Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Please contact Karen Conroy at 252-447-5495 or by e-mail karenconroy@earthlink.net
Print the current EMC schedule
The Word Becomes Flesh
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist the celebrant during the Liturgy with the distribution of Holy Communion in order to:
- ensure that the Communion Rite of the Liturgy is not too long and out of proportion to the total celebration;
- avoid a rush which will give the reception of Holy Communion by everyone present its proper value; and
- bring the Eucharist to the sick and home-bound.
Members of the parish who are considered for this ministry should be mature Catholics, in good standing with the Church, who are living a life of Christian service and show that they take their faith seriously. They should be people who are faith-filled, prayerful, joy-filled, peace-filled, able, confident, and dependable.
People interested in becoming an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion are personally interviewed by the pastor. Besides providing the opportunity for the pastor to deepen his knowledge of the individual, it offers the candidate a chance to express his/her feelings about the role of Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. Names of candidates are submitted to the Bishop for his approval and formal appointment. A formal instruction and training program is required before ministers are commissioned.
Once a year, usually in the fall, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are requested to participate in a time of reflection and updated instruction.
The universal norms governing the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMC) are given in two documents:
- General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM)
- Redemptionis sacramentum (RS)
In addition, for Communion under Both Species, U.S. particular law, approved by Rome, is given in:
- Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America (NDBK)
What is the role Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion?
In every celebration of the Eucharist, there should be a sufficient number of ministers of Holy Communion so that it may be distributed in a reverent and orderly manner. Bishops, priests and deacons distribute Holy Communion in virtue of their office as ordinary ministers of the Body and Blood of the Lord. When there is a genuine pastoral need, as when a great number of the faithful are in the assembly, the celebrant may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist him, i.e., duly instituted acolytes or other faithful who have been deputed for this purpose (GIRM, 162).
