Eucharistic
Ministers of Holy Communion
are lay parishioners who assist with the distribution of the Body and
Blood of Christ during Mass or who bring Holy Communion to the sick and
home-bound.
Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion must be fully initiated into
the Church with the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist,
be of sufficient Christian maturity with a definite and continuing
relationship to the parish, and with a character and way of life that
reflects a serious and well-formed faith and moral commitment.
They must be in good standing in the Church.
Ministers of Holy Communion are expected to dress appropriately for
their ministry. Shorts are not suitable clothing for either men
or women while serving as Eucharistic Ministers. Proper clothes
should be worn to show reverence for your service.
Arrive 15 minutes before Mass so that you will have time to get a cross
to wear showing you are the Eucharistic Ministers for that mass and
have time for prayerful preparation prior to the procession. The
Eucharistic Ministers need to remain after Mass to prepare for the next
Mass, or if necessary, to put the sacred vessels away.
Qualities of a
Eucharistic Minister The faithful who are special ministers
of communion must be persons whose good qualities of Christian life,
faith and morals recommend them. They should strive to be worthy
of this great office, foster their own devotion to the Eucharist, and
show an example to the rest of the faithful by their own devotion and
reverence toward the sacrament.
Humility
This ministry is about service not self-importance. They may
serve in homes and hospitals where people are sick or unable to come to
church.
Hospitality
We should welcome those who approach the Lord’s table. Even
though this is not done in words it may be shown through our
posture. This means reverent and cordial tone of voice,
unhurried, warm smile and eye contact.
Gratitude
Eucharist comes from a Greek work meaning thanks. Giving praise
and thanks in the Eucharist is central and essential action of the
church.
Reverence
We should treat the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist with utmost
reverence. How we walk and hold our bodies as we receive the Body
and the Blood of Christ, the gestures that we make as we pass the
tabernacle or the church, the beauty of the place where the sacrament
is reserved, the flame that announces the presence of the Lord are ways
to express Reverence.
As ministers of the Eucharist, we are teachers of reverence. How
we act as we approach the altar, how we handle the sacred species of
bread and wine, and how we dress not only express our own attitudes but
also form the attitudes of others.
We should also have a reverence to Christ presence in the scripture.
Expectations for
Eucharistic Ministers Come when scheduled. This is by
far the most important thing. If you are unavailable for your
scheduled time, call another of your fellow Eucharistic Ministers and
ask them to take your schedule. Remember if you do it for them,
they will also do it for you. Call to make arrangements with
someone else, just as SOON AS YOU KNOW you cannot make your time.
If an emergency crops up just before Mass starts, please call either
the parish hall or the rectory and attempt to let someone know.
Be prepared. The Eucharistic Ministers schedule is placed on the
Web Site one month in advance. Take a look at the schedule.
If you know in advance that you have swapped your time with someone
else, please let Secretary or the Cantor know so that the change can be
made to the Eucharistic Ministers announced during the greeting at each
Mass.
Please try to arrive at Mass at least 15 minutes early. All
Eucharistic Ministers should meet in the sacristy for prayers prior to
the procession. All Eucharistic Ministers will receive their
“Ministers” cross in the sacristy from Father prior to prayers and are
to wear them during the Mass in which they will be Ministers. The
Ministers of the Body of Christ will wear the brown cross and stand on
the outside when lined up at the altar. The Minister of the Blood
of Christ will wear the black crosses and stand to the inside when at
the altar. Remember to replace your cross back in the sacristy
following Mass so that it will be available for others to wear.
Following the procession, an area has been reserved for the Eucharistic
Ministers and their families in the front left row of the church.
This will allow you to come to the altar for communion in a least
disruptive manner as possible. The Eucharistic Ministers do not
join the recession at the end of Mass.
The minister of the Body of Christ may bless any child or person in
your line not receiving communion. (Adults not receiving
communion should have their arms crossed when they approach you.)
The minister of the Body of Christ will also clean the communion
vessels in the following manner:
† Brush the crumbs from the patens in one of the cups by using
the purificator.
† Pour water in the pitcher that held the wine first, then in one cup,
then in the other cup drinking the water.
† Wipe the two cups with the purificator. If a deacon is
present, he will do this.
The ministers of the cups “set up” for the next mass: water, wine
and small host (usually 1 sleeve) and 1 large host.
While we greatly appreciate your willingness to serve your parish as a
Eucharistic Minister, you must under-stand the pressure it placed on
others involved in the Mass if you do not show up or arrive at the last
minute. Last minute substitutes cannot adequately prepare, and
this detracts from the quality of our Mass.
Guidelines for
Eucharistic Ministers Take a moment to clear your mind before
the Eucharist begins. Remember that this is one of the most
sacred parts of the Mass, and that you will be giving the Body and
Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ to other Catholics. Keeping this
in mind, act accordingly while you are serving as a Eucharistic
Minister.
When it comes time to approach the altar at the Lamb of God, do so
immediately. Do not wait around for someone else to go up
first. This causes people to start looking around; glancing over
their shoulders, and that detracts from the holiness of the ceremony
going on. If you are scheduled, then make your way up to the
altar immediately. Please do not hesitate.
If you are the Minister assigned to the host, take the key from the
altar, go to the tabernacle, open it, genuflect deeply and remove the
consecrated hosts in the ciborium. Place the ciborium on the
altar for Father.
Eucharistic ministers respond, Amen,
to the priest and the deacon when
they say,
“May the body of Christ bring me to
everlasting life, and May
the blood of Christ bring me to everlasting Life.”
After the priest and the deacon have received communion, move forward
and receive first the Body then the Blood.
Once the Eucharist begins, the two most important things are to be
reverent, and to relax. Take your time when serving the people
saying, “Body of Christ” for the bread and “Blood of Christ” for the
wine. Enunciate each word, and pause a moment, holding up the
host/chalice to let the words sink in.
People should respond with Amen, which means that they
believe in what
they are receiving.
Wipe the inside and outside of the cup with the purificator just around
the rim. Do not let the purificator get down into the wine.
When you are finished distributing the Eucharist, if you were a
Minister of the Blood, you will consume all of the consecrated blood
from the chalice. Do not consume the wine until you reach the
table behind the altar. Remember that the consummation is still a
sacred part of the service. It is not necessary to say, “The
Blood of Christ” out loud but think about that in your mind while
consuming. Place the chalice back on the table. The deacon
or the minister of the body will cleanse the chalice and the patens.
If you were the minister that distributed the host, wait while Father
places the consecrated host in the ciborium and then place the ciborium
back in the tabernacle. Bow deeply, lock the tabernacle and place
the key on the altar.
