The proper form of a blessing by an EMHC during communion

[bben15]

An EMHC at my parish gave a blessing to a child in line. She was promptly removed from her duties.

[SIGN]God bless Father Chris’s decisiveness![/SIGN]

 

[bben15]

At The Last Supper, 12 disciples received the Body and Blood of Christ. None of them opted for a blessing instead. I think it was even unheard of among the early Christians. When did the practice of receiving a blessing during communion originate?

The practice of giving a blessing to a non-communicant arose in about the 80s. Since then, it has become widespread, even though it should not be done.

 

[paperwight66]

An EMHC at my parish gave a blessings to a child in line. She was promptly removed from her duties.

[SIGN]God bless Father Chris’s decisiveness![/SIGN]

That is extraordinarily harsh! Was she given any chance to explain? It seems very bad personnel management.

I know that no-one has the right to be an EMHC, but surely a better way to deal with it would be a quiet word, a request not to do it again and forgiveness, not potential humiliation and resentment on her part and also on the part of her friends and family.

I can’t imagine anyone dealing with it like that, to be honest. Perhaps it was the last straw, that is to say, she was deliberately defying instructions after being a thorn in the priest’s side over other things already.

If that wasn’t the case, and it was a first offence, so to speak, it was a very bad way to correct anyone, in my experience of dealing with volunteers (or employees, for that matter).

 

[dshix]

Old thread.

 

[bben15]

That is extraordinarily harsh! Was she given any chance to explain? It seems very bad personnel management.

I know that no-one has the right to be an EMHC, but surely a better way to deal with it would be a quiet word, a request not to do it again and forgiveness, not potential humiliation and resentment on her part and also on the part of her friends and family.

I can’t imagine anyone dealing with it like that, to be honest. Perhaps it was the last straw, that is to say, she was deliberately defying instructions after being a thorn nI the priest’s side over other things already.

Father Chris is not harsh. Knowing him, he would have explained before she became an EMHC that she is not allowed to give blessings.

Was she doing other things as well? I don’t know. I just know that Father Chris would not have removed her without a very good reason.

 

[paperwight66]

Father Chris is not harsh. Knowing him, he would have explained before she became an EMHC that she is not allowed to give blessings.

That’s nice to hear. But it still sounds like he was too hasty. Did he give her a chance to explain or apologise?

 

[bben15]

That’s nice to hear. But it still sounds like he was too hasty. Did he give her a chance to explain or apologise?

I am not sure. I did not want to get involved. I cannot ask the woman because she does not attend my parish anymore.

 

[Elizium23]

More precisely, that EMHC *attempted *to give a blessing. The fact is that she is not *capable *of giving a blessing in the context of the Mass. This is a greater issue than the fact of her permission. Even if a priest had given her permission, her attempt to bestow one would be invalid, according to the CDWDS letter we keep quoting here.

 

[thistle]

Regarding blessings of congregants at Communion time at Mass, I was just wondering if anyone knew the proper form (if there is one) for an EMHC who is approached by a member of the congregation requesting a blessing instead of Communion (arms crossed across their chest is usually the indication in the UK). Obviously a priest can do this, but what’s the form for a lay person who assists the priest during Communion? Is there a specific blessing they can/should use? Can they make one up on the spot? Are there particular gestures proper to the act (i.e holding one’s hand over a person’s head, etc). The one thing I do know for sure is that an EMHC may not use the Blessed Sacrament in the process of this blessing - that’s proper to the priest alone (and possibly deacon?).

I’ve never been in a position where I was required to administer such a blessing (because in my parish EMHCs only administer using the Chalice), but it could happen one day I suppose…

EMHC’s are not to give blessings and also nobody is supposed to be in the Communion line except to receive Communion. It is called a Communion line and not a Communion and Blessing line.

 

[DaveBj]

EMHC’s are not to give blessings and also nobody is supposed to be in the Communion line except to receive Communion. It is called a Communion line and not a Communion and Blessing line.

I have watched this controversy without comment for some time.

You are correct. However, that bell has been rung, and good luck unringing it.

 

[JimG]

I have sympathy for EMHC’s who are placed in this situation. They are there to distribute communion, and yet find people in line who are not there to receive communion. How to do or say anything which can not be misinterpreted as a sort of a blessing? It’s an injustice to them.

The real solution is for those not receiving communion to stay in the pews and not get in the communion line.

 

[Big_Feet]

At our parish EM’s are instructed, when approached by a person with arms crossed over their chest to say, “Receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart,” without any extension of hands toward the person hearing this. EM’s are expressly forbidden from extending hands and giving ‘blessings’ during communion. This way it is merely a short prayer between the two and all feel welcome to come forward.
This is been approved by our local ordinary.

 

[Catholic1954]

We were instructed to not touch the person and say “May the Lord bless you.”

We were told that also. I am thankful that the practice of giving out blessings instead of communion is fading away. The priest used to announce it, and it was sometimes confusing to know who wanted communion and who was there for a blessing. Now is the communion line and not the blessing line.

 

[thistle]

There is the blessing at the end of the Mass so nobody misses out anyway!

 

[psalm126]

My daughter will be making her 1st Communion in April of next year. We had to attend a meeting with Father and all of us parents. He is the one who told us to have our children come in the communion line with us with their arms crossed. He says that children need to see up close what happens during communion so he wants them to walk with us, not stay in the pew. Now as to why non-receiving adults would go in the communion line, that I don’t know.

 

[novo2kepha]

EMHC’s are not to give blessings and also nobody is supposed to be in the Communion line except to receive Communion. It is called a Communion line and not a Communion and Blessing line.

I completed my EMHC training yesterday. Over the course of the training blessings were brought up on a number of occasions…and we were told each time of asking that EMsHC can give blessings, no Host or crossings. At our Youth Mass this morning Father instructed those who can’t receive to come for a blessing, if they wanted.

 

[thistle]

I completed my EMHC training yesterday. Over the course of the training blessings were brought up on a number of occasions…and we were told each time of asking that EMsHC can give blessings, no Host or crossings. At our Youth Mass this morning Father instructed those who can’t receive to come for a blessing, if they wanted.

I’ve copied this from post #3 in this thread. You should show this to the priest.

Congregation for Divine Worship
Protocol No. 930/08/L
November 22, 2008

1. Lay people, within the context of Holy Mass, are unable to confer blessings. These blessings, rather, are the competence of the priest (cf. Ecclesia de Mysterio, Notitiae 34 (15 Aug. 1997), art. 6, § 2; Canon 1169, § 2; and Roman Ritual De Benedictionibus (1985), n. 18).

3.** Furthermore, the laying on of a hand or hands** — which has its own sacramental significance, inappropriate here — by those distributing Holy Communion, in substitution for its reception, is to be explicitly discouraged.