Is priest the only one allowed to hand out Eucharist?

[Bev17243]

when i was in church today for morning Mass, during Communion, i saw not just the priest giving out Eucharist but also another lady standing next to him. Is that the normal practice in most churches? I haven’t seen that before

 

[eagle_eye222001]

The Church has authorized the practice of Extraordinary Ministers to assist the priest with communion.

It is the Priest celebrant’s responsibility to minister Communion, perhaps assisted by other Priests or Deacons; and he should not resume the Mass until after the Communion of the faithful is concluded. Only when there is a necessity may extraordinary ministers assist the Priest celebrant in accordance with the norm of law.

According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM)

100. In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar
and assist the priest and the deacon; they may carry the cross, the candles, the thurible, the
bread, the wine, and the water, and they may also be deputed to distribute Holy Communion as
extraordinary ministers.85

 

[ZxM]

when i was in church today for morning Mass, during Communion, i saw not just the priest giving out Eucharist but also another lady standing next to him. Is that the normal practice in most churches? I haven’t seen that before

must be nice.

 

[achmafooma]

The Priest(s) and Deacon(s) are the Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. The Church allows others to serve as Extraordinary Ministers when necessary.

Especially nowadays, since most Parishes have too few Priests and Deacons to distribute the Eucharist in a reasonable amount of time to all present, having Extraordinary Ministers has become the norm…although I think many Parishes over-use them when it’s not really necessary.

If I may ask, where are you that you haven’t seen Extraordinary Ministers before? You don’t have to answer, of course…I don’t mean to pry. I’m just curious. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Sunday Mass that didn’t have Extraordinary Ministers!

 

[qOcOp]

when i was in church today for morning Mass, during Communion, i saw not just the priest giving out Eucharist but also another lady standing next to him. Is that the normal practice in most churches? I haven’t seen that before

Unfortunatley it is the norm. Yet just because something “is” that way does not mean it should be. Sometimes I wonder whats going through the minds of us Catholics. Its like were saying;“hey everyone lets run the risk of causing more Eucharist and Precious Blood accidents for the sake of making things quicker!”:banghead:

 

[PilgrimToChrist]

when i was in church today for morning Mass, during Communion, i saw not just the priest giving out Eucharist but also another lady standing next to him. Is that the normal practice in most churches? I haven’t seen that before

The priest and if there is a deacon are the normal people to distribute Communion. However, it was made legal in recent years (first in 1973) to have lay people also distribute Communion if necessary . They are termed “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion” (EMHCs) and often falsely termed “Eucharistic Ministers” (which technically refers to the priest). They are found in most Modern Western parishes, they are not found in Traditional or Eastern parishes.

If you follow the practice of going up to receive a blessing instead of Communion, make sure you get in the line with the priest, a lay person has no power to give you a blessing and this occasionally leads to awkward situations when someone comes up to an EMHC with their arms crossed expecting a blessing.

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[PatrickSebast]

Unfortunatley it is the norm. Yet just because something “is” that way does not mean it should be. Sometimes I wonder whats going through the minds of us Catholics. Its like were saying;“hey everyone lets run the risk of causing more Eucharist and Precious Blood accidents for the sake of making things quicker!”:banghead:

Why would extraordinary ministers be any more likely to have accidents? As long as they were trainer and properly respectful it seems like there wouldn’t be much of a problem.

 

[puzzleannie]

don’t go up for a blessing at all unless the priest invites you, it is not the common practice everywhere, and not at all in the EF as it never was acceptable in the so called traditional Mass

 

[Regi]

Come to the Lincoln (Nebraska) Diocese - we do not have extraordinary ministers for Holy Communion. We have instituted acolytes who assist the priest with Communtion. (minor orders for men only)

 

[eagle_eye222001]

Why would extraordinary ministers be any more likely to have accidents? As long as they were trainer and properly respectful it seems like there wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Properly trained is part of the problem as I have seen in many place Extraordinary Ministers giving blessings…which they are not supposed to do…breaking the hosts to make sure everyone gets one…which I am pretty sure is not supposed to happen either.

Plus I have seen priests sit out giving communion so an Extraordinary Minister doesn’t get their feelings hurt.

Also, from my understanding, the E.M.s are supposed to be used as a last resort, and often a whole army of them is built so communion can be blitzed out in thirty seconds.

So yes, they are fine when properly trained and used correctly, however it seems a range of abuses have cropped up.

 

[paperwight66]

Properly trained is part of the problem as I have seen in many place Extraordinary Ministers giving blessings…which they are not supposed to do…breaking the hosts to make sure everyone gets one…which I am pretty sure is not supposed to happen either.

Plus I have seen priests sit out giving communion so an Extraordinary Minister doesn’t get their feelings hurt.
/QUOTE]

Two points.

First, breaking the Host is permitted when needed. Sometimes it’s the best thing to do, if there are only a few more in the line and otherwise it would mean the EMHC leaving their post to fetch more from the main ciborium and causing a hold-up or embarrassment to those waiting.

Secondly, how do you know the priest was sitting out so as not to hurt an EMHC’s feelings? Perhaps he felt ill or was in pain or felt dizzy if he stood a long time.
Did the priest actually tell you this was the reason?

 

[TracyR]

Interesting. We have Extraordinary Ministers. But it definitely doesn’t take 30 seconds to dish out communion. It usually lasts for a few minutes and the choir goes through a few rounds of music before its over and trust me, we don’t have a large church.
Our priest gives out Communion each and every time as well.
Can’t complain about short Masses. Every Mass lasts well over an hour. Our priest loves to talk :>) So Communion and Mass would last forever in our church if we didn’t have the Extraordinary Ministers. LOL!
Children’s church for the kids at the school lasts 2hrs. Yet even the preschoolers behave so well and listen. We are blessed with a wonderful priest and deacon for sure

 

[PilgrimToChrist]

don’t go up for a blessing at all unless the priest invites you, it is not the common practice everywhere, and not at all in the EF as it never was acceptable in the so called traditional Mass

That’s why I specified “If you follow the practice of going up to receive a blessing instead of Communion”, it’s become a pretty common practice, I don’t think any priest would be surprised or offended if you did it.

In my Traditional parish, the only people I see doing that are infants and little children but I’m not really paying that much attention.

 

[eagle_eye222001]

Two points.

First, breaking the Host is permitted when needed. Sometimes it’s the best thing to do, if there are only a few more in the line and otherwise it would mean the EMHC leaving their post to fetch more from the main ciborium and causing a hold-up or embarrassment to those waiting.

Secondly, how do you know the priest was sitting out so as not to hurt an EMHC’s feelings? Perhaps he felt ill or was in pain or felt dizzy if he stood a long time.
Did the priest actually tell you this was the reason?

In response to your first point, I thought it was wrong for some reason, but now I’m realizing I don’t know if that is actually addressed somewhere. So I respectfully concede to you on that point pending what the Church says.

Secondly, I did have more reason than simple observation, however your point does remind me that I need to be careful of being presumptuous. So thank you for reminding me to be more careful in my thoughts on others.

Thank you for your points. I can sometimes be more accusatory and presumptuous than what is fair and need to be reminded periodically. Pax.

 

[Califman831]

Come to the Lincoln (Nebraska) Diocese - we do not have extraordinary ministers for Holy Communion. We have instituted acolytes who assist the priest with Communtion. (minor orders for men only)

wish I could do that or that a traditional order will come within driving distance, so I would not have to frequently experience woman acting like priests as depicted in the photo above.

 

[layperson2011]

I prefer to have Holy Communion from a priest although our parish often uses laypeople to assist him. I agree that this practice is often not necessary but is used to speed up the long lines of people. I do not agree with laypeople giving people blessings when they come up with their arms crossed as they have no authority by the church to do this. I can’t be the only traditionalist who thinks this way.

Layperson 2011

 

[MuchAfraid]

wish I could do that or that a traditional order will come within driving distance, so I would not have to frequently experience woman acting like priests as depicted in the photo above.

Well, I think it’s a bit unfair to say “women acting like priests”. Should that be distinguished from lay men acting like priests in distributing Holy Communion?

Oh, and Hello! this is my first post!

 

[JReducation]

wish I could do that or that a traditional order will come within driving distance, so I would not have to frequently experience woman acting like priests as depicted in the photo above.

I’m going to invite you and others to reflect on what is said above and then on a few questions below.

Is an acoyte acting like a priest when he gives out Holy Communion?

Is a deacon acting like a priest when he gives out Holy Communion?

Is the religious superior of a house acting like a priest when he or she gives communion to his or her religious? We’re talking about a superior who is not ordained. Sixty percent of religious are not priests.

Is an acolyte the ordinary minister of Holy Communion or is it only those in Orders? Acolyte is no longer an order, remember that. It was aborgated in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. It is a lay ministry or is an acolyte just as much an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion as you or your neighbor who are not acolytes?

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[ConstantineTG]

Well, I think it’s a bit unfair to say “women acting like priests”. Should that be distinguished from lay men acting like priests in distributing Holy Communion?

Oh, and Hello! this is my first post!

I agree. Not just because you do something that the priest also does, it doesn’t mean you are acting like a priest. The only thing really in Mass that only the priest can do is consecrate the bread and wine. Now if someone who attempts to do that and is not a priest is trying to act like a priest. Otherwise, not so much. A Deacon may read the gospel and give the homily, does that mean he’s acting like a priest too?

 

[Rome_Always]

In Lincoln, NE they don’t have any Gluten-Free Hosts either. I am spoiled here. My sister lives out there and I am unable to receive communion there due to my Gluten intolerance (most commenly known as Celiacs). Reports say that’s diffrent than a wheat allergy. I don’t know. So, I am quite blessed. It affects 1 in 133. However, you still have Ascension Thursday on Thursday where it’s supposed to be!