More than one host

[Another_Mary]

I was sponsor a few years ago for someone who came into the church. He mentioned the other day that last Sunday Father had counted out three hosts and given them to him at communion.

I am on good terms with this priest and will ask him about it myself when I see him (probably this Sunday) but I was curious to know if this has happened to anyone else? It has certainly not happened to me, nor have I seen it done.

The church my friend attends is very small with no one around during the week, so perhaps the priest doesn’t want to leave extra consecrated hosts in the tabernacle…? Although I asked my friend if he was at the end of the line and he said he wasn’t last. He also mentioned that this had happened once before.

He even thought that it might have happened because he had just been to confession and the priest might have thought he “needed” an extra something…

As this man’s sponsor I wanted to give him an answer as to why he was given more than one host. And, as I said, I will ask Father when I see him but I’d be interested in anyone else’s comments.

 

[zab]

I was sponsor a few years ago for someone who came into the church. He mentioned the other day that last Sunday Father had counted out three hosts and given them to him at communion.

I am on good terms with this priest and will ask him about it myself when I see him (probably this Sunday) but I was curious to know if this has happened to anyone else? It has certainly not happened to me, nor have I seen it done.

The church my friend attends is very small with no one around during the week, so perhaps the priest doesn’t want to leave extra consecrated hosts in the tabernacle…? Although I asked my friend if he was at the end of the line and he said he wasn’t last. He also mentioned that this had happened once before.

He even thought that it might have happened because he had just been to confession and the priest might have thought he “needed” an extra something…

As this man’s sponsor I wanted to give him an answer as to why he was given more than one host. And, as I said, I will ask Father when I see him but I’d be interested in anyone else’s comments.

Your guess is as good as mine. The only way you’ll know the answer is to ask the priest. One more guess in the situation that you described is that if he was not at the end of the line but near the end of the line, perhaps the priest had several extra Hosts and was dividing them up between a few people. Whatever the case, the priest should know about it because it is causing confusion among the recipients.

 

[JerrySeibert]

Is your friend a EMHC? If so he may have given them to him so he could put them in a Pyx and he would take them and distribute to someone who could not attend Mass.
I doubt seriously the Priest meant to imply, “You need extra” Confession give abolution of sin. A clean slate so to speak.

 

[ConstantineTG]

You don’t get extra something from extra hosts. Jesus is fully present in the littlest of crumbs, to the largest of pieces. I’ve seen concelebration hosts about the size of a DVD. There’s no difference there. Jesus is one and undivided.

In the past I’ve heard of stories where people were accidentally given two hosts instead of one. They should consume both.

Now, if no hosts are to be reserved, especially if this is a Mass outside a church, then the priest should consume all the hosts. I am not sure if he can ask “help” from the laity in consuming the hosts. I know they can for the Precious Blood, but for the Precious Body all I have read is that the priest or other ordained minister consume all the hosts.

 

[Evan]

I am not sure if he can ask “help” from the laity in consuming the hosts. I know they can for the Precious Blood, but for the Precious Body all I have read is that the priest or other ordained minister consume all the hosts.

I know when the tabernacle was full, we were told to distribute multiple hosts to the last few in line so there were none left. If we didn’t distribute all of them, then we consumed them.

In the last few years we have been better at getting the right number of hosts to consecrate at mass.

 

[zab]

In the past I’ve heard of stories where people were accidentally given two hosts instead of one. They should consume both.

I was thinking this, too, but the OP wrote that the priest “counted out three Hosts and given it to him”. That doesn’t sound like an accidental sticking together.

 

[Another_Mary]

I was thinking this, too, but the OP wrote that the priest “counted out three Hosts and given it to him”. That doesn’t sound like an accidental sticking together.

Yup…my friend said the priest counted out the hosts.

Is your friend a EMHC?

No he isn’t

If he was not at the end of the line but near the end of the line, perhaps the priest had several extra Hosts and was dividing them up between a few people.

I think that may be the answer.

I will ask Father next time I see him and post the answer here. Thanks for all the (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[TheMc]

OP: Does it really matter weather he gave you 1/50 of a host, or 10 of them? The lord is completely present it both extremes. I wouldn’t worry about it, and I also wouldn’t bother the priest with this.

 

[Another_Mary]

I did ask Father about this today.

(I was never worried about it, just curious. And as my friend’s sponsor I thought I would find out the answer for him.)

It turns out that Father had also been doing this at my church–where I am usually toward the front of the communion line so I didn’t know about it.

He explained that he did not want to have too many consecrated hosts reserved in the tabernacle. He also asked the communicants to help by consuming more than one host. Since English is not this priest’s first language the person who asked me did not quite understand the reason. So Father was glad to have a chance to explain to everyone at the end of Mass today.

Something that might lead to consecrating so many hosts, at our church at least, is that they usually use one of the very large hosts that a previous person mentioned. This can be broken into many pieces. But there is also the basket of unconsecrated hosts near the entrance for people to place a host in the ciborium that is brought up with the gifts.

The number of people at Mass varies a lot from Sunday to Sunday, so it’s really hard to judge how many will be taking communion.

Thanks for all your (name removed by moderator)ut.