Just a quick q- I altar served for a priest I have never served under today, and something unusual happened. I’m just wondering if it was abusive (this was in the OF, not the EF, just to clarify)
After Communion, Fr. sat down at his seat while I was kneeling with the water cruet, for the ablutions. After he sat down, I went up and asked if he was going to purify the Chalice. He responded that it was still filled with the Precious Blood, so he wasn’t going to purify it- he said he doesn’t drink the Precious Blood (at least that’s what I I think he said). He said he usually had someone else drink It for him. I then offered to do so, so I received the Precious Blood. After I drank, he poured in the water, but then asked me to purify it by drinking the water/Precious Blood remnant. I did so, but thought it was odd.
Was this an abuse? What should I do if the priest asks me to do this in the future?
There was a failure to follow the liturgical books.
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from
romanrite.com/girm.html :
“163. When the distribution of Communion is finished, the priest himself immediately and
completely consumes at the altar any consecrated wine that happens to remain;”
“182. … If Communion is given under both kinds, the deacon himself administers the chalice to the communicants; and, when the distribution is completed, he immediately and reverently consumes at the altar all of the Blood of Christ that remains, assisted if necessary by other deacons and priests.”
If Juan is in the USA, then the following applies, from Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America at
usccb.org/liturgy/current/norms.shtml :
“52. … When there are extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, they may consume what remains of the Precious Blood from their chalice of distribution with permission of the diocesan bishop.”
In the BCL Newsletter of March 2002 (at
usccb.org/liturgy/innews/03042002.shtml ) it was reported that the the Bishops of the United States requested an indult by which extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion would be permitted to consume what remains of the Precious Blood after the distribution of Holy Communion. The Newsletter reported that this was approved “Two of the three requests were approved by the Congregation.” The response reported from the Vatican Congregation was:
"With respect to the second request, Cardinal Medina, Prefect of CDWDS, noted that neither an indult nor even the permission of the diocesan bishop is required for extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to help the priest celebrant to consume what may remain of the Precious Blood after the distribution of Holy Communion. “Rather,” he wrote, “given the grave and overriding need to safeguard the Precious Blood, ministers of Holy Communion or other communicants may consume what remains of the Precious Blood in a dignified and reverent manner.”
One document says a bishop’s permission is required. This response indicates no permission is required, but indicates that it is an emergency practice, rather than an “special dignity” to be associated with Extraordinary Ministers.
Regarding doing purifications, the requirement (even in the USA, now) is that a lay person doing this be an Instituted Acolyte. If Juan is not one, he should not be consuming the purification water. From the 2002 GIRM: “279. The sacred vessels are purified by the priest, the deacon, or an instituted acolyte after Communion or after Mass, insofar as possible at the credence table. The purification of the chalice is done with water alone or with wine and water, which is then
drunk by whoever does the purification.” (My bold text.)
