Self-communicating: how to bring up with priest?

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On Sunday, I visited a different parish than normal for Sunday mass. It was in a church that has sort of a circular layout of pews with the altar in the center, so it is possible to be “behind” the priest. During communion, from what I could see it looked like a young boy approached the altar, took a host out of the pyx and consumed it. It seemed like this was normal occurrence for him: he returned to his family, who didn’t react; he passed several EMHCs, who didn’t react; and he didn’t seem unsure or surreptitious. The priest had his back to the altar and the boy approached from the back, so he wouldn’t have seen it.

I’m aware that he may have celiac disease and need to receive a low-gluten host with minimal risk of cross-contamination. However, I am a celiac myself as well as an EMHC, and the diocese teaches us how to distribute the host in ways that minimize cross-contamination, and the “option” for self-communication has never come up. With all the different methods parishes use to care for the gluten-free population (including preparing a separate chalice from which they receive first if they’re too sensitive for even a host from a clean hand), I would be surprised if the boy had a dispensation to self-communicate.

I would like to reach out to the priest to a) see if he’s aware and b) offer some suggestions that would align better with Church teachings on self-communication. I’ve never had to do anything like this before and would appreciate some help composing an email.
 
Since it’s not your parish, I would mind my own business. It’s unlikely the priest doesn’t know the norms and isn’t aware.
 
Unless there is some grave, grave reason (such as the hermits in the ancient Church who did so because they had no other choice), we are not to self-communicate. I do not know if there is any specific discipline against it, but it has never been the Church’s practice.
 
I would assume that the priest and the bishop are aware of this particular person’s needs and are acting accordingly.
 
If you really must bring this up with a priest when it isn’t your parish, I would suggest you go meet with him in person rather than send an e-mail.

If I saw the situation you describe happening in a parish that wasn’t my own and that I don’t regularly attend, I would be inclined to give the priest the benefit of the doubt that he is aware and has had the appropriate discussions with the family and the bishop.
 
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When acting as an EMHC, I have occasionally had to invite the communicant to lift the Host out of the pyx themselves, as I was aware that a previous person had put saliva on my fingers so didn’t want to touch it, but conversely didn’t want to risk tipping the Host out into their hand. in case I missed.
I had already tried (briefly) to use my ‘wrong’ hand to avoid any contamination, as I would normally do in those circumstance when distributing from a large ciborium, but didn’t have the dexterity. needed to do this when trying to get a Host out of a small pyx. I didn’t want to handle it any more than the minimum.
 
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The General Instruction of the Roman Missal has in n. 160:

“It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves.”

[Excerpt from the English translation of the Roman Missal, © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]
 
I was in a parish that a different liturgical abuse was happening, and what had happened was that a former priest had started the practice, and when he left, the new priest assumed it was all right to do. This went on for a couple of pastors before someone found out that is was not the right thing to do at all and that the priest who had started it had done so without permission.

Thus, I think that bringing this to the attention of the priest would be a good thing, as everyone may be assuming it is all right when it actually is not.

And as you know, we are not supposed to self-communicate…
 
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Does the prohibition on self-communicating apply to deacons? Our deacon presides at a Communion Service weekly on the pastor’s day off. In that context he self-communicates. Should he instead refrain from receiving, and only distribute Communion to the faithful?
 
Not your parish, not your problem.

This very thing happened at my parish. A well-meaning, but clueless visitor, made disparaging comments about our priest, the EMHC and questioned the orthodoxy of the Pastor because he saw someone “self-commune” from a seperate pyx.

What busy-body did not know was that said communicant was celiac sufferer who had also just had kidney transplant surgery and needed to be cautious around all sorts of contagions. The pastor, in conjunction with the diocese, came up with our plan, so as to protect this person from harm.

Letter and spirit people, letter & spirit.
 
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I was taught that self communing when leading a Communion service outside of Mass was acceptable for the leader of said service, whether a deacon or a member of the laity.
 
The minister consumes the Body of Christ in a Communion Service in the same way a Priest does in the Mass. In the Order of Mass the English translation of the Roman Missal has:

“133. The Priest, facing the altar, says quietly:

May the Body of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.

And he reverently consumes the Body of Christ.”

In the liturgical book “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass” it has:

“33. If the minister receives communion, he says quietly:

May the body of Christ bring me to everlasting life.

He reverently consumes the body of Christ.”

These are different translations of the same Latin prayer and rubric in the two books:

“Corpus Christi custódiat me in vitam ætérnam.
Et reverenter sumit Corpus Christi.”

The term “receives communion” may be confusing. It does not necessarily mean another person is giving it. For example in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal it has:

“244. Then the principal celebrant, facing the altar says quietly Corpus Christi custodiat me in vitam aeternam (May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life) , and reverently receives the Body of Christ. The concelebrants do likewise, giving themselves Communion.”

[Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. Excerpt from the English translation of Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass © 1974, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]
 
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