You're a priest (or a deacon or an EMHC) and someone comes up during communion for a blessing. What would you do?

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AHapka said:
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Not that I would do it in the context of Mass as an EMHC, as I believe it would be giving scandal.

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Code:
A scandal??? Do we not think that this is overly dramatic?

When my pastor comes back from holidays, I will ask him about the book of blessings. I will also bring this up to my SD.

In the meantime, I will believe Jimmy Akin. We are not Apologists, but he is and he knows what he is talking about.👍
 
Shoshana said:
Code:
A scandal??? Do we not think that this is overly dramatic?

When my pastor comes back from holidays, I will ask him about the book of blessings. I will also bring this up to my SD.

In the meantime, I will believe Jimmy Akin. We are not Apologists, but he is and he knows what he is talking about.👍
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Apologist is not an official title given by an accredited institute of education. Anybody can call himself an apologist. Any Catholic should be an apologist. Jimmy Akin is a very good one.
 
Lepanto said:
Imagine you’re a priest (or a deacon or an EMHC) and someone comes up during communion for a blessing. What would you do?

Would you impart a blessing? Would it matter if you were ordained or not?

-OR-

Would you politely decline the blessing? If so, how? And how would you do so without embarassing or angering the person?
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I have been an Eucharistic Minister many times and I have always imparted a blessing. Ordained or not it is pretty common in most parishes in the region.
 
NewUlm1976_2000 said:
I have been an Eucharistic Minister many times and I have always imparted a blessing. Ordained or not it is pretty common in most parishes in the region.
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Thank you father for helping those that are not clear on what to do when it is communion time.
 
NewUlm1976_2000 said:
I have been an Eucharistic Minister many times and I have always imparted a blessing. Ordained or not it is pretty common in most parishes in the region.
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do you understand that you do not have the athority to bless anyone. Unless you left out the part where you are an ordained person.
 
Bishop Olmstead of Phoenix actually addressed this very topic. He instructed that the Communion line is not an appropriate place for blessings, nor are non-ordained qualified to give them. So priests, deacons, and EMHCs alike are to say, “Receive Jesus in your heart,” to any person with crossed arms or who makes it obvious they are not receiving. I am not an EMHC but a Lector, so I heard the discussion of this at a ministry meeting.
 
duskyjewel said:
Bishop Olmstead of Phoenix actually addressed this very topic. He instructed that the Communion line is not an appropriate place for blessings, nor are non-ordained qualified to give them. So priests, deacons, and EMHCs alike are to say, “Receive Jesus in your heart,” to any person with crossed arms or who makes it obvious they are not receiving. I am not an EMHC but a Lector, so I heard the discussion of this at a ministry meeting.
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Lector, or lay reader?😉
 
Well, I had training and had to take the diocesan safe environment training, and they call me a Lector, so that is what I am, I guess. 😃
 
I have never heard the term “lay reader” so I didn’t know there was a difference. 🤷 Thanks for the link. Back to regularly scheduled programming…
 
Cristiano said:
Apologist is not an official title given by an accredited institute of education. Anybody can call himself an apologist. Any Catholic should be an apologist. Jimmy Akin is a very good one.
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Code:
And in the meantime I will listen to what he has to say. I get tired of Cathoplics who are more catholic than the rubrics!!!:mad:
 
Wow! Some of y’all are kind of mean about this! I had no idea it upset SO many people when adults went up to recieve a blessing during Communion! When I began RCIA last August, one of the first things our Pastor told us was that we could go up for a blessing during Communion if we wanted to. Sometimes I did, mostly depending on where I was sitting, and sometimes I stayed in the pew.

I travel a LOT for work, and have had the privilege of visiting churches all over the country, including many well-known Parishes, Cathedrals and Shrines. I cannot even begin to count at how many different churches I’ve heard some one make an announcement inviting anyone who wasn’t reciving Communion to come forward for a blessing. I would think that if it were such a major transgression as many of you make it out be, that I wouldn’t be observing this all over the country with such regularity!

Anyway, I guess it doesn’t really affect me now as I’ve made Confirmation and can receive. But to answer the original question, I’ve only ever seen the Priest or Deacon bless anybody and during my time in RCIA I made it a point to be in their lines if I went up for a blessing. It never ocurred to me to go up to an EMHC. I’ll be going through training to be and EMHC myself in a couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see if people come to me for a blessing. If they do, I suppose I’ll do as I’m instructed, but I think that “Receive the Lord in your heart” sounds good. In any case, I will certainly treat them with the warmth and love that I would hope to be treated with. Who am I to judge some one’s desire to receive a blessing? 🤷
 
This is an interesting topic. At my church there is a note taped in the back of our Missal that says something about non Catholic Christians not being able to join in recieving the Eucharist but are encouraged to come up for a blessing. This applies also to people that are not in a position for whatever reason to recieve communion. THere is no age restriction given.The EMHC’s give this blessing as well as the Priest and Deacon.

Now with that said - I would and will likely just remain in the pew.
 
Cristiano said:
Only Bishops and Priests can be Eucharistic Ministers. If you are an Eucharistic Minister then you are either a Bishop or a Priest.
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the fellow said he was a eucharistic minister. I do think he is referring to what we both were referring to as extraordariny minister. If a person is a priest they tend to just say the are a priest. perhaps we can get a clarification.
 
Cristiano said:
Only Bishops and Priests can be Eucharistic Ministers. If you are an Eucharistic Minister then you are either a Bishop or a Priest.
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okay now that I look at it the quote was “have been a eucharistic minister MANY TIMES”. unless he made a slip or I misunderstand this man is not a priest.
 
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