Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC)

Distributing the Most Holy Eucharist to your sisters and brothers

Extraordinary Ministers help distribute the Body and Blood of Christ when there are not enough ordinary ministers (Bishop, Priest, & Deacon) to accommodate the congregation in a timely manner. Ministers attend a training session covering both the theological and practical elements of serving in this role.

The theological training will teach us more about the Mass and the theology of the church surrounding the Blessed Sacrament. The practical training will teach the elements of how to execute the ministry - this includes items like how to hold the sacred vessels, where to stand, how to distribute, and other items.

Once training is complete, the names of those who wish to participate in this ministry are sent for approval to the Office of the Bishop. The bishop will approve this ministry, and allows the Pastor to commission them for service in their parish (being an EMHC is limited to the specific parish in which you are commission to serve). Once commissioned ministers serve at daily, weekly and holy day Masses.

Ministers are currently scheduled using Ministry Scheduler Pro and have access via an app or web site to volunteer for services, request a sub if they are unable to serv when scheduled, and enter times when they are unavailable. Ministers are scheduled to serve at the Masses which they specify that they are available.

To be able to take Holy Communion to the homebound is also a very needed and necessary ministry. This will involve more training in the ritual that the church gives us for that purpose as well as Virtus training and a background check.