Procedures for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

HR Cross Photo Procedures

for

Extraordinary Ministers

of

Holy Communion

General Norms:
1. Schedules - The schedules are made every three months: January, April, July, and October. If you have specific requirements (e.g. Masses which you cannot attend) please contact the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion Scheduler, Carol Macknis (Phone: 301-345-1610 or E-Mail) at least two weeks before the schedule begins. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
2. Arrival Time - Scheduled Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should arrive 15 minutes before Mass. Immediately after arriving:
  1. Please sign in on the sheet in the vesting area;
  2. The designated Minister of Holy Communion should check "Setup" (see "Setup" instructions below);
  3. Before the procession all should assemble with the other ministers for a brief prayer.
  You are expected to show up no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of Mass. This is to relieve the stress of wondering who is not coming. The person listed on the schedule first should arrive no later than 15 minutes early to set up for the Mass. If you show up after the mass has started, you may or may not have been replaced. Before approaching the Altar, look to see if you are needed.
  If you are unable to make your scheduled Mass:
  1. Try to find a substitute (an updated phone listing is included with every schedule mailed out).
  2. If you absolutely cannot find a substitute, you MUST call one of the designated Ministers of Holy Communion who are assigned to the same Mass.
3. Attire - Appropriate attire is expected when performing your ministry. Women: skirts and blouses, dresses, pant-suits. Men: slacks, and sport shirts, ties. Note: People in ministry need to be aware that they are always "on call" – therefore, should be appropriately dressed at any Mass.
4. At the Call to Worship - (5 to 10 minutes before Mass or at the ringing of the tower bell), Unscheduled EMHCs present in the Assembly should check the vesting area to see if help is needed. If you will be serving as a substitute, please let the others know and join them in prayer.
5. A lot of confusion can be avoided if those assigned decide prior to the start of Mass who will distribute which Eucharistic Species.
6. As you distribute communion, you present the Host and announce clearly "The Body of Christ" or you present the Cup and announce "The Blood of Christ"; a response is expected. The response is "Amen". If the person does not respond, you say it for them.
7. We are not to refuse Communion to anyone who comes forward.
RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE
Setup Procedures:
1. General Procedures Before and After Masses - Required before and after the 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday, and after the 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Masses.
  1. In an attempt to have no leftovers try to estimate the exact number of hosts (a measuring cup is provided with markings at 75 and 125 hosts) and the volume of wine required for the particular Mass based on:
    1. An estimate of the number of persons receiving at each Mass will be posted in the same area as the schedule.
    2. The designated Minister of Holy Communion should check the number of Hosts in the Tabernacle before filling the paten.
  2. Do not overfill the wine decanter. Check the Mass-spectific diagrams in the vesting area or in the safe sacristy to determine the level to which to fill the decanter. Which Wine to Use? The Parish is now using two different types of wine. NOTE: For Sunday Liturgies use the RED wine; for weekday liturgies use the WHITE (Sauterne).
  3. Restocking the UN-consecrated Host/Wine Supply - There are times when the supply of UN-consecrated hosts will become exhausted. The supply of the hosts is kept in the freezer in the basement of the rectory. Find someone with a key to the Rectory, one of the priests or staff. If the current supply is nearly exhausted, inform the Presider so the supply can he replenished prior to the start of the next Mass. This is usually done on a schedule, but there are times the schedule slips. The wine is stored in the locked closet in the vesting area.
  4. In setting out the chalices for a particular Mass, note which priest is to be the celebrant. This will detemine which chalices (cups) are to be placed on the credence table:
    1. Fr. George uses his own chalice and paten for communion. Count his chalice in the number placed on the credence table.
    2. Fr. Charles uses his own chalice, but is is not used for Communion. Therefore, his chalice is not counted in the number placed on the credence table. It is an extra, used only at the altar.
    3. Fr. Michael does not use his own chalice for communion. He uses one of the usual chalices; use the number designated to be placed on the credence table.
2. Specific Procedures for Specific Masses:
  
  5:00 PM Vigil:
  On credence table – 2 cups, 2 clean purificators, one empty communion bowl, small pitcher, finger bowl and towel
  On table in back of church – large wine decanter, l large paten with one (1) large host and 125 small hosts.
  Ministers on the schedule – 3
  8:00 AM:
  On credence table – 2 cups, 2 clean purificators, empty communion bowl, small pitcher, finger bowl and towel
  On table in back of church – large wine decanter, 1 large paten with one (1) large host, and 125 small hosts.
  Ministers on the schedule – 3
  10:00 AM:
  on credence table – 4 cups, 4 clean purificators, one empty communion bowl, small pitcher, finger bowl and towel
  On table in back of church – large wine decanter, l large paten with one (1) large host and 160 small hosts.
  Ministers on the schedule – 5
  12:00 N:
  On credence table – 2 cups, 2 clean purificators, empty communion bowl, small pitcher, finger bowl and towel
  On table in back of church – large wine decanter, l large paten with one (1) large host and 120 small hosts.
  Ministers on the schedule – 3
  After the 12:00 N Mass:
  Cups, patens, and communion bowls purified and placed in safe
  Decanter is purified, pitcher and basin are emptied, dried and put on the counter.
Preparation for the Communion Rite - During Mass:
1. During the collection, the designated Minister of Holy Communion should go to the back of the Church to add or remove hosts or wine as needed (there should be sufficient bread and wine to provide for the estimated number of communicants).
2. At the Sign of Peace, share your offer of peace with one or two others near you, then go to the steps in front of the sanctuary and stand facing the Altar. Do not Cross directly in front of the altar; do not bow or genuflect.
3. At the Altar:
  1. After the priest (and/ deacon) have received Communion, all gather on either side of the altar. Be sure to stand close to the Altar but between the Altar and Tabernacle, NOT next to the altar (see the diagram posted in the vesting area).
  2. As you arrive at the Altar - If you are to be the minister of the Body of Christ, check to see that the Altar server has placed an empty communion bowl on the altar; if it is not there get it from the credence table. Ministers of the Blood of Christ should pick up one of the purificators that are on the Altar.
Receiving Communion:
1. After the priest and deacon have received, the priest will distribute Holy Communiion to the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion under both Species. He will distribute the Cups, giving them to one of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion on either side of the altar, who will then distribute the Blood of Christ to the others.
2. As soon as the Ministers have received both Species, they go to their respective communion stations (see diagram in vesting area). Their actions and presence will alert the people to come forward. Do not wait at the altar.
Distributing Communion:
1. Simply say "The Body of Christ" or "The Blood of Christ." You do not add any other words, names, or comments.
2. Keep the cup covered with the purificator when walking.
3. If you are distributing the Precious Blood, be sure to wipe both the inside and outside of the cup, rotating it after each communicant receives. The practice of Intinction is not the norm for receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the Church in the United States.
4. Cup bearers, who have distributed all the Precious Blood in their Cups, return to the credence table. If all Cups are emptied on one side, the remaining Cup bearers should move over to the side which does not have anyone distributing. As the communion line comes to its end, encourage the last number of communicants to consume the remaining Blood of Christ.
5. For small children, make a gesture of recognition, such as a hand on the head or a smile, in order to include them in the act of communion with the Lord. Do not make a large sign of the cross over them because that is a formal ritual gesture of blessing reserved to the ordained clergy.
6. If one of the ministers runs out of the Body of Christ when distributing Communion, that minister should go to the Tabernacle, genuflect (or bow profoundly), open both Tabernacle doors, retrieve the bowl of the Reserved Eucharist, and return with it to continue distributing Communion. During this time the remaining Minister of Holy Communion should distribute to both lines of communicants. The empty bowl should be left on the Tabernacle Altar. If after the bowl of Hosts has been retrieved from the Tabernacle and either presider or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion runs out of Communion, the one who has remaining Hosts should share them with the other.
7. Typically, the Ministers of Hospitality will receive last. If someone in the nave of church needs to receive, the Minister of Hospitality will signal to that effect; be alert to this. The priest (or Minister of Holy Communion) and one Cup bearer will go into the nave of the church to distribute the Eucharist to those who were not able to come forward. The remaining ministers should go to the credence table.
8. If substantial bread is used, try to distribute that form first. Be sensitive to the needs of older persons and little children when distributing substantial bread. No Hosts of substantial bread should be reserved in the Tabernacle; it must be consumed at the liturgy.
Following Communion:
1. When all have received, the bearers of the Body of Christ will take their bowls and return to the Tabernacle. The deacon or presider will place all the remaining Hosts into one bowl (he will lift the hosts out of that bowl to avoid "crumbs" left in the bowl) and then replace that bowl into the Tabernacle, genuflect or bow profoundly, then close and lock the Tabernacle doors. The empty bowl(s) will be taken to the credence table. The presider or deacon will purify the patens and communion bowls either at this time or after Mass.
2. The cup bearers return to the credence table and place the covered cups on the credence table. Help consume any of the Precious Blood remaining. The presider or deacon will purify the chalices either at this time or after Mass.
3. When all the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion have completed these tasks, they should go to the front of the Altar in the crossing, bow together, and return to their seats.
After Mass:

RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE
1. Return to the sacristy. Remember to do so with continuing reverence and respect for the Eucharist.
2. The patens, communion bowls, and chalices should then be washed (For specific instructions click here).
  To purify the Sacred Vessels:
  1. All the remains of the Eucharist, whether the Body or Blood of Christ, should have been consumed and purified by the priest or deacon at the credence table. Wash the vessels thoroughly.
  2. After washing in hot soapy water and drying the patens, communion bowls, and chalices rinse the decanter. Do NOT pour soap directly into the cups. Then dry all the vessels, placing the silver chalices into their respective cases.
3. The Church should then be set up for the next Mass. (For instructions to setup for mass, click here).
Communion of the Sick

RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE
1. As a Minister of Holy Communion you are encouraged to take communion to the sick and home-bound. If you are going to do so, please notify the presider before Mass so that he may call you forward for the dismissal blessing. This is an ennobling sign of your ministry and helps to enhance the faith of the assembly. This is a custom dating back to the fourth century and earlier.
2. Place the empty pyx on the credence table before Mass. Alert the altar-server to take the pyx to the Altar when the communion bowls and extra cups are carried over before the "breaking of the bread."
3. It will be filled with the appropriate number of hosts before the assembly has received.
4. After communion, the presider will then call you forward, present the pyx, and give you a dismissal blessing. It is appropriate to leave the church at this time.
5. Special training is offered to anyone who wishes to take Communion to the sick. Unless you have attended this Archdiocesan training, or the training offered by the parish, you should not do it. There are many things to consider when taking Communion to the sick. Most important is the fact that you are carrying the Body of Christ. RESPECT FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST prevents us picking up consecrated hosts "early", keeping them at home, going shopping with a filled pyx.
RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE * RESPECT * REVERENCE

To see the Bishops' Instrctiions for Extraodinary Ministers of Holy Communion CLICK Here

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