Something weird happened before mass today

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Sir_Knight

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Before Mass today (actually, yesterday, since it’s after midnight as I post this), one of our deacons, dressed in a shirt & tie, went up to the Tabernacle, opened it, reached in, took out a host and consumed it. Then closed the Tabernacle and left the altar area. Later on he was present to help with the distribution of communion and did receive from the priest.

Comments? Opinions? Should something be said to somebody? Should I ask him about it or mind my own business?
 
Comments? Opinions? Should something be said to somebody? Should I ask him about it or mind my own business?

I would mind my own business.

The outside possibility crossed my mind that he was asked to see if the Reserved Sacrament was still fresh, but I don’t know if this is checked out in this manner.

As my dad used to say, you stir up stuff, you just get it on you.
 
IMHO first you should ask yourself if you really are certain that what you describe you saw actually happened. If so, you should bring it up with him, as casually as you can manage, such as by saying something open-ended like “I happened to be looking at the Tabernacle before Mass…and ah…”

Maybe there is a perfectly good explanation, though I can’t think of one, other than maybe he realised somehow that somebody had put an unconsecrated host in the Tabernacle. Even then it would be better for the priest to consume it, just in case it was actually consecrated and to avoid scandalising onlookers. A deacon is never permitted to self-administer Communion.
 
Petergee said:
IMHO first you should ask yourself if you really are certain that what you describe you saw actually happened.
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Our Tabernacle is to the side of the main altar and directly in front of it are the pews reserved for the EMHCs. Being a reserved EMHC, I sat directly behind THOSE pews. Thus, I was only about 25-30 feet away … close enough to see the whites of his eyes.

And what I observed was him reach into the Tabernacle, pull out a white object, place it in his mouth and chew it. It IS possible that the white object was not a host but I’m finding it difficult to come up with what else it might have been if it was white, eat’able, and in the Tabernacle.
 
Sir_Knight said:
Our Tabernacle is to the side of the main altar and directly in front of it are the pews reserved for the EMHCs. Being a reserved EMHC, I sat directly behind THOSE pews. Thus, I was only about 25-30 feet away … close enough to see the whites of his eyes.

And what I observed was him reach into the Tabernacle, pull out a white object, place it in his mouth and chew it. It IS possible that the white object was not a host but I’m finding it difficult to come up with what else it might have been if it was white, eat’able, and in the Tabernacle.
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People often find it hard to believe some of the stuff that happens in parishes. We had a lay man staying in our rectory who used to go get communion for himself from the tabernacle before flying anywhere.
 
Sir_Knight said:
Our Tabernacle is to the side of the main altar and directly in front of it are the pews reserved for the EMHCs. Being a reserved EMHC, I sat directly behind THOSE pews. Thus, I was only about 25-30 feet away … close enough to see the whites of his eyes.

And what I observed was him reach into the Tabernacle, pull out a white object, place it in his mouth and chew it. It IS possible that the white object was not a host but I’m finding it difficult to come up with what else it might have been if it was white, eat’able, and in the Tabernacle.
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Why not ask the man himself? You might learn something, and you could share it here.
 
That’s what I asked here. Should I ask him about it? Some said yes while others believe that I should mind my own business.
 
Sir_Knight said:
That’s what I asked here. Should I ask him about it? Some said yes while others believe that I should mind my own business.
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Since it bothers you enough to bring it to a public forum, why not give the man the benefit of being able to speak for himself? Wouldn’t that be the right thing to do?
 
Sir_Knight said:
That’s what I asked here. Should I ask him about it? Some said yes while others believe that I should mind my own business.
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I’d mention it: “You know, the other day I noticed that you went to the Tabernacle before Mass and it looked like you took communion. I didn’t know that Deacons could do that.” Then hear what he has to say – act on what you hear if necessary.
 
Is it possible that he was checking the number of hosts and noticed a broken fragment. One might then consume it lest it become further broken and dispersed.
 
There is a ceremony that goes with receiving Communion outside of Mass. It is in the liturgical book “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass”. Clearly it was not followed in this case.

Perhaps it would be better to tell the parish priest, rather than discussing it with the deacon. Perhaps both.

According to canon 938 §5 of the Code of Canon Law, “The person in charge of a church or oratory is to see to it that the key of the tabernacle in which the blessed Eucharist is reserved, is in maximum safe keeping.” (The Code of Canon Law: New revised English Translation, HarperCollins Liturgical, 1997, ISBN 000599375X.)

So the parish priest has some responsibility for what has happened and ought to be informed of it.
 
Okay, so I have one to keep my mouth shut, one to tell the priest and two to talk to the deacon. Any others?
 
Sir_Knight said:
Okay, so I have one to keep my mouth shut, one to tell the priest and two to talk to the deacon. Any others?
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There is no need to talk to the priest at this point. Talk to the deacon and see what the reason was. If the reason doesn’t sound right, continue to discuss with him and see how he responds to that. Depending on the end of the discussion, then you can approach the priest.

If you decide to talk to the priest first, you might end up knowing nothing why the deacon did the way he did. Then, if this happens again, it would probably bother you even more than this time. 😃
 
Joe_Kelley said:
Is it possible that he was checking the number of hosts and noticed a broken fragment. One might then consume it lest it become further broken and dispersed.
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One might, but if one was not a priest, one would be committing a grave abuse of the sacrament. Even a broken fragment is the full Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. This is a possible explanation, but not a possible excuse.
 
A deacon may not self-communicate. Even a priest who is not celebrating or con-celebrating the Mass cannot self-communicate.

So, whatever was going on, this deacon was wrong.

If you are uncomfortable with approaching the deacon directly, then I would definitely bring it to the notice of your priest.
 
People really jump to conclusions here…

There COULD be a valid explanation. We don’t know if the OP mass was the first mass of Christmas. There could have been one immediately beforehand, in which this deacon assissted at and was ministered communion to. Any time after that in the consuming left over precious blood, including after Mass in purifying, and also perhaps it was a host that dropped on the floor at the previous mass, or broken. The Deacon could have just been continuing his job from the previous Mass.

Let’s not be so hasty to yell “abuse” at every corner.
 
Certainly we shouldn’t jump to conclusions; however, you have a question that only that Deacon can answer.
 
agapewolf said:
There COULD be a valid explanation. We don’t know if the OP mass was the first mass of Christmas. There could have been one immediately beforehand, in which this deacon assissted at and was ministered communion to. Any time after that in the consuming left over precious blood, including after Mass in purifying, and also perhaps it was a host that dropped on the floor at the previous mass, or broken. The Deacon could have just been continuing his job from the previous Mass.
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There was a previous mass that ended 15 minutes prior – so that might have had something to do with it.
 
If you’re still taking “votes”, I’d talk to the deacon. I’d like to assume he knows what he’s doing, but I think you should just ask him…not threateningly, but like you didn’t understand and you want to understand.
 
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