St. Lucy Eucharistic Minister Training September 2015

Agenda The Liturgy of the Eucharist The Role of the Eucharistic Minister in the Liturgy of the Eucharist Expectations of the Eucharistic Minister Training Attendance and Substitutions Spiritual Preparation Technical Preparation Eucharistic Minister Stations Practicum General Guidelines Distribution of Communion After Communion After Mass Resources and Q & A

The Liturgy of the Eucharist Presentation of the Gifts and Preparation of the Altar Prayer over the Offerings Eucharistic Prayers Preface Holy, Holy, Holy First half of prayer, including Consecration Mystery of Faith Second half of prayer, ending with Doxology The Lord's Prayer Sign of Peace Lamb of God Communion Prayer after Communion

Expectations of the Eucharistic Minister Training Attend either a one-on-one or group training for Eucharistic Ministers Attend Rotunda training or review the Rotunda training materials Participate in retreats during the year as they come up Solicit/accept constructive feedback regarding your performance of your Ministerial Duties on an ongoing basis Provide constructive criticism to other Eucharistic Ministers as needed/requested Attendance and Substitutions Ensure the schedulers know which Mass(es) you are available for. This can be done in the Rotunda software (https://secure.rotundasoftware.com/l/web-terminal/login/SaintLucy?) If you will not be available on a particular weekend, update Rotunda with your unavailable dates before the schedule is published Once the schedule is published, you can request help through Rotunda, but realize that YOU are responsible for securing the substitute Check in with the Mass Coordinators before Mass to see if you might be needed on an emergency basis

The Role of the Eucharistic Minister in the Liturgy of the Eucharist “All ministers of Holy Communion should show the greatest reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist by their demeanor, their attire, and the manner in which they handle the consecrated bread or wine.” General Instruction of the Roman Missal “Communion is a moment of profound sharing. Communion ministers should let that moment linger with each person, sharing as much of themselves as possible in that brief moment.” Communion Minister Training Guidelines Diocese of San Jose http://www.dsj.org/blog/communion-minister-training-guidelines/

Expectations of the Eucharistic Minister Spiritual Preparation During the Week before Ministering: Examine your conscience to ensure you are in a ‘state of grace’ – no mortal sins. If you are not, plan to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before you minister The Day of Ministering: Pray for the Spirit to be with you and guide your actions as you distribute the Body or Blood of Christ

Expectations of the Eucharistic Minister Technical Preparation During the Week before Minstering: Make sure you know what Mass you are scheduled for If you can not serve at the scheduled Mass, obtain a substitute. You can use Rotunda to help with this, but just asking for a substitute on Rotunda doesn’t mean you will get one. Ultimately, YOU are responsible for securing a substitute. You may have to send emails or make phone calls! If you are not scheduled to serve, check Rotunda (https://secure.rotundasoftware.com/l/web-terminal/login/SaintLucy?) to see if there are any substitutes needed for the Mass you plan to attend and sign up

Expectations of the Eucharistic Minister Technical Preparation (continued) The Day of Ministering – before Mass Dress appropriately Arrive at church 10-15 minutes before Mass Sign in for a station If there is a Deacon or Con-Celebrant, they will usually sign up for Cup 1 You should be prepared to take any position, not just your ‘favorite’ If there are not enough ministers to cover all stations, make sure the following CRITICAL stations are covered: B2, B4, B3, B7, C1, C2. Fill additional stations in this order: C5, B5, C3, C4, B6. If you are not scheduled to minister, check in with the Mass Coordinator to see if substitutes are needed (sign up no more than 5 minutes before Mass starts) The Day of Ministering – after Mass Return to the Sacristy to help purify and put away the sacred vessels

Eucharistic Minister Stations B3 B1 B4 B6 C4 C1 C2 C3 Lectern Ambo B7 B2 B5 P C5 Eucharistic Chapel Credence Table

Practicum - General Guidelines for All Ministers Carry vessels reverently with two hands Walk with a sense of reverent purpose If people you know approach you for Communion, maintain a spirit of reverence If transferring Sacred Bread from one vessel to another, do so gracefully Avoid ‘grabbing’ and ‘dropping’ Do not pour the hosts from one vessel to another Do not carry two vessels at the same time (although one bread minister may take the Presider’s ciborium to the credence table when the presider has finished distributing his hosts) Before proceeding to the Sanctuary, wash your hands with hand sanitizer, allowing them to dry before proceeding to your place in the Sanctuary. Don’t blow on them to dry them, you are only de-sanitizing them when you do When crossing in front of the altar without a vessel, reverence the altar in front, then continue If you need to cross the altar to get to the credence table or tabernacle, cross in back of the altar or go through the sanctuary

Practicum – Distribution of Communion Approaching the Sanctuary At the Sign of Peace, proceed to the Credence Table Wash hands with hand sanitizer and let dry Bread Ministers will line up behind the priest on the right (oils) side of the altar Cup Ministers will line up behind the priest on the left (tabernacle) side of the altar The Presider will divide the hosts from the large ciborium to the small ciboria If there is no Deacon or Con-Celebrant, Cup Minister #1 will divide the Precious Blood from the flagon into the cups If there is no Deacon or Con-Celebrant, Cup Minister #1 will place the large ciborium, flagon and flagon top on a tray and hand it to an altar server who will place it on the inside credence table Cup Minister #1 can take his place in the line behind the priest or stand slightly to the side of the lined up Ministers

Practicum – Distribution of Communion (cont.) After the presider receives communion: Cup Ministers 1 and 2 approach the Presider, standing side by side ready to receive communion (if there is a Deacon or Con-Celebrant as Cup 1, he will probably stay on the altar…be flexible) After receiving the Body and Blood, Cup Ministers 1 and 2 will stand on either side of the Presider and distribute the Precious Blood to the other Eucharistic Ministers The first Bread Minister to receive Communion will stand to the right of the altar and distributes the ciboria containing the hosts to the other Bread Ministers The next Cup Minister to receive Communion will stand to the left of the altar and distribute the cups and purificators to the remaining Cup Ministers As each Bread and Cup Minister receives his vessel, he will stand aside until all of the Ministers have received Communion, When the Presider moves to his station, then the Ministers will move to their stations

Practicum – Distribution of Communion (cont.) Distributing Communion – Bread Ministers: Note: there will be one or two ushers near your communion station. If you find you are running out of hosts, notify your usher by making eye contact and nodding your head (you should do this when you have about 15-20 hosts left). This will initiate the replenishment process. If you run out of hosts before they can be replenished, reverently turn and face the sanctuary until your ciborium can be refilled. As the Communicant approaches Hold up the Eucharistic Bread for the Communicant to see Announce “The Body of Christ” Allow the Communicant to say “Amen” Place the host in the Communicant’s hand or on their tongue If a person approaches with their hands crossed over their chest, this is a sign that they won’t be receiving Communion, but wish to have a blessing With your right hand, make the Sign of the Cross over them Say something like “May the Lord bless you and protect you” (continued…)

Practicum – Distribution of Communion (cont.) Distributing Communion – Bread Ministers: Once you have finished distributing communion at your station Look to see if another station on your side of the church needs additional Ministers and, if so, step over to help When you are done distributing Communion, proceed to the Credence Table Music Ministers will approach Bread Minister 3 or 6 (whoever finishes first) to receive Communion.

Practicum – Distribution of Communion (cont.) Distributing Communion – Cup Ministers: As the Communicant approaches Hold up the Cup for the Communicant to see Announce “The Blood of Christ” Allow the Communicant to say “Amen” Hand the Cup to Communicant so they can receive the Blood of Christ Note: do not allow the host to be dipped into the Cup. If you see this about to happen, move the cup back a little and place the purificator over it. You may ask the Communicant to consume the host, then offer them the Cup. Wipe the rim of the cup with the purificator after each person has received Change the position of the purificator slightly after each wipe Turn the cup a quarter turn as the next Communicant approaches (continued……..)

Practicum – Distribution of Communion (cont.) Distributing Communion – Cup Ministers : Once you have finished distributing the Sacred Blood at your station Look to see if another station on your side of the church needs additional Ministers and, if so, step over to help When you are done distributing, proceed to the Sacristy Consume any remaining Blood of Christ in the Sacristy Music Ministers will approach Cup Minister 1 or 4 (whoever finishes first) to receive the Sacred Blood.

Practicum – Distribution of Communion Special Duties of Bread Minister 7 (Bread Minister 6 for 7am Mass) If there are parishioners receiving gluten-free hosts (the Mass Coordinator will tell you if there are), proceed to a location near the organ to distribute the gluten-free hosts to them If there are pyxes, retrieve them from the credence table and take them to the altar Fill the pyxes from the gold paten on the altar. If more than one host is needed, the Minister owning the pyx will so indicate on a small Post-it note Place the pyxes on the front of the altar on the side closest to the Presider’s chair Take the empty paten to the credence table for purification Go to the tabernacle, remove the lid from the tabernacle ciborium and bring it to the Sanctuary Stand at the center front of the altar with your attention on the ushers standing on the right and left of the center aisle (continued…..)

Practicum – Distribution of Communion Special Duties of Bread Minister 7 (Bread Minister 6 for 7am Mass) The center aisle users will notify you when and to which part of the church you will need to go to replenish hosts Proceed reverently to the part of the church indicated by the center aisle usher, keeping your eye on the ushers in that area who will point to the ciborium that needs to be refilled When you arrive at the station to be replenished, carefully transfer hosts from the tabernacle ciborium to the minister’s ciborium. Try to estimate the amount needed by the number of people still in line Once you are sure that all stations have sufficient hosts to complete the distribution of Communion, place the tabernacle ciborium on corporal on the right side of the Credence Table and await the arrival of the other Bread Ministers

Practicum – After Communion The Ciboria All Bread Ministers must return their ciboria to the Credence Table (one Bread Minister may bring the Presider’s ciborium to the Credence Table) If Bread Minister 7 is not at the Credence Table yet, the first Bread Minister to arrive at the Credence Table will remain, transferring each arriving Bread Minister’s unconsumed hosts into his/her ciborium. Once Bread 7 Minister arrives, the unconsumed hosts will be transferred into the tabernacle ciborium and the first Bread minister may return to the assembly Once all of the unconsumed hosts are in the tabernacle ciborium, Bread Minister 7 will return the ciborium to the tabernacle, lock the tabernacle, remove the key and place the key on the Credence Table. Bread Minister 7 may then return to the assembly

Practicum – After Communion The Cups All Bread Ministers must return their Cups to the Sacristy When done distributing the Sacred Blood, proceed to the Sacristy through the nearest door. Consume any remaining Blood of Christ while in the Sacristy. If you need help, you may ask another Cup Minister to help. Make sure all remaining Sacred Blood is consumed, then leave the Cup on the corporal, placing the purificator over it Return to your place in the assembly

Practicum – After Mass All Eucharistic Ministers are expected to help with the purification and put- away of the vessels Purification of the Ciboria Use the purificator to transfer any particles of consecrated host from the ciboria to the Presider’s Eucharistic Cup Wash/dry the ciboria using non abrasive sponges and towels Purification of the Cups (including the Presider’s Cup) Pour a little water into the cup Swish the water around the cup, then consume it Purify the flagon in the same manner as the cups except do not drink from the flagon, use one of the Cups Wash/dry the cups using non abrasive sponges and towels If nobody has arrived for set-up for the next Mass or there is no impending Mass, place the vessels in the cabinet, lock the cabinet and place the key on top of the safe Make sure the tabernacle key is also on top of the safe

The Extraordinary Ministry of Holy Communion - Something To Think About “In this ministry, you must be examples of Christian living in faith and conduct; you must strive to grow in holiness through this sacrament of unity and love. Remember that, though many, we are one body because we share the one bread and one cup. “As ministers of Holy Communion, be, therefore, especially observant of the Lord’s command to love your neighbor. For when he gave his body as food to his disciples, he said to them: ‘This is my commandment, that you should love one another as I have loved you.’ “Are you resolved to undertake the office of giving the Body and Blood of the Lord to your brothers and sisters, and so serve to build up the Church? “Are you resolved to administer the Holy Eucharist with the utmost care and reverence? “Gracious Lord, you nourish us with the Body and Blood of your Son, that we might have eternal life. Bless our brothers and sisters who have been chosen to give the bread of heaven and the cup of salvation to your faithful people. May the saving mysteries they distribute lead them to the joys of eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord.” (Rite of Commissioning of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion)

Resources & Q and A http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/ A web site for Eucharistic Ministers: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/ the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the- eucharist/extraordinary-ministers-of-holy- communion-at-mass.cfm Eucharistic Minister Training and Questions: Rita Gray ritagray2@gmail.com (408)605-4083