Eucharistic Ministers

Eucharistic Ministers

The Vatican has just released a document called An Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest co-authored by the Congregation for the Clergy, the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for Bishops, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Congregation for Institutes of Religious Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts and ordered to be promulgated by His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

The document is a response to perceived anomolies, primarily in the Western World, where Lay pastoral activity has had serious deleterious effect on the understanding of the priesthood and the priestly ministry.

It sets out in some detail what a lay person or non-ordained religious (a Brother or a Nun) can and cannot do instead of a priest in a Parish or a Diocese.

In particular, the document devotes particular attention to the roles the Lay faithful may assume at Mass. To the casual observer, it might seem that the Church requires the Lay faithful to distribute communion, give homilies and the like. You don't have to travel too far these days to find a parish that regularly invites lay people to give "homilies", has at least 4 or 5 lay people distributing Holy Communion (even with the priest not distributing at all) and, in some parishes, invites lay people to read the priest's parts of the Mass, all except the words of consecration themselves. The document seeks to remind Bishops, priests and the faithful of existing canon law on these issues and to guideline new specific guidelines to curb the growth of these anomolies.

Canon 900§1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law provides:

The only minister who, in the person of Christ, can bring into being the sacrament of the Eucharist, is a validly ordained priest.

Canon 907 provides:

In the celebration of the Eucharist, deacons and lay persons are not permitted to say the prayers, especially the eucharistic prayer, nor to perform the actions which are proper to the celebrating priest.

Canon 910 provides:

§1. The ordinary minister of holy communion is a Bishop, a priest or a deacon.

§2. The extraordinary minister of holy communion is an acolyte, or another of Christ's faithful deputed in accordance with canon 230§3.

Canon 230 provides:

§1. Lay men whose age and talents meet the requirements presribed by decree of the Episcopal Conference, can be given the stable ministry of lector and of acolyte, through the prescribed liturgical rite. This conferral of ministry does not, however, give them a right to sustenance or remuneration from the Church.

§2. Lay people can receive a temporary assignment to the role of lector in liturgical actions. Likewise, all lay people can exercise the roles of commentator, cantor or other such, in accordance with the law.

§3. Where the needs of the Church require and ministers are not available, lay people, even though they are not lectors or acolytes, can supply certain of their functions, that is, exercise the ministry of the word, preside over liturgical prayers, confer baptism and distribute Holy Communion, in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Canon 766 provides:

The laity may be allowed to preach in a church or oratory if in certain circumstances it is necessary, or in particular cases it would be advantageous, according to the provisions of the Episcopal Conference....

The new Instruction makes the following points:

* It is acceptable to call "extraordinary ministers" those Lay faithful who are deputed to perform tasks under canon 230§3. Temporary deputation under canon 230§2 gives no right to any special title. It is unlawful for the Lay faithful to assume titles such as "pastor", "chaplain", "Parish coordinator", "moderator" or any other title that might confuse their roles with the role of the Bishop or priest.
* Preaching in churches or oratories by lay people can only be permitted where there is a shortage of sacred ministers or for those particular reasons foreseen by the universal law of the Church or by Conferences of Bishops. It cannot, however, be regarded as an ordinary occurrence nor as an authentic promotion of the laity.
* However, the preaching of the "homily" during Mass may never be done by anyone other than a Bishop, priest or deacon. Those studying for the priesthood, lay faithful with particular competences or any other suitable person who is not ordained is forbidden from giving a homily at Mass. The Instruction states specifically that to the extent this might previously have been considered permissible by canon 766, it is now abrogated and unlawful.
* No one other than a priest may say the parts of the Mass reserved to the priest, particularly the Eucharistic Prayer. Even ordained deacons may not recite these prayers.
* Lay people who perform liturgical functions (eg, readers and eucharistic ministers) must not wear liturgical vestments appropriate to the priesthood (eg, the stole, or a chasuble). There should be nothing in the dress of the lay faithful performing these roles which might confuse the distinction between the priesthood and the lay state in liturgy.
* "A non-ordained member of the faithful, in cases of true necessity, may be deputed by the diocesan bishop, using the appropriate form of blessing for these situation, to act as an extraordinary minister to distribute Holy Communion outside of liturgical celebrations ad actum vel ad tempus or for a more stable period. In exceptional cases or in unforeseen circumstances, the priest presiding at the liturgy may authorize such ad actum."
* "Extraordinary ministers may distribute Holy Communion at eucharistic celebrations only when there are no ordained ministers present or when those ordained ministers present at a liturgical celebration are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion. They may also exercise this function at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion."
* "To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated where such have emerged in particular Churches:
o extraordinary ministers receiving Holy Communion apart from the other faithful as though concelebrants;
o association with the renewal of promises made by priests at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, as well as other categories of faithful who renew religious vows or receive a mandate as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion;
o the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass thus arbitrarily extending the concept of "a great number of the faithful"."

The full text of the document can be read and downloaded at CIN, EWTN or the Vatican Web Site.

The document also has some interesting things to say about the powers of Parish Pastoral Councils.

Pray that our Bishops and priests listen to what is being said and implement it!