The gift bearers: does your priest bless them? Chat with them? Shake their hands? Nothing?

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At the offertory, what does your priest do once the gift bearers have handed over the bread and wine? Does your priest bless them? Chat with them? Shake their hands? Nothing?
 
My priest after handing the gifts to the deacon and if needed to the altar server…

He just lifts his hands over the people a blessing hand gesture and says something (mic. turned off so inaudible) and then sign of the cross over them…

SIMPLY PUT HE JUST BLESSES THEM
 
As the person is handing the gift to him, he gives a slight nod of the head. When the group is done handing over the gifts, they in unison give a head bow to the altar.
 
In my Church the priest acknowledges their bringing the gifts of a chalice filled with unconsecrated host and a large cruet filled wine. But there is no special blessing to those bringing up the gifts of bread and wine on behalf of the whole congregation.
 
In my parish, our pastor is a real ham. He proceeds to chat, laugh, high-five the gift bearers. It is embarassing. The lack of reverence in our church is incredible and this is just a hint at the real issues we have.

I am glad to see others have a more reverent reception of the gifts.

Please pray for our priests.
 
jpjd said:
As the person is handing the gift to him, he gives a slight nod of the head. When the group is done handing over the gifts, they in unison give a head bow to the altar.
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Same here. We may get a whispered thank you along with our name, especially at weeknight Masses. (Yes, it’s done at daily Masses at my parish.)

We also give a more profound bow, in unison, as opposed to the head bow.
 
The priest usually shakes their hands when they pass him the gifts. Sometimes the priest will give them a quick blessing, sometimes not. They then bow to the altar and return back up the aisle.
 
Our former pastor would take them and quickly turn around to the altar than the gift bearers would bow to the altar and return to their seats.

Our present priest and server bows to them.

I prefer the first method. I think it looks silly for them to bow to each other but bowing to the altar was more dignified.
 
At my church, the “gifts” are already on the altar.

Because “gift bearer” is a stupid made-up position that is really unnecessary.

Of course, I attend an Extraordinary Form church. (But the Ordinary Form can be said with the bread and wine already on the altar and credence table). This removes the possibility for the kinds of irreverence discussed earlier in this thread! 😃
 
At our parish there are no gift bearers. The wine and hosts are already on the altar. I attend the OF, although we also have the EF on Sundays.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette
 
Usually they do receive a blessing. No chatting, hand shaking, etc though. The gift bearers bow to the altar after giving the wine and unconsecrated hosts and then return to their seats. It’s a pretty low key moment. Also the people seem to be chosen randomly–there is no gift bearer volunteer list or schedule. Also, each priest has his own process–one has both hosts and wine brought up, another just hosts. So I assume he could also decide not to do it at all–even in the OF.
 
I once saw a gift bearer allowed to place the gifts on the Altar, and then the priest escorted her back to her pew during a thunderous applause. :rolleyes:

I don’t think that’s in the rubrics.
 
Gift bearers are chosen randomly at our parish. It had been years since we have been asked because we have a large parish, but our family just happened to be chosen last Sunday AND last evening to be gift bearers. Last Sunday the priest chatted briefly with our 3 children, “How is summer going?” kind of thing. Last evening, the priest (a different one than last week) simply said “Thank you.” I was surprised at both instances. In my past whenever I brought up the gifts, the priest gave a blessing.
 
Sancto_Spiritu said:
At my church, the “gifts” are already on the altar.

Because “gift bearer” is a stupid made-up position that is really unnecessary.

Of course, I attend an Extraordinary Form church. (But the Ordinary Form can be said with the bread and wine already on the altar and credence table). This removes the possibility for the kinds of irreverence discussed earlier in this thread! 😃
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The gift bearers represent all the humans who have worked in some way to produce the bread and the wine on this earth. God miraculously turns the work of human hands into the Body and Blood of His Son.

In our parish, the priest extends his hands over those who bring the gifts and blesses them. It is very quick and reverent.

I am rather taken aback that you refer to the position (giftbearer) that the Holy Mother Church created and approves of for the OF Mass as “stupid.” That doesn’t strike me as very reverent. It just goes to prove that it is not the OF itself that is irreverent, it is the people who attend it who are irreverent in their hearts. Perhaps one way to begin seeing reverence in the OF Mass is to stop referring to it as “stupid.”
 
Cat said:
In our parish, the priest extends his hands over those who bring the gifts and blesses them. It is very quick and reverent.
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Same here. Except, in our small church, we usually have two children bring up the gifts when possible. In that case, the priest takes a little extra care in blessing them but nothing showy or excessive.

I think it really helps the youngsters to experience the reverence of Mass. They are usually instructed to genuflect after being blessed.
 
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