Sad event at Mass this morning

  • Thread starter Thread starter Heather914
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Heather914

Guest
Let me preface this by saying we normally have 6 EMs along with the Priest distributing communion. I had already taken communion and was kneeling and praying when I saw a man go up and kneel to take the Blessed Host. The priest gave it to him, but when he went to the EM for the Precious Blood, the EM shook his head, frowned and covered the chalice since the man was kneeling. I was shocked and saddened by this. If the priest had no problem with the man kneeling for the Host, who is the EM to deny him if he wants to kneel? I don’t want to offend anyone, but this made me so sad! :’(
 
That is sad, because one is allowed to receive Communion kneeling.
On the bright side, he received all of Him by receiving the Host.
 
I said a prayer for both the man and the EM. I was so happy that my priest had no issue with him kneeling. Otherwise, I may have been on the lookout for a new church!
 
Heather914 said:
I said a prayer for both the man and the EM. I was so happy that my priest had no issue with him kneeling. Otherwise, I may have been on the lookout for a new church!
Click to expand...
May the EMHC wasn’t comfortable or able to bend down holding the chalice. Instead of posting about it on the web, go talk to the the priest about it. People are so quick to jump online and complain about perceived abuses or “wrongs” instead of going directly to the person who can explain or deal with the situation. IT sounds from your other posts you are wanting to find a Latin Mass parish anyway
 
Heather914 said:
I said a prayer for both the man and the EM. I was so happy that my priest had no issue with him kneeling. Otherwise, I may have been on the lookout for a new church!
Click to expand...
You should mention the incident to your priest. That way he knows what happened with the EMHC. It could be the EMHC hasn’t been properly trained in how to administer the chalice to a kneeling communicant or was worried they might spill the Precious Blood if they were to bend down to reach the communicant. Either way, your priest is who you should tell about what you witnessed at Mass.
 
Covering the chalice seems like a strange response to someone kneeling – I mean if you don’t want to offer it you just wouldn’t move.

The only time I’ve ever heard of an EMHC covering the chalice is when the communicant attempted to intinct the Host herself. The communicant didn’t know better because, at the time, in our parish self-intinction was commonly done.
 
Perhaps the EMHC was afraid that it would drip on the floor because they have difficulty leaning down or something. The EM has a responsibility to protect the host and blood of Christ first.

If this was the case, a explanation should have been made to the communicant after mass.
 
mommy_k said:
Perhaps the EMHC was afraid that it would drip on the floor because they have difficulty leaning down or something. The EM has a responsibility to protect the host and blood of Christ first.

If this was the case, a explanation should have been made to the communicant after mass.
Click to expand...
This…why all the drama!?
 
I’ve been to a major cathedral here in the U.S.A. During the Latin Mass, we took Communion lined up on our knees before the altar (real old school stuff 😃 ) but when it came to drinking the blood of Christ, you had to get up and go to the end of the altar where you stood to drink it.
 
mommy_k said:
Perhaps the EMHC was afraid that it would drip on the floor because they have difficulty leaning down or something. The EM has a responsibility to protect the host and blood of Christ first.

If this was the case, a explanation should have been made to the communicant after mass.
Click to expand...
You are absolutely right, but wouldn’t the safest method be to not distribute the Precious Blood at all (or at least not in that manner); or recuse oneself as EMHC if some allowable methods of reception are not possible to maneuver due to health?
 
Sometimes EMHC’s will cover a chalice but remain in place when the chalice is empty. As others have suggested, we don’t know the motivation here…
 
SyroMalankara said:
You are absolutely right, but wouldn’t the safest method be to not distribute the Precious Blood at all (or at least not in that manner); or recuse oneself as EMHC if some allowable methods of reception are not possible to maneuver due to health?
Click to expand...
Perhaps you should read what the USCCB has said about offering the Cup…
 
I would have thought that maybe the EM was worried about spilling the Precious Blood, but he glared at the man and shook his head. That is what struck me as so mean.
 
TC Forum is not the place to gossip about what happened or failed to happen in one’s parish. Those issues must be taken up with the pastor.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top