the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass

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I get a little annoyed when helpers at Mass assume they don’t have to pay attention, and wander around doing questionable ‘administrative’ things. Ushers especially come to mind.
 
Sir_Knight said:
Longer masses would mean that we would have LESS masses because our Bishop does not allow any Sunday masses beginning after 12 Noon. With 3000+ families in the parish, all except the 7am mass is packed to church capacity.

With longer masses, we would either be turning people away at the door or discouraging people from attending because they would not have a seat – neither of which I think is a good thing.
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As far as I know it is perfectly acceptable to start Mass after 12 noon, If the Bishop chooses not to avail himself of that option that is his decision and he must bear ultimate responsibility for it.

It in no way could be used as any sort of justification for the use of Extraordinary Ministers.
Why yes we have to have them because the Bishop won’t let us start Mass after 12.

But lets see, 3,000 families at 4 apiece sound good? OK:)

12,000. Normal Mass attendance runs at about 25-30% of those registered except in very rare instances. Yes, I’ve contacted numerous Parishes nationwide on this issue. It is verifiable and not something I’m making up. If you don’t believe me, call up a couple nationwide and verify for yourself.

So lets use the higher figure 30% or 4,000 for Mass. I assume you have a vigil Mass on Saturday . I’ll also assume that you have Masses at 7, 8:30. 10 and 11:30. That would make a total of five Masses for the 4,000 that will be attending or about 800 per Mass. Of those, I will also assume at least 1/4 are not receiving, . babies, small children, non Catholic family members and maybe the few dinosaurs that still cling to the outmoded and non progressive belief that reception while in a state of mortal sin is a no no:tsktsk:

That leaves 600 per Mass, which sounds about right for most Parishes. I will assume you have a Deacon since you didn’t say that you didn’t and I will further assume that a parish the size of yours has two priests, otherwise the lone Priest celebrating all the Masses is going to be stretched to the breaking point.

Now that gives two and sometimes three to distribute Holy Communion. Lets say two for the sake of argument, I always try to give the supporters of Extraordinary Ministers the benefit of the doubt in these things so that works out to 300 apiece. Now to distribute Communion takes, oh lets be liberal here and give it 3 seconds per communicant. I know, its really closer to a second and a half, but again benefit of the doubt.👍

Thats a total of 40 per minute or about what, 7-8 minutes or so for the whole process?

Doesn’t sound excessive to me in the least.
 
I’m always fascinated by the argument that communion is needs to be speeded up.

My thoughts are if it’s just the Lord’s Supper, or a commemoration, or an experience of God’s grace, sure I can understand why you may want to speed it up.

Why would you need to even get up? Why not then just stay seated, pass the bread around and use those nice shot glasses?

But it’s not just that is it?

That’s not really just bread and wine up there. That’s Christ. That’s his body, blood, soul and divinity.

We are uniting our body and soul with him.

So is waiting 20 minutes too long? Won’t you be willing to wait 40 minutes, or even an hour? Well maybe an hour is too much.

Remember it took him 3 hours to die on the cross, what sort of sacrifice is it to wait in line for a few minutes?
 
richard_wang said:
I’m always fascinated by the argument that communion is needs to be speeded up.

So is waiting 20 minutes too long? Won’t you be willing to wait 40 minutes, or even an hour? Well maybe an hour is too much.

Remember it took him 3 hours to die on the cross, what sort of sacrifice is it to wait in line for a few minutes?
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Why do you say an hour is too much?

While not a problem everywhere, some parishes have a very tight mass schedule. If communion takes 45 minutes, it puts pressure on the celebrant to rush through every other part of the mass.
 
Ace86 said:
Also, the Host contains the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. You do **not **need laymen to handle the consecrated wine. The communicants already receive the Precious Blood.
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:confused: Yes, theologically speaking. Practically speaking, if consecrated wine is made available to the communicants, that’s where the rub lies.
Rickwood said:
That’s ludicrous.

We have about 1,200/Mass with one priest. We receive under both species (the Church has never said to go to one species to reduce the number of persons necessary to distribute communion) and it takes the help of EMsHC until we have enough priests and deacons.

Scheduling them ensures we have enough well-trained EMsHC at each Mass. Of course they defer to any priests, deacons or instituted acolytes that might appear at Mass time.

To suggest it’s abuse just because they are scheduled is just plain odd.
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“odd”? I’ve got another word…😉
Digitonomy said:
Why do you say an hour is too much?

While not a problem everywhere, some parishes have a very tight mass schedule. If communion takes 45 minutes, it puts pressure on the celebrant to rush through every other part of the mass.
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Very true. In some parishes, such as ours, there has to be enough time for everyone to leave and the next mass’ parishioners to arrive, due to parking considerations.
 
Digitonomy said:
Why do you say an hour is too much?

While not a problem everywhere, some parishes have a very tight mass schedule. If communion takes 45 minutes, it puts pressure on the celebrant to rush through every other part of the mass.
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And priests do have to worry about such things. It takes a while to empty the Church, swap out parking and allow people time to get seated for the next Mass.
 
Rickwood said:
That’s fascinating. Is that documented on-line anywhere?
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byzcath.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=334
Ruthenian Particular Law:
Canon 709 §2

§l. In cases of true necessity, deacons may distribute the Divine Eucharist.

§2. In the same cases, even minor clerics and members of the laity can be designated to distribute the Divine Eucharist.
Code: 
 1°. A parish may have one person designated for this purpose plus another for each 75 communicants at the Liturgy.

 2°. The metropolitan Liturgical Commission is to prepare a program of training that includes theological and spiritual formation, the selection process for candidates and a practicum.

 3°. Those persons may take communion to those who, by reason of illness, infirmity or age, cannot attend the Divine Liturgy regularly.

 4°. If any priest or deacon is present at the Liturgy, in any capacity whatever, he is to make himself known to the principal celebrant and shall distribute the divine Eucharist, vested insofar as possible, and taking precedence over any minor cleric or lay person present.
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pnewton said:
And priests do have to worry about such things. It takes a while to empty the Church, swap out parking and allow people time to get seated for the next Mass.
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Not here. I have a formula prayer that I sometimes pray after Mass that takes about 4 minutes. From 1200 to maybe 6 people in 4 minutes. When I look up, everyone is gone. Not bad, but sorta sad.
 
Digitonomy said:
Why do you say an hour is too much?

While not a problem everywhere, some parishes have a very tight mass schedule. If communion takes 45 minutes, it puts pressure on the celebrant to rush through every other part of the mass.
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Maybe that’s a sign that people need to slow down and base their lives around God instead of trying to fit God in their lives. We’re there for the Eucharist anyways, why the hurry? I agree fully with what richard wang said. Christ took hours to suffer and to die on a cross, and we can’t give him a little bit extra time? Here I thought we had come so far as a people, but look at how we’re slipping… It’s truly sad.

Alloho minokhoun,
Andrew
 
richard_wang said:
I’m always fascinated by the argument that communion is needs to be speeded up.

My thoughts are if it’s just the Lord’s Supper, or a commemoration, or an experience of God’s grace, sure I can understand why you may want to speed it up.

Why would you need to even get up? Why not then just stay seated, pass the bread around and use those nice shot glasses?

But it’s not just that is it?

That’s not really just bread and wine up there. That’s Christ. That’s his body, blood, soul and divinity.

We are uniting our body and soul with him.

So is waiting 20 minutes too long? Won’t you be willing to wait 40 minutes, or even an hour? Well maybe an hour is too much.

Remember it took him 3 hours to die on the cross, what sort of sacrifice is it to wait in line for a few minutes?
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What SACRAMENTAL or SPIRITUAL benefits come with communion that lasts 20-60 minutes? Yes, I am well aware it would nourish those that have read the GIRM and RS and now believe themselves to be liturgical experts but who else is nourished by the 20-60 minute communions?

The stressed priest? Doubtful. Those that rush to be “first” and then leave after receiving? Not likely.

Where is the benefit? If time is really in unlimited supply, I would rather more to spent on more comprehensive homilies.
 
Michael038 said:
Havent we had enough threads on here about EMHC’s?
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Seeing the first post, it was almost like seeing a match flipped into a tinder dry forest. You know what will come next; you dread what will come next; you can’t quite look away.

I predict 187 posts, including 63 citations of Church documents (by both sides), 35 examples of egregious uses of EMHC’s, countered by 29 exemplary examples of the same. Additionally, my psychic abilities call for 21 vicious comments, followed by a smiley icon so that poster can deny violating forum rules. Lastly, I predict about as much movement from each camp as during the North Korean nuclear talks.

Paul
 
Rickwood said:
What SACRAMENTAL or SPIRITUAL benefits come with communion that lasts 20-60 minutes? Yes, I am well aware it would nourish those that have read the GIRM and RS and now believe themselves to be liturgical experts but who else is nourished by the 20-60 minute communions?

The stressed priest? Doubtful. Those that rush to be “first” and then leave after receiving? Not likely.

Where is the benefit? If time is really in unlimited supply, I would rather more to spent on more comprehensive homilies.
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Actually the homily is a negligible part of the Mass. If you don’t realize the importance of Holy Communion, it points only to your lack of understanding of the faith.
 
palmas85 said:
Actually the homily is a negligible part of the Mass. If you don’t realize the importance of Holy Communion, it points only to your lack of understanding of the faith.
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Actually, you are wrong about the homily, but I’m not going to bother looking for documentation—it is sad that you do not know this. Certainly the Eucharistic prayer is important, but extra time for distribution is not, especially if it causes stress in large parishes trying to get everybody out and in for the next Mass.

Lux
 
Rickwood said:
What SACRAMENTAL or SPIRITUAL benefits come with communion that lasts 20-60 minutes? Yes, I am well aware it would nourish those that have read the GIRM and RS and now believe themselves to be liturgical experts but who else is nourished by the 20-60 minute communions?

The stressed priest? Doubtful. Those that rush to be “first” and then leave after receiving? Not likely.

Where is the benefit? If time is really in unlimited supply, I would rather more to spent on more comprehensive homilies.
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A greater sense of the sacred, perhaps? Perhaps even a few who are not prepared to receive might refrain from receiving. (Given the state of confession lines, if preparedness to receive was emphasized we might be down to 100 out of a 1000 receiving)
 
Lux_et_Tenebrae said:
Actually, you are wrong about the homily, but I’m not going to bother looking for documentation—it is sad that you do not know this. Certainly the Eucharistic prayer is important, but extra time for distribution is not, especially if it causes stress in large parishes trying to get everybody out and in for the next Mass.

Lux
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So you are of the opinion that the homily is of greater importance than the reception of Holy Communion?
 
Certainly not!!!

I can’t believe the manner in which some misinterpret posts.
but extra time for distribution is not,
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I guess I need to simplify my response for you.

If the distribution of HC will take so long that the Mass will not end in time for the next Mass, EMHC not only can, but should be used.

Lux
 
nightwalker said:
A greater sense of the sacred, perhaps? Perhaps even a few who are not prepared to receive might refrain from receiving. (Given the state of confession lines, if preparedness to receive was emphasized we might be down to 100 out of a 1000 receiving)
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Very judgemental. Will you confess before you receive?

Lux
 
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