About extraordinary Eucharistic ministers

[Kephapaulos]

Okay, my mother works at a parish as what has now been as the position of Director of Relgious Education. Rather, I would have to say what is preferable to call it is CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) instead of the vage Religious Education. She does actually use the Baltimore Catechism in her classes. Just a little bit about what my mother does in service to the Church.

Anyway, she has now been an extraordinary Eucharistic minister at Masses, which would of course be Novus Ordo Masses. She talks to be about this sometimes, but I just listen because we know that the laity are not to really touch the sacred vessels. With this supposed detrimental shortage of priests, they all think the laity are needed here and can be more involved in this way. Now what do you think would happen in the restoration of what was lost concerning those who have been extraordinary Eucharistic ministers? I mean would such people do you think will complain that the laity will be deprived? Any comments here?

[kjvail]

I keep this in the back of my mind when I hear about the "shortage of priests".
In my area, there are 6 Catholic parishes within driving distance of less than 15 minutes.
In rural Africa, devout Catholics walk 3 hours to mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation....
I heard a story on EWTN the other day about a holy priest in Peru that was responsible for 52 parishes, most in the mountains. He traveled to one per week. These folks get mass once per year.
Do we really have a shortage here in America? Or are we just pathetically lazy?

[NuncDimittis]

Do we really have a shortage here in America? Or are we just pathetically lazy?

Let me cast my vote for the latter. My aunt who is a Eucharistic minister has said, "If it were not for us, communion would take so long."

 

My response is, "So?"

 

And she grew up in the 50's! What the heck happened to these people??

 

[Kephapaulos]

 

And she grew up in the 50's! What the heck happened to these people??

 

Yes, many Catholics, I say, have been "pacified." :D

[Suscipe]

Length of time is a common excuse for this.  There are several priests on the premises where I sometimes attend a lunchtime NO daily Mass.  Two, and sometimes three, are hearing confessions up to fifteen minutes after the Mass has begun.  Good to have so many people in the confessional but what happens next is odd.  Most of these priests walk down the side aisles of the nave and right through the chancel, barely breaking stride to acknowledge the Mass by nodding toward the alter.  They disappear behind the alter through a door in the apse.  There is one that does not do this.  Very old and a terrific confessor, he joins the Mass or stays in the narthex.  Meanwhile, there are always at least three eEms there to "pass out" the Eucharist.  Now the excuse I expect they use is that it is better to use these priests for confession and have eEms on hand (pun intended) to make sure everyone can be back at their desks within an hour.

[OrlandoCatholic]

The term "extraordinary minister of Holy Communion" is a sham and all  Catholics shouldn't call these people by their name. It implies that  they have the power to consecrate bread & wine into the Body,  Blood, Soul & Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
 
  Consider for instance two examples;
  1) The "extraordinary minster" of Confirmation is a priest. The ordinary minister is a bishop.
  2) An "extraordinary minister" of Baptism is a lay person or deacon.  The ordinary minister (with the TLM) is a priest (used to be a bishop).
 
  As you can see, the word "minister" implies that someone has the  ability to offer a Sacrament. These lay folks can never, unless they  receive Holy orders, ever consecrate bread & wine. It's a sham if  there ever was one. So many Church fathers faught against this stuff  and we're back into this.
 
   I don't want Sally the bank giving me the Eucharist. Let me  approach the Lord with a priest in the persona Christi at the altar  rail.
 

[Kephapaulos]

I understand what you mean, Orlando, but I did not know exactly what else to refer to what my mother does at her parish. That parish is in the south side of my city of San Antonio, and like many other parish folk now, there is a bare minimum spirit of Catholicism. Don't get me wrong, the parishioners are nice, but many of them are uneducated, not to be offensive but it is the truth. Also most are of Mexican descent like me. My mother still stays working at her parish for the reason of teaching the little children though. The parents are the culprits since some of them do not even go to Mass, much less know their faith. Of course, that is a major fruit of the NOM to begin with.

[HMiS]

Even the deacon is considered an extraordinary minister, even though ordained to the diaconate, in the old rite.

 

Of course this phenomenon of eucharistic ministers is another proof of the over-all heresy having infiltrated the minds of Novus Ordo Catholics.

 

Never ever were extraordinary ministers allowed in Church history, except in cases of disasters and persecution. And then only those ordained to Minor Orders were given that task, like St. Tarcisius (ordained to acolythate), who gave his life for the Holy Eucharist on his way to bring the Sacred Host to incarcerated Christians.

 

"Priest shortage"???

Don't make me laugh. There is no priest shortage anymore than there was in my region in the 8th century A.D. But don't think the missionaries thought one minute about handing over the Most Precious to women or other non-ordained.

 

But of course it is hard to argue with someone who is an EEM and has no notion of the history of Catholicism. Well Benedict XVI allowed them too in his previous celebrations, and see Cologne. It's wrong, but it's done even by the highest. It's the fruit of Neo Modernism. 

[HMiS]

Of course FSSP priests are not as vigilant about this as normal traditionalist priests are. What "war zone"?

 

Is Iraq a war zone? Why don't the Chaldean Catholics over there have EME?

 

And why, dear Aviano, would your husband be needed to serve as one?

 

Was he going to bring them secretly to hidden and persecuted Christians, or was it just because the ("Latin rite" Novus Ordo) priest over there was too lazy to distribute Holy Communion himself? I guess so.

 

The Iraq situation is not yet one in which EME during Masses are allowed. In fact, EMEs were always forbidden.

 

I can't see Aviano why you blindly trust an FSSP Priest making this false evaluation of the situation in Iraq. It was not like your husband was adminsitering Communion at the front line, was he?

 

If the priest who asked him was in Iraq and with the military too, then HE should distribute Holy Communion, not a layman.

 

This "Iraq example" is not at all an emergency situation. Not at all. And Chaldean Catholics of Iraq (Syrian Aramaic rite) would be enraged if their own Rite's priests and bishops would give the Holy Eucharist to laymen to hand out. Think of that.

 

The FSSP priest gave a bad advice.

 

 

[PaxTecum]

I wonder if they had EME's during either World War? I don't know for certain, but I have never heard of any. Does anyone know?