Question for those taking communion to the homebound

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caroljm36

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I was trained yesterday but am still shaky on the order and contents. The man who trained me said much of it outside of the communion part is a routine he developed for himself. He starts with the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, Glory Be, then ??? I think he reads a Psalm, then communion, another prayer, then?? I will be picking up the book today but I wondered what some of you are doing.

Is it supposed to be basically a mini-Mass?
 
Caroljm36,

I would go to a local religious bookstore in your area. They have books available on the Rite of Holy Communion to the sick & dying.

I give each of my homebound ministers “A Ritual for Laypersons” by Liturgical Press, Collegeville MN.

The book has a section on “Ordinary Rite of Communion of the Sick”.

I think it would be a great resource/guide for your communion calls.

Good luck,
Deacon Scott
 
Deacon Scott:
Caroljm36,

I would go to a local religious bookstore in your area. They have books available on the Rite of Holy Communion to the sick & dying.

I give each of my homebound ministers “A Ritual for Laypersons” by Liturgical Press, Collegeville MN.

The book has a section on “Ordinary Rite of Communion of the Sick”.

I think it would be a great resource/guide for your communion calls.

Good luck,
Deacon Scott
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Thanks. I did go pick up the book today at the rectory, but the man who taught me was adding so much that I was wondering what the guidelines were, because it’s not all in the book. For example, the 3 prayers he started with. He read a psalm, then somewhere did Prayer Before a Crucifix. I know I could come up with my own routine eventually but I’m not sure what can go before communion & after communion.
 
I train our people to stick strictly to the prayers and readings of the mass. How much depends on the circumstances/condition of the one receiving.

Minimum - Our Father, Gospel, and give Communion.

Maximum - the whole mass except for the Eucharistic Prayer - From the Preface through the Great Amen.

I am quite opposed to their adding anything not in the mass.
 
I agree with Deacon Scott. Go by the handbook. If you are seeing many patients, like when I did hospital Communions, you only have to say the whole ritual once, usually in the first room you visit. When you have 20 patients to bring communion to, it can be hectic. One other thing that I found important in this ministry is the condition of the patient. There is a shorter form that you can use if the patient is in poor condition. If you minister on Sunday, you can also briefly explain what the priest preached on that day. You represent the community that attended Mass and are reaching out to their brother or sister that could not be there.

May God bless you for this ministry of love.
Deacon Tony
 
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caroljm36:
I was trained yesterday but am still shaky on the order and contents. The man who trained me said much of it outside of the communion part is a routine he developed for himself. He starts with the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, Glory Be, then ??? I think he reads a Psalm, then communion, another prayer, then?? I will be picking up the book today but I wondered what some of you are doing.

Is it supposed to be basically a mini-Mass?
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It will depend on the condition of the person who is receiving Communion. If they can you should follow the full Communion service including the Liturgy of the Word. However if they are unable to folllow but for a short time you will need to adjust. There are some people who when the Our Father is said will repeat the words and when the Host is shown to them they will respond “Amen” and receive Communion. But beyond these specific actions, everything before and everything after they have no idea what is going on. I used to visit my parents every 6 to 8 weeks for a week when they were in a nursing facility in FL. Each week I would be there the resident priest would ask me to conduct a Communion service on his day off. Which I did for about 30-35 residents who normally attended daily Mass except for the one day a week that Fr. was off. I would then take the Eucharist to all the other Catholic residents after the Communion service. I would use a shortened Communion service and at least read the Gospel and give a short explaination before giving them Holy Communion. You will need to judge this for each person you carry the Blessed Sacrament to. I highly recomend getting the Rite of Pastoral care of the Sick.
 
It’s always good to talk to the person in charge of the EMHC to the sick under whom you are working.

Also one home bound patient is different than visiting many in a facility, both in regards to number of persons visited, and their ability to respond and follow, as well as their level of pain or distress.

If you will be visiting one person regularly, speak to the person, and ask for their (name removed by moderator)ut—you can lengthen or shorten the service accordingly. (as your trainer did with prayers) You can also ask the family or caretaker for (name removed by moderator)ut.

If the person is very sick, try to be sensitive to their needs. I usually visit in the hospital, and have a number of patients, so
I just do a greeting,
the Lords Prayer,
“Behold the Lamb of God…”,
“Body of Christ”—give the Host,
and say a short prayer afterward.

But I will skip the prayer afterward, if I see the person is finding the service too long or in discomfort. I usually visit a little before, if they are looking for a little conversation.
 
my routine for a group of people gathered is this
  1. short prayer
  2. the peace of our Lord…
  3. the Our Father
  4. this is the Lamb of God…
  5. Lord i’m not worthy…
  6. the Body of Christ
  7. after short silence, concluding prayer
when i go around to the individual rooms afterward (for those that couldn’t come to the group) , i omit #s 1 and 7
 
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faithfulservant:
my routine for a group of people gathered is this
  1. short prayer
  2. the peace of our Lord…
  3. the Our Father
  4. this is the Lamb of God…
  5. Lord i’m not worthy…
  6. the Body of Christ
  7. after short silence, concluding prayer
when i go around to the individual rooms afterward (for those that couldn’t come to the group) , i omit #s 1 and 7
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Thanks! that’s what I needed–a road map. I will use it to get started. Right now I have only one person to visit so there’s no huge hurry, though I guess I should be prepared to do it quickly just in case.
 
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caroljm36:
Thanks! that’s what I needed–a road map. I will use it to get started. Right now I have only one person to visit so there’s no huge hurry, though I guess I should be prepared to do it quickly just in case.
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That is the best way, be prepared to shorten it if circumstances require it. But plan to conduct the full Communion service Beginning with the sign of the Cross to the final blessing. Essentially the Mass without the Eucharistic prayer and Consecration. If you were bringing me the Eucharist on Sundays that is what I would expect. You might consider visiting the person before Sunday and intorducing yourself. It will also give you the ability to locate the address beforehand.
 
Thanks.

One last thing–my teacher had me bless the patient with holy water, making the sign of the cross on his forehead (sorry if I’m saying this wrong). It’s not in the Rite for Communion in a Hospital or Institution in my book. Is it proper to do anyway?
 
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caroljm36:
Thanks.

One last thing–my teacher had me bless the patient with holy water, making the sign of the cross on his forehead (sorry if I’m saying this wrong). It’s not in the Rite for Communion in a Hospital or Institution in my book. Is it proper to do anyway?
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For visiting individual members of the parish I used a small black pouch that had in it the burse with the Pyx in it, a small blessed candle and holder (only used when no O2 was in use), a small corporal on which to place the Pyx. A small blessed crucifix for them to look upon or hold. A small bottle of Holy Water for them to bless themselves if they wished. I also carried a small Sunday Missal for the readings. I also had in the pouch the words or “order” of the Communion service but mostly it was memorized.
 
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