Z
zab
Guest
Do you have a reference for that?
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M
Mrs_Sally
Guest
Oh, I understand!I wish that would take care of things for me, but my parish serves an extremely large hospital that has many separate buildings and it takes me a minimum of 3 hours (usually more like 4 hours) to see to all the Catholic patients. That’s a very long time to hold it in!
The nursing home in our parish is also spread out over several buildings and floors depending on the level of care, and I drink a cup of coffee there on Sunday mornings after Mass or else I’ll get one of those caffeine-deprivation headaches. And we know what coffee means! It means I’ll be in the ladies’ room at least once on my visit.
And we won’t even discuss the needs during the “Time of the Month” . . .
Thankfully, we have a team of 4-5 per week who visit the nursing home our parish is responsible for. The folks who visit the home-bound and the retirement community are on a different schedule. There is overlap between the groups but right now I only visit the nursing home and can usually finish my rounds within a couple of hours.
M
Mrs_Sally
Guest
EMHCs are not required to leave before the end of Mass. We do get our pyx filled after distribution of communion, but we stay until the final blessing. We are then trained to leave the church without stopping to chat, drink coffee, etc. and go directly to distribute communion as we are assigned.
I agree that it is easier to receive the Hosts during Mass, but I don’t think you would have to chase the priest down in the rectory. If it was his directive that EMHCs receive their hosts after Mass than I am sure he would be waiting.
We have teams of 5-6 people who go out each week to the nursing home, retirement community, and home-bound. The priests know who we are and know what the schedule is so there is no confusion about when we should receive our pxy and no need for lay people to get into the tabernacle without the priest there. (In fact, no one but the priests have the keys so we couldn’t anyway.)
K
Kambi
Guest
I have often seen EMHC’s receive the Host when they go up for Communion. I have heard them whisper the number of Hosts they need. They already have a pyx. (Not at my current parish, but about ten years ago at a different parish.
Apparently this is a grave error, and someday I do want to be an EMHC and it will be interesting to see if any rules are bent.
Apparently this is a grave error, and someday I do want to be an EMHC and it will be interesting to see if any rules are bent.
J
jmcrae
Guest
If you were to do that at my home parish, the priest would ask you to step aside until the end of the distribution of Holy Communion, and then, if he knew you, he would give you the hosts, but if he didn’t know you, he would ask you to come back to the Rectory after Mass and give him your references and explain to him why you’re not on his list of authorized EMHCs.
At the parish where I work, I’ve never seen anyone attempt this, so I don’t know how they would react. I hope they would make sure that they know the person before giving out the Host to them.
M
Mrs_Sally
Guest
Absolutely! Each EMHC is only allowed to distribute communion within the parish where they are assigned. In my diocese (and the two nearest us), we are trained that we much receive from the priest after the distribution of communion in the Mass. No EMHC would present their pyx to be filled at the moment that he goes up for communion, and no EMHC who may be distributing communion at that Mass should fill another lay person’s pyx.
I guess this discussion just shows how varied the practices are across diocese! I pray that each parish is actually following their bishop’s directives and that each bishop is following Rome.
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