“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.”
An excerpt from the
"Rite of Commissioning Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion"
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (sometimes referred to simply as "Eucharistic Ministers"), are blessed with the opportunity to share the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ with their Catholic brothers and sisters. This is a truly profound action and one that is performed with an immense amount of reverence and care.
This ministry is often most visibly performed during the celebration of the Mass, in which ministers often come forward at both St. Mary Star of the Sea Church and St. Patrick Church to assist the priest and deacon with the distribution of Holy Communion during Sunday Mass. An equally important ministerial opportunity for these ministers, however, is the chance to bring the Blessed Sacrament out to the sick and homebound who are unable to attend Mass. Those who are already commissioned as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion or who are considering this possibility are strongly encouraged to consider this part of the ministry, as there are always oppotunities to go out and provide this meaningful service to these brothers and sisters of our parish who often times have been good and faithful members of our community for many years.
If you are interested in becoming an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, please contact the Parish Office of the church at which you go to Mass. From there, we can answer any initial quesitons that you have about serving in this way, help schedule a time for training, and hopefully get you into our ministry scheduling system.