Should a priest distribute communion when he is obviously ill?

[DaveBj]

Our pastor has been known to cough/sneeze into his hand during Mass, and then distributing Holy Communion with the hand that he sneezed/coughed into. Today he was really sick, to the point that he almost collapsed behind the altar, had to interrupt the eucharistic prayer and go sit down, and then go off into the sacristy for a few minutes. He came back (blowing his nose into a handkerchief and still coughing into his hand) and eventually distributed Holy Communion, as usual.

I received Communion as usual, but I’m thinking maybe I ought to skip it when Father is sick. I’ve been sick a lot myself this winter (two colds, with followup bronchitis), and I’m wondering if maybe we’re perhaps just trading the same cold back and forth.

Thoughts, anyone?

DaveBj

 

[Oneofthewomen]

I find it funny that you bring this up,
as this very thing happened in a parish I frequent.

A priest that I know was recently ill with a sinus infection.
He said Mass, but when it came time for communion, he did not distribute.
The next day, his office and the office of the Bishop was inundated with calls about the “abuse” of EMsHC at this particular parish.

Many of the callers said that they felt that Father had no right to do what he did, and that the Body & Blood of Jesus would have prevented anyone from getting sick, to which Father replied, “It didn’t help me!”

Sometimes, I really feel sorry for our priests, no matter what they do, some people never think it’s right.

As someone who is an EMHC, if I am ill- sniffeling, sneezing, coughing, I will find someone to cover for me. However, if Father could not find another priest to cover for him, what would be the alternative? Cancel Mass? I can only imagine the rucus that would cause!

 

[DaveBj]

I find it funny that you bring this up,
as this very thing happened in a parish I frequent.

A priest that I know was recently ill with a sinus infection.
He said Mass, but when it came time for communion, he did not distribute.
The next day, his office and the office of the Bishop was inundated with calls about the “abuse” of EMsHC at this particular parish.

Many of the callers said that they felt that Father had no right to do what he did, and that the Body & Blood of Jesus would have prevented anyone from getting sick, to which Father replied, “It didn’t help me!”

Funny. It occurs to me that pretending that the Eucharist is a magic germ-killer might fall into the territory of tempting God.

Sometimes, I really feel sorry for our priests, no matter what they do, some people never think it’s right.

Yeah. Everybody wants to be a critic.

As someone who is an EMHC, if I am ill- sniffeling, sneezing, coughing, I will find someone to cover for me. However, if Father could not find another priest to cover for him, what would be the alternative? Cancel Mass? I can only imagine the rucus that would cause!

Our previous pastor did not distribute Holy Communion for the weekday Masses. He had very bad knees, and there was a possibility that he could fall going down the steps. Communion was distributed by the deacon and two EMsHC, or three EMsHC if the deacon wasn’t there. (On those days, I would be Altar Geezer and serve, so as to reduce the amount of walking around that Father had to do, but I have posted about that in other threads a couple of years ago.) Anyhow, it is possible to have a Mass where the priest does not distribute Holy Communion.

DaveBj

 

[Hboggs]

A while back our Priest was obviously sick. When it came time to distribute, he did not. I don’t know of anybody who complained. A little common sense goes a long way.

 

[odile53]

My parish church has a couple of bottles of antiseptic hand cleaner in dispensers bolted to the wall next to the doorway to the sacristy and on the other side of the sanctuary. There are also bottles of antiseptic hand cleaner on little tables next to all the holy water fonts at the entrances to the church, along with small discreet signs worded “if you have a cold or the flu, please avoid contact during the Sign of Peace.” I remember hearing about a flu control initiative that the diocese enacted last year during the swine flu panic. About that time the hand sanitizers went up.

If a priest has a bad cold, I think it a sign of charity for him to not distribute communion!

 

[DaveBj]

My parish church has a couple of bottles of antiseptic hand cleaner in dispensers bolted to the wall next to the doorway to the sacristy and on the other side of the sanctuary. There are also bottles of antiseptic hand cleaner on little tables next to all the holy water fonts at the entrances to the church, along with small discreet signs worded “if you have a cold or the flu, please avoid contact during the Sign of Peace.” I remember hearing about a flu control initiative that the diocese enacted last year during the swine flu panic. About that time the hand sanitizers went up.

If a priest has a bad cold, I think it a sign of charity for him to not distribute communion!

When I was back home for my 45th HS reunion in the summer of '09 (months after the start of the swine flu scare), the church where I went to Mass had hand sanitizer on a side table in the sanctuary, and it was almost funny how the priest, the deacons, and the EMsHC almost made cleansing their hands a part of the ritual.

I agree with your last comment, but then you probably could have predicted that.

DaveBj

 

[Love_Divine]

the church where I went to Mass had hand sanitizer on a side table in the sanctuary, and it was almost funny how the priest, the deacons, and the EMsHC almost made cleansing their hands a part of the ritual.

The NO Church I attend still has the hand sanitizing ritual.

It’s funny you bring up the sick priest not distributing communion. We had an older priest fill in for our regular priest on Ash Wednesday, and he was sick with a really nasty cold. I could hear the phlegm being coughed into his hand, and then there was the snotty Kleenex and nose blowing. As someone who receives communion on the tongue, I didn’t want that hand near my mouth. I was so thankful when he opted to sit out communion. Although, I still don’t know why the deacon sat it out.

 

[kristilynne]

A few weeks ago I noticed our priest did not drink from the Chalice, but dipped the Host instead. I assume he’d been sick, though I didn’t observe him coughing or sneezing. I figured his hands could be clean for distributing communion, but perhaps he didn’t partake from the Chalice because he’d been sick.

 

[ConstantineTG]

A few weeks ago I noticed our priest did not drink from the Chalice, but dipped the Host instead. I assume he’d been sick, though I didn’t observe him coughing or sneezing. I figured his hands could be clean for distributing communion, but perhaps he didn’t partake from the Chalice because he’d been sick.

I wonder why not since he didn’t have to share the chalice to anyone. He could have had a second chalice for concelebrants or for the laity.

 

[Faith1960]

Our pastor has been known to cough/sneeze into his hand during Mass, and then distributing Holy Communion with the hand that he sneezed/coughed into. Today he was really sick, to the point that he almost collapsed behind the altar, had to interrupt the eucharistic prayer and go sit down, and then go off into the sacristy for a few minutes. He came back (blowing his nose into a handkerchief and still coughing into his hand) and eventually distributed Holy Communion, as usual.

I received Communion as usual, but I’m thinking maybe I ought to skip it when Father is sick. I’ve been sick a lot myself this winter (two colds, with followup bronchitis), and I’m wondering if maybe we’re perhaps just trading the same cold back and forth.

Thoughts, anyone?

DaveBj

Ewwww. No, I wouldn’t want to receive when Father is sick with something contagious.

 

[Faith1960]

I find it funny that you bring this up,
as this very thing happened in a parish I frequent.

A priest that I know was recently ill with a sinus infection.
He said Mass, but when it came time for communion, he did not distribute.
The next day, his office and the office of the Bishop was inundated with calls about the “abuse” of EMsHC at this particular parish.

Many of the callers said that they felt that Father had no right to do what he did, and that the Body & Blood of Jesus would have prevented anyone from getting sick, to which Father replied, “It didn’t help me!”

 

[Phemie]

I noticed that on the altar at my daughter’s parish there is a bottle of hand sanitizer which the celebrant uses immediately after the lavabo. The EMHCs rinse their hands in a bowl near the Tabernacle and then use sanitizer before coming to the altar to receive.

 

[marleelynn]

At my parish and a neighboring parish the preists and EMHC’s use sanitizer before and after holy communion. I carry a small bottle of sanitizer with me and use it after the sign of peace.

 

[Faith1960]

At my parish and a neighboring parish the preists and EMHC’s use sanitizer before and after holy communion. I carry a small bottle of sanitizer with me and use it after the sign of peace.

I often do that, too!

 

[DaveBj]

I felt really stinky this morning; I think I have a 3rd cold coming on, on top of the bronchitis that resulted from the 2nd cold. So, to avoid passing on whatever it is that I have, I received in the hand for the first time in my 6-year Catholic life. I also bypassed the Cup.

Father, on the other hand, looked to be in the best of health. Hopefully, he won’t catch what I have.

DaveBj

 

[Alex2008]

In my first year as a priest, I came down with Strep Throat, and being the only priest at the parish (the Pastor was on vacation), my Doctor (who was a parishoner), stringently warned me against giving out communion or shaking hands at the sign of peace. So when it came time for distributing communion, I explaned to the congregation that I was not giving out communion to avoid “sharing” the strep throat.

After one Mass, a woman came into the sacristy and proceeded to rake me over the coals for not giving out communion…the idea that God will magically protect us from germs is very much alive in the minds of many people.

That same idea came through one time when I answered the rectory phone one evening. The caller asked for the Pastor and I told him that it was Fr. Y’s day off and that he was not in. The caller then roiled in some sort of confusion and then asked why priests need a day off? I responded by saying: “well when do we go to the Doctor/Dentist/Barber, etc. etc?” His response was that God gave us grace when we were ordained and that grace would keep us from getting ill, teeth rotting, hair growing, etc. etc. His other point was that if we got sick, we were not cooperating with God’s grace and did not believe. That magical protection idea is alive and well out there!

 

[larsenl1]

In my first year as a priest, I came down with Strep Throat, and being the only priest at the parish (the Pastor was on vacation), my Doctor (who was a parishoner), stringently warned me against giving out communion or shaking hands at the sign of peace. So when it came time for distributing communion, I explaned to the congregation that I was not giving out communion to avoid “sharing” the strep throat.

After one Mass, a woman came into the sacristy and proceeded to rake me over the coals for not giving out communion…the idea that God will magically protect us from germs is very much alive in the minds of many people.

That same idea came through one time when I answered the rectory phone one evening. The caller asked for the Pastor and I told him that it was Fr. Y’s day off and that he was not in. The caller then roiled in some sort of confusion and then asked why priests need a day off? I responded by saying: “well when do we go to the Doctor/Dentist/Barber, etc. etc?” His response was that God gave us grace when we were ordained and that grace would keep us from getting ill, teeth rotting, hair growing, etc. etc. His other point was that if we got sick, we were not cooperating with God’s grace and did not believe. That magical protection idea is alive and well out there!

Dear God in heaven, help us all!

While I don’t believe that Ordination is a magical remedy for all things human, I do want to comment on the idea of the chalice spreading germs.

The priest is always the last person to drink from the cup, after an entire congregation. If the chalice passed illness, and statistically at least one person in the parish will always have something, bronchitis, strep throat, a cold, etc. So the priest would constantly be severly ill if the cup truly was responsible.

This is not to say that priests or deacons will never get sick, but I don’t believe it is the fault of distributing communion.

 

[Phemie]

Don’t be offended. I use it to distinguish between the two churches I attend. One’s a NO, and ones an EF.

To avoid giving offense, I suggest you use OF and EF, the terms used by Benedict XVI to describe the two forms we now use.

 

[DaveBj]

Love Divine et al, start your own thread. We’re talking about whether priests should distribute communion while ill, not the specificities of EF/NO/OF/TLM terminology.

DaveBj

 

[Love_Divine]

Love Divine et al, start your own thread. We’re talking about whether priests should distribute communion while ill, not the specificities of EF/NO/OF/TLM terminology.

DaveBj

Someone got offended by my use of the term. I was clarifying what I meant so the poster wouldn’t be offended.