Guidelines for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Immaculate Conception Parish
Dardenne Prairie, Missouri
As of January 2011
The Call to be a Minister of the Eucharist
Is there anything unique about the faith of a Minister of Holy Communion, anything that makes your faith different from the faith of other Catholics? The answer is no. And yes! Your faithisthe same faith shared by the whole church. The fact that one is a Minister of Holy Communion does not change that. At the same time each person’s faith is unique as each one relates to God in their own unique, individual way. It is your own unique person and individual faith that you bring to your role as a Minister of Holy Communion. It is vitally important for you, as a person, to be true to whom God has called you to be, and to be in touch with your own faith. And, as a Minister of Holy Communion, it is also vitally important that you be in touch with theunique presenceof the Risen Christ in your life, as well as in the life of others.
If a Minister of Holy Communion has a special gift to bring to the world, perhaps it is that awareness of the presence of Christ. It is the gift of bringing Christ’s presence to each one we meet,andof seeing Christ present in each person. It is obvious that we bring the presence of Christ to those who come forward to receive Communion. At that time, as we distribute the Body and Blood of Christ (which is the whole person of Christ), to those in our faith community, we truly are bringing Christ’s presence to them. But it is your call and duty, as a Christian, and especially as a Minister of Holy Communion, to be aware of Christ’s presence, and to make Christ present, in every moment of your life.
In the letter to the Colossians we read, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through him” (3:17). These are important words for a Minister of Holy Communion, whose spirituality is based oneucharistia,giving thanks. We are called to give thanks in all circumstances – for our faith is fanned by the wind of thanks! Faith depends on being a thankful, Eucharistic, person. A Eucharistic faith - a thankful faith - seeks the blessing to be found in every time and circumstance of life, and thereby finds Christ present there. In this way you bring Christ’s presence to the world.
Your awareness of Christ’s presence is nurtured as you ponder your faith, as you ask questions, learn, study, discuss and grow in your faith. We encourage you to seek out opportunities to grow in faith so that you might continue to grow in that spirituality of “Christ’s Presence”.
Being a Minister of Holy Communion is humbling and beautiful. Here is the opportunity to serve the deep hunger of people to find the presence of Christ. This is our ministry and our privilege. The presence of the risen Christ which you bring, both in the sacrament and in yourself, is a presence characterized by a deeply spiritual, realistic love – a love that seeks the good of others – a love that never ends.
Qualifications
As a witness and a sign of “Eucharist”, you represent the local faith community, the parish, and the universal church. Qualifications for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion include:(1) Be age 18 or older (2) Be a Catholic in good standing having received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) (3) Have a love for the Eucharist and for sharing your faith through this ministry. (4) Have an acceptance of this call as a gift and an opportunity to be of service.
As a parish community we hope that you find life in this ministry. We hope to be of service as you seek to grow in your faith. We pray that you will always be able to share the gift of the presence of Christ. We thank you for answering the call to this Ministry and if we can be of assistance to you in any way in your ministry, please let us know.
Procedures for Extraordinary Ministers of Communion
Your Liturgical Minister Schedule
After you are trained and commissioned please fill out a Liturgical Minister Information Form and indicate your Mass preferences. This form is turned in to the Parish Office and your information is entered into a database.Schedules are generated by a computer program and come out every four months.
When a new schedule comes out it will be announced at Mass and a notice will also appear in the bulletin. There are three ways to retrieve your schedule. 1)Individual schedulesare printed up, one per page, and placed alphabetically in binders according to your ministry i.e. Eucharistic Minister, Greeter, Usher, etc.(Sometimes there are 2-3 binders per ministry, due to the number of pages.)These binders remain on a table in the gathering area of Church for 10 days.Anytime during those ten days please come into the gathering area, find the binder for Eucharistic Ministers and just pull our “your page”.2) If your email is in our database we will email you theentireschedule.It will be in “Excel” and you will need to do a computer search using your last name.(“Control F”). 3) The entire schedule is also posted on our parish website under “Ministries”.You can also do a search there to find your name.
If you cannot serve at a scheduled time
If you cannot serve at your scheduled time please call the Parish Office in advance of your scheduled date/mass and they will notify the Mass Captain of that Mass so they know to look for a substitute.
Proper attire
Whether you are scheduled to be a minister or not, each Sunday we would hope that your dress would reflect your appreciation and respect for the celebration of the Eucharist. We would hope that everyone – not just our Liturgical Ministers - realizes this. However, we especially ask that all Ministers to dress appropriately in order to model proper attire.What you wear should be neat, modest, and appropriate signifying the honor of the ministry you perform. Shorts of any kind, short skirts or jeans that are not “dress jeans” are never acceptable. Generally it is our policy that, unless you are dressed appropriately, you should not volunteer to be a substitute. Occasionally we have to make exceptions to this requirement.
When you arrive at Mass
Try to arrive no later than 10-12 minutes before Mass is to begin. Please remember to wash your hands or use the antibacterial gel that is usually at the information desk.Check in with the Mass Captain at the information desk in the gathering space.It is important that you sign in.When you sign in you will be assigned a station and given a cross with your station indicated on the back.You will receive a cross on a WHITE cord if you are to be a minister of the Body of Christ, or a cross on a RED cord if you are to be a minister of the Precious Blood.
NOTE: If the Mass Captain is not at the desk and if you are scheduled to serve, you may take a cross, but PLEASE sign in and indicate which cross you are taking.If you are substituting for someone, please tell the Mass Captain and sign in on the line that has the name of the person you are subbing for.You might even write in “Sub”.
About 7 or 8 minutes before Mass begins, the Mass Captain checks to see that we have the appropriate number of Ministers. If additional ministers are still needed, the Mass captain will look for subs and possibly hold the remaining crosses up in the air to indicate the need. If you are attending Mass, and not scheduled, but able to help, please come forward and take a cross. It is also helpful if you check in with the Mass Captain before Mass, even if you are not scheduled to see if additional help is needed.
Note: If you are scheduled, but for some reason you are delayed, please understand that at 10 minutes before Mass begins the Mass Captain is instructed to look for substitutes.
Communion stations
Communion stations have a letter and a number - for Example “L3” means you are on the left side of the sanctuary in the third position and “R6” means you are on the right side of the sanctuary in the sixth position. A “floor plan” of the sanctuary with the positions noted is available at the desk.It often works better if you sit on the side of the Church on which you will be ministering. Note: when taking your place at communion time if you are a minister of the cup please be sure to allow ample space between you and the minister of the Body of Christ.This allows space for a line to form for those who wish to receive from the cup.
Procedure at Mass
As the priest finishes the Fraction Rite, and the Lamb of God is sung, please come forward. At first you will line up on the floor level around the sides of the sanctuary, pretty much taking the places you will stand when you distribute communion, leaving some space in between each of you. By leaving space between you, the congregation is better able to see the priest at the altar. (We tried this and it works!)
After the priest drinks from the cup(as the cup is being placed back upon the altar)come up the steps and stand in a semi-circle around the back of the altar.(You will all be facing the Baptismal Font). If there are many communion ministers you may have to circle a bit. Communion is then distributed to the ministers.
Receiving Communion
As the priest or deacon comes to you, make the usual sign of reverence (a bow) and then receive the Body or the Blood of Christ.Although you are at the altar to perform a ministry, remember to take a moment in prayer to be aware of this great gift of union with Christ.
The priests or deacon will then hand you a dish or a cup as determined by the color of the cord of your cross. Once you have received the Precious Blood, ministers of the cup should proceed to offer the cup to the other Ministers who are standing to either side.You then proceed to your station at the same time as the priest(s) and deacon(s) move to their places for distribution of communion.
Distributing Holy Communion
It is a holy, joyful and beautiful ministry to serve as a minister of Holy Communion! As you distribute communion,wait for each person to bow and then try to achieve eye contact.Say “The Body of Christ” or “The Blood of Christ” while holding up the host or cup.Look directly at each person. The exchange between the Minister of Holy Communion and the communicant involves interpersonal contact – both verbal and nonverbal. Be aware that this is a significant interchange. As you say “The Body of Christ” or “The Blood of Christ” know that it is a statement of deep faith. Be present to your brother or sister in Christ as they respond in faith. Your attentiveness here matters deeply – by your actions and attitudes you have the privilege, the opportunity and the responsibility to share in the preaching, teaching and leading aspects of the church.
Position the host or the cup in an inviting manner.Allow time for them to bow and to respond “Amen”.Do not feel that you need to rush in any way.If the communicant does not respond, “Amen” you might say, “Amen” on their behalf.
If you are a minister of the cup pleaseunfold and open up the purificator, holding it in such a way that it is easy to wipe the rim of the cup. Offer the cup to each person. Let that person hold the cup completely and do not hold on to the cup while they drink, unless it is someone who seems “shaky” or someone younger that you feel might need the help. After they drink, use the purificator to wipe both the outside and just a bit inside of the rim. Rotate the cup a quarter turn before presenting it to the next person. Try to use a new space on the purificator as you wipe the cup each time.This is easier if the purificator is completely unfolded. Continue to wipe the rim and rotate the cup a quarter turn after each communicant.
Blessing of Children
It is sometimes difficult to determine if children have made their First Communion or not. We instruct the parents of this age child to have them come forward with arms crossed if they are not receiving communion. If you are unsure, just ask the child, or the parents, if the child has made their First Communion. It is permissible for you to bless a child by putting your hand on their head or shoulder saying “God Bless You”, but do not make the Sign of the Cross.
Post-communion
When there are no more communicants in your line look to see if there is still a long line somewhere else and go there, even if this means walking around to the other side of the sanctuary. When your cup or ciborium is empty, or if your line is finished and you are not needed elsewhere, please proceed to the Credence Table.
Note:If you are a minister of the cup and some of the Precious Blood remains,please do not drink while you are walkingback to the Credence Table. If you have seen this, you know how irreverent it looks.Be aware that others, particularly our music ministers, may still desire to receive from the cup, so please do not consume what remains until you are sure that all who wish to receive, have received. (Details on distributing communion to our music ministers are given later in these guidelines.)
At the Credence table
If you are a minister of the cup, once at the table, consume the remainder of the Precious Blood, asking others to help as needed.There will be two small pitchers of water on the Credence Table – one at each end.Pour a small amount of water in the cup and consume it.Place your cup on the tray. Never wipe out the chalice and do not “stuff” the purificator inside the cup.Simply place the purificator next to the cup on the tray.Remove your cross and place it in the basket.
If you are a minister of the Body of Christ and have finished, come to the Credence Table and place your communion dish on the corporal which is on the table. If the trays or other items have been inadvertently placed on top of the corporal please move them to the side. The Priest or Deacon will consolidate the hosts by putting the remaining hosts from your dish into the one large dish.NOTE:Normallyonlythe Priest or Deacon should consolidate the hosts into the one large dish, and this is only done at the Credence Table over a corporal.Lay ministers should not consolidate hosts into one dish.