Run out of hosts?

[L_Marshall]

With respect, the word host has been used for centuries to speak of altar bread before it’s consecrated.

With respect, that can be debated. The more common word throughout history has been hostia, which translates to “victim.”

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

With respect, you were adding altar-breads, not ‘hosts’.

I have heard priests speak innumerable times of “unconsecrated hosts,” referring to what is in the sacristy cabinet, in the setting of altar server training, in the setting of adult education on the Eucharist. I have never heard a priest use the term “altar breads.”

 

[Serenity412]

Our parish has the lectors use handheld tally counters on Sundays to count the number of people at each mass. This way, the sacristan can plan ahead for the following Sunday masses.
Never have we run out of hosts.

 

[TC2]

Forgive me if I should not enter this discussion. I do not at all pretend to understand all of the ‘right and wrongs’ of communion in the Catholic church, but out of curiosity, I’d like to ask.

Couldn’t the priest just give the Blood when he ran out of hosts? Esp. when they became too small to break properly?

Thanks!

 

[Phemie]

Forgive me if I should not enter this discussion. I do not at all pretend to understand all of the ‘right and wrongs’ of communion in the Catholic church, but out of curiosity, I’d like to ask.

Couldn’t the priest just give the Blood when he ran out of hosts? Esp. when they became too small to break properly?

Thanks!

Yes, he could.

 

[TC2]

Thanks, Phemie!

I thought so, but wanted to be sure.

 

[Phemie]

Thanks, Phemie!

I thought so, but wanted to be sure.

I should add, though, that not all parishes offer Communion under both species; it’s not required in the Catholic Church as we believe we received Jesus totally (Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity) under either the appearance of bread or the appearance of wine.

In a parish where only the priest receives from the Cup, he would have already consumed the Precious Blood since he must receive Communion before he distributes it to the people. In that case there would be no Precious Blood left to offer the people if he ran out of Hosts.

 

[TC2]

Thanks for the clarification, Phemie.

 

[angelic06]

I’ve seen that happen at a Mass several years ago. The priest was the one who told the EMHC to go get unconsecrated hosts and he then proceeded to give the remaining parishioners Communion by intinction. I think it was the next year that Redemptionis Sacramentum came out and one of the articles in it categorically forbid using non-consecrated bread for intinction.

Because the unconsecrated hosts are not the Body and Blood of our Lord.

 

[angelic06]

Forgive me if I should not enter this discussion. I do not at all pretend to understand all of the ‘right and wrongs’ of communion in the Catholic church, but out of curiosity, I’d like to ask.

Couldn’t the priest just give the Blood when he ran out of hosts? Esp. when they became too small to break properly?

Thanks!

He could, which is just what I was about to post. But then I remembered that in most Catholic parishes I’ve been to, if either species was spent, it was usually the chalice first, not the host which was spent.

 

[gh4]

With respect, you were adding altar-breads, not ‘hosts’.

You know, sometimes I get so incredibly frustrated on this board. I don’t know if any post I have ever made has ever pleased anyone. Perhaps I should keep my mouth shut. I truly was trying to help, but yet, someone is unhappy with what I’ve said.
My priest calls them hosts, therefore I will call them hosts. And you know, what, it’s stuff like this that makes me want to run screaming back to any other church in the world but a Catholic one. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
And my priest NEVER EVER EVER EVER ran out of HOSTS or WINE when I was his sacristan. It’s NOT the priests fault in most instances, unless he’s the one who counts out the waffers/breads/hosts/round things.

 

[dshix]

I recently went to (one of) my nephews First Communion (OF)… Deo Gratias! Anyway, we were seated in the front pew and had a good view of the (Extra)ordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

Well, that day there was a rather large congregation. It had gotten to the point that there was still a long line to go up for Communion, and the EMHC started breaking the Hosts into smaller and smaller pieces. It got to the point where the pieces of the Hosts were so small, that we couldn’t see it from where we were sitting (in the front pew).

The priest never went to the Tabernacle to get more Hosts, so I assume that he had brought all of them out to begin with (because of the large congregation) and therefore no more Hosts in the Tabernacle.

My question is this… what is to be done in this situation, if in fact they had run out? Is the priest allowed to go up and consecrate more Hosts in the same Mass, or are those that were left without Communion in that Mass?

My GUESS is that the priests cannot (licitly) consecrate more Hosts in the same Mass and that those that may have been left would be without Communion?

Others have likely said this already, but if the priest runs out of hosts, then the mass proceeds and anyone who did not get to receive… just doesn’t get to receive.

There’s nothing horribly sinful or wrong about not receiving; your Sunday obligation is to be at mass, not receive communion.

This has occurred only once at my parish, and I was among the last 3 people left who missed out. Oh, well. It didn’t scar me for life or anything.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

I think this happen at a first communion Mass and that there was poor planning on somebody’s part in that the extra wasn’t planned for. Usually those Masses are very crowded with family etc coming. I know because I’ve seen it as a lector that the sacristan tries to estimate the amount for special Masses like this where there are larger than normal crowds. Obviously, that didn’t happen.

Not so obvious sometimes. There are instances when, despite the best efforts of the sacristan and/or priest, you run out anyway. The largest of our three parish churches holds 800 people—more than that violates local fire safety regulations. I once prepared 1,100 hosts for a Christmas Vigil and that plus the 200 consecrated hosts that were already in the tabernacle weren’t enough.

Then there are the times I prepare too many hosts and we end up with a tabernacle overflowing with consecrated hosts. I get in trouble for that, too. When it’s the sacristan’s job to do the estimation, you win some and you lose some. But a failure to get it right isn’t automatically due to the effort of proper planning not having been made at all.

We do it like this, everyone who enter the Church walk to a small table and with a nice spoon pick up a host a put in a bowl that then, right before Mass, are given to the priest. And sometimes it do happen that they have to take a few host from the Tabernacle, but we have always a full Church and never have I seen them run out of hosts.

I would love to do it this way, as it was when I was a child growing up in the US. It sure would eliminate a lot of confusion. It’s done at the smallest of our three churches for weekday Mass but never on Sundays, HDOs, nuptial Masses or funerals, nor ever at our two other churches.

Funerals are the worst. How in the world is the sacristan (or anyone involved in the preparation of a funeral Mass) supposed to know how many people will attend a funeral, and how many amongst them will receive Communion??

 

[peace2u2]

if the priest runs out of hosts, then the mass proceeds and anyone who did not get to receive… just doesn’t get to receive.

I have a question, would everyone present still receive Jesus’ Real Presence spiritually if they were unable to take part in the actual Eucharist? I was taught in preparation to receiving my 1st Holy Eucharist, that even though I couldn’t go up to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, I could still kneal in the pew and ask Jesus to come into my heart anyway.

 

[robwar]

Forgive me if I should not enter this discussion. I do not at all pretend to understand all of the ‘right and wrongs’ of communion in the Catholic church, but out of curiosity, I’d like to ask.

Couldn’t the priest just give the Blood when he ran out of hosts? Esp. when they became too small to break properly?

Thanks!

there is usually less wine than hosts since many do not partake of it. They might have already run out of the wine if it was a big crowd.

 

[robwar]

Our parish has the lectors use handheld tally counters on Sundays to count the number of people at each mass. This way, the sacristan can plan ahead for the following Sunday masses.
Never have we run out of hosts.

that is very unusual indeed! Lectors (I’m one) usually are pretty busy with preparing the Lectionary Bible and Gospel. This usually is done by the Sacristan.

 

[Phemie]

that is very unusual indeed! Lectors (I’m one) usually are pretty busy with preparing the Lectionary Bible and Gospel. This usually is done by the Sacristan.

Really, you are busy BEFORE Mass? I’ve been a reader for years and I never have anything to do before Mass. If I’m the second reader I just go to my pew and go up to read when the time comes. If I’m the first reader I carry up the Lectionary (which I know we’re not supposed to do but in Canada we don’t have a Book of Gospels and I haven’t been in a Parish that didn’t process the Lectionary) but beyond that I have no responsibilities.

 

[robwar]

Really, you are busy BEFORE Mass? I’ve been a reader for years and I never have anything to do before Mass. If I’m the second reader I just go to my pew and go up to read when the time comes. If I’m the first reader I carry up the Lectionary (which I know we’re not supposed to do but in Canada we don’t have a Book of Gospels and I haven’t been in a Parish that didn’t process the Lectionary) but beyond that I have no responsibilities.

I guess it is what one want to make out of it. I always go and check the book on the lectionary, and I go and check on the prayers of the faithful and put the announcements at the podium. I am just willing to go ahead and help out whatever needs to be done and take care of it. I’m not asked, I arrive early and try to be available to assist in whatever manner there is.

 

[dshix]

I have a question, would everyone present still receive Jesus’ Real Presence spiritually if they were unable to take part in the actual Eucharist? I was taught in preparation to receiving my 1st Holy Eucharist, that even though I couldn’t go up to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, I could still kneal in the pew and ask Jesus to come into my heart anyway.

You are correct, it is possible for anyone who did not receive the Eucharist to say a prayer of Spiritual Communion. Actually, it is possible to say this prayer at any time.

Granted, it does not have quite the same graces as receiving the Host itself, but it is still greatly beneficial.

 

[Phemie]

I guess it is what one want to make out of it. I always go and check the book on the lectionary, and I go and check on the prayers of the faithful and put the announcements at the podium. I am just willing to go ahead and help out whatever needs to be done and take care of it. I’m not asked, I arrive early and try to be available to assist in whatever manner there is.

If I did some of that, the person who is responsible for setting up would be upset that I’m second guessing her. She is also the one responsible for the announcements and we’ve learned not to step on her toes lest we get our heads handed to us on a platter.