Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist assist the priest in distributing Holy Communion at Sunday Masses and on Holy Days. There are special training sessions for those who would like to be Eucharistic Ministers, which includes familiarizing the ministers with our written guidelines.
The guidelines have grown to over 20 pages and cover not only what a Eucharistic Minister does, but why. They are based on the "General Instruction of the Roman Missal" and "Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy," and they are coordinated with the various liturgical practices established for the parish. A guiding principle of the ministry is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

As members of the Parish, Eucharistic Ministers are invited to minister to the parish. They are granted faculty (i.e. authorization) by the Bishop to serve as extra-ordinary ministers of the Eucharist. (Priests and Deacons are ordinary ministers.) After the faculty has been granted, the minister is "commissioned" to distribute Communion at Mass as directed by the pastor.

The following books provide additional information. They are known to be available from Wheaton Religious Gift.

The Joy of Being a Eucharistic Minister
Mitch Finley
Resurrection Press 1998
ISBN: 1-878718-45-2

In the Presence of Our Lord: The History, Theology, and Psychology of Eucharistic Devotion
Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. and James Monti
Franciscan University Press
ISBN: 0-87973-920-7

If you have questions, or are interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister, please contact Rob Visher.

Schedules

March, 2008
April, 2008
May, 2008