EMHC & Sacristan Meeting

Saturday, August 26, 2023 9:00am in the Church

PREPARATION

➢ Proper dress:

• For women: Those serving are to wear sleeves, no denim and to wear shoes that have backs for safety reasons.
• For men: Suit, shirt & tie, or dress shirt and slacks are all appropriate.
• We would ask that you always come to Mass prepared to serve in case you are needed as a substitute.
• Ministers found to consistently ignore the standards may be addressed by Mary Grace or a Deacon. We are all reminded to be charitable. These are guidelines. Life happens and there may be instances when a minister is not able to meet a guideline. The guidelines are in place to help us all display respect and reverence.

➢ Ministry Scheduler

• Please check your profile to see if you are signed up for the correct Mass. Put in any days or times you are not available. You can remove a position you are uncomfortable with doing in your profile. This is where you can remove the captain position if you do not wish to take on the responsibilities of the captain or the cup or host positions for the same reason.
• Look at your schedule to know what position you are assigned. This is where you can request a sub if you are not available. This can be done even hours before you are scheduled, and this will allow others to take your place.
• Contact Tim Schmidt or Michael if you are having problems with the MSP app.

➢ Arriving for Mass

• Enter the Ministry Room through the Gathering Space. Do not walk through the Control Room or Sacristy.
• Please be at church no later than 20 minutes prior to the start of Mass. Please go directly into the Ministry Room and check in on the kiosk. Stay or come back 10 minutes prior to the start of Mass so we can pray together.
• If you have not signed in 15 minutes prior to the start of Mass, you may be replaced. This will give the captain time to find a replacement if need be. Please check with the captain to see if you are still needed or are replaced. This also gives the sacristan time to adjust the number of vessels.

➢ Sacristans

• The guidelines say that everyone should consume a host that was consecrated at that Mass vs. pulling out 100+ “leftovers” from another Mass.
• We are going to start asking families to take the gifts to the altar. Sacristans will put the correct number of hosts into the large ciborium. This number will be calculated by the “head count”, using the clicker, performed by the sacristan. The gifts, large ciborium and wine filled cruet, will be placed on the table behind the Baptismal Font.
• The gifts will go down along with the ushers who have the baskets for collection. The collection does not need to be brought to the altar.

➢ Captain responsibilities

SERVING

➢ Proceed to the altar

• Go to the altar as soon as the Deacon says, “Let us offer each other the sign of peace.” Bow once prior to going up. Go up on either side, not in the middle.
• Cup positions will pick up a purificator from either side of the altar near the hand sanitizer.
• Captains no longer need to go to tabernacle.
• All positions will stand behind the altar, as usual, but you do not need to stand on your numbered position. (These will be taken off the floor later.)
• Most importantly we should not talk on the altar. Regardless of who may be in the wrong place or not there, we should focus on our role and responsibility in serving. When the priest gets to the elevation and “Behold, the Lamb of God…”, STOP all movement and conversation behind the altar.

➢ Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ

• The priest will distribute the Eucharist to the ministers followed by the deacon, or captain, when the deacon is not present, who will distribute the Precious Blood.
• When the deacon is absent the captain should stand near the altar so that the priest can distribute the Precious Blood to him/her and in turn he/she will give it to the EMHC’s.
• Please cross your arms on your chest if you do not wish to receive the Precious Blood.
• When the priest is finished, he will hand the cups and ciboria to the EMHC’s. Cup positions will have their purificators so that the priest will know who gets a cup and who gets a ciborium.
• Under no circumstances should an EMHC take anything off the altar. This task is for the priest and deacon alone. The priest will distribute all the vessels if no deacon is present.

➢ Returning when finished serving.

• Host positions will return their ciborium to the altar. There will be a corporal left on the altar. Place your ciborium there and walk back to your seat. There is no need to bow if you have a ciborium in your hand. You may bow once you have walked down the steps or ramp.
• Cup positions will cover their cup with their purificator and go to the sacristy. You should go through the Gathering Space, not the Control Room. (You may motion to the handicap people on your way back to see if they wish to receive the Precious Blood.) The sacristy is where you will consume the Precious Blood that is left in your cup. You can ask another minister to do this if you cannot. Please do so in a reverent way. Do not say “Can you drink the rest of this wine?”. You then may return to your seat.
• Sacristans – When the cups have been emptied of the Precious Blood, place them together on the counter and cover all of them with a cloth. The priest or deacons will purify them after Mass. Then you can wash them.
• The priest or deacon will take the ciboria left on the altar by the EMHC. They will place any leftover hosts into one ciborium and add them to what is in the tabernacle. The altar servers will be asked to bring over the tray to carry the empty ciboria over to the credence table where the deacon or priest will do the purification. (They may ask for your help if you are the last EMHC to come to the altar.)

END OF MASS

Please wait until the music is over to help the sacristans bring back the vessels from the credence table.

WEEKDAY MASSES AND FUNERALS

Weekday Masses and funerals will be the same as always unless a deacon is present. No need for a procession with the gifts; no need to count out hosts. The server/EMHC can go to the tabernacle to retrieve the ciborium. The sacristans can purify and clean the vessels. This goes for funerals, too. The only change will be if there is a deacon present. Then the deacon can go to the tabernacle and purify the vessels.

Sacristans – please be aware of how many hosts are in the tabernacle so as not to overload the ciborium there

DISTRIBUTION OF HOSTS TO THE EXTRA-ORDINARY MINISTERS OF THE SICK

This will be discussed with the priests and deacons. We will keep you posted on this.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

❖ How to bless those that come with arms crossed?

You may say:

▪ “The peace of Christ be with you.”

▪ “Receive the Lord Jesus in your heart.”

▪ “God bless you.”

You cannot make the sign of the cross in the air. This is something only a priest or deacon can do.

A slight touch to the shoulder is ok, but you do not have to do that.

❖ What to do if a host is dropped?

The person intended to receive the host can pick it up and consume it

The EMHC can pick it up and consume it or put it in their hand that is holding their ciborium. They can take it to the sacristy when they are finished and dissolve it before putting down the special drain. (This should only be performed if the host was compromised.)

❖ What to do if precious blood is spilled?

Lay your purificator on the precious blood. Go and retrieve another purificator

Tell the sacristan, when you go to the sacristy, and he/she will clean it

❖ Can you break the host if you are running low?

No, you should direct people to another minister

Only when you know there are no more hosts should you break one

❖ What to do if someone walks away holding a host?

Stop your distribution and ask that person to consume/eat the host Do not run after them if they refuse

* Notice where they sit and what they are wearing so you can let a priest or deacon know

❖ How do you include the handicap in distributing the Precious Blood?

If you see the priest give the host to someone in the front row, follow up with offering them the cup

On your way back to the sacristy you can ask or motion to the people sitting in the back. An usher may help with this

❖ Gluten Free hosts

People requesting a Gluten Free host must let a sacristan know so he/she can place one in a pyx. This will be placed on the altar during the Consecration. The person requesting it should be told to go to the priest’s line to receive

❖ What do you say when you are distributing the Host and Precious Blood?

Say: “The Body of Christ” “The Blood of Christ” only

❖ What do you do when your line is finished and others are still distributing?

Only go to another line if there are more than 12 people in line. Do not go to help another line if there is already someone else there helping

Front cup positions may go to the cup positions halfway back if their lines are finished