Opinion on EMHC/Men and Women

[Godfollower]

It may not be illicit in your case. In most parishes it is.

In your parish: How many ordained ministers are distributing Holy Communion at each Mass and how many communicants are there, approximately?

I don’t know the number of communicants, sorry. The number of ministers varies by the Mass (there are fewer at the 7:30 than at the 11:00, for example). At the large Masses, we have 2-3 ordinary ministers and 6-10 extraordinary ministers, and it takes 15 minutes to distribute Holy Communion. If we cut back to just the ordinary ministers, the Mass time would double.

 

[Ruth_Catherine]

At my parish, if women we not allow to be EMHCs, there wouldn’t be enough EMHCs. Most of the EMHCs are women. I was until a couple years ago. I hope to start again soon.

With regard to doing away with EMHCs altogether, how many of us can knell for the length of time it would take one priest to serve a church full of people the Eucharist? Just a small practical matter.

I think people misunderstood what you meant when you said kneel for the whole time. I am assuming you mean kneeling after going back to the pew and waiting while everyone receives communion. I have to admit it, I have thought about that, too. It would take mass along time at the parish I attend with only one priest. It is packed most every mass, every Sunday, but having said that parishes managed long before EMCH’s. How did people tolerate it then. Maybe they used that time to pray or maybe using the communion rail didn’t take as long. Sometimes I think it is because we have so many distractions and live in such a fast paced, hurry up society that we just have other things on our minds and can’t wait to get out of mass and do something else and that makes the priest feel pressured to move everyone through communion quickly. I mean, why did they do away with the communion rail, any way. Maybe people wanting mass to go faster is a reason why alot of things are done.

 

[TimothyH]

As a beggar, I’m happy just to be able to recieve the sacraments at all. I have no place asking God for access to His sacraments according to my own personal preference, let alone demanding them on my own terms.

As long as the validly ordained successor to the Apostles or the one designated by him hits the right spots with the oil, says the proper words and lays his hands on me and prays, the confirmation is valid and everything else is extra. Jesus traveled fifteen miles to be baptized in a muddy little stream located in the middle of the hot desert. Who’s hands Jesus passes through so that I can be incorporated into His Body really don’t concern me within any reasonable bounds. I might be lying in a hospital bed tomorrow unable to speak, wishing some woman would bring me the Eucharist in that little leather pouch around her neck before I die. Men have died in foxholes wishing that they could recieve the Eucharist from someone… anyone. Who am I to be concerned about whether the EMHC is a woman or a man?

She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” (Matthew 15:27)

Who am I to even be in the same room when Christ is made present? I’m not about to advise God as to how I am willing or prefer to be served by Him.

-Tim-

 

[TrueLight]

I missed this the first time through…

You don’t have to kneel the whole time. You process up as usual and receive from the priest (or deacon), whether kneeling or standing.

Holy Communion kneeling at the communion rail is very fast. And you only have to kneel from the time you approach the rail until you receive Holy Communion. If you have a priest and a deacon then you have two people to distribute Holy Communion and it goes twice as fast.

Maybe they mean kneeling in your own pew until communion is served to everyone. Most people, after taking communion, get into their pews and kneel.

I kneel while communion is being served, since I cannot take communion, until the next Dominus Vobiscum.

 

[wsxyz]

I don’t know the number of communicants, sorry. The number of ministers varies by the Mass (there are fewer at the 7:30 than at the 11:00, for example). At the large Masses, we have 2-3 ordinary ministers and 6-10 extraordinary ministers, and it takes 15 minutes to distribute Holy Communion. If we cut back to just the ordinary ministers, the Mass time would double.

You just have to do it differently. Possibilities:

1. No communion from the chalice.
2. Communion on the tongue at the altar rail (install if necessary) in both species by intinction.
3. Byzantine style communion of both species from the chalice with a spoon (probably not allowed actually in the Latin rite, but a theoretical possibility).

 

[wsxyz]

Maybe they mean kneeling in your own pew until communion is served to everyone. Most people, after taking communion, get into their pews and kneel.

Yes you’re probably right about that, but kneelers are usually padded right?

 

[TrueLight]

Yes you’re probably right about that, but kneelers are usually padded right?

Oh my goodness! At one parish, they are so thinly padded, I am in pain after the service and if I’m wearing a skirt, forget it.

 

[wsxyz]

Oh my goodness! At one parish, they are so thinly padded, I am in pain after the service and if I’m wearing a skirt, forget it.

Oh well, after a year or so you’ll build up some nice thick calluses on your knees and then it won’t be a problem!

 

[Monica4316]

At my parish, if women we not allow to be EMHCs, there wouldn’t be enough EMHCs. Most of the EMHCs are women. I was until a couple years ago. I hope to start again soon.

With regard to doing away with EMHCs altogether, how many of us can knell for the length of time it would take one priest to serve a church full of people the Eucharist? Just a small practical matter.

there are no EMHCs in traditional parishes… I’ve went to one for a year, and it works fine people just line up at the altar rail… it doesn’t take that much longer. But even if it did, - I don’t understand how this would be a problem, because that only gives more time to prepare for Communion and to pray… if someone can’t kneel for a physical reason, they can sit if they feel tired. also, the deacon can help give out Communion. Or there could be two priests. That’s how it was at my FSSP parish… one priest would do the Mass, the other would hear Confessions, and then they would both give out Communion. There were 3 Masses on Sunday btw. (and 3 priests in the parish).

I appreciate that you do not prefer EMHC"s, but despite the fact that they are from an indult, that does not mean they are not legitimate, as some people seem to think. It is the Church who has the say here, and it says EMHC’s are fine in this country.

Don’t forget, indults can be of benefit for people, are often done for pastoral reasons that help people, and can become the norm if the Church so chooses. The TLM, or EF, was, until recently, said under indult after Vatican II. If the attitude had been that indults aren’t quite legitimate, or shouldn’t be encouraged, etc., you probably wouldn’t be having the privilege of attending one.

the Church has not said this indult should be the norm, quite the opposite, it has given the permission only for extreme circumstances (which, don’t exist in most parishes today, but we still have EMHCs).

 

[TrueLight]

Oh well, after a year or so you’ll build up some nice thick calluses on your knees and then it won’t be a problem!

That will be quite attractive, I’m sure.

Or is that considered spiritual battle scars?

 

[Angel_Bradford]

As a beggar, I’m happy just to be able to recieve the sacraments at all. I have no place asking God for access to His sacraments according to my own personal preference, let alone demanding them on my own terms.

As long as the validly ordained successor to the Apostles or the one designated by him hits the right spots with the oil, says the proper words and lays his hands on me and prays, the confirmation is valid and everything else is extra. Jesus traveled fifteen miles to be baptized in a muddy little stream located in the middle of the hot desert. Who’s hands Jesus passes through so that I can be incorporated into His Body really don’t concern me within any reasonable bounds. I might be lying in a hospital bed tomorrow unable to speak, wishing some woman would bring me the Eucharist in that little leather pouch around her neck before I die. Men have died in foxholes wishing that they could recieve the Eucharist from someone… anyone. Who am I to be concerned about whether the EMHC is a woman or a man?
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." (Matthew 15:27)
Who am I to even be in the same room when Christ is made present? I’m not about to advise God as to how I am willing or prefer to be served by Him.

-Tim-

Thank you Tim! That was beautiful!!!

 

[LeahInancsi]

I’m afraid you’re mistaken. There is nothing that says that the regular use of extraordinary ministers is illicit. Your complaint here appears to be that “a brief prolongation” isn’t grounds for the use of extraordinary ministers. I don’t know where you are, but in my parish the failure to use extraordinary ministers would mean doubling the length of the Mass. That’s not a “brief prolongation;” that’s a scheduling disaster (we already have to have five Masses on Sundays, with only two priests assigned to our parish).

We need the extraordinary ministers, because the priests and deacons aren’t enough. There’s nothing illicit about it.

This is one of the most popular debate topics on this website.

I totally agree with you. I’ve been trying to say the same for years, but apparently haven’t used the right words.

 

[LeahInancsi]

I missed this the first time through…

You don’t have to kneel the whole time. You process up as usual and receive from the priest (or deacon), whether kneeling or standing.

Holy Communion kneeling at the communion rail is very fast. And you only have to kneel from the time you approach the rail until you receive Holy Communion. If you have a priest and a deacon then you have two people to distribute Holy Communion and it goes twice as fast.

We don’t have a deacon. I’m not talking about kneeling while I’m receiving Communion. I’m talking about kneeling while everyone else is receiving. Without EMHCs, that would be about 45 minutes or more as opposed to about 15-20 minutes with EMHCs.

Too bad this guy won’t be able to respond.

 

[LeahInancsi]

You don’t kneel the whole time, you get up and stand in line and when it’s your turn you kneel at the altar rail and after you receive you go back to your pew. I’m not sure why kneeling “the whole time” would be an issue ( except those with medical issues) anyway since you kneel before it’s time for your pew to get in line and when you get back already in parishes that use EMHC.

At every Catholic church I’ve attended, everyone continues to kneel in the pews until everyone has been served.

 

[Godfollower]

You just have to do it differently. Possibilities:

1. No communion from the chalice.
2. Communion on the tongue at the altar rail (install if necessary) in both species by intinction.
3. Byzantine style communion of both species from the chalice with a spoon (probably not allowed actually in the Latin rite, but a theoretical possibility).

1. In my experience, having the Precious Blood doesn’t prolong Holy Communion; the length of Communion is simply a function of the number of people going through the line. Adding the Precious Blood adds maybe 30 seconds to each communicant; but that happens while others are receiving His Body, so it’s maybe a minute added overall.
2. I regularly attend, not only my own church (which lacks a communion rail), but another that has a communion rail. The chuch with the communion rail takes much longer on a per-person basis than the church without.
3. I agree it’s probably prohibited. My guess is that it would take a lot longer than the current method.

 

[vsedriver]

Need? Taking 15 minutes to distribute Holy Communion does not constitute a “Need”.
And that’s completely disregarding the many parishes that have 2 or 3 priests but only one (plus a gaggle of unnecessary EHMCs) is there to distribute at communion time.

it’s a problem when you have one priest saying 2 Masses each at two parishes on a Sunday morning. Finishing Communion in a timely manner means he’s off to the next parish. In winter when roads are difficult it really helps to have EHMCs. The pews are full by the way. In fact last Sunday I was actually afraid the priest would run out of Hosts. He had to make a second trip to the altar for more!

I’d rather have EHMC by the dozen than see my parish closed for lack of a priest.

 

[LaFleurDeLis]

I support EMHC and hope to become one this year. I feel that allowing women to be an EMHC allows us to have a feeling of truly being involved with the mass. Any man called to the Priesthood knows that feeling. I feel called to be an EMHC and can’t wait to be apart of the mass and distribute the body and blood of Christ!

 

[vsedriver]

but having said that parishes managed long before EMCH’s. How did people tolerate it then.

In the past we had one priest and at least one assistant priest and our priest only had one parish to care for. Also we only received the Host and not the Precious Blood. Once you add the Precious Blood you need at least a deacon or a EMHC and that also slows things down. Personally I would rather not go back to just the Host.

 

[Ruth_Catherine]

As a beggar, I’m happy just to be able to recieve the sacraments at all. I have no place asking God for access to His sacraments according to my own personal preference, let alone demanding them on my own terms.

As long as the validly ordained successor to the Apostles or the one designated by him hits the right spots with the oil, says the proper words and lays his hands on me and prays, the confirmation is valid and everything else is extra. Jesus traveled fifteen miles to be baptized in a muddy little stream located in the middle of the hot desert. Who’s hands Jesus passes through so that I can be incorporated into His Body really don’t concern me within any reasonable bounds. I might be lying in a hospital bed tomorrow unable to speak, wishing some woman would bring me the Eucharist in that little leather pouch around her neck before I die. Men have died in foxholes wishing that they could recieve the Eucharist from someone… anyone. Who am I to be concerned about whether the EMHC is a woman or a man?

She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." (Matthew 15:27)

Who am I to even be in the same room when Christ is made present? I’m not about to advise God as to how I am willing or prefer to be served by Him.

-Tim-

That is so true. I am a revert and while in other churches I was so hungry for God’s house that now I am so grateful to be able to receive the Eucharist.

 

[thistle]

Need? Taking 15 minutes to distribute Holy Communion does not constitute a “Need”.
And that’s completely disregarding the many parishes that have 2 or 3 priests but only one (plus a gaggle of unnecessary EHMCs) is there to distribute at communion time.

My local parish Church has 10 Masses every Sunday to accommodate the 80% Mass attendence rate in our parish. We have 3 priests but it would be impossible without EMHC’s.