Scaristan can expose Blessed Sacrament?

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WE have a vibrant youth ministry at my Parish and I belong to the leadership of the co-ed High School group. Once a week we gather for an hour of Adoration in our chapel. The teens usually pack it out…which is great!

So our attendance is quite heavy at times with the exception of a priest. He comes and goes and doesn’t always attend as schedule due to circumstances beyond his control. This leads to a kind of non-adoration bible study, or prayer time. Which leads to less Youth making the trip if it happens too much. But again when it is going to be adoration the youth will sacrifice more to be there.

It has been mentioned to me that as a Sacristan I can fill in for the priest. I may open the tabernacle and place the Body of Jesus into a monstrance for adoration. Of course no benediction. And at the end of the holy hour I may retrieve the Body and place it back into the tabernacle.

I have not spoken with my parish priest yet, but I feel uncomfortable enough checking the tabernacle before Mass to help guide my setting up for the sacrifice. But I feel this is a little too far. What is the protocol, am I actually aloud to do this?

I will do what is asked of me but just don’t want to be guided by the “spirit” of Vatican II.

Thanks
 
I believe this is what you’re looking for.
  1. The ordinary minister for exposition of the eucharist is a priest or deacon. At the end of the period of adoration, before the reposition, he blesses the congregation with the sacrament.
In the absence of a priest or deacon or if they are lawfully impeded, the following persons may publicly expose and later repose the eucharist for the adoration of the faithful:

a. an acolyte or special minister of communion;

b. upon appointment by the local Ordinary, a member of a religious community or of a pious association of laymen or laywomen which is devoted to eucharistic adoration.

Such ministers may open the tabernacle and also, as required, place the ciborium on the altar or place the host in the monstrance. At the end of the period of adoration, they replace the blessed sacrament in the tabernacle. It is not lawful, however, for them to give the blessing with the sacrament.

From Eucharistae Sacramentum. A sacristan isn’t listed; however, if you are also an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion you would be authorized (with your pastor’s approval, of course).
 
I am in France. YMMV.

Background: I am the sacristan at the church in which there is Adoration on Friday evenings (my parish has three churches), and I am almost always present for it.

According to our parochial vicar, a layperson can expose and repose the Blessed Sacrament in exceptional circumstances only. Example: the parochial vicar (Fr. G) was scheduled to do Exposition and Repose one Friday evening but was too ill to make it to the church. Our pastor (Fr. B) had a prior engagement and could not take over for him. So Fr. G appointed an EMHC to stand in for him, for that evening only, to avoid cancelling Adoration. There was no Benediction—if the layman had attempted that I would have stopped him. :tsktsk: I spoke with Fr. G about this after the fact, and he cited a Church document (the name of which I did not catch—logically it would be Eucharistae Sacramentum as quoted above by SuscipeMeDomine, but I cannot be sure without asking Fr. G…and I would have to catch up to him first) that he says states what I said above.

Since I have not examined this document myself I cannot verify what Fr. G told me. However, I will say I have no reason to doubt him. Moreover, this has only happened that one time. All other times, either Adoration is conducted with a priest present or it is cancelled.

Because you said you have not yet spoken with your priest about it, I will assume he is not the person who “mentioned” this possibility to you. Perhaps that person can cite a document to back up their assertion. I’m also not sure what constitutes “exceptional circumstance.” Sure, the priest not being able to make it could fall under that definition, but if Father frequently misses Adoration I’m not certain his absence for any given Adoration hour could be called “exceptional.”

God bless!
 
So am I right then that a Eucharistic Minister can expose and replace the Blessed Sacrament but not conduct Benediction.

That seems to be what the instruction says, and it does seem logical.

Armenian footwashing
 
SonSearcher said:
Okay thanks.
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You’re welcome 🙂 Hope it helps.

One correction: in the scenario I described, the layman was not an EMHC but was “deputized” to do it anyway on the grounds the circumstances were exceptional. So apparently the document Fr. G cited was not Eucharistiae Sacramentum, since that document doesn’t allow for this under any circumstances, exceptional or not*.* :hmmm: I’ll need to ask him about that because now it’s bugging me.
Godric2 said:
So am I right then that a Eucharistic Minister can expose and replace the Blessed Sacrament but not conduct Benediction.

That seems to be what the instruction says, and it does seem logical.
Click to expand...
It is absolutely logical that a Eucharistic minister can expose and repose the Blessed Sacrament because a Eucharistic minister can only be a priest. Redemptionis Sacramentum, 154-5] 🙂 As such, he can also conduct Benediction.

An extraordinary minister of Holy Communion (EMHC) can expose and repose but not conduct Benediction.
 
Remember that the priest can appoint someone to be an EMHC for one single occasion. Sounds like that is what was done.
 
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