Person wanted Eucharistic for friend

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hamburglar

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I am a Eucharistic Minister, and one time a woman, after receiving the Body of Christ, asked for me to place a host into a pyx so that she may give this to her friend. I did say “the Body of Christ” and put it into the pyx, but I’m not sure this is right.

Does anyone know the protocol for this sort of thing?
 
Assuming that the person with the pyx is a priest, deacon, acolyte, or someone appropriately delegated to take Communion to people, simply place in the pyx the necessary number of Hosts. You need not say anything.
 
hamburglar said:
I am a Eucharistic Minister, and one time a woman, after receiving the Body of Christ, asked for me to place a host into a pyx so that she may give this to her friend. I did say “the Body of Christ” and put it into the pyx, but I’m not sure this is right.

Does anyone know the protocol for this sort of thing?
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Granted she is probably NOT a priest, deacon, or EM… you should NOT and should NEVER AGAIN give the Eucharist to her to be taken from the area at the foot of the altar. This is for several reasons:
  1. Protocol: she doesn’t have the authority to distribute communion validly. This doesn’t make it invalid, but rather illicit. The Host is to be distributed ONLY by the appropriate ministers.
  2. Protection: Satanists attempt to get ahold of consecrated Hosts all the time because part of the black masses they hold can call for defiling holy items… and what better to defile than the Paschal Sacrifice. The job of the EM is to ensure that Communion is properly distributed and CONSUMED by the faithful AT THE ALTAR (none is saved or taken from the presence of the minister)
 
I think it was just an ordinary person who had somebody sick at home.
 
The pastor may have authorized certain people to bring the Eucharist to the sick. This is very common in my parish and fully in line with the pastor’s wishes. Simply talk to the pastor and see if he has designated certain individuals to do so. No one, however, should assume this role on their own.
 
Assuming that the person had the best of intentions, she/he should be asked to speak to the priest or deacon after Mass, and he will assist them.

Only EMHCs who minister to the sick are permitted to take the Eucharist to the homebound. Spouses, friends and other loved ones, as well intentioned that they may be, are not permitted to do this, unless they are a commissioned EHMC. This is to insure that the Sacred Body is in no way subject to abuse or profanation.

I was reminded of this very instruction last night at our yearly EHMC refresher course.
 
And it also insures that good and faithful Catholics don’t have private adoration chapels in their homes, which is forbidden.
 
G_S said:
The pastor may have authorized certain people to bring the Eucharist to the sick. This is very common in my parish and fully in line with the pastor’s wishes. Simply talk to the pastor and see if he has designated certain individuals to do so. No one, however, should assume this role on their own.
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In our parish anyone that is authorized to take the Eucharist to the sick are expected to place their pyx with a small piece of paper in it indicating the number of hosts needed on the credence table before mass starts. Depending on the priest, the EMHCs will be called up by the priest after communion, are given their pyx and are blessed or they receive their pyx from the priest after mass is finished.
 
Cobbfmly said:
In our parish anyone that is authorized to take the Eucharist to the sick are expected to place their pyx with a small piece of paper in it indicating the number of hosts needed on the credence table before mass starts. Depending on the priest, the EMHCs will be called up by the priest after communion, are given their pyx and are blessed or they receive their pyx from the priest after mass is finished.
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That would be a better practice liturgically than the one we follow. One caution would be that, if the priest processes out to the main door of the church to shake hands and chat after Mass, the pyxes might be left unattended on the altar. We used to do that and each EMHC would just go up and get her pyx.
 
G_S said:
That would be a better practice liturgically than the one we follow. One caution would be that, if the priest processes out to the main door of the church to shake hands and chat after Mass, the pyxes might be left unattended on the altar. We used to do that and each EMHC would just go up and get her pyx.
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The priest that does not call up the EMHCs carries the pyx out with him in the procession and gives them to the EMHCs as they leave. The pyx is never left unattended.
 
We see these questions here time and time again - why is it that EMHC’s are not TRAINED!!!??? Isn’t there anyone out there who cares how these folks are performing their service?

I just get so angry when I hear things like this happening - not angry with the EMHC, but angry that no one ever thought that those performing this service needed to know how to do it properly!!!

:mad:

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
We see these questions here time and time again - why is it that EMHC’s are not TRAINED!!!??? Isn’t there anyone out there who cares how these folks are performing their service?
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Liza - amen sister! Lack of training shows in using the phrase “Eucharistic Minister” - one of my pet peeves…
 
kage_ar said:
Liza - amen sister! Lack of training shows in using the phrase “Eucharistic Minister” - one of my pet peeves…
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Oh posh, that has been the common term for EMHC’s for sometime now and it’s a generally universally recognized synonym. Now you’re just being legalistic.
 
kage_ar said:
Liza - amen sister! Lack of training shows in using the phrase “Eucharistic Minister” - one of my pet peeves…
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Okay, sorry. Extraordinary Minister. I’ve always just referred to them as that since I was a small child.

Please don’t claim that the person who trained me did it poorly. It is not his fault that I’ve used this word my whole life.
 
G_S said:
The pastor may have authorized certain people to bring the Eucharist to the sick. This is very common in my parish and fully in line with the pastor’s wishes. Simply talk to the pastor and see if he has designated certain individuals to do so. No one, however, should assume this role on their own.
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We have people that are designated to do this for the sick and hospitals and such. However, I am rather sure that this person was not specialized to due this.

Did I commit a big sin by giving an extra Eucharistic to this person?
 
hamburglar said:
We have people that are designated to do this for the sick and hospitals and such. However, I am rather sure that this person was not specialized to due this.

Did I commit a big sin by giving an extra Eucharistic to this person?
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Big sin? No.

Erred on the side of judgment? Probably.

Chalk it up to experience - now you know better.

We all learn these things in similar ways from time to time.
 
hamburglar said:
Okay, sorry. Extraordinary Minister. I’ve always just referred to them as that since I was a small child.

Please don’t claim that the person who trained me did it poorly. It is not his fault that I’ve used this word my whole life.
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In life, titles mean something. If I am an assistant Manger, and refer to myself as the District Vice President - that would not be “kosher”. If someone taught me that I had the wrong title, as soon as I learn the error then I should begin using the correct title.

Same goes for training how giving out “extra” hosts for someone to take home, a well-taught EMHC would know how to deal with this situation. You were not taught how to deal with it, so, it might be a good idea to speak with the person in charge of EMHCs and make sure everyone is trained on this situation.

There are many things to learn being an EMHC, how to deal if the Blood is spilled or a Host is dropped for example, proper disposition for the EMHC is another.

Use this as a learning opportunity and also a teaching opportunity!
 
kage_ar said:
In life, titles mean something. If I am an assistant Manger, and refer to myself as the District Vice President - that would not be “kosher”. If someone taught me that I had the wrong title, as soon as I learn the error then I should begin using the correct title.
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You are so very right. Words mean things. If they didn’t actually mean things, then we wouldn’t have all the debate over biblical translations, or what words make a sacrament valid. It would just be ok to say anything, and just assume that everyone knew what you meant! :rolleyes:

~Liza
 
kage_ar said:
There are many things to learn being an EMHC, how to deal if the Blood is spilled or a Host is dropped for example, proper disposition for the EMHC is another.

Use this as a learning opportunity and also a teaching opportunity!
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Thanks, I’ll be sure to talk to the person who trained me and see if a letter or something could go out to the EMHCs.

I do know what to do if the Blood is spilled (cover up with purificator, leave for Priest to clean up and dispose in sacristy) and if a Host is dropped (EMHC eats it.)
 
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