Hosts From the Tabernacle at the Agnus Dei

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Neil_Anthony

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At mass today I noticed that while we were saying the “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world…” prayers the altar servers / extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion took 2 communion ‘bowls’ (sorry I forget the technical term) from the tabernacle and those are what most of us received when we went up for communion.

Is there a rule about whether we should receive Hosts that the priest had on the altar during the consecration, or whether they can be Hosts from the tabernacle which were consecrated at an earlier time?
 
Neil_Anthony said:
At mass today I noticed that while we were saying the “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world…” prayers the altar servers / extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion took 2 communion ‘bowls’ (sorry I forget the technical term) from the tabernacle and those are what most of us received when we went up for communion.

Is there a rule about whether we should receive Hosts that the priest had on the altar during the consecration, or whether they can be Hosts from the tabernacle which were consecrated at an earlier time?
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It’s OK to use previously consecrated hosts. This happens all the time. What was wrong, though, were these “altar servers/EMHCs” taking the hosts from the tabernacle.

I would highly recommend finding a traditional Mass in your area:
ecclesiadei.org/masses.cfm
 
Scotty_PGH said:
It’s OK to use previously consecrated hosts. This happens all the time. What was wrong, though, were these “altar servers/EMHCs” taking the hosts from the tabernacle.

I would highly recommend finding a traditional Mass in your area:
ecclesiadei.org/masses.cfm
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We don’t know if they were just EMs but also were trained with Sacristan duties. Either way, properly trained EMs should be able to go to the tabernacle to get the extra hosts.
 
NewUlm1976_2000 said:
We don’t know if they were just EMs but also were trained with Sacristan duties. Either way, properly trained EMs should be able to go to the tabernacle to get the extra hosts.
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Not during Mass. If they were doing so outside of Mass, say to bring Communion to the sick, it could be OK.

But during the Mass, only a Priest or Deacon should be approaching the Tabernacle.

God Bless
 
bilop said:
Not during Mass. If they were doing so outside of Mass, say to bring Communion to the sick, it could be OK.

But during the Mass, only a Priest or Deacon should be approaching the Tabernacle.

God Bless
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Do you have a reference for that?

They definitely should not be doing that during the Agnus Dei because they are not to approach the sanctuary until after the priest has received Communion.
 
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“85. It is most desirable that the faithful, just as the priest himself is bound to do, receive the Lord’s Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass and that, in the instances when it is permitted, they partake of the chalice (cf. below, no. 283), so that even by means of the signs Communion will stand out more clearly as a participation in the sacrifice actually being celebrated. [footnote 73: Cf. Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction Eucharisticum mysterium, On the worship of the Eucharist, 25 May 1967, nos. 31, 32; Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction Immensae caritatis, 29 January 1973, no. 2: AAS 65 (1973), pp. 267-268.]”

If hosts are being taken from the ciborium in the tabernacle at the Agnus Dei then it suggests that little effort is being made to achieve what the GIRM describes as “most desirable”.

An article on this by Elizabeth Harrington is at litcom.net.au/liturgy_lines/displayarticle.php?llid=51 entitled “Communion from the Tabernacle” dated 14 December 2003.

On the other hand “most desirable” is not the same as “must”. There is an option to use hosts consecrated in that Mass or from the tabernacle.
 
John_Lilburne said:
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“85. It is most desirable that the faithful, just as the priest himself is bound to do, receive the Lord’s Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass and that, in the instances when it is permitted, they partake of the chalice (cf. below, no. 283), so that even by means of the signs Communion will stand out more clearly as a participation in the sacrifice actually being celebrated. [footnote 73: Cf. Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction Eucharisticum mysterium, On the worship of the Eucharist, 25 May 1967, nos. 31, 32; Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction Immensae caritatis, 29 January 1973, no. 2: AAS 65 (1973), pp. 267-268.]”…
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Please note that the above only refers to the Church’s preference that Hosts consecrated at that Mass be ministered to the communicants at that Mass. It does not address the question of whether Extraordinary Ministers may remove the Ciborium from the Tabernacle if Hosts consecrated earlier are to be used at that Mass.
 
Neil_Anthony said:
At mass today I noticed that while we were saying the “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world…” prayers the altar servers / extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion took 2 communion ‘bowls’ (sorry I forget the technical term) from the tabernacle and those are what most of us received when we went up for communion.

Is there a rule about whether we should receive Hosts that the priest had on the altar during the consecration, or whether they can be Hosts from the tabernacle which were consecrated at an earlier time?
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Yes there is. Every effort should be made to give Holy Communion from the elements Consecrated at the Mass. If necessary Hosts from the Tabernacle may be retrieved by either the priest or deacon when necessary, when they realize that there will not be enough Hosts with only those Consecrated at Mass.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
Yes there is. Every effort should be made to give Holy Communion from the elements Consecrated at the Mass. If necessary Hosts from the Tabernacle may be retrieved by either the priest or deacon when necessary, when they realize that there will not be enough Hosts with only those Consecrated at Mass.
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Well there were a lot of people for a weekday mass. Maybe it took them by surprise and they had to get some extras.
 
In our church one extraordinary eucharastic minister goes to the Tabernacle at the Our Father and retrieves the ciborium of consecrared Hosts. He then mixes them into patens with the Hosts from that Mass. We do this every sunday. I can’t find any rules regarding who may or may not go into the Tabernacle.
 
turtleoompa said:
In our church one extraordinary eucharastic minister goes to the Tabernacle at the Our Father and retrieves the ciborium of consecrared Hosts. He then mixes them into patens with the Hosts from that Mass. We do this every sunday. I can’t find any rules regarding who may or may not go into the Tabernacle.
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Here’s a hint: It ain’t that guy!
 
Neil_Anthony said:
Well there were a lot of people for a weekday mass. Maybe it took them by surprise and they had to get some extras.
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In most parishes it’s automatic to go to the tabernacle even before Holy Communion is distributed.
 
turtleoompa said:
In our church one extraordinary eucharastic minister goes to the Tabernacle at the Our Father and retrieves the ciborium of consecrared Hosts. He then mixes them into patens with the Hosts from that Mass. We do this every sunday. I can’t find any rules regarding who may or may not go into the Tabernacle.
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The extraordinary minister is not supposed to be in the sanctuary until after the priest has received Communion.
 
I’d also be very interested in the reference that the EMHC is not allowed to get the hosts out of the tabernacle , the same practice as turtleoompa describes is used.

As we got a new young priest recently, this would be the time for changes and putting a stop to a liturgical abuse, if it is one.
 
Sure said:
Can you please provide a reference for your statements? I’m sure they seem very witty to you, but they’re not really informative at all.
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Then ignore my posts, like I do yours. Problem solved.
 
Cran said:
I’d also be very interested in the reference that the EMHC is not allowed to get the hosts out of the tabernacle , the same practice as turtleoompa describes is used.

As we got a new young priest recently, this would be the time for changes and putting a stop to a liturgical abuse, if it is one.
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ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur21.htm
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Code: 
  The GIRM, in No. 162, states: "(If) ... there is a very large number of        communicants, the priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist        him, e.g., duly instituted acolytes or even other faithful who have been        deputed for this purpose. ... These ministers should not approach the        altar before the priest has received Communion, and they are always to        receive ***from the hands of the priest celebrant*** the vessel containing        either species of the Most Holy Eucharist for distribution to the        faithful." 
  
  Likewise, after Communion is completed, No. 163 specifies: ***"[A]s for any        consecrated hosts that are left, he (the priest himself) either consumes        them at the altar or carries them to the place designated for the        reservation of the Eucharist."*** If a ***deacon or other priests are present***        they may also return the hosts to the tabernacle.
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Here is something written by the late Cardinal O’Connor on the subject:
cny.org/archive/cv/cv100198.htm
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Other than the priest, it is only the deacon who removes the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle for distribution to the congregation; extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, laypersons, are not to remove the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle or replace it in the tabernacle. It is the priest or the deacon who purifies the chalice and ciborium; not extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.
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Thank you Scotty 🙂

But just taking the GIRM, it doesn’t say anything about getting the hosts out of the tabernacle, as long as it would happen AFTER the priest has communicated (assuming that the tabernacle is near to the altar)?

I think it is clear that the MOST desireable arrangement would be enough ordinary ministers… but…🤷
 
Cran said:
Thank you Scotty 🙂

But just taking the GIRM, it doesn’t say anything about getting the hosts out of the tabernacle, as long as it would happen AFTER the priest has communicated (assuming that the tabernacle is near to the altar)?

I think it is clear that the MOST desireable arrangement would be enough ordinary ministers… but…🤷
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They just got the hosts from the tabernacle and put them on the altar for the priest. I go to a good parish and I’m sure they were being proper.

Amazingly in years and years of going to mass I’ve never paid attention to who was doing what and which bowl and cup was where on the altar (because I was praying and/or had my head bowed, or was looking exclusively at what the priest was doing). I’ve just recently started paying attention and was startled to see that the hosts weren’t even on the altar when I thought the priest was consecrating them, and didn’t know if that was normal. I’m just asking beginner questions, not trying to start a witch hunt 😃
 
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