Who should pick up the host?

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Reuben_J

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The host slipped from his hand just after the communicant received it. It fell on the floor right there, in front of the EHMC. For a split moment, everybody seemed stunt, not doing anything. There were many long communion lines and it was particularly busy at the Holy Communion.

What should be done here?

Can the EHMC asked the altar boy that stand by him to pick it up and gave it back to the communicant so as not to disrupt the flow in the queue?

Your thought.
 
I would do it so he wasn’t trampled. Anyway, I receive on the tongue, and the priest once dropped the host. He did some ninja moves and consumed the host. THAT was the right thing to do. I felt so badly about it. And I told him.
 
I’ve always received on the tongue and never touched the Eucharist with my hands, personal practice and belief here. The one time I touched the Eucharist with my hands (I was the MC at my Church) when a fellow altar boy walked up to me and showed me a host in his hands where he said he found it next to the tabernacle (must have fell out of the ciborium at some point) the priests were in the confessional so I took it from his hands and received it myself and made sure he licked his fingers :o

In this situation I would say anyone pick Our Lord up from the floor to avoid desecration. Heck, one time I saw the Precious Blood spilled by an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist during Mass and she quickly wiped it up with no care or attention and after Mass I walked up to that same spot I saw much of the Precious Blood still on the floor and reported it to the sacristan and the priest to clean up properly so nobody could trample on it.
 
When I was at mass at the previous parish I was a member of, a woman who was going up to receive was carrying a young toddler up with her who was being quite squirmy, and as his mother was receiving he smacked the ciborium out of the EMHC’s hand and all of the hosts fell on the floor. I couldn’t quite see what happened after that, but I think they picked up all of the hosts, and after communion the priest asked everyone to stay away from the area so he could properly cleanse it after mass.
 
The communicant can do it.

The minister can do it.

The altar boy assisting can do it.

Accidents happen. Everyone I’m sure has sufficient good faith to do their best to prevent desecration. The good Lord requires nothing more than that.

Disrupting the queue is HARDLY a reason to take some extra time to recover the sacred species.

And no one is required to receive a contaminated Host. A knowledgeable minister or server will know to wrap it in a cloth when possible and take it away for disposition. The communicant can always receive a fresh Host.
 
Reuben_J said:
The host slipped from his hand just after the communicant received it. It fell on the floor right there, in front of the EHMC. For a split moment, everybody seemed stunt, not doing anything. There were many long communion lines and it was particularly busy at the Holy Communion.

What should be done here?

Can the EHMC asked the altar boy that stand by him to pick it up and gave it back to the communicant so as not to disrupt the flow in the queue?

Your thought.
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The minister should himself/herself pick up the Host. Typically I would not give the fallen Host to the person.

At the moment, one has to deal with the accident. The fact that there is a line or that it is busy is not consequential.

If the minister, or more likely the celebrant, has to take more action, then the other ministers would have to resolve the situation of those desiring and waiting to receive while what is necessary is done regarding the fallen Host by one who knows what to do and is capable of doing it.

I am not sure why one who is both trained and experienced would react by being stunned. It does not happen regularly but often enough that stunned would be an abnormal reaction, at best. In my experience it was almost invariably because the communicant was receiving upon the tongue.
 
  • In my parish, the EMHC, are trained to pick up the fallen host and either hold on to the host and return it to the priest celebrant, consume the host ourself, or offer it back to the communicant. I’ve only seen this happen twice in my parish and both time the person who was receiving the host knelt down, picked up the host, and consumed it.
  • IMHO: Let the line wait, it doesn’t take but just a second to do…
 
Thanks, guys, for your responses. 🙂 👍

@ Fr Don Ruggerro. Is it permissible for the helpers, eg. altar boy or warden, to pick up the fallen host other than the EHMC/priest himself?
 
Up until a year ago, I never saw it happen. I am blessed to be able to attend mass each day and I pay more attention now. On average, I see it happen about once per week.

On Saturday at daily mass, a lady dropped the host and was about to retrieve it and the priest said, “That’s OK, I’ve got it.” He consumed it and gave her another host.

Another parishioner dropped the host and knelt down and consumed it himself.

A host fell and the eucharist minister picked it up and held onto it until the line ended and gave it to the priest to consume.

One time while I was driving,. In my mind, I saw a certain priest celebrating mass and the eucharist falling. (I had just begun attending daily mass and the schedule for the celebrants is ever changing). It was really strange because I had a feeling that this was 100% going to happen. At mass, the celebrant that I saw in my mind was there. I saw a lady who was the last person in the communion line. She turned the corner and I thought, “I guess I was wrong!”. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. She was carrying a pyx (a container used to transport the Body of Christ to the sick or homebound) and it had fallen to the ground. 🤷
 
Up until a year ago, I never saw it happen. I am blessed to be able to attend mass each day and I pay more attention now. On average, I see it happen about once per week.

On Saturday at daily mass, a lady dropped the host and was about to retrieve it and the priest said, “That’s OK, I’ve got it.” He consumed it and gave her another host.

Another parishioner dropped the host and knelt down and consumed it himself.

A host fell and the eucharist minister picked it up and held onto it until the line ended and gave it to the priest to consume.

One time while I was driving,. In my mind, I saw a certain priest celebrating mass and the eucharist falling. (I had just begun attending daily mass and the schedule for the celebrants is ever changing). It was really strange because I had a feeling that this was 100% going to happen. At mass, the celebrant that I saw in my mind was there. I saw a lady who was the last person in the communion line. She turned the corner and I thought, “I guess I was wrong!”. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. She was carrying a pyx (a container used to transport the Body of Christ to the sick or homebound) and it had fallen to the ground. 🤷
 
Apparently, some years ago, my son in law actually dived and caught the falling Eucharist.

However, to do this he dropped the ripidion (cherubic fan) he was holding, which fell on his brother . . .

:eek:

hawk
 
It happened to me once. I was receiving in the hand and the priest instead of placing the Host in my hand, dropped it into my hand and it landed on its edge and bounced onto the floor. The priest was elderly so I immediately pickup up the Host and was going to consume it but he held out his hand for it so I gave it back to him and he gave me another one.

On another occasion our deacon accidentally bumped the ciborium he was holding against the side of the altar and some Hosts fell onto the floor. Our pastor immediately knelt down, consumed the Hosts and kissed the floor. How I miss that priest!
 
Anne1964 said:
It happened to me once. I was receiving in the hand and the priest instead of placing the Host in my hand, dropped it into my hand and it landed on its edge and bounced onto the floor. The priest was elderly so I immediately pickup up the Host and was going to consume it but he held out his hand for it so I gave it back to him and he gave me another one.

On another occasion our deacon accidentally bumped the ciborium he was holding against the side of the altar and some Hosts fell onto the floor. Our pastor immediately knelt down, consumed the Hosts and kissed the floor. How I miss that priest!
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Right in the Feels ! God Bless him where ever he is ! 👍
 
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