Women Acolytes

[Cavaille-Coll]

If the Church did institute female acolytes, would we have to call them wacolytes?

 

[Phemie]

That is the same person that in the same page writes down:

"Eucharistic Ministry to the Homebound

Deacons and other members of the community visit the home- bound and take them the Eucharist. Training is provided."

It looks like that she does not understand that only a priest or bishop can be an Eucharistic Minister.

It is just improper use of ecclesiastical terms, and it is embarrassing that it is on the diocesan web site.

To be perfectly fair it’s probably because the original translation of the document that allowed EMHCs used the term “special ministers of the Eucharist”. They may not have updated their own diocesan documents in recent years.

After RS came out I started using the term EMHC (in full) in the parish bulletin and in the schedules. My pastor ordered me to stop it and refer to them as Eucharistic Ministers. Someone with way more education that I have on the subject spoke to him to remind him that the Church only refers to priest & bishops that way but he never rescinded his order. It’s only been in the last year or so, since we changed pastors, that I’ve been able to use the proper term.

 

[CatholicLife]

If the Church did institute female acolytes, would we have to call them wacolytes?

 

[boatbearer]

"Ministry of Adult Acolyte

The acolyte is instituted to serve at the altar and to assist the priest and deacon. In particular, it is his/her responsibility to prepare the altar and the sacred vessels and, if it is necessary, as an extraordinary minister, to distribute the Eucharist to the faithful."

Carmen the director is mistaken. As it is right now the Church does not permanently institute females as acolytes. She needs to correct the website.

 

[ChemicalBean]

If the Church did institute female acolytes, would we have to call them wacolytes?

only if you concurrently referred to male acolytes from that point on as macolytes

 

[Cristiano]

I wish people could get over this. Yes, “Eucharistic Minister” is not the best term for the role, but it is a common one, and when someone uses it that doesn’t mean we need to respond as though they had said “priest” and then feign puzzlement over how they could have had a female/teenage priest, etc. That’s just annoying.

Also, the website is not an embarrassment. Taking Holy Communion to the homebound is a ministry, and it relates to the Eucharist, but the website does not even call such people “Eucharistic Ministers.” In fact, you’ve conveniently left out the paragraph directly above the one you quoted:
Ministry of Holy Communion
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion serve “the one Bread” and “the cup of blessing” to our parish family. Their service at the Lord’s table grows out of reverence of the sacrament and the people they serve. Training is provided for this ministry.
Nothing embarrassing there.

1- I think that the diocesan web site is representative of the Bishop, the teaching authority. If there are mistakes, it reflects poorly on the teaching authority. I think that while the lay people can use inappropriate ecclesiastical terms in an internet forum, the internet formal interface of the teaching authority should not be allowed to have that kind of mistakes.

2- That was not the only error in that page and it shows a lack of respect to the readers that would use that information as the first source of reference for their inquires.

3- I do not know why you are stating that the web site is an embarrassment, no on else did. I did not left out anything, I was just referring to sentence. It is a short page and anyone can read the whole page if they are interested in the discussion, no need to copy it in any post, that is why we have links.