Where Should the Deacon Stand to Minister Holy Communion?

[suebou57]

To set the scene: in our church on Sundays, there are four positions for Communion ministers: two at the front of the center aisle for Host ministers, and one at each corner where the transverse front aisle meets the side aisles, where cup ministers stand. Our pastor believes (due to something I think he misread) that the deacon is supposed to be a cup minister; so we end up with an extraordinary minister in front, next to the priest, ministering the Host, while the deacon is over on one side ministering one of the cups. To me, this looks funny; it seems more proper for the deacon to be in front, next to the priest, ministering the Host. (But I am a little OCD, so maybe it’s just my symmetry fetish!) Is there a document which clearly addresses this? Please provide references for me to give my pastor; he is a good man and is extremely compliant with Church directives, just brand-new at being a parish priest after 25+ years in the monastery. The deacon is a very humble man and too nice to say anything if anything should be said. Thank you for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

To set the scene: in our church on Sundays, there are four positions for Communion ministers: two at the front of the center aisle for Host ministers, and one at each corner where the transverse front aisle meets the side aisles, where cup ministers stand. Our pastor believes (due to something I think he misread) that the deacon is supposed to be a cup minister; so we end up with an extraordinary minister in front, next to the priest, ministering the Host, while the deacon is over on one side ministering one of the cups. To me, this looks funny; it seems more proper for the deacon to be in front, next to the priest, ministering the Host. (But I am a little OCD, so maybe it’s just my symmetry fetish!) Is there a document which clearly addresses this? Please provide references for me to give my pastor; he is a good man and is extremely compliant with Church directives, just brand-new at being a parish priest after 25+ years in the monastery. The deacon is a very humble man and too nice to say anything if anything should be said. Thank you for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

It is the duty of the deacon to be the minister of the cup. See, for example, from the GIRM:

1. After the priest, the deacon, in virtue of the sacred ordination he has received, holds first place among those who minister in the Eucharistic Celebration. For the sacred Order of the diaconate has been held in high honor in the Church even from the time of the Apostles.82 At Mass the deacon has his own part in proclaiming the Gospel, in preaching God’s word from time to time, in announcing the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, in ministering to the priest, in preparing the altar and serving the celebration of the Sacrifice, **in distributing the Eucharist to the faithful, especially under the species of wine, **and sometimes in giving directions regarding the people’s gestures and posture. source]

Also:

1. After the priest’s Communion, the deacon receives Communion under both kinds from the priest himself and then assists the priest in distributing Communion to the people. **If Communion is given under both kinds, the deacon himself administers the chalice to the communicants; **and, when the distribution is completed, he immediately and reverently consumes at the altar all of the Blood of Christ that remains, assisted if necessary by other deacons and priests. source]

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Your priest is absolutely right. It IS the deacon’s job to minister the Chalice.

 

[cothrige]

It is the duty of the deacon to be the minister of the cup.

I wonder, though, if it is possible that this is written assuming only Priests would be administering the Hosts, rather than a string of laypeople as is commonly found. Maybe what was being imagined here is the goal of Masses offered with plenty of Priests and Deacons and so the former would be responsible for the Hosts and the latter the Chalices. I have my doubts that what was intended here would be a layperson standing front and center with the Hosts while the Deacon was over to the side with the Chalice.

 

[Bbigam]

I wonder, though, if it is possible that this is written assuming only Priests would be administering the Hosts, rather than a string of laypeople as is commonly found. Maybe what was being imagined here is the goal of Masses offered with plenty of Priests and Deacons and so the former would be responsible for the Hosts and the latter the Chalices. I have my doubts that what was intended here would be a layperson standing front and center with the Hosts while the Deacon was over to the side with the Chalice.

According to the GIRM, RS, etc., the regular use of teams of EMHCs was not anticipated. In fact it could be argued that EMHCs should not be used on a regular basis. So it’s hard to say what the norm should be for the case described by the OP.

ewtn.com/expert/answers/EMCs.htm

 

[zab]

Our deacon always administers the cup when we have Communion under both species. Then, he stands near the side aisle.

 

[benedictgal]

I wonder, though, if it is possible that this is written assuming only Priests would be administering the Hosts, rather than a string of laypeople as is commonly found. Maybe what was being imagined here is the goal of Masses offered with plenty of Priests and Deacons and so the former would be responsible for the Hosts and the latter the Chalices. I have my doubts that what was intended here would be a layperson standing front and center with the Hosts while the Deacon was over to the side with the Chalice.

Actually, I do not think that the use of EMHCs was envisioned when the GIRM was written. You bring up a very interesting point. In many of the parishes down here, the deacon is always asssting the celebrant with the distirbution of the Sacred Host. EMHCs assist with the administering of the Precious Blood. Now, at diocesan Masses when we have a plethora of priests, then, the deacons will assist with the Chalice.

Here is what Redemptionis Sacramentum notes:

[88.] The faithful should normally receive sacramental Communion of the Eucharist during Mass itself, at the moment laid down by the rite of celebration, that is to say, just after the Priest celebrant’s Communion.172 It is the Priest celebrant’s responsibility to minister Communion, perhaps assisted by other Priests or Deacons; and he should not resume the Mass until after the Communion of the faithful is concluded. Only when there is a necessity may extraordinary ministers assist the Priest celebrant in accordance with the norm of law.173

Here is what this same document says about Communion under Both Kinds:

[102.] The chalice should not be ministered to lay members of Christ’s faithful where there is such a large number of communicants189 that it is difficult to gauge the amount of wine for the Eucharist and there is a danger that “more than a reasonable quantity of the Blood of Christ remain to be consumed at the end of the celebration”.190 The same is true wherever access to the chalice would be difficult to arrange, or where such a large amount of wine would be required that its certain provenance and quality could only be known with difficulty, or wherever there is not an adequate number of sacred ministers or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion with proper formation, or where a notable part of the people continues to prefer not to approach the chalice for various reasons, so that the sign of unity would in some sense be negated.

While the GIRM notes that the deacon does the adminstering, RS does not necessarily make this distinction. We also need to bear in mind that the deacon, by virtue of his ordination, is an ordinary minister of Holy Communion.

 

[zab]

In all that pertains to Communion under both kinds, the Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America are to be followed (see nos. 27-54).

1. When Communion is distributed under both kinds,

1. 
   *]The chalice is usually administered by a deacon or, when no deacon is present, by a priest, or even by a duly instituted acolyte or another extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, or by a member of the faithful who in case of necessity has been entrusted with this duty for a single occasion;

 

[FrDavid96]

To set the scene: in our church on Sundays, there are four positions for Communion ministers: two at the front of the center aisle for Host ministers, and one at each corner where the transverse front aisle meets the side aisles, where cup ministers stand. Our pastor believes (due to something I think he misread) that the deacon is supposed to be a cup minister; so we end up with an extraordinary minister in front, next to the priest, ministering the Host, while the deacon is over on one side ministering one of the cups. To me, this looks funny; it seems more proper for the deacon to be in front, next to the priest, ministering the Host. (But I am a little OCD, so maybe it’s just my symmetry fetish!) Is there a document which clearly addresses this? Please provide references for me to give my pastor; he is a good man and is extremely compliant with Church directives, just brand-new at being a parish priest after 25+ years in the monastery. The deacon is a very humble man and too nice to say anything if anything should be said. Thank you for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

What we see here are two conflicting values.

On the one hand, the deacon is properly the minister of the Precious Blood. This goes back through the ages. It’s always been the deacon’s role to minister the chalice (even in times when it wasn’t actually happening, it was still the deacon’s role in theory).

On the other hand, the deacon, as an ordinary minister of Holy Communion, should be in the more central and primary location for distribution.

The Church doesn’t give actual directions as to who stands where, but as we’ve already seen posted, the use of extra-ordinary ministers is supposed to be reserved only for unusual circumstances.

An arrangement where the deacon is distributing the Precious Blood would be fine (that’s his role after all), but at the same time, so would an arrangement for the deacon to distribute the Hosts while standing next to the priest (to emphasize his role as an ordinary minister). At least as I see it, I don’t think it makes any difference to pick one way over another–other than the obvious that the pastor has his reason for picking a certain way.

 

[Diaconia]

The GIRM never envisioned an army of EMHC assisting with distribution of Communion.

The GIRM has two sections, one for Mass with a Deacon and one for Mass without a Deacon. In describing the deacon as minister of the chalice the GIRM envisions the priest distributing the Host. It also assumes one paten and one chalice – not four ciboria and eight chalices, for example.

If there are multiple positions for distributing the Body of the Lord the deacon should assist with that function before an EMHC. If there was just one ciborium the deacon should then minister the chalice (assuming Communion under both kinds).

Since all communicants will receive the Host, it is better that the deacon assist the priest in distributing that species. Many people do not drink from the chalice.

Moreover, distributing under both kinds just so as to “require” EMHC is an abuse. My own parish uses an [un-needed] “army” of EMHC every Mass - twelve of them, to be exact.

There is ***nothing ***extraordinary about them at my parish:

1. 
   *]They are incorrectly scheduled for each and every Mass
   *]They incorrectly approach the sanctuary during the Agnus Dei
   *]They illegally “bless” children and those not wanting to receive Communion in their lines
   *]They get miffed when an extra deacon or priest is present, thus displacing them
   
   Alas, this has struck a nerve with me.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

We do not distribute under both kinds primarily because of the danger of spilling, but also so that we don’t need a ‘army’ of any kind to distribute. This is paraphrased from my pastor–not reasoning I made up.

That said, our deacon does always proclaim the gospel and elevate the cup and at the time of distribution he is either in the central location with the presiding priest, or 2 priests are there. We use EMHCs at every Sunday Mass, but they never stand in the central distribution location.

In churches that do offer both species, many people bypass the cup (for their many different reasons) so although this is not theologically correct, in practicality it could be considered a “lesser” position.

 

[EasterJoy]

At our parish, deacons are first cup ministers, but whether or not the cup is offered, they always minister with precedence over lay people. We were taught that this is according to the GIRM.

For instance, at a Mass when the H1N1 thing was going, four stations for distributing under the species of bread were ministered by the pastor, a retired priest who was concelebrating at that Mass, the permanent deacon, and the transitional deacon. No EMsHC were used.

Had there been both species offered, one who had been lined up in case ministers were needed for the species of bread would have ceded to the priest, while two would have ceded distribution under the species of wine to the deacons. That is the norm. Even so, the EMsHC go whereever the main celebrant tells them to go. He ultimately decides whether and how many EMsHC are used at any particular Mass. I have only seen an ordinary minister sit while lay people ministered in one case: this priest’s knee had been badly injured and he was barely cleared by his doctor to say Mass at all. He was under orders to stay off his feet as much as possible.

The understanding is always that the scheduled EMsHC are provisional; that is, the hope is that they won’t be deemed necessary by the celebrant, because sufficient ordinary ministers happen to be present. If it becomes possible to regularly schedule ordinary ministers instead, there won’t be EMsHC at all, excepting possibly illness among the ordinary ministers. That is the general understanding.

 

[stephraim]

The GIRM never envisioned an army of EMHC assisting with distribution of Communion.

The GIRM has two sections, one for Mass with a Deacon and one for Mass without a Deacon. In describing the deacon as minister of the chalice the GIRM envisions the priest distributing the Host. It also assumes one paten and one chalice – not four ciboria and eight chalices, for example.

If there are multiple positions for distributing the Body of the Lord the deacon should assist with that function before an EMHC. If there was just one ciborium the deacon should then minister the chalice (assuming Communion under both kinds).

Since all communicants will receive the Host, it is better that the deacon assist the priest in distributing that species. Many people do not drink from the chalice.

Moreover, distributing under both kinds just so as to “require” EMHC is an abuse. My own parish uses an [un-needed] “army” of EMHC every Mass - twelve of them, to be exact.

There is ***nothing ***extraordinary about them at my parish:

1. 
   *]They are incorrectly scheduled for each and every Mass
   *]They incorrectly approach the sanctuary during the Agnus Dei
   *]They illegally “bless” children and those not wanting to receive Communion in their lines
   *]They get miffed when an extra deacon or priest is present, thus displacing them
   
   Alas, this has struck a nerve with me.

1. 
   I understand your pain and share it.

 

[EasterJoy]

There is ***nothing ***extraordinary about them at my parish:

1. 
   *]They are incorrectly scheduled for each and every Mass
   *]They incorrectly approach the sanctuary during the Agnus Dei
   *]They illegally “bless” children and those not wanting to receive Communion in their lines
   *]They get miffed when an extra deacon or priest is present, thus displacing them
   
   Alas, this has struck a nerve with me.

1. 
   I don’t have a problem with scheduling people you will need if you don’t have enough ordinary ministers. When all but one of the ordinary ministers keep flexible schedules, I don’t know what else can be done.
   
   I’m surprised at the getting miffed business. There is always pleasure among the extraordinary ministers when we have extra ordinary ministers at our place!Actually “extra” doesn’t even apply to the permanent deacon; many times, there is a scramble to fill his place if he is absent, since the scheduled EMHC often presumes that they won’t be needed. Would that there was no feeling of “extra” about it.
   
   Which brings a question: Who have you encouraged towards considering a vocation today?
   If we want EMsHC to truly be extraordinary, we’re going to have to work harder at filling and financially supporting those seminaries!

 

[TheDoctor]

The GIRM never envisioned an army of EMHC assisting with distribution of Communion.

Moreover, distributing under both kinds just so as to “require” EMHC is an abuse. My own parish uses an [un-needed] “army” of EMHC every Mass - twelve of them, to be exact.

There is ***nothing ***extraordinary about them at my parish:

1. 
   *]They are incorrectly scheduled for each and every Mass
   *]They incorrectly approach the sanctuary during the Agnus Dei
   *]They illegally “bless” children and those not wanting to receive Communion in their lines
   *]They get miffed when an extra deacon or priest is present, thus displacing them
   
   Alas, this has struck a nerve with me.

1. 
   No, Deacon, don’t hold back, how do you really feel?
   
   If you would permit me:
   1 - our Pastor has determined the number needed for each Mass. This is adjusted by the EMHC’s themselves. Perhaps this is just the way it was always done and can be discussed with the scheduling person?
   2, 3 - is this not a training issue that the pastor, or the person in charge of the EMHC must address? It seems easy enough to instruct the folks or is there some politics going on?
   4 - that sounds more like a problem with their instructions for being an EHMC and a sense of entitlement. Perhaps it is time for a new class of EHMC and some required re-training?
   
   By the way, just in case no one has said it in a while, thanks for serving the Church as a Deacon. The good that you do bring Jesus into the lives of our brothers and sisters.