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Formed in Christ

Distribution of Holy Communion -- Ministers

Friday, June 12, 2026Faith

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... the actions of distributing by a minister and accepting by recipient make a statement about the Eucharist -- it is a gift -- given by Christ through the Church and distributed by a recognized minister ...

Father Robert M.
O'Grady

The entire assembly or congregation gathered for Mass includes all the ministers for the Mass.
The entire assembly carries out some parts of the Mass. Almost all of those parts that are to be sung are joined by all of us gathered. Some parts are entrusted to various ministers: the choir and leader of song supporting the assembly; the readers, selected, trained, and commissioned, proclaim the scriptural readings before the Gospel; the deacon proclaims the Gospel, the priest ordinarily gives the homily. A procession from among the assembly brings the gifts -- only those who bring the gifts are in this procession. With the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, all sing the "Holy, Holy, Holy," the priest alone proclaims the Eucharistic Prayer, with the responses called the Memorial Acclamation and the Great Amen being sung by the assembly but not the priest. The Communion Rite involves, as we have seen in the past few weeks, many moving parts -- the whole assembly sings the parts assigned; the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and the extraordinary ministers of communion distribute the Body and Blood of Christ (only hosts and wine consecrated at the Mass) to the members of the assembly who will receive. Only those who will receive come in the procession.
Properly speaking, bishops and priests are the ministers of the Eucharist or celebrants of the Mass. There are no extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.

Bishops, priests, and deacons are ordinary ministers of Holy Communion. They may be assisted by extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, who might include instituted acolytes; and parishioners -- women and men, old and young, from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds who have been selected, trained according to the norms of the diocesan bishop, and then publicly designated either by the bishop or, if the bishop determines, by the pastor.
Ordinary ministers of Holy Communion will usually be vested for Mass, and so that is their vesture for the distribution of Holy Communion.
Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion will usually be dressed in secular attire; the best advice given in most formation programs and diocesan norms is that they wear "smart casual."
Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are members of the assembly and should usually be seated with the rest of us until the time for their entry into the sanctuary area, usually during the singing of the Lamb of God. They will take places at the sides of the altar, but not behind it in the manner of concelebrants.
They receive Holy Communion after the priest and deacon, and the priest or deacon gives them the vessels with hosts and the Precious Blood, where the preferred Communion under both kinds is the norm.
Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion should be examples of reception of Holy Communion to the rest of the assembly.
Some questions have been submitted regarding deacons and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion receiving on the tongue and then distributing Holy Communion to others with their hands. My response has been, "I cannot figure out how your hands are not worthy enough to receive Holy Communion yourself, but those same hands are worthy enough to distribute Holy Communion to others."
Those and only those who will receive Holy Communion enter the procession and approach the stations where the ministers are.
The minister holds the host and shows it to the recipient. The formula is "The Body of Christ." No words are to be added or changed to this formula. The recipient says "Amen" and only then is the host placed in the hand or on the tongue. The recipient is supposed to consume the host then and there and not carry it anywhere.
If there is Communion under both kinds, then that minister says the formula "The Blood of Christ," again, with no adjustment of words. The recipient says, "Amen." The minister presents the chalice to the recipient who sips from it, and the minister wipes the chalice with a purificator and turns it a bit for the next recipient.
Recipients may not carry the host already received and attempt to dip or "intinct" it in the chalice.
You will note in this brief outline of the procedures for receiving Holy Communion that the actions of distributing by a minister and accepting by recipient make a statement about the Eucharist -- it is a gift -- given by Christ through the Church and distributed by a recognized minister; and received as a gift by a properly disposed and prepared member of the assembly.
Before receiving Holy Communion for both the host and Precious Blood, it is suggested that a sign of reverence be made, a simple bow is used in the United States, some make the sign of the cross, some may genuflect, keeping in mind that standing is the proper position for the reception of Holy Communion, and a genuflection might cause an unnecessary interruption of the Communion Procession.