Struggling with lay ministers and the Eucharist

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My friend is an EMHC at the last parish I attended before I moved. She hugged people when they came up for communion or touched them and gave blessings to the children. Then we got a new priest who mandated all EMHC’ s come in for “refresher”
training and I guess they were told no hugging or touching the people coming up to receive the Eucharist and she got mad and said she didn’t want to do be an EMHC anymore.
 
Nigel7 said:
always on the tongue while kneeling
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The problem with this lies with the ordinary form, where:
1: kneeling takes longer because the person behind you will be waiting in line; and
2: You have to say “Amen” and then receive.
It’s almost as if the Novus Ordo has been designed to make people stop kneeling and receiving on the tongue. #conspiracytheory
 
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To me, she was making it more about herself than for the person approaching to receive Jesus.
 
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7_Sorrows said:
My friend is an EMHC at the last parish I attended before I moved. She hugged people when they came up for communion or touched them and gave blessings to the children. Then we got a new priest who mandated all EMHC’ s come in for “refresher”
training and I guess they were told no hugging or touching the people coming up to receive the Eucharist and she got mad and said she didn’t want to do be an EMHC anymore.
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OK, that was definitely a problem with your friend, not with the concept of EMHCs. I can’t even imagine trying to hug people while distributing Holy Communion. :roll_eyes:
 
Our parish reinstalled its altar rail a couple of years ago and most parishioners now kneel to receive, with the priest moving from side to side. One of our priests has commented to me that it actually takes him longer to distribute Holy Communion that way than it did when he remained stationary and people came up one at a time.
 
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I had bronchitis and terrible allergies this weekend. I ended up in the narthex because I was coughing so much… A wonderful EMHC brought me Communion there. I was so grateful.
 
Nigel7 said:
For something that is supposedly “extraordinary”, they sure are common.
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It seems, in general, that people don’t see that the use of “Extraordinary” for both Minsters of Holy Communion and the “Extraordinary” Mass form, are the same.

In general, they seem to want the EF to be the norm, but don’t want EMHC to be the norm.

I do agree that EMHC are overused in some parishes. But I leave that decision to the pastor of the church. They know their congregation and they know what help they need.
 
maryjk said:
people don’t see that the use of “Extraordinary” for both Minsters of Holy Communion and the “Extraordinary” Mass form, are the same.
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All priests have the right to celebrate the the traditional Latin Mass (called an extraordinary form of the Holy Mass by Benedict XVI) if they know how. Groups of laymen have the right to request it. Certain priests only celebrate that way.
I fail to see how that bears ANY similarity to how the term is used for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, where laymen may distribute communion under extraordinary circumstances.
 
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Nigel7 said:
I’m not dissing the EMC’s personally, but I always try to receive from a priest or deacon, and always on the tongue while kneeling (ohhh I bet that last part ruffles a few feathers here). 🙂
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Same here, though in my circumstances kneeling isn’t a possibility (bad knees, no communion rail to brace myself on, coupled with interruption of the communion line flow).

Be at peace. Neither you nor I were put on this earth to refrain from ruffling other people’s feathers 🐦
 
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She is in her 80’s and I did not want to tell
her I thought it was inappropriate as an
EMHC to be doing this so secretly I was relieved when we got a new priest and
they received “refresher” training and he evidently set the guidelines on proper behavior.
 
TheLittleLady said:
Reverence is about your disposition more than your preference for the minister.
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That is true for the priest but not always for the EM.
The priest’s hands are consecrated for the purpose of ministering the host. He is standing in persona Christi to be the minister of Eucharist. The EM is extraordinary and supplementary only and not to be the norm.

It is not about a preference or choosing who gives me the host. It is about respecting and reverencing the Body and Blood of Christ.
 
That is not your decision to make.
It is the decision of the Pastor, under the guidelines set forth by the Bishop.
 
David_Catholic said:
The Priest’s hands are consecrated. This is for the purpose of touching the Eucharist, which is why lay people shouldn’t touch it without a grave reason.
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I thought the consecration of his hands was related to the confection of the Eucharist, not just its touching. And by citing a “grave reason” you are imposing a requirement beyond Church teaching.
 
Mi_Rose said:
I had bronchitis and terrible allergies this weekend. I ended up in the narthex because I was coughing so much… A wonderful EMHC brought me Communion there. I was so grateful.
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Is acute bronchitis contagious?​

Answer From James M. Steckelberg, M.D.

Yes. Most of the time, acute bronchitis is caused by a virus. Influenza (flu) viruses are a common cause, but many other viruses can cause acute bronchitis.

Flu viruses spread mainly from person to person by droplets produced when an ill person coughs, sneezes or talks. Flu viruses also may spread when people touch something with the virus on it and then touch their mouth, eyes or nose. Many other respiratory viruses are spread in these ways too.

To reduce your risk of catching viruses that can cause bronchitis:
  • Avoid close contact with people who have the flu or another respiratory illness
  • Wash your hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
  • Get an annual flu shot
People who have chronic bronchitis or asthma sometimes develop acute bronchitis. In these cases, the acute bronchitis is most likely a complication of the existing condition. This type of bronchitis is not caused by an infectious virus, so it’s less likely to be contagious.
 
CilladeRoma said:
I want to like the 1000 times! You are so, so right
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Not quite right. The OF and the EF are both the sacrifice of the Mass. A priest and an EM are not both priests nor are both ordained or have consecrated hands.
The EF has always been the Mass and only named extraordinary recently but EM have not been the norm always and have always been extraordinary.
 
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