Self-ministered intinction?

[Magnum_V8]

This morning at Mass, my wife was serving as an altar server, and during Communion, from where she was seated, she had a direct view of the EMHC ministering the Precious Blood.

She saw a woman take the Host, proceed to the EMHC with the Precious Blood, and dip the Host into the Blood herself. My wife said she was in awe. I asked her what the EMHC did, and my wife said she just looked kind of shocked, but wasn’t really sure.

As if that weren’t enough, the woman was seated on the side where the priest normally ministers the Host, but intentionally moved over to the EMHC’s line.

Thoughts?

 

[anamchara]

This morning at Mass, my wife was serving as an altar server, and during Communion, from where she was seated, she had a direct view of the EMHC ministering the Precious Blood.

She saw a woman take the Host, proceed to the EMHC with the Precious Blood, and dip the Host into the Blood herself. My wife said she was in awe. I asked her what the EMHC did, and my wife said she just looked kind of shocked, but wasn’t really sure.

As if that weren’t enough, the woman was seated on the side where the priest normally ministers the Host, but intentionally moved over to the EMHC’s line.

Thoughts?

That exact same thing happen to me. I am an EMHC. This man walked up and dipped the host right into the Precious Blood. It happen so fast. It was jarring.

 

[Phemie]

It’s not allowed but I can tell you that for many it’s their parishes’ only way of offering the Precious Blood and they don’t know any better. We’ve tried hard to put a stop to it in our parish, with announcement from the ambo and in the bulletin, but it’s not unusual to have people who are visiting do exactly what your wife witnessed.

 

[Pious_Mat]

A “progressive” nun in my Diocese’s Cathedral used to do this occasionally, but has since retired, and the practice of self-ministered inction has stopped. I think that in a few years with a few more “retirements” this occurence will be less frequent.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I have a friend who used to do self intinction (though I didn’t know it). One day she came to Mass with me and the EMHC simply placed her hand over the chalice when my friend started to move toward putting her host in. After Mass my friend asked me about it and I explained that self intinction wasn’t allowed. She was shocked – no one had ever told her that before. She said she did it because she thought it was faster so the person behind her wouldn’t have to wait for her to take the chalice, drink from it, hand it back, and the EM wipe it.

I have a feeling that like so many things, people do things innocently not knowing that they’re either not allowed or not encouraged. If no one tells them (or stops them when they’re doing it), they’ll never know.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

This morning at Mass, my wife was serving as an altar server, and during Communion, from where she was seated, she had a direct view of the EMHC ministering the Precious Blood.

She saw a woman take the Host, proceed to the EMHC with the Precious Blood, and dip the Host into the Blood herself. My wife said she was in awe. I asked her what the EMHC did, and my wife said she just looked kind of shocked, but wasn’t really sure.

As if that weren’t enough, the woman was seated on the side where the priest normally ministers the Host, but intentionally moved over to the EMHC’s line.

Thoughts?

The EMHC wasn’t paying attention, they must always be ready for someone approaching in this manner.

 

[Uncle_Norbert]

I see a lot of different “events” during distribution of Holy Communion. I often struggle to understand whether the person has a real, legitimate belief/reason for doing what they do, or if they’re just trying to make a statement/point.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I see a lot of different “events” during distribution of Holy Communion. I often struggle to understand whether the person has a real, legitimate belief/reason for doing what they do, or if they’re just trying to make a statement/point.

I think it is a someone suggested that many are visitors. When I was a EMHC I would always hold the chalice in a way that if you bumped into me it would not spill and was always protected, with the purificator always ready to cover it. There would be no way anyone could attempt to intinct their Host without me first offering them the chalice. I would be watching their hands as they reached for it. Primarily so that I knew for certain when they had it.

 

[Yerusalyim]

I think the most unusual thing I’ve seen in this regard is in a military Chapel overseas. We had two Slovakian Soldiers visiting. They particpated as if they knew what was going on…approached for communion…received in the hand, and then without consuming went to the cup bearer, drank from the cup, and then returned to their seats with the consecrated host. After a minute I walked up to them and asked them to either consume the host or hand it to me…they both consumed. I have NO idea what it was all about.

 

[Magnum_V8]

I have a feeling that like so many things, people do things innocently not knowing that they’re either not allowed or not encouraged. If no one tells them (or stops them when they’re doing it), they’ll never know.

Yes, I don’t know whether she understands that its not allowed, and I probably have to give her the benefit of the doubt. This woman does something else that throws me for a loop…during the consecration, she raises her hands --palms up. I can’t imagine that that’s encouraged.

 

[rayne89]

I see a lot of different “events” during distribution of Holy Communion. I often struggle to understand whether the person has a real, legitimate belief/reason for doing what they do, or if they’re just trying to make a statement/point.

I think most people don’t know. Growing up, my sister who was nine years my senior used to do this. She did it because she was somewhat germ phobic. I’m certain she had no idea it was wrong, there were others at our parish that did so as well. I had no idea this was not allowed until around 26 or 27 years old, when I began studying the Catholicism on my own. We have generations of Catholics who were taught little if anything except “be nice to everyone.”

 

[John_Lilburne]

The 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum addressed this abuse specifically:
“[104.] The communicant must not be permitted to intinct the host himself in the chalice, nor to receive the intincted host in the hand.”

So those distributing the Precious Blood should prepare themselves for this situation. What should they say if someone approaches with a consecrated host? Should they cover the chalice with their hand to make it clear to the person that they are not to intinct the host themselves? Who can they call on for assistance?

I usually go to Sunday Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia. Part of the role of the ushers, who take up the collection, is to watch those receiving communion to make sure they do not walk away with the Body of Christ. Yesterday I saw one of them stop someone and tell him to consume the host, which he did.

I doubt this is necessary in most parishes. But there are a lot of tourists who visit the cathedral, which I think is why it is such a frequent problem there.

 

[jpjd]

I once saw a man in my parish who I didn’t recognize self-intinct. A few weeks later, I saw him self-intinct again. (Apparently he is an occasional visitor.)

The next week, when I was EMHC, a woman came to my line. After I handed her the chalice I saw that she had a Host in her hand, and then she self-intincted. I was shocked! I know the woman, so after Mass I approached her and told her that it was not allowed. (She said she didn’t know that; she did only because she had a cold and didn’t want to spread germs.)

At that point, I told my pastor about the 3 occasions of intinction that I saw. He then put a catechetical column in the bulletin explaining that self-intinction is not allowed. We haven’t had an instance of it since, that I know of.

 

[Linda_Marie]

About 15 years ago, our parish received a directive from the Archbishop’s office (previous AB, we now have a new one) for the faithful to receive the Precious Blood by self-intinction. We obeyed and did this for a few years when all of a sudden it was realised that this was an abuse and the directive was reversed. We are to drink from the Cup if we receive the Precious Blood.

Unfortunately, some people didn’t get the memo and we have a few from time to time who intinct.

This Sunday, the woman in front of me not only intincted the Host, but crossed herself with it before consuming it. I was aghast, watching lest any drops fall from it, or indeed if half of it would fall to the floor while she waved it around before she consumed it.

I have previously spoken to our assistant priest about the continued intinction by a few and nothing has been done but now I think I’ll have to speak with our PP about it. He is relatively new to the parish (less than a year)and has been trying to renew reverence both during Mass and to the Eucharist. Maybe he can do something about it.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

Not a problem in our church in Northern VA as the blood of Christ is not offered.

 

[tptram]

Not a problem in our church in Northern VA as the blood of Christ is not offered.

Same with our church

Tak

 

[James_Miller]

With all respect, I am amazed that you find this shocking. The most shocking thing is that anybody but a priest is giving Holy Communion at all. Communion under both forms is acceptable as many of the Eastern rites do it
Of course, I have seen this many times in India at liberal Jesuit and Salesian seminaries. In India nobody ever touches his/her lips to anything anybody else’s lips have touched.

 

[rpp]

All these posts help me to remember why I ceased being an EMHC.

 

[Newbie2]

With all respect, I am amazed that you find this shocking. The most shocking thing is that anybody but a priest is giving Holy Communion at all.

You must come from a small parish, no?

 

[benedictgal]

This is what Francis Cardinal Arinze said, in a Q and A session published in Adoremus, regarding “self-intinction” and “self-communication”, for that matter:

One thing I’ve seen before [is] where they have the ciborium out, and people come up and take our Precious Lord out of there and dip our Lord into the Precious Blood and place it on their own tongue themselves.(this was a question posed to Cardinal Arinze).

(His response) Forbidden. Not correct. Because the nature of the Holy Eucharist is such that the person who is not a priest celebrating the Mass must be given the Body of Christ. You say “amen”. And you receive, on the tongue or in the hand. If you are not the priests celebrating Mass – if you are the deacon assisting – you must be given [Communion]. You may not take.

Even if you are bishop or cardinal, and you are not celebrating that Mass, you must be given. You must not take.

For example, if you watch us in Rome in St. Peter’s basilica or square, when the pope is saying a major Mass, there may be 40 cardinals, 100 bishops. When we are not concelebrating – we are wearing red vestments but we are not concelebrating – we are just assisting at Mass as all of you who are baptized. When it is time for Communion, we receive, exactly as everybody else. A deacon comes to us and says “the Body of Christ”. I say “amen”. He gives to me, and the same for all.

None of us is allowed to take. We must be given. This is the Church law. It is not to lower anybody, it is just the nature of the sacrament. Even when Christ multiplied bread and fish, He told the apostles to distribute it. It was a sign.

So the Church that regulates Eucharistic practice says that the holy Body and Blood of Christ will be given us. We will not take. Only the celebrating priests or the concelebrating communicate themselves. Everybody else must be given it, even if that person is a bishop or a priest.

So, we must receive. We cannot take.