[Alex Murphy]

I greatly appreciate both of your candid answers.

Campion: Anyone is a valid minister of baptism.
sitetest: ...any human being may be the valid minister of baptism (at least in the Latin Rite).

Message received. I profess I still don't understand why that's the case for baptism, but not for the Eucharist, but message received. If either of you can explain it, please feel free to.

[Campion]

I profess I still don't understand why that's the case for baptism, but not for the Eucharist, but message received. If either of you can explain it, please feel free to.

The short answer is "sacred tradition".

The questions have been asked and answered before. The conclusion has always been that anyone could baptize, but a valid Eucharist requires a validly ordained priest. Similarly, any priest can confect the Eucharist, but a bishop is required to ordain.

There's basically a rank order involved:

1. Baptism can be administered by anyone
2. (At least in Latin theology) Two baptized people can marry each other. A priest is not required (a deacon can licitly and validly perform a wedding, and in extremis -- a "Gilligan's Island" situation -- no cleric is required at all).
3. Excepting the preceding two sacraments and ordination, the other 4 sacraments require a priest
4. Ordination requires a bishop.

[technochick99]

In the Eucharistic Celebration, the priest acts as Alter Christus (I think that's the Latin) - namely he acts as the stand-in for Christ. This is necessary, in our beliefs.

While it is preferred that baptism be performed by a priest, it is not 100% necessary, because one is not acting as Christ. I don't know why that is exactly, my guess would be that if it was OK for St. John the Baptist to do it....