What should you do if you come across a piece of a consecrated host?

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Shana

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I went to pray before the tabernacle the other day at church and I noticed on the cloth in front there was a piece of a host that was most likely consecrated. I wasn’t sure what to do but I ate it and was wondering if that’s ok. It was a reasonably sized piece that had crumbled off, if it was just a few tiny crumbs I would have left it, but if this happens again should I just leave it be or is it ok to eat it?
 
Please contact your priest. He will let you know what the appropriate action is. Also, he can possibly track down how this happened to begin with. Usually if a consecrated host falls during Mass, the priest or EMHC will pick it up and consume it. However, since you were at the tabernacle by yourself, by your taking it, it is like you are giving yourself communion which isn’t right. Since you weren’t sure and your intention as to protect Jesus in the host, don’t worry about sinning, but do contact your priest as soon as you can.
 
In this situation you don’t have to go find somebody and have them give you communion so it can be consumed. The rules are to be followed to a T unless you are in a situation that they can’t be followed. One time I was serving at a Mass without a deacon. The priest got so weak he could hardly perform his duties. I then had to perform most duties for him. Officially we broke every rule in the G.I.R.M., but it had to be done to finish Mass.
 
One day I was at a very large Catholic church (1000+ seats) and came across a Consecrated Host hidden under a bulletin laying on one of the seats.

I looked around and I was the only one in the church building.

There was almost no chance of refinding that spot again (there were lots of bulletins laying around). There was no real chance of finding a priest in any reasonable time frame. So, I said a prayer requesting forgiveness and consumed the Host myself. Later I reported it to the pastor who said I did the right thing and said that others had reported similar events (abandoned Consecrated Hosts) and he and the other priests were trying to determine who was abandoning the Hosts and trying to stop it.

Speculation was that a non-Catholic or a Catholic who was not favorably disposed to receiving Holy Communion had gone up with the Communion line and received a Host, but decided not to consume the Host out of respect. But then they didn’t know what to do with the Host, so they left the Host behind rather than commit a sacrilege.

My personal opinion is that people are under pressure to go up to receive Holy Communion regardless of their spiritual disposition. It has become the practice to go up for Communion one row at a time, in the interest of “neatness” and good traffic management. Previously, people went up in random fashion, with parents going up separately with one staying with the young children in the pew while the other went up. Often people did not receive Holy Communion if they felt they were not favorably disposed (i.e., in the State of Grace), but because of the random nature of the lines, there was no negative notice paid to people who did not go up to receive.

However, now often if someone does not go up to receive, he is the subject of negative stares, as if “what’s wrong with that guy?”.

Anyway, long answer to what causes that “abandoned Host” situation.

Slightly different from the situation you were faced with.
 
Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I was taught there are two ways to dispose of a Consecrated Host: 1) by consuming it or 2) by dissolving it in water and pouring it down the sacrarium (not that I would so that without a priest or deacon).

Personally, I would walk out of the sanctuary, call the rectory, ask to have a priest come over, then “guard it” until a priest got there.
 
Shana said:
I went to pray before the tabernacle the other day at church and I noticed on the cloth in front there was a piece of a host that was most likely consecrated. I wasn’t sure what to do but I ate it and was wondering if that’s ok. It was a reasonably sized piece that had crumbled off, if it was just a few tiny crumbs I would have left it, but if this happens again should I just leave it be or is it ok to eat it?
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You can pick it up and eat it, or place it in the ciborium in the tabernacle. The first option would be the best. Never just leave a particle of the Blessed Sacrament when you find it.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
You can pick it up and eat it, or place it in the ciborium in the tabernacle. The first option would be the best. Never just leave a particle of the Blessed Sacrament when you find it.
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Is it really appropriate for a lay person to be opening up the tabernacle and ciborium like that? I would think that if consuming is not an option for some reason that the priest should be contacted before doing anything like messing around the with tabernacle and ciborium yourself.

~Liza
 
My question when reading your (the OP) post was why did you go up to the tabernacle to pray? Usually is not allowed for just anyone to go up into the sanctuary. However, I know that some churches have a small chapel where people are able to be closer to the tabernacle.

Now to answer your question, if one should come across a piece of a Sacred Host they should consume it immediately if possible. This would not be self communication. It would be taking proper care of the Host that was not where it should be. It could also be placed in some water to dilute it and then poured into the ground.
 
lizaanne said:
Is it really appropriate for a lay person to be opening up the tabernacle and ciborium like that? I would think that if consuming is not an option for some reason that the priest should be contacted before doing anything like messing around the with tabernacle and ciborium yourself.

~Liza
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My assumption is that this person was either removing or placing the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle to begin with, why else whould they be close enough to spot a particle of the Host?
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
My assumption is that this person was either removing or placing the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle to begin with, why else whould they be close enough to spot a particle of the Host?
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She said that she went to pray before the tabernacle, nothing more.
 
In our church, the kneelers around the Eucharistic Shrine - kneelers that all the faithful are free to use - are within 3 feet of the tabernacle itself, so someone could easily see a piece of the Host that lay on the platform supporting the tabernacle. That may not be ideal placement, however.
 
lizaanne said:
Is it really appropriate for a lay person to be opening up the tabernacle and ciborium like that? I would think that if consuming is not an option for some reason that the priest should be contacted before doing anything like messing around the with tabernacle and ciborium yourself.

~Liza
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I agree. And, as far as that goes, our tabernacle is kept locked, except during Mass. The key is kept in the (locked) sacristy, so that wouldn’t be an option.
 
palmas85 said:
I would ask how you know it was consecrated or not?
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If it was right by the tabernacle you could assume it was dropped while putting the ciborium back into the tabernacle, thus it was consecrated. There would be no reason for unconsecrated hosts to be near the tabernacle. As far as a lay person going to the tabernacle, our EMHCs do it all the time if they are going to the homebound. We give them the key, they get the number of hosts they need, and bring the key back.
 
Joannm said:
If it was right by the tabernacle you could assume it was dropped while putting the ciborium back into the tabernacle, thus it was consecrated. There would be no reason for unconsecrated hosts to be near the tabernacle. As far as a lay person going to the tabernacle, our EMHCs do it all the time if they are going to the homebound. We give them the key, they get the number of hosts they need, and bring the key back.
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“I went to pray before the tabernacle” is not the same as going to the tabernacle to get Hosts for the homebound.
 
Joannm said:
If it was right by the tabernacle you could assume it was dropped while putting the ciborium back into the tabernacle, thus it was consecrated. There would be no reason for unconsecrated hosts to be near the tabernacle. As far as a lay person going to the tabernacle, our EMHCs do it all the time if they are going to the homebound. We give them the key, they get the number of hosts they need, and bring the key back.
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Surely I will be corrected if I’m wrong, but from what I understand this should never EVER be happening. Lay people should NEVER be going in and out of a tabernacle and helping themselves to the Eucharist, regardless of the reason!

~Liza
 
It happened to me that during Mass with my elderly mother, a Eucharistic Minister bent down to give her a Sacred Host from a rather shallow plate. Well, the plate tipped as she bent, and several hosts fell, a few on the pew, floor and my mother’s lap. Not knowing what to do, The EM kept looking at me as if I had any idea. Because of the long pause, I assumed she expected me to pick them up, which I did and consumed, in order to protect Jesus. Now I’m thinking, maybe I should have just put the hosts pack on the plate. 🤷 Can someone clarify what should be done in such a case? The priest was at the far side giving Holy Communion.
 
4Horsemen said:
It happened to me that during Mass with my elderly mother, a Eucharistic Minister bent down to give her a Sacred Host from a rather shallow plate. Well, the plate tipped as she bent, and several hosts fell, a few on the pew, floor and my mother’s lap. Not knowing what to do, The EM kept looking at me as if I had any idea. Because of the long pause, I assumed she expected me to pick them up, which I did and consumed, in order to protect Jesus. Now I’m thinking, maybe I should have just put the hosts pack on the plate. 🤷 Can someone clarify what should be done in such a case? The priest was at the far side giving Holy Communion.
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The EMHC should have picked them up and put them back on the “plate” (ciborium) and continued to distribute them (according to our pastor). He said there was nothing wrong with giving a Host that has dropped on the floor to a communicant and most would not object to receiving such a Host.
Because of such long of a pause I think it would have been OK for you to put them back on the “plate” since the EMHC was not responding.
 
lizaanne said:
Surely I will be corrected if I’m wrong, but from what I understand this should never EVER be happening. Lay people should NEVER be going in and out of a tabernacle and helping themselves to the Eucharist, regardless of the reason!

~Liza
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They are not just “helping themselves.” They are part of homebound ministry and they often have to go visit people at odd times during the day. Often the priests are not available to run over to the church to give them the Eucharist. They get the key to the tabernacle and sign their name and the name of the person they are visiting in a book we have for that purpose. They bring the key back after getting the Eucharist from the tabernacle. This is common practice in all of the parishes I have been at.
 
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