Silly, meaningless, inaccurate, overused, dumbed-down, erroneous, or self-contradictory buzzwords and phrases

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If the right formulation is “Extraordinary ministers”, I’ll live with it. But to be frank, I am getting a bit annoyed with the proliferation of “ministers” and “ministries”. Virtually everybody who does anything is a “minister” of some sort.

Gee, do you suppose I am a “pray, pay and obey minister”? Maybe I should get me one of those white, hooded robes to wear to Mass like all the “ministers” do. (Hmmmm. Didn’t the Klan used to go to church in white hooded robes? Maybe I should think my ministery wardrobe out again.)
 
It does seem that very few Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion realize that they are NOT Eucharistic Ministers. With one exception every single one that I have ever discussed the issue with has gotten really angry and defensive when they are informed of the correct term.

And it certainly doesn’t help matters when they go to the priest to be consoled and he tells them that they most certainly are Eucharistic Ministers. 🤷

Of course this is also the same priest who tells people that when Redemptionis Sacramentum says that the use of glass chalices is reprobated that means highly encouraged. :confused:
James
The sacristan told me how she hated to see ‘extraordinary minister of Holy Communion’ because she felt that it made them seem so special. I had to explain what ‘extraordinary’ meant in this case.

Then I had a priest stand in my office and argue with me that EMHCs are now the ordinary ministers of Communion. Say what??? This same priest stood up enraged at a liturgy committee meeting when I said that having 2 priests sit down and watch 3 EMHCs distribute communion flew in the face of at least 3 Vatican documents. “We’ve never paid attention to those documents and we’re not about to start now!”
 
Here in the Florida Panhandle it seems that everything we do is really just warmed over protestantism. For instance people insist on calling a church building a “sanctuary.” And this silly blunder has caused people to start using the ridiculous term “on the altar” when they want to refer to the real sanctuary. So, you will hear things like “When standing on the altar…” The mental image one gets when hearing that is really disturbing.

Patrick
 
If the right formulation is “Extraordinary ministers”, I’ll live with it. But to be frank, I am getting a bit annoyed with the proliferation of “ministers” and “ministries”. Virtually everybody who does anything is a “minister” of some sort.
I have seen “Eucharistic Minister” (of course),
choirs aren’t choirs anymore. They are “Music Ministers”,
I have seen Lectors renamed “Minister of the Word”,
and the best one of all - Ushers aren’t ushers. They are “Hospitality Ministers”.

It is to the point where people seem to think that if you don’t have a “job” at Mass then you are not “actively participating”. Before long we will all be known as “Pew Warming Ministers”.

James
 
If the right formulation is “Extraordinary ministers”, I’ll live with it. But to be frank, I am getting a bit annoyed with the proliferation of “ministers” and “ministries”. Virtually everybody who does anything is a “minister” of some sort.

Gee, do you suppose I am a “pray, pay and obey minister”? Maybe I should get me one of those white, hooded robes to wear to Mass like all the “ministers” do. (Hmmmm. Didn’t the Klan used to go to church in white hooded robes? Maybe I should think my ministery wardrobe out again.)
The proper term is indeed “Extraordinary minister of Holy Communion” (the ‘ordinary’ minister being the priest). To be fair, the document that allowed the laity to distribute Communion did refer to them as eucharistic ministers. That got changed in later documents.

As for the white ‘robe’, I believe you are referring to the alb which all baptized persons are entitled to wear and which is most proper for anyone who has a ministry in the sanctuary. I must admit I haven’t been in any parish where the readers and EMHCs are vested. We don’t vest them in our parish, nor do we vest adult altar servers.
 
Haven’t seen this yet: the term “pastor” being used to describe the PRIEST! A priest is a PRIEST; “pastor”, to me, just sounds too protestant or ecumenical. Heck, there are even “pastors” in Scientology and other cults, for goodness’ sake. We Catholics have PRIESTS. 👍
 
Haven’t seen this yet: the term “pastor” being used to describe the PRIEST! A priest is a PRIEST; “pastor”, to me, just sounds too protestant or ecumenical. Heck, there are even “pastors” in Scientology and other cults, for goodness’ sake. We Catholics have PRIESTS. 👍
But some priests are pastors, which is a canonical title, and some aren’t. Our parish priest is our pastor, the person the bishop appointed to have care of our parish. The other priest who happens to live in our rectory is not a pastor.
 
The proper term is indeed “Extraordinary minister of Holy Communion” (the ‘ordinary’ minister being the priest). To be fair, the document that allowed the laity to distribute Communion did refer to them as eucharistic ministers. That got changed in later documents.

As for the white ‘robe’, I believe you are referring to the alb which all baptized persons are entitled to wear and which is most proper for anyone who has a ministry in the sanctuary. I must admit I haven’t been in any parish where the readers and EMHCs are vested. We don’t vest them in our parish, nor do we vest adult altar servers.
Actually, I believe that a priest (as well as a bishop) is the (only) Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist. A Deacon would be an ordinary minister of Holy Communion. All non-ordained would be Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
 
The sacristan told me how she hated to see ‘extraordinary minister of Holy Communion’ because she felt that it made them seem so special. I had to explain what ‘extraordinary’ meant in this case.

Then I had a priest stand in my office and argue with me that EMHCs are now the ordinary ministers of Communion. Say what??? This same priest stood up enraged at a liturgy committee meeting when I said that having 2 priests sit down and watch 3 EMHCs distribute communion flew in the face of at least 3 Vatican documents. "We’ve never paid attention to those documents and we’re not about to start now!"
That’s slightly worrisome.
 
Actually, I believe that a priest (as well as a bishop) is the (only) Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist. A Deacon would be an ordinary minister of Holy Communion. All non-ordained would be Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
While they are ministers of the Eucharist, bishops and priests, by virtue of their ordination are also, according to Redemptionis Sacramentum #154, the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion.
 
I’m a little surprised that nobody has mentioned what is perhaps the most silly, meaningless, inaccurate, overused, dumbed-down, erroneous, or self-contradictory buzzword and phrase…drumroll please…

“The spirit of Vatican II”
 
Slightly?? I’d say that, considering this was a man ordained in the 50s, who taught in a seminary, it was greatly worrisome. He’d been my pastor’s professor – explains a lot.
I meant slightly in an ironic sense…
 
I’m a little surprised that nobody has mentioned what is perhaps the most silly, meaningless, inaccurate, overused, dumbed-down, erroneous, or self-contradictory buzzword and phrase…drumroll please…

“The spirit of Vatican II”
That is the winner and still champion! :eek:

Unfortunately, it’s a bug that is still infecting us after almost 40 years. It’s like Typhoid Mary.

The sad thing is that people subscribe to the Spirit of Vatican II without ever reading what the documemts of that Council actually said. Let’s hope that when Pope Benedict comes to our shores, he will bring a huge hypedermic needle with the necessary antidote to combat this! 👍 👍
 
Here are a few buzzwords that just drive me nuts…McBrien, Curran, Kung, Rohlheiser, schillebeecx

I do LOVE the term Protestant ecclesial community…
 
As for the white ‘robe’, I believe you are referring to the alb which all baptized persons are entitled to wear and which is most proper for anyone who has a ministry in the sanctuary.
“…anyone who has a ministry in the sanctuary.” There it is.:rolleyes:
 
“…anyone who has a ministry in the sanctuary.” There it is.:rolleyes:
I’m not sure what you’re getting at here. The GIRM refers to them as ministers and to ministries as does Redemptionis Sacramentum. If it’s good enough for the documents, it’s good enough for me.
 
I’m not sure what you’re getting at here. The GIRM refers to them as ministers and to ministries as does Redemptionis Sacramentum. If it’s good enough for the documents, it’s good enough for me.
Very well, then. I’ll have to live with it and with all the ministers in the white robes with the hoods that crowd the sanctuary to perform roles that don’t need performing, and all the ministries that everybody has, then, won’t I?

But it doesn’t mean I have to think of it as anything but silly, distracting and vain. And I don’t.

Never fear my seditious remarks, however. Besides the ministry of “pray, pay and obey”, I have a secondary ministry, which is “keeping my mouth shut”, everywhere but in this forum or to friends who don’t like it any more than I do. I am well aware that the “spirit of Vatican II” activists do not well tolerate such sentiments as I have expressed here. I thank God for CAF. I really do. Most of the folks here are quite tolerant of retrograde people like me.
 
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