THE USE OF EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS IS NOT TO BE HABITUAL

By Tim Rohr

A few days ago, a commenter inquired why the "ministers" in Dededo wear "white gowns like the priest."  I assume the commenter was referring to those persons who are properly called "Extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist," and the "white gowns" are albs.

If Guam were part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the answer would be yes.

GIRM 339 In the Dioceses of the United States of America, acolytes, altar servers, readers, and other lay ministers may wear the alb or other appropriate and dignified clothing.

However, Guam is not part of the USCCB. Guam belongs to the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC), of which, by the way, Archbishop Jimenez is the sitting president. 

So, given that the instruction GIRM 339 is specific to "Dioceses in the United States of America," and Guam's Catholic Church is NOT a diocese in the USA, the question is: what is the policy for dioceses within CEPAC? 

Archbishop Jimenez, as the current president of CEPAC, is in a good position to answer this, but don't expect one. He probably never thought of it before. Guam (and the rest of the Marianas) usually just defaults to whatever the USCCB is doing - when it is convenient. 

Meanwhile, however, there is an instruction that applies to this question which is not specific to a certain geographic region, but applies to the entire Church, and it's not about whether this or that person may wear an alb, but when in fact these "ministers," the Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, may be employed.

The instruction is titled: 

ON CERTAIN QUESTIONS REGARDING THE COLLABORATION OF THE NON-ORDAINED FAITHFUL IN THE SACRED MINISTRY OF PRIEST

The Instruction was promulgated by multiple Vatican Congregations in 1997.

The specific instruction regarding the use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion is as follows (empahses added):

Article 8

The Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

The non-ordained faithful already collaborate with the sacred ministers in diverse pastoral situations since "This wonderful gift of the Eucharist, which is the greatest gift of all, demands that such an important mystery should be increasingly better known and its saving power more fully shared".(95)

Such liturgical service is a response to the objective needs of the faithful especially those of the sick and to those liturgical assemblies in which there are particularly large numbers of the faithful who wish to receive Holy Communion.

§ 1. The canonical discipline concerning extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion must be correctly applied so as to avoid generating confusion. The same discipline establishes that the ordinary minister of Holy Communion is the Bishop, the Priest and the the Deacon.(96) Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are those instituted as acolytes and the faithful so deputed in accordance with Canon 230, § 3.(97)

A non-ordained member of the faithful, in cases of true necessity, may be deputed by the diocesan bishop, using the appropriate form of blessing for this situation, to act as an extraordinary minister to distribute Holy Communion outside of liturgical celebrations ad actum vel ad tempus or for a more stable period. In exceptional cases or in unforeseen circumstances, the priest presiding at the liturgy may authorize such ad actum.(98)

§ 2. Extraordinary ministers may distribute Holy Communion at eucharistic celebrations only when there are no ordained ministers present or when those ordained ministers present at a liturgical celebration are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion.(99) They may also exercise this function at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion. (100)

This function is supplementary and extraordinary (101) and must be exercised in accordance with the norm of law. It is thus useful for the diocesan bishop to issue particular norms concerning extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion which, in complete harmony with the universal law of the Church, should regulate the exercise of this function in his diocese. Such norms should provide, amongst other things, for matters such as the instruction in eucharistic doctrine of those chosen to be extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, the meaning of the service they provide, the rubrics to be observed, the reverence to be shown for such an august Sacrament and instruction concerning the discipline on admission to Holy Communion.

To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated where such have emerged in particular Churches:

— extraordinary ministers receiving Holy Communion apart from the other faithful as though concelebrants;

— association with the renewal of promises made by priests at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, as well as other categories of faithful who renew religious vows or receive a mandate as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion;

— the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass thus arbitrarily extending the concept of "a great number of the faithful".

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The above hardly needs commentary. The last sentence should suffice. The use of extraordinary ministers is NOT to be "habitual."