 |
| Duccio, "Descent of the Holy Spirit" |
RS, Chapter Seven, after its prefatory remarks turns first to the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. Again, anything relating to the careful custody of the MBS concerns us here. So, those circumstances when this custody needs to be delegated to a laymen need to be well understood.
RS 154: This section opens with a reiteration of the prefatory remark that the sacred ministry of the priest in the liturgy is irreplaceable.
RS 155 Acknowledges the condition of “reasons of real necessity” which may prompt the appointment of EMHCs for an occasion or for a specified time.
RS 156 emphasizes the importance that name given to the role of the person specifically deputed in this instance expressly emphasizes the extraordinary nature of the function. Hence, “extraordinary minister of Holy Communion” and not “special minister” or “Eucharistic minister,” etc. RS cautions again against the unnecessary and improper broadening of the name of the function.
RS 157 describes circumstances when EMHCs may not be appointed. Specifically, when the number of sacred ministers is sufficient for the distribution of Holy Communion, there is to be no such appointment of EMHCs. It then repeats this directive a second time. Where it first addressed the perspective of the priest, it reiterates the same point from the perspective of the appointed extraordinary minister instructing that an appointed minister is not to exercise his function when there are present sufficient sacred ministers. It then reprobates the contrary practice of sacred ministers abstaining from administering Holy Communion in order to hand over the function to laymen.
