Is this allowed?

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Celia

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During Easter mass Sunday morning, I saw something that confused me and I don’t know if it was supposed to happen or not. Both of our priests and most of the EMHC’s were down in the ailes busy giving communion, and I was kneeling saying my prayers when I happend to look up and notice one of our altar girls standing behind the altar, finishing the precious blood as the priest usually does, nonchalantly wiping out the glass with those white cloths (sorry i don’t know what they’re called) and putting the cup away in the tabernacle. No one seemed to notice this, but I’ve only seen the priest do this in all my years of going to mass. It just seemed weird to see the altar server do this, (especially to look up and see a 15 year old girl standing behind the altar, anyway) but I guess it could be okay…anyone know?
 
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Celia:
During Easter mass Sunday morning, I saw something that confused me and I don’t know if it was supposed to happen or not. Both of our priests and most of the EMHC’s were down in the ailes busy giving communion, and I was kneeling saying my prayers when I happend to look up and notice one of our altar girls standing behind the altar, finishing the precious blood as the priest usually does, nonchalantly wiping out the glass with those white cloths (sorry i don’t know what they’re called) and putting the cup away in the tabernacle. No one seemed to notice this, but I’ve only seen the priest do this in all my years of going to mass. It just seemed weird to see the altar server do this, (especially to look up and see a 15 year old girl standing behind the altar, anyway) but I guess it could be okay…anyone know?
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ABSOLUTELY NOT! I would certainly bring this incident up to the Priest and if it’s not corrected to the Bishop!:mad:
 
I’m not certain on all of the details regarding altar servers’ tasks at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, I do know this:

No one but the priest is allowed to self-communicate. Therefore the girl should certainly not have finished the Precious Blood herself.
 
Well, there was an indult that just expired March 22nd in the United States that allowed for those who were deputed as sacristans and Extrodinary Ministers of Holy Communion to be able to A) finish any remaining Precious Blood in the cup and B) purify the vessels.

I have not heard any word on whether that indult has been renewed (for that matter, I think most places don’t even know that it IS an indult that has allowed this… if it is not renewed I am sure it will either never change back or change back very slowly over a long period of time… AmChurch goes on blithely as before)

In any case, if the altar server was also a commissioned extrodinary minister, it may not have been technically wrong for her to purify the vessel.

However, I do not quite understand what you say you saw, it sounded like you said that she took the priest’s chalice. I can only assume that you saw her consume the remainder of the Precious Blood (perhaps after purifying it with some additional water), wipe it down with the purificator, which is appropriate for cleaning vessels, and then place it somewhere… it should not have gone back into the tabernacle unless it was a ciborium with hosts remaining in it. Perhaps she purified the chalice and then returned a different container to the tabernacle?

It would be best if you contacted your priest with any questions about this, he would likely be able to tell you better just what she had been told to do. If it still sounds odd to you after hearing what he says, come back here and tell us a bit more details.

On the face of it, it sounds like it may be technically all right, even if we may not think it prudent or necessary.

+veritas+
 
Shocking, altar servers are not to purrify the chalice.

God Bless
 
Veritas–Yes, you know how after communion the priest finishes any of the Precious Blood left in the chalice and then wipes it out and gives it to an altar server to put away ( i assumed the tabernacle, perhaps they put it somewhere else, not sure) --that’s what this altar server did. I’ve never seen this girl give communion at my parish so I don’t believe she is an EMHC.

It just seemed…not right. My husband saw the look on my face :eek: when I saw her do this and glanced up to see the end of it. He’s not even Catholic and he frowned and said, “She’s not supposed to do that, is she?”
No one else seemed to notice but me, but it was Easter so there was of course tons of extra people there taking communion and both priests were busy. ( I went back to my prayers and forgot to see his reaction when he came back to see his chalice already put away…if he had a reaction to that, anyway…)
I should be seeing my priest next week for something else…I don’t know him too well but perhaps I should mention it to him, just in case.
 
The first problem is that women are allowed to be altar"servers"…only men should be altarboys…no sexism implied…that is just the way it is supposed to be…Altarboys are supposed to be young men with a possible calling to the Priesthood…secondly, a Priest is supposed to purify the Chalice by swallowing the precious blood that remains in it.
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Celia:
During Easter mass Sunday morning, I saw something that confused me and I don’t know if it was supposed to happen or not. Both of our priests and most of the EMHC’s were down in the ailes busy giving communion, and I was kneeling saying my prayers when I happend to look up and notice one of our altar girls standing behind the altar, finishing the precious blood as the priest usually does, nonchalantly wiping out the glass with those white cloths (sorry i don’t know what they’re called) and putting the cup away in the tabernacle. No one seemed to notice this, but I’ve only seen the priest do this in all my years of going to mass. It just seemed weird to see the altar server do this, (especially to look up and see a 15 year old girl standing behind the altar, anyway) but I guess it could be okay…anyone know?
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Celia:
Veritas–Yes, you know how after communion the priest finishes any of the Precious Blood left in the chalice and then wipes it out and gives it to an altar server to put away ( i assumed the tabernacle, perhaps they put it somewhere else, not sure) --that’s what this altar server did. I’ve never seen this girl give communion at my parish so I don’t believe she is an EMHC.

It just seemed…not right. My husband saw the look on my face :eek: when I saw her do this and glanced up to see the end of it. He’s not even Catholic and he frowned and said, “She’s not supposed to do that, is she?”
No one else seemed to notice but me, but it was Easter so there was of course tons of extra people there taking communion and both priests were busy. ( I went back to my prayers and forgot to see his reaction when he came back to see his chalice already put away…if he had a reaction to that, anyway…)
I should be seeing my priest next week for something else…I don’t know him too well but perhaps I should mention it to him, just in case.
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Please do, obviously the alter servers need more training. Things have certainly changing since I was an alterboy. 😦
 
+veritas+:
Well, there was an indult that just expired March 22nd in the United States that allowed for those who were deputed as sacristans and Extrodinary Ministers of Holy Communion to be able to A) finish any remaining Precious Blood in the cup and B) purify the vessels.

I have not heard any word on whether that indult has been renewed
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this is not quite correct. the indult is only for the purification of the vessels. as far as i know, there has been no extension announced. the altar server is never allowed to purify vessels (though an instituted acolyte is.) as for consuming the remaining Blood, that is addressed in the u.s. Norms for Distribution of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds. this liberty is controlled by the bishop and doesn’t expire.
  1. The Precious Blood may not be reserved, except for giving Communion to someone who is sick. Only sick people who are unable to receive Communion under the form of bread may receive it under the form of wine alone at the discretion of the priest. If not consecrated at a Mass in the presence of the sick person, the Blood of the Lord is kept in a properly covered vessel and is placed in the tabernacle after Communion. The Precious Blood should be carried to the sick in a vessel that is closed in such a way as to eliminate all danger of spilling. If some of the Precious Blood remains after the sick person has received Communion, it should be consumed by the minister, who should also see to it that the vessel is properly purified.
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celia,
the priest should be informed that you observed this, and you shouldn’t take any explanation as reasonable. tell him you know that it is wrong, and that you don’t expect to see it again. if he seems to not get it, give him the same horrified look that you had at Mass. if that altar girl didn’t use water, and just wiped out the chalice, that’s wrong too. that could be an indication that no one else is properly purifying the vessels either. if she had been seeing it done right, she would have likely imitated it. ask the priest about that too.
 
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