An extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

is, under the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'', "an

acolyte An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used f ...

, or another of Christ's faithful deputed", in certain extraordinary circumstances, to distribute

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

. The term "extraordinary" distinguishes such a person from the ordinary minister of Holy Communion, namely a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

. Under ordinary circumstances, only bishops, priests, and deacons may distribute Communion in the Catholic Church. The 1983 code permits that " ere 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." The term "lay people" does not distinguish between men and women.

Function

The extraordinary minister's function is to distribute Holy Communion, either within

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different ele ...

or by taking it to a sick person, when an ordained minister (bishop, priest or deacon) is absent or impeded. In order to avoid confusion about this function, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion is not to be called a "special minister of Holy Communion", nor an "extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist", nor a "special minister of the Eucharist". Ten years before publication of the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'', some of these expressions were used in the instruction of the Sacred Congregation of the Sacraments ''Immensae caritatis'' of 29 January 1973. They are now reprobated. The only minister of the Eucharist (that is, someone able to confect the Eucharistic species with bread and wine) is a priest or bishop.

Appointment

An instituted acolyte is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion by virtue of his institution. Such acolytes are, in practice, seminarians or former seminarians, or those in deacon formation, although canon law allows the ministry to be conferred on any lay people, men or women, who have the age and qualifications that the episcopal conference is to lay down. The local bishop, pastor, or priest celebrant may depute other lay Catholics for the temporary function of extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, either for a single occasion or for a specified period of time, if there are reasons of real necessity. The commissioning need not take a

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

form, but an appropriate blessing, which should in no way resemble ordination, may be imparted. In special cases of an unforeseen nature, the priest celebrating Mass may grant permission for a single occasion.''Redemptionis sacramentum'', 155

Extraordinary, not ordinary

'' Redemptionis sacramentum'' states: "If there is usually present a sufficient number of sacred ministers for the distribution of Holy Communion, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may not be appointed. Indeed, in such circumstances, those who may have already been appointed to this ministry should not exercise it. The practice of those priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons." The document adds: "the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may administer Communion only when the Priest and Deacon are lacking, when the Priest is prevented by weakness or advanced age or some other genuine reason, or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the very celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged. .. brief prolongation, considering the circumstances and culture of the place, is not at all a sufficient reason". For a time, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion in the United States were allowed to purify the Communion vessels (such as ciboria and

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

s), an action that the 2010 '' General Instruction of the Roman Missal'' expressly reserves for priest, deacon and instituted acolyte. The special

indult In Catholic canon law, an indult is a permission or privilege, granted by the competent church authority – the Holy See or the diocesan bishop, as the case may be – for an exception from a particular norm of church law in an individual case ...

authorizing that practice for three years, beginning in 2002, was not renewed.Purification of Sacred Vessels by Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
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References

Works cited

* {{Authority control Eucharist in the Catholic Church Catholic ecclesiastical titles