his own thing.” When time came for Communion…he approached the priest and the priest asked him if he was Catholic and he replied he was. Father stated that he noticed he was not following the responses. The priest asked him parish he attended and he mumbled something. He then became quite irate and the priest said he would speak with him after Mass and perhaps give him Communion at that time. He stated over and over that he had never been efused Communion before and the priest stepped back several steps guarding the Eucharist. A gentleman behind this man asked him nicely to please sit down…whcih he did. After Mass Father came out and asked to talk to him…whereby this man jumped up and walked briskly to the door…mumbling something. he had a distinct accent so it was kind of hard to understand anyway.

Then Saturday morning a woman approached for Communion in the hand and instead of waiting for father to put it into her hand she juist reached up and grabbed…yes grabbed it. I saw Father watching her to see what she did with the Host…

Kind of strange happenings…

:heart:Blyss
Click to expand...
Grabbing the host is pretty bizarre! I suppose the gentleman, though, could have been vsiting from another country and didn’t speak the language, so gave up on following along with the Mass. Or he could have been deaf. Your priest was correct to ask him to wait, I believe. If the man had either of these issues, he could have explained instead of being offended.
 
Our ushers serve in this capacity also. Again not at every Mass. They do not stand next to the priest though, but in the aisle where they can watch those returning from communion (but not in the way of those going). I did notice one little boy not consume right away and he was watched carefully. Once his father realized what had happened, he made the boy consume the Body. I’m sure that father made his son receive on the tongue after that!
 
tee_eff_em said:
…Because the sacrament was *never *desecrated before that practice… :rolleyes:

Such is more *difficult *when distribution is on the tongue, but is hardly “stopped dead in it’s sic] tracks” (Which is why the rubrics allow distribution in the hand to be denied when there is danger of profanation or desecration)

tee
Click to expand...
I wish that were true. Just recently as last month, after receiving communion on the tongue, a person in our church removed the Body of Christ from their mouth, took it out and then wrapped it in a tissue…immediately another congregant noticed it and told the priest. Unfortunately, he was not able to intervene quickly enough, because the person left the church building. One can only pray that they did not desecrate the Body! We as humans can only do so much, at some point we have to leave it up to the power of the Holy Spirit to do the rest. I think we just have to provide more catechesis. Who knows, maybe this person just did not know any better.
 
The woman grabbing it probably just doesn’t know how to receive well. Any time I’ve ever heard a priest or teacher talk about receiving, they always make a point of saying wait for him to grab it. It sounds to me like it just happens sometimes. As for the irregular pattern, maybe there is some meaning. Like if it is done to avoid satanists taking it, maybe these people watch on days of festivals for satanists or something. Your plan to ask the priest is probably best. By the way, I’ve never seen any problem with people walking away with the host in any of the masses I’ve been to. This is the first time I’ve actually heard of this being done.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top