There has been criticism of the Church’s implementation of a decades old papal document regarding Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion on the parish level. Critics feel that the over reliance on Eucharistic Ministers (EM) violates the Pope’s original intention. This ignores the fact that there aren’t enough priests and deacons to alleviate the need for EMs. A lot has changed in fifty years.
Overcoming My Own Hesitation To Be A Eucharistic Minister
My own hesitation in becoming an EM reflected my Catholic instinct that this should be left to the clergy. I felt that your average man or woman is probably unfit for the job and that a more saintly person is needed. Having experienced times in my life when I failed to live up to my religion, I felt inadequate.
In 1973 Pope Paul VI issued the document Immensae Caritatis or “Immense Love “ addressing the role that Ministers of Holy Communion would play in the Catholic Church. His goal was to facilitate the distribution of Sacramental Communion in special circumstances,under the direction of the Bishop.
According to the Diocese of Rockville Center Office of Worship , Ministers of Holy Communion may be used whenever Bishops , Priests, and Deacons (Ordinary Ministers) are not available or when the number of communicants is so great that administering the Sacrament in a reasonable time is not feasible. Extraordinary Ministers in are not to be used at a celebration at which a sufficient number of ordinary ministers are present and able to function.”
My diocese specifies that a candidate for this ministry must be a practicing Catholic in good standing, at least 18 years of age, or a high school senior, and a parish resident. Such a candidate must have a good reputation and his or her appointment should not cause “wonderment” among the people. If married, their marital status must be “canonically valid.”
After retiring, I searched for ways to serve God more deeply. I began the process of becoming an EM.
The Process To Become A Eucahristic Minister
This entailed writing a letter to my pastor, indicating my reasons for seeking the appointment and specifying personal qualities that would recommend me for it. My pastor then had to write to the Bishop in order to get his approval of my application. Upon such approval, the Diocesan Office of Worship scheduled my training.
The training involved two separate classes. The first is required for all who seek to be an EM and includes instruction on Eucharistic Theology, Eucharistic Spirituality, and liturgical norms on distributing Communion. It concludes with a practical session to enforce what is learned.
The second class is meant for ministers to the sick and homebound. The presentation explored the theology of human sickness, hospital procedures, and information on visiting the homebound. This presentation interested me the most since my mother had depended upon a Eucharistic Minister for weekly reception until she passed away at 95. I wanted to do for others what was done for her. I wanted to bring Jesus to people in similar circumstances. Upon completion of the training, EMs are commissioned at a Mass in their parish, employing an appropriate rite. They are then issued ID cards and begin service.
I began serving at Mass to gain experience handling the Eucharist within the Church setting. I saw an email from the director of the Birchwood Ministry, which brings Holy Communion to Catholic residents of the nearby Birchwood Suites Assisted Living facility. I decided to put my doubts aside and extend myself further to bring Jesus to people who could not get to Mass themselves due to age or infirmity. Until then, I had been making excuses not to serve for too long. I needed to act.
Bringing Jesus To Those In Need
I joined the ministry and met the director and the other EMs. I was assigned a partner and we began attending the 9:00 am Mass on Wednesday, once a month. At the end of Mass, the priest calls us up to the altar and instructs us to bring Communion to those people who are homebound and in need of the Sacrament. We accept the Hosts contained within two pyxes, vessels used to hold sacred Hosts when taken out of the Church. The vessels are placed in a burse carried around each of our necks. We don’t put The Body of Christ down in the car and never stop anywhere other than our destination. We can never go on errands or anywhere else while carrying the Hosts.
When we arrive at the facility, we go to a designated common area where Catholic residents assemble, mostly in wheelchairs. Soft religious music plays and we talk to them socially while waiting to start our service. The short service we do follows the pattern of Mass, excluding sermon, Consecration, and clerical blessing.
Communion is distributed at the appropriate point, and we offer each Catholic in the group the option to receive. If a person is too infirm to consume a whole Host, we carefully break one in half over the pyx to safeguard any particles. After the Concluding Rite, we say goodbye to those residents in the common area who always seem very happy to have received.
The final stop is the dementia ward. The residents are all cognitively impaired in varying degrees, but some are Catholic. It is a profound experience to see how some respond to the question “do you wish to receive ?“ as lifelong familiarity merges with reverent awareness of the sacred. There is no greater privilege for an EM than to be an instrument for bringing our Lord to people suffering so greatly.
After we leave, one of us will return to the parish office or rectory with the pyxes, which must be purified by a priest, who will safeguard any remaining Hosts. Any partially consumed Host must be dissolved in an ablution bowl and ultimately poured into the Sacrarium, which is a sink that drains into the ground instead of a septic system.
For practicing Catholics who are considering this ministry but doubt themselves, it’s important to consider the paradoxical nature of holiness. Without humility, holiness can turn into arrogance. The way to approach the ministry is with great humility and reverence. Praying before the Tabernacle or attending Adoration at your church are great ways of increasing devotion. If you find yourself feeling totally qualified, you need to step back. No one is.
It is both a sacred and humbling experience to bring the Body of Christ to people who cannot get to Church. I don’t believe any human being is worthy of the task, but we must remember Jesus’ admonition to all people to practice humility. Only by doing so, and by displaying the proper reverence and respect for the Sacrament, can we possibly fulfill our duty and obligation. Jesus knows my limitations and I feel that He wants me to rise above them, with his help. I consider it a privilege to serve Him.
