What to do if the priest drops the Eucharist?

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I was about to recieve the Eucharist and as I started to kneel down a host fell off his plate. I picked up the host and he put out the plate for me to put the host on. I wanted to recieve that host that was dropped but he gave me another one. Did I do what I should have?
 
alavenderluvbug said:
I was about to recieve the Eucharist and as I started to kneel down a host fell off his plate. I picked up the host and he put out the plate for me to put the host on. I wanted to recieve that host that was dropped but he gave me another one. Did I do what I should have?
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Yes. You did what the priest was “asking” you to do.

Out of courtesy, priests often don’t give people the Hosts that have fallen (not that this happens often, but “when” it happens) but instead discretely consume them themselves. I know, “it doesn’t matter,” but as I said, they’re just being polite–there’s no more reason than that.
 
Yes you did. A Hail Mary for the priest wouldn’t hurt, though. Prayer is always good! 😉
 
You did Exactly the right thing. Well done!

In Carmel,

Br. Allen
 
Possibly the priest didn’t want you to receive that host because it wasn’t properly distributed. We are instructed to receive the host, not pick it up ourselves.
 
Lux_et_Tenebrae said:
Possibly the priest didn’t want you to receive that host because it wasn’t properly distributed. We are instructed to receive the host, not pick it up ourselves.
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It was just a courtesy not to give someone a Host off the floor. Yes, the priest should be the one to pick it up, but not in the sense that the communicant picking it up would constitute “self communicating” that’s a bit of a stretch.
 
Fr David,

I meant if he picked it up and received by consuming the host he picked up without returning it to the priest. That certainly wouldn’t have been a proper distribution.

I have found a dropped host more than once, when a priest is not right there. I have picked up the host and consummed immediately. Do you feel that is OK?

Lux
 
Lux_et_Tenebrae said:
Fr David,

I meant if he picked it up and received by consuming the host he picked up without returning it to the priest. That certainly wouldn’t have been a proper distribution.

I have found a dropped host more than once, when a priest is not right there. I have picked up the host and consummed immediately. Do you feel that is OK?

Lux
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Lux,

The situation was an accident. It’s not a matter of “proper distribution.” No one, priest or communicant had any intentions of doing anything wrong, or illicit, or disrespectful.

There is no rubric that says the Host goes in the floor in the first place, so “who picks it up” can be anyone who gets to it first. If the priest distributing is elderly and would have a problem bending over to pick it up, what should happen? Should we still insist that the priest pick it up, rather than someone able-bodied who happens to be there? I would say not. I would rather have a layperson pick up the host and consume it than to leave the Host on the floor while the elderly priest tries to figure out what to do with the ciborium, and risks a broken hip by bending over. Yes, the priest should be the one to pick it up–that is the “proper” thing to happen. But it’s not a problem if someone else just happens to do it AND makes sure to see that there are no particles left on the floor–but that’s a different topic for a different thread.

What should we do if a layperson picks up an accidentally dropped Host from the floor and consumes it directly? Should we write to the Holy See and report it?

If you “found” a dropped host, that’s a problem in itself: how did it get there? is it consecrated or not? If you consumed it, that’s not a problem. It’s not as if you have to call a priest over so that he can properly distribute it to you because if not, you’d be “self communicating.” It’s just a matter of taking a common sense approach to an accidental, unintended situation. Yes, you should tell the priest where you found it. How it got there is itself a problem and the priest needs to be made aware.

The person who first posed this question did the right thing by following the instructions of the priest and putting that Host on the paten. That was the question: did I do the right thing? The answer is: yes.

The OP seemed to want to know why the priest did not distribute the dropped Host–the simple answer is “a matter of courtesy.”

There’s realy no need to drag the topic along any further. See post #2 in this thread.
 
alavenderluvbug said:
I was about to recieve the Eucharist and as I started to kneel down a host fell off his plate. I picked up the host and he put out the plate for me to put the host on. I wanted to recieve that host that was dropped but he gave me another one. Did I do what I should have?
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Wow. That happened to me today. But I just stood there, mortified, looking at two hosts on the floor.

I heard once that there is actually some elabortae thing that needs to be done if that happens, to make sure people don’t walk on any little specks of Jesus.
 
FrDavid96 said:
Lux,

The situation was an accident. It’s not a matter of “proper distribution.” No one, priest or communicant had any intentions of doing anything wrong, or illicit, or disrespectful.

There is no rubric that says the Host goes in the floor in the first place, so “who picks it up” can be anyone who gets to it first. If the priest distributing is elderly and would have a problem bending over to pick it up, what should happen? Should we still insist that the priest pick it up, rather than someone able-bodied who happens to be there? I would say not. I would rather have a layperson pick up the host and consume it than to leave the Host on the floor while the elderly priest tries to figure out what to do with the ciborium, and risks a broken hip by bending over. Yes, the priest should be the one to pick it up–that is the “proper” thing to happen. But it’s not a problem if someone else just happens to do it AND makes sure to see that there are no particles left on the floor–but that’s a different topic for a different thread.

What should we do if a layperson picks up an accidentally dropped Host from the floor and consumes it directly? Should we write to the Holy See and report it?

If you “found” a dropped host, that’s a problem in itself: how did it get there? is it consecrated or not? If you consumed it, that’s not a problem. It’s not as if you have to call a priest over so that he can properly distribute it to you because if not, you’d be “self communicating.” It’s just a matter of taking a common sense approach to an accidental, unintended situation. Yes, you should tell the priest where you found it. How it got there is itself a problem and the priest needs to be made aware.

The person who first posed this question did the right thing by following the instructions of the priest and putting that Host on the paten. That was the question: did I do the right thing? The answer is: yes.

The OP seemed to want to know why the priest did not distribute the dropped Host–the simple answer is “a matter of courtesy.”

There’s realy no need to drag the topic along any further. See post #2 in this thread.
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👍
 
CatholcCrusader said:
Wow. That happened to me today. But I just stood there, mortified, looking at two hosts on the floor.

I heard once that there is actually some elabortae thing that needs to be done if that happens, to make sure people don’t walk on any little specks of Jesus.
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If the Blood of Christ is spilled then, yes, there’s a somewhat laborious procedure to correct the problem, but a consecrated host can just be picked up, and as Father says above, make sure no flakes or pieces are left behind. Microsopic dust is not bread and hence the miracle of transubstantiation is not present in the dust and tiny specks.
 
CatholcCrusader said:
I heard once that there is actually some elabortae thing that needs to be done if that happens, to make sure people don’t walk on any little specks of Jesus.
Click to expand...
Yes, if it’s on the floor a paten or a purificator is supposed to be placed on top of the spot where the host was dropped so no one steps on it. After Mass, the priest is supposed to return to the spot, wash it and pour the water down the sacrarium.

I’ve witnessed a priest do this once. He did it in such a reverent manner (not like your typical cleaning job) and with such care, that it further increased my appreciation for the Eucharist.
 
It kind of happend to me once.

Though he didn’t drop it with me as it had already dropped. But I had seen it on the floor at his feet. I was in the choir and we are first down the isle. So it not been there long, but long enough and he may well have been accutely aware of it being there but those choir members in front of me didn’t give him chance or something? But having seen it, I stood back as such and let him pick it up, not knowing quite whether I should have picked it up to give to him as I was empty handed and he had his hands full but what should be done but knew it shouldn’t really stay on the floor and felt certain it should be him.
You did what the priest asked you here to so you did the right thing here.👍
 
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