Parameters & Limits for EMHC

[HailMary]

If I was an Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion do I have the duty to not serve to people if I don’t see fit?

I ask this because I was as my first Roman Catholic Liturgy for Holy Matrimony and I am pretty sure many of those people were not Catholic and the Priest did not deny anyone the Eucharist. I was not even sure that some people even had First Communion that I knew were Catholic by family.

What do you guys know about guidelines of this? We all know that Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion is allowed by the Church, however it is an abuse to have them at EVERY mass since every mass is NOT an Extraordinary Situation! I don’t want to discuss that but I’d like to know, that, in the case of a true need for an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, should the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion be required to deny Eucharist to someone that he/she knows is not Catholic or even in Mortal Sin (co-habitating would be the easiest most visible sign that this person is in mortal sin, for example).

God Bless you.

 

[StCsDavid]

If I was an Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion do I have the duty to not serve to people if I don’t see fit?

Not your call. If someone presents themselves to receive Our Lord you must give it to him. As a priest once told me, “Jesus can take care of Himself.”

What do you guys know about guidelines of this? We all know that Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion is allowed by the Church, however it is an abuse to have them at EVERY mass since every mass is NOT an Extraordinary Situation! I don’t want to discuss that but I’d like to know, that, in the case of a true need for an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, should the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion be required to deny Eucharist to someone that he/she knows is not Catholic or even in Mortal Sin (co-habitating would be the easiest most visible sign that this person is in mortal sin, for example).

Guidelines for receiving communion are usually in the front of the missal. I would charitably suggest to the priest that perhaps he could make an announcement regarding the these guidelines for guests of the wedding who are not Catholic.

Yes, in the United States, the use of Extraordinary Ministers is in many cases over used. Many pastors opt for efficiency and saving time, especially on Sundays when mass times are closer together. Also with a shortage of priests and deacons, some pastors do not believe they have any other option.

 

[puzzleannie]

Judging the spiritual state of any individual is reserved only for the priest in confession. No lay person has the right to make such a judgement. In your training as EMHC you should have been instructed on how to handle various situations that come up, and before times like weddings, funerals where non-Catholics are likely to approach, you should ask the priest’s direction beforehand on what to do, and obey his direction.

 

[HailMary]

Unfortuently I was not trained because I am not Roman Rite, it was I guess an “emergency”.

What if I am not judging anything spirutual but i know this particular person is NOT Catholic, let alone Christian? Seems to me that this is a case where I should not let them approach the Eucharist.

 

[Light_Seeker]

I’m not an EMHC, but the Deacon who instructs our EMHC’s once told me “even if Osama Bin Laden came up to receive the Eucharist, it is not the authority of the EMHC to determine if they can or cannot receive it.”

He also told me that if an EMHC notices a person not ingesting it, to immediately notify the Priest.

 

[HailMary]

I’m not an EMHC, but the Deacon who instructs our EMHC’s once told me “even if Osama Bin Laden came up to receive the Eucharist, it is not the authority of the EMHC to determine if they can or cannot receive it.”

He also told me that if an EMHC notices a person not ingesting it, to immediately notify the Priest.

I don’t think that would showing any Charity to those people who are condemning themselves by receiving the Eucharist. This question is really a question about mercy to those individuals, Catholic or non-Catholic.

 

[JLSacred]

I don’t think that would showing any Charity to those people who are condemning themselves by receiving the Eucharist. This question is really a question about mercy to those individuals, Catholic or non-Catholic.

Most non Catholics are probably ignorant of this rule. They are probably trying to honor the Bride and Groom by joining in the communion line. If the priest doesn’t explain the rules, how are they to know? Probably many don’t bother to read the Missel.

 

[dylanschrader]

For those you suspect are not Catholic, or who have not made their first Communion, you should to ask them in order to confirm these things. If they tell you that they are not Catholic or have not made first Communion, then you can explain to them the Church’s discipline.

Regarding those who are in situations that make you think they may not be in the state of grace, Canon Law says this:

915 Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

So, those whom you know to be excommunicated, under interdict, or obstinately persisting in manifest grave sin (usually, the bishop or your pastor will have made a public judgment on this point), you should not admit to Communion.

 

[John_Lilburne]

If I was an Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion do I have the duty to not serve to people if I don’t see fit? …

The Catholic Church has policies that some people should not receive Communion. In some situations directions could be given to the EMHC about this.
At the Melbourne cathedral I regularly see EMHCs refuse to give people communion. I am fairly certain the reason is that the people are tourists, who do not know to reply “Amen” to “The Body of Christ”. So the EMHC would be concerned that they would walk away without consuming the Body of Christ.
I have not seen someone wear a rainbow sash for a few years. But if someone did I think that would be understood to mean that they were protesting against Catholic Church teaching and I woudl expect the EMHCs would refuse them Communion.
Pope Benedict recently wrote about the issue in the 2007 Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html :
“In this regard, I would like to call attention to a pastoral problem frequently encountered nowadays. I am referring to the fact that on certain occasions – for example, wedding Masses, funerals and the like – in addition to practising Catholics there may be others present who have long since ceased to attend Mass or are living in a situation which does not permit them to receive the sacraments. At other times members of other Christian confessions and even other religions may be present. Similar situations can occur in churches that are frequently visited, especially in tourist areas. In these cases, there is a need to find a brief and clear way to remind those present of the meaning of sacramental communion and the conditions required for its reception. Wherever circumstances make it impossible to ensure that the meaning of the Eucharist is duly appreciated, the appropriateness of replacing the celebration of the Mass with a celebration of the word of God should be considered.”

 

[Michael038]

If I was an Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion do I have the duty to not serve to people if I don’t see fit?

I ask this because I was as my first Roman Catholic Liturgy for Holy Matrimony and I am pretty sure many of those people were not Catholic and the Priest did not deny anyone the Eucharist. I was not even sure that some people even had First Communion that I knew were Catholic by family.

What do you guys know about guidelines of this? We all know that Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion is allowed by the Church, however it is an abuse to have them at EVERY mass since every mass is NOT an Extraordinary Situation! I don’t want to discuss that but I’d like to know, that, in the case of a true need for an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, should the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion be required to deny Eucharist to someone that he/she knows is not Catholic or even in Mortal Sin (co-habitating would be the easiest most visible sign that this person is in mortal sin, for example).

God Bless you.

Oh no not another EMHC thread! As EMHC it is not our power to judge those who present themselves to receive the Eucharist.