" Why they’re called ‘extraordinary’"

  • Thread starter Thread starter ANNE_2
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I think basically any use of the EMHCs during the Mass is usually not needed unless there is a HUGE parish with only one priest.

We are receiving Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, not a little snack to munch on.

There are many different solutions to using EMHCs during Mass–such as altar rails, getting rid of communion under both kinds, etc.
 
“These ministers should not approach the altar before the priest has received Communion, and they are always to receive from the hands of the priest celebrant the vessel containing either species of the Most Holy Eucharist for distribution to the faithful.”
And this precision of the GIRM simply develops what was stated by the Holy See in 1997: “To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated where such have emerged in particular Churches: – extraordinary ministers receiving Holy Communion apart from the other faithful as though concelebrants.”

Does this mean they shouldn’t be up on the altar when they receive?
 
It seems to me that the most compelling reason to use extraordinary ministers is for the sake of efficiency and reducing the time spent in the distribution of Holy Communion so that the Mass “doesn’t drag on for more than an hour.” Personally, I think it is fine for the Mass to “drag on” since Our Lord’s Passion on the Cross “dragged on” for three hours. Moreover, if we are interested in squeezing the Mass into 60 minutes on Sunday, it would be better to compress the hymns and Responsorial Psalm, than to compress the sacred moment of Holy Communion.

I liked this statement.
 
maryjk said:
🍿🍿🍿
Click to expand...
Save some for me. 😃

I thought they were called “extraordinary” because they’re so special and so much better than the blasé and boring “ordinary”. 😛

I kid! I kid!

It’s difficult to issue blanket condemnations when the practice is allowed. Is it used more often that it should? Certainly. Would I personally find a half-hour long Communion procession conducive to entering into the Most Sacred Mysteries? Not with my squirmy 2 year old at hand! :o
 
anp1215 said:
Does this mean they shouldn’t be up on the altar when they receive?
Click to expand...
I’m not sure if there are any stipulations on this or not. My guess is that they should not be. But I would certainly prefer that to them all standing up there like concelebrants before the priest receives.

Back in the days before more guidance was given, the pastor at the parish I grew up in used to have all the EMHC’s come up into the sanctuary during the sign of peace and he would actually distribute Communion to us during the Agnus Dei so that we could all partake once he did (he did this only to save time, not because of any wacky theological agenda). Of course, as it is so ingrained in me to immediately consume the host, my first time as EMHC, I consumed right then and there during the Agnus Dei before the priest did! :eek: 😊 Thankfully, once some statements came out with more specifics, he stopped that practice.

I like the way my present parish does it. The EMHC’s sit wherever they normally sit (they don’t process in or anything). Once the priest has received, they come forward but do not enter the sanctuary. The priest distributes Communion to all of them and then hands them each a ciborium or chalice and they go to their places.
 
Joe_5859 said:
I’m not sure if there are any stipulations on this or not. My guess is that they should not be. But I would certainly prefer that to them all standing up there like concelebrants before the priest receives.

Back in the days before more guidance was given, the pastor at the parish I grew up in used to have all the EMHC’s come up into the sanctuary during the sign of peace and he would actually distribute Communion to us during the Agnus Dei so that we could all partake once he did (he did this only to save time, not because of any wacky theological agenda). Of course, as it is so ingrained in me to immediately consume the host, my first time as EMHC, I consumed right then and there during the Agnus Dei before the priest did! :eek: 😊 Thankfully, once some statements came out with more specifics, he stopped that practice.

I like the way my present parish does it. The EMHC’s sit wherever they normally sit (they don’t process in or anything). Once the priest has received, they come forward but do not enter the sanctuary. The priest distributes Communion to all of them and then hands them each a ciborium or chalice and they go to their places.
Click to expand...
I’m trying to remember how I’ve seen it done. I was going to a large parish (I believe there were 4,500 registered families, 6 masses to fulfill the obligation, 3 priests, 7 deacons) and I think the way it happened was that during the agnus dei, the EMHCS would come out of the pews (they were scattered throughout) go up to the altar, and form a semi-circle around the priest. Then after the priest consumed, he would give communion to the deacon(s), and then the deacon and priest would give communion to the EMs. Then they each received a chalice or ciborium and went to their appropriate places.
 
Joe_5859 said:
Save some for me. 😃
I thought they were called “extraordinary” because they’re so special and so much better than the blasé and boring “ordinary”. 😛
I kid! I kid!]
It’s difficult to issue blanket condemnations when the practice is allowed. Is it used more often that it should? Certainly. Would I personally find a half-hour long Communion procession conducive to entering into the Most Sacred Mysteries? Not with my squirmy 2 year old at hand! :o
Click to expand...
The practice of using extra-oridinary ministers when not absolutely needed has not nor has ever been approved.

VATICAN web site - **INSTRUCTION Redemptionis Sacramentum ** On certain matters to be observed or to be avoidedregarding the Most Holy Eucharist

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html

" [157.] If there is usually present a sufficient number of sacred ministers for the distribution of Holy Communion, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may not be appointed.
Indeed, in such circumstances, those who may have already been appointed to this ministry should not exercise it.
The practice of those Priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons.[258]

[158.] Indeed, the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may administer Communion **only -
**when the Priest and Deacon are lacking,
when the Priest is prevented by weakness or advanced age or some other genuine reason,
or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the very celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged.[259]
This, however, is to be understood in such a way that a brief prolongation, considering the circumstances and culture of the place, is not at all a sufficient reason. "
 
Ok, being an Extraordinary Minister myself, I might be a little biased in my opinion, but here goes…

I feel Extraordinary Ministers definitely have a place in the Church today, though I don’t think anyone here is going to argue that they should be done away with completely.

Do I feel they are overused? At times, yes. My personal experiences:
  • First, at my high school (catholic), we had Mass a few times a year. There are 1,000+ students in the school and at most, we had a priest and a deacon at the Mass. In addition, Masses were held during the school day, which entailed a time limitation, as students had to be dismissed within a certain period of time. During these Masses, we had 5-6 EMs (of which I was one, in my senior year). Do I believe they were necessary? Yes, in this situation.
  • Secondly, at my college, we have a Catholic Campus Ministry (which I am very involved in). We have Masses on the weekends. During these Masses, we have roughly 100+ people, and only 1 priest. We usually have 2-3 EMs, two for the Sacred Blood, and one for the Precious Body. Because we have a very diverse campus community, we have to offer both species, because there are those on campus that are not able to receive under the species of bread, for health reasons (Celiac disease, to name one). Now… there aren’t any time restrictions on Mass (it’s college :D). Is it necessary to have up to 3 EMs for only about 100+ people? At one time, I would have said yes, but recently I talked with a friend and he stated that if there are only that many people, why can’t the priest do it? I can say that I agree with him. There could be at most 1 EM for the Precious Blood, and then I don’t see why the priest can’t give out the Precious Body for everyone else. I plan on talking with our priest (Campus minister) about this, to see what he thinks.
Sometimes I feel as though the training and formation for EMs is a little bit short, at least depending on the diocese/bishop. Personally, my initial training as an EM was in my senior year of HS, which lasted for about an hour and a half after the school day was done, and was done by a deacon, and then later approved by the bishop. I feel this was a little too short. However, I have also learned that there are longer (all-day) programs in my own diocese for training and formation of EMs (which I plan on attending 👍). Supposedly, I would receive a certificate from this training session, that I would then be able to present to a different diocese and be able to EM in that diocese/parish, pending bishop’s approval, of course. I am not 100% sure about that, so correct me if I’m wrong (and I guess I’ll find out when I go to the program).

Now, this topic has got me thinking, and now I want to do more research into this matter. I have found a good link that seems to explain it well: ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/EXTRMIN.HTM

So, that’s what I think. They are necessary in some occasions, depending on the situation, and there should be strict guidelines for their training.

*EDIT: Thinking about it more, I’m starting to get all bothered about the number of EMs used on our campus ministry! The issue’s got me all flustered. :hypno:
 
anp1215 said:
I’m trying to remember how I’ve seen it done. I was going to a large parish (I believe there were 4,500 registered families, 6 masses to fulfill the obligation, 3 priests, 7 deacons) and I think the way it happened was that during the agnus dei, the EMHCS would come out of the pews (they were scattered throughout) go up to the altar, and form a semi-circle around the priest. Then after the priest consumed, he would give communion to the deacon(s), and then the deacon and priest would give communion to the EMs. Then they each received a chalice or ciborium and went to their appropriate places.
Click to expand...
You are listed as Christian. Are you Catholic?
 
Immaculata90 said:
I think basically any use of the EMHCs during the Mass is usually not needed unless there is a HUGE parish with only one priest.

We are receiving Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, not a little snack to munch on.

There are many different solutions to using EMHCs during Mass–such as altar rails, getting rid of communion under both kinds, etc.
Click to expand...
i agree.

at EVERY Church i have been to in the last several yrs… which is plenty since i often travel, there are EM’s all over the place, even in very small parishes

i have seen them at Mass where there were only 5 people attending:shrug:
 
We seat about 1500 in our church. One Holy day of obligation, not a Sunday as I recall there were no extraordinary ministers to be found. It was a bit confusing at first as to how people filtered down to the main isle, but people figured it out quietly and orderly. It really wasn’t that much more time. One thing I noticed was it gave people more time to reflect in silence after receiving the Eucharist. We had “more time” on our knees to pray/reflect. Very nice.
 
turtleoompa said:
We seat about 1500 in our church. One Holy day of obligation, not a Sunday as I recall there were no extraordinary ministers to be found. It was a bit confusing at first as to how people filtered down to the main isle, but people figured it out quietly and orderly. It really wasn’t that much more time. One thing I noticed was it gave people more time to reflect in silence after receiving the Eucharist. We had “more time” on our knees to pray/reflect. Very nice.
Click to expand...
Was the church full, like it would be on a Sunday? Was there another Mass scheduled right after the Mass that you attended? What about Religious Ed?

That and more is why some churches can’t afford “more time on our knees.”
 
The number of EMHC’s on any given Sunday doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the illicit blessing they give in the communion line! :rolleyes:
 
As I recall we were not totally full, like people standing in the back on Easter. But there was about 2/3 full in the pews. It was just a really odd day during the week that no EOEucharistic Ministers were not to be found. We are a very active parish and they plan ahead. So I don’t know what happened. It was really unusual. My husband and I used to be EOEM, but we stopped volunteering due to abuses. Some that we have help fix and some that continue to this day. The abuses all involve the EOEM position. We are Catechists now. We find it very fulfilling.
 
I am an EMHC at a large parish. 5,000 registered families 4 Sunday morning Masses (6 total on Sundays) We do not distribute the Precious Blood, but we still schedule EMHCs at every Sunday Mass. Usually it ends up being 4 clergy and 4 EMHCs. Sometimes there are more than 4 clergy present, in which case an EMHC steps back. More often, not all 4 clergy can be at every Sunday Mass and then we either distribute with fewer than 8 (at the less populous Masses) or more EMHCs come up (for the most populous Masses). We receive extensive training from both the diocese and our pastor, and he selects all the EMHCs personally. I don’t believe we abuse the role at all, especially when you see how many sick and homebound our parish has (including a nursing home and retirement community). It does sound like other parishes do, and I applaud those who approach their pastor about it. Either for more training, better rules about when/how they should be used, or to stop the distribution of the Precious Blood.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top