[NYer]

For the benefit of our non catholic freeper friends, the church teaches and catholics believe that during the consecration, the host becomes the Living Presence of Jesus Christ. The church Sacristy is outfitted with a special sink for rinsing the chalice, in order to catch any particle that might remain in the cup.

Prior to Vatican II, only the priest was allowed to touch the host.

Vatican II introduced the concept of the Eucharistic Minister

[NYer]

"a woman of outstanding piety may be chosen in case of necessity, that is, whenever another fit person cannot be found."

One of our female Eucharistic Ministers has been married and divorced twice. She has just moved into a new home that she and her future (3rd) husband are building.

the lived reality in the United States has had negative consequences. The above clearly defined circumstances notwithstanding, it has become routine in most parishes to have Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist assist with the distribution of Holy Communion, regardless of the number of communicants or available clergy--even for small daily Mass congregations.

We have a visiting seminarian this summer. Not even he is allowed to distribute communion. Only the Eucharistic Ministers.

[Polycarp]

Good research, good job! Bumping...

[Salvation]

I am a Eucharistic minister at my church and I consider it a great privilege. The power of the Eucharist is so evident in the eyes of the believers as they receive the 'Body of Christ' or 'Blood of Christ'.

For our non-Catholic friends, those are the proclaimations that the priest or Eucharistic gives to each person who receives Communion respectively for the bread (hosts) and the wine.

Also at our church everyone is encouraged to be very reverent and to nod in reverence to the Holy Eucharist (not the priest or the person distributing the bread or the wine), but to the true presence of Christ in this Sacrament of Holy Eucharist.

Think how you would greet Christ if he were there in person!

Also, for our non-Catholic friends, all Catholics used to kneel down at a Communion rail that separated the priest from the congregation before Vatican II.

So therefore, a nod of respect and reverence is definitely called for. If we can be the examples of this in our parishes it would be great.

This show of reverence has come down in a mandate from the Holy See through the USCCB - a letter from Bishop Wilton Gregory on the proper procedures surrounding the celebration of the Mass. Mention it to your priest, and if the reverence is not occurring in your parish, ask him to check out the letter and think about it. (BTW, if I had a scanner, I would scan the letter in, because I have a copy of the whole thing, Latin letter, English letter from the Vatican and the letter and list of instructions sent out by Gregory.)

[St.Chuck]

At daily masses, I have seen half the congregation swarm the sanctuary to be E.M.'s. I am always left with the impression that the priest is too busy to be bothered with distributing communion. The quicker we can get it distributed, the quicker we can get out of here. The whole idea diminishes belief in the real presence and the holy orders of the priest. It has done more harm than good.

[Dajjal]

Vatican II introduced the concept of the Eucharistic Minister.

If memory serves, V2 doesn't say anything about them. The concept of "extrordinary ministers" started cropping up without permission in the '70s, I think, alongside communion in the hand, also without permission. Then both eventually became regularized, and soon enough the "extraordinary" ministers became commonplace.

SmedleyButler, thanks for that list!

[Salvation]

See #6

[Steve0113]

ping

[narses]

Ping.

[narses]

Ping.

[Thorondir]

I thought ordained deacons could distribute the Holy Eucharist prior to VII.