This trend must stop: the EMHC hand sanitizing procession

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Elf01 said:
Personally I’d be afraid of ingesting some of the sanitizer.
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I’ve never seen anyone, EMHC or otherwise, coat their hands with enough sanitizer to make that possible. Your hands would be so slippery, you couldn’t hold on to the host to give it to anyone.
 
bobperk said:
The clean hands aren’t “offensive” to me (I agree, they must have clean hands!). The show of cleaning them and the hand rubbing around the altar is distracting.
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I have to agree with you. It is a relatively new trend and there are EMs who are still hand rubbing while they are standing behind the altar waiting to receive. It certainly seems out of place to me.
There should be a better way.
 
This thread is giving me a good laugh while I am laying here getting chemo at this very moment. I will also show it to Father when he comes in a few minutes.
 
bobperk said:
The show of cleaning them and the hand rubbing around the altar is distracting.
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You keep calling it a “show”. This is uncharitable and not factual.

If it’s distracting, close your eyes.

Our priest walks over to the sanitizer and does the same thing as the EMHCs- takes a dab, rubs his hands… is he making a show too?
 
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I’ve only seen this once, at a parish in my home town when I was there for a high school class reunion. At the time, there was a big influenza epidemic going on. I thought it was a good idea, and I was only amused (not offended) by the way that it seemed to be incorporated into the liturgical process.
DIERM said:
If witnessing or smelling this event is the most distracting or troubling part of a Mass I attend, I would say its a pretty good Mass!
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I would be more concerned with how they treat their hands after communion.
 
Yea, you say it shouldn’t be distracting, but when there is a row of 10 eucharistic ministers directly behind the altar, and half of them are rubbing their hands, a couple of them are apparently really going at it to make sure we all know they are clean, it is not just a matter of closing one’s eyes. Then the idea that I need to keep my eyes off the altar is itself a distraction. The OP has a point. It is not a problem everywhere, but I know of one local parish where it is.
 
MasterHaster said:
How can the actual body of Jesus be a vessel to transmit germs?
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Because The Body of Christ still has the accidents of bread… which means The Host still has the chemical properties of bread.

The substance or essence has changed, not the chemical/physical properties.

God Bless
 
Amen!!

The friction very important as well as allowing the hands to air dry (no waiving them to speed the process). As they taught us in sterile dressing change training “as it is drying it is dying”.
 
The gel form of alcohol is the best drugstore level sanitizer.
 
bobperk said:
, then the first person in line takes communion on the tongue and has a cold. Or they’re touching someone’s hand that was just sneezed in. I’m not sure how long the efficacy of the cleaner lasts in the first place.
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The fingers of the EMHC ought not touch the hand nor the tongue of the people receiving. If either happens, the EMHC needs further training.
 
I’ve seen this done a few different ways at different Parishes.
  1. Some Parishes have the EMHCs use personal bottles before they leave the pew
  2. some have them cleanse their hands in view of the whole church but off to the side and not in the sanctuary.
  3. Others do it in the sanctuary
To me, it really becomes a distraction only if it’s happening when they are supposed to still be in their seats.

I believe the GRIM says that EMHCs (and ordinary ministers too) are to remain seated until after the priest consumes Holy Communion. Then, they are to come up. If they doing a pump after they receive, fine.

But what distracts me is when they are cleaning their hands in front of everyone during the “Lord, I’m not worthy…” or while Father is partaking in Holy Communion

(I’ve seen where Father is partaking Communion, people are standing behind him cleaning their hands - that was distracting)

If Father wants them to clean their hands in front of everyone, that’s fine with me. Just as long as it is happening after he receives communion. In other words they can do it as they are receiving their hosts from Father or Deacon.

This is my humble opinion and one I think is a good compromise.

God Bless
 
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We remain kneeling until Father starts to receive communion. We then go to the front bow, then go on the sanctuary to receive ourselves. I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse and use it discreetly in the pew before kneeling after the Lamb of God.
 
bobperk said:
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0Scarlett_nidiyilii:
it never occurred to me that clean hands might be offensive.
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The clean hands aren’t “offensive” to me (I agree, they must have clean hands!). The show of cleaning them and the hand rubbing around the altar is distracting.

There are other ways to inform the parish that the ministers have clean hands - a paragraph in the bulletin or an announcement for example.

But in any case, does the hand sanitizing really do that much? Say they sanitize their hands, then the first person in line takes communion on the tongue and has a cold. Or they’re touching someone’s hand that was just sneezed in. I’m not sure how long the efficacy of the cleaner lasts in the first place.
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You must be easily distracted. Perhaps you should be focusing on something else immediately prior to receiving the Eucharist. As others have pointed out, calling it a “show” is extremely judgmental and uncharitable. Perhaps you are unaware that the continuing hand rubbing helps the sanitizer evaporate more quickly - the goal being to have completely dry hands before handling the Eucharist. The rubbing also helps the odor - which some have commented on - to dissipate faster.
 
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