What ever happend to

[JReducation]

The OP was probably referring to the teaching I also received as a youngster in Catholic School; the laity are never, never, never to handle a consecrated host. Regardless of whether this is doctrine, mere teaching or some pipe dream of the brothers and nuns, it was taught and a great many of us retained that teaching along with the rest of our formation. I never heard a teacher say this is for real but you can disregard that part of your lesson, it’s just a joke. I also think the OP meant ordained rather than consecrated.

Deacons and sisters were mentioned as evidence of an early form of EMHC; the deacons are ordained as far as I know and I don’t remember ever seeing a nun handle the Eucharist.

I prefer to receive from the priest so when I attend an OF Mass I intentionally sit where I can get in that line for communion, it isn’t an issue at an EF Mass. I realize that receiving from an EMHC is valid but I’d rather not if at all possible and especially not from a female EMHC, my preference, my bias.

Deacons have always been allowed to handle the Eucharist and to distribute Holy Communion.

There is a statement by St.Thomas Acquinas that only consecrated hands should touch the Eucharist, but the Catholic Church does not espouse it. Many people, not knowing this, taught it as if it came from the Church. This was especially true of teaching sisters and lay brothers, because they did not have the theological education that priests, monks, nuns and friars have. It’s not required of them. They were to be educated in the apostolate. If they taught, they were very well educated teachers and so forth. But their theological education was really that of an advanced CCD class.

Deacons are not EMHC. They are ordinary ministers.

The precursors to the EMHC were the monks, nuns and friars. Sisters were not allowed to touch the host. There were two reasons for this. First, they are sisters and not nuns. Second, they usually lived in houses attached to a parish or had a resident chaplain.

You may not remember seeing a nun handle the Eucharist, because you probably have never seen a nun. Most Roman Catholics wouldn’t know a nun had they not seen Mother Angelica on TV. When it comes to religious life, Roman Catholics are not well educated, unlike Eastern Catholics who know the difference between nuns and sisters, monks and friars, priests and deacons, secular and regular. It’s part of their culture. Though the Eastern Catholics in the USA seem to be losing touch with these things as well.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF