Not sure what to do?

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MS_SURVEYOR

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For 3 weeks in a row now I’ve witnessed a husband of one of our leading church lady’s receiving Communion, turning away from the alter, then putting the Eucharist in his shirt pocket. Up hand and close last Saturday being I was serving the Blood Of Christ. I can’t talk to them because the wife would go in attach mode!

What should I do?
 
It may be that this man is bringing communion to a friend, but doing so improperly.

Notify the priest. Be prepared to give the man’s name (if you know it) and his description.

The priest has two proper choices at that point:
  1. Confront the man privately and instruct him.
  2. Wait until he sees the man in the pew on Sunday, then give the congregation general catechetical instruction about the proper handling of the Holy Eucharist.
We had a situation like this, only we never did catch who at fault. What we were finding was hosts dropped on the floor between the water fountain and the wall. It appeared to be something a passive-aggressive rebellious teen would do: head for the water fountain after communion, hide the host, and return to the pew.

This happened for several weeks running. We informed Father, then he addressed the entire congregation about the scandal. He included instruction on the proper handling of a contaminated host. (The big potted plant by the altar had more than its share of “fertilizer.”) No names were mentioned, no fingers were pointed, but it stopped happening immediately.
 
MS_SURVEYOR said:
For 3 weeks in a row now I’ve witnessed a husband of one of our leading church lady’s receiving Communion, turning away from the alter, then putting the Eucharist in his shirt pocket. Up hand and close last Saturday being I was serving the Blood Of Christ. I can’t talk to them because the wife would go in attach mode!

What should I do?
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You have a responsibility to notify your pastor immediately. IMO, when you see it happen, you have a responsibility to stop him immediately, even though it will likely make a scene. In my life, 2 or 3 times I have seen priests once seen priests stop someone walking away with a host without consuming it, once having to almost chase a man down the aisle. It is one of the unfortunate aspects of relying on EMHC that they are not in as good of position of authority to take immediate action when this occurs. Nevertheless, you choose to be a EMHC, you have to take action, it comes with the job.
 
Nan_S said:
It may be that this man is bringing communion to a friend, but doing so improperly.

Notify the priest. Be prepared to give the man’s name (if you know it) and his description.

The priest has two proper choices at that point:
  1. Confront the man privately and instruct him.
  2. Wait until he sees the man in the pew on Sunday, then give the congregation general catechetical instruction about the proper handling of the Holy Eucharist.
We had a situation like this, only we never did catch who at fault. What we were finding was hosts dropped on the floor between the water fountain and the wall. It appeared to be something a passive-aggressive rebellious teen would do: head for the water fountain after communion, hide the host, and return to the pew.

This happened for several weeks running. We informed Father, then he addressed the entire congregation about the scandal. He included instruction on the proper handling of a contaminated host. (The big potted plant by the altar had more than its share of “fertilizer.”) No names were mentioned, no fingers were pointed, but it stopped happening immediately.
Click to expand...
And it had to take several weeks!!! Yikes, why so long? Why in the world would the pastor not have been informed the very first time the Host was found?
 
tafan said:
You have a responsibility to notify your pastor immediately. IMO, when you see it happen, you have a responsibility to stop him immediately, even though it will likely make a scene. In my life, 2 or 3 times I have seen priests once seen priests stop someone walking away with a host without consuming it, once having to almost chase a man down the aisle. It is one of the unfortunate aspects of relying on EMHC that they are not in as good of position of authority to take immediate action when this occurs. Nevertheless, you choose to be a EMHC, you have to take action, it comes with the job.
Click to expand...
Agree.
 
MS_SURVEYOR said:
For 3 weeks in a row now I’ve witnessed a husband of one of our leading church lady’s receiving Communion, turning away from the alter, then putting the Eucharist in his shirt pocket. Up hand and close last Saturday being I was serving the Blood Of Christ. I can’t talk to them because the wife would go in attach mode!

What should I do?
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I am kind of surprised that your pastor didn’t tell you what to do when this happens.

I know during training our EMHCs are taught what to do when someone doesn’t consume the Host right away.

I’m not sure I understand what you mean by “leading church lady.” Or why you would be worried about the wife, if you said something to the husband?
 
tafan said:
And it had to take several weeks!!! Yikes, why so long? Why in the world would the pastor not have been informed the very first time the Host was found?
Click to expand...
The priest was informed. I think he wanted to handle it quietly, but when it kept happening and the culprit couldn’t be identified he decided to preach on it instead.
 
I call the parish office today to talk to our priest. He only works at the parish on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I left my number with Kelly his secretary. I then asked her about what to think about the situation. She knew who I was talking about by name. Seems he’s just finished treatment for oral cancer. He has no salivary glands. Father knows about it. Seems he waits until he has a drink of water to swallow the Eucharist. Father has gotten him a PYX this past week.

Sorry for the false alarm. Thank you for your replies.
 
MS_SURVEYOR said:
For 3 weeks in a row now I’ve witnessed a husband of one of our leading church lady’s receiving Communion, turning away from the alter, then putting the Eucharist in his shirt pocket. Up hand and close last Saturday being I was serving the Blood Of Christ. I can’t talk to them because the wife would go in attach mode!

What should I do?
Click to expand...
Tell the priest immediately. NOW.
If you see the person doing it again, stop him. Say, “Sir…I must ask you to consume that host immediately.” If he doesn’t, give the priest or the Deacon the high sign, and let them take it from there.
You need not speak to the wife about it. It’s the husband’s issue. The priest will be the one who will talk to him, but you must report it, and attempt to stop it if it happens again. I hope it doesn’t.

If the husband is attempting to take the host to a sick relative he needs instruction immediately. This is improper handling of a consecrated host at minimum.
 
pianistclare said:
Tell the priest immediately. NOW.
If you see the person doing it again, stop him. Say, “Sir…I must ask you to consume that host immediately.” If he doesn’t, give the priest or the Deacon the high sign, and let them take it from there.
You need not speak to the wife about it. It’s the husband’s issue. The priest will be the one who will talk to him, but you must report it, and attempt to stop it if it happens again. I hope it doesn’t.

If the husband is attempting to take the host to a sick relative he needs instruction immediately. This is improper handling of a consecrated host at minimum.
Click to expand...
MS_SURVEYOR said:
I call the parish office today to talk to our priest. He only works at the parish on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I left my number with Kelly his secretary. I then asked her about what to think about the situation. She knew who I was talking about by name. Seems he’s just finished treatment for oral cancer. He has no salivary glands. Father knows about it. Seems he waits until he has a drink of water to swallow the Eucharist. Father has gotten him a PYX this past week.

Sorry for the false alarm. Thank you for your replies.
Click to expand...
 
MS_SURVEYOR said:
I call the parish office today to talk to our priest. He only works at the parish on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I left my number with Kelly his secretary. I then asked her about what to think about the situation. She knew who I was talking about by name. Seems he’s just finished treatment for oral cancer. He has no salivary glands. Father knows about it. Seems he waits until he has a drink of water to swallow the Eucharist. Father has gotten him a PYX this past week.

Sorry for the false alarm. Thank you for your replies.
Click to expand...
Oral cancer and no salivary glands. Wow. And he still wants to receive the Sacred Body.

So there never was anything illicit going on, just the appearance of something illicit. But because people who didn’t know the full situation saw him pocket it, there was an appearance of impropriety which could lead others astray.

I like Father’s solution: eliminate the appearance of wrongdoing by giving him a proper means (the pyx) to remove the host from the sanctuary for consumption.
 
MS_SURVEYOR said:
I call the parish office today to talk to our priest. He only works at the parish on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I left my number with Kelly his secretary. I then asked her about what to think about the situation. She knew who I was talking about by name. Seems he’s just finished treatment for oral cancer. He has no salivary glands. Father knows about it. Seems he waits until he has a drink of water to swallow the Eucharist. Father has gotten him a PYX this past week.

Sorry for the false alarm. Thank you for your replies.
Click to expand...
Oh my. I can’t believe that the pastor allowed Christ to be put in a pocket to be carried around until the gentleman found a drink of water. :eek: What about any pieces that broke off?

So sad.

I am glad the priest got around to getting the man a pyx. That should have been step one.

So many people here on CAF talk about the laity’s lack of belief in the Real Presence. Maybe we should worry about our priests.
 
maryjk said:
Oh my. I can’t believe that the pastor allowed Christ to be put in a pocket to be carried around until the gentleman found a drink of water. :eek: What about any pieces that broke off?

So sad.

I am glad the priest got around to getting the man a pyx. That should have been step one.

So many people here on CAF talk about the laity’s lack of belief in the Real Presence. Maybe we should worry about our priests.
Click to expand...
Maybe the priest assumed that the man would get his own pyx, or at least provide a ziplock bag or something. I’m sort of surprised that he didn’t just bring a bottle of water with him rather than take the host from the church.
 
Well, it’s not really a false alarm. It’s about being vigilant. Which is a good thing.
Poor man.
Thank God they finally gave him a pyx.
God bless you.
 
Allegra said:
Maybe the priest assumed that the man would get his own pyx, or at least provide a ziplock bag or something. I**'m sort of surprised that he didn’t just bring a bottle of water with him rather than take the host from the church.**
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Me, too.

I guess, I just can’t imagine putting Jesus in my pocket to carry around. 🤷

Especially when a bottle of water would solve the problem.
 
fred_conty said:
He could receive the precious blood only.
Click to expand...
That is another great solution.

I received from the Chalice, and not the Host, for a year, when I medically couldn’t receive the Host. And since the OP was distributing from the Chalice, we know the parish offers it.
 
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