ST. MARY'S PARISHIONERS AT WORK

EUCHARISTIC MINISTRY

Special Ministers of Holy Communion

At St Mary’s we currently have 35 Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.

We have a planned rota for all the Masses of the week so that individuals know when they are required to be available.  Everyone co-operates to make sure that each Mass is covered.  During the Mass Eucharistic Ministers assist in distributing Holy Communion to the congregation.

Every week Holy Communion is also taken by Eucharistic Ministers to all the sick of the parish in their own homes and to any parishioners who may be residing in local nursing homes. 

On Tuesday morning and Friday morning from 9:30 until 11:45 there is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  Everyone is most welcome to spend some time in quiet contemplation with Our Eucharistic Lord during this time.  Exposition is followed at noon with Mass and all are welcome to attend.

Below are some excerpts from the document of Pope Paul VI giving the Church’s reasoning for the need for Eucharistic Ministers, followed by an example of the annual renewal of the promises made by Eucharistic Ministers.  Finally there is a copy the great Eucharistic Hymn composed by Saint Thomas Aquinas “Adoro te Devote” (known in English as “Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore”.                                                                                                               
 
On25th January 1973 Pope Paul VI issued an Instruction “Immensae Caritatis”  which, among other things, permitted lay men and women to assist in the distribution of Holy Communion.

The thinking behind this document was the Church’s intention to foster devotion to the Eucharist, and the Church, “moved by pastoral zeal and concern”, issued the necessary laws to put this into practice.

To encourage devotion to the Eucharist the Church found it necessary to make provision for receiving Communion easier in places where it was either impossible or difficult to receive Communion because of a lack of ministers.  This  could occur both in churches with large congregations or within a parish where, because of other duties, or a very large number of sick or housebound people, the ministers would be depriving these parishioners of the spiritual consolation which they receive from Holy Communion.

To enable large congregations to receive Holy Communion, and to enable the sick to receive Holy Communion more frequently, Pope Paul VI established special ministers for Holy Communion to assist the priest.

This is not something new.  An ancient custom of the church was for the faithful to take Holy Communion home to sick relatives, and indeed even to give themselves Holy Communion during the week if no priest was available.  So what was introduced in 1973 was really the revival of a very ancient custom in the Church.

(excerpts from “Special Ministers of Holy Communion – Study Book – CTS3063)






Suggested rite of renewal of commitment by special ministers

The renewal should take place after the homily.  The special ministers stand in front of the parish priest who presides at the renewal.

PRIEST:  Are you resolved to continue to undertake the office of special minister of Holy Communion for the Service and growth of the Church?

MINISTERS: I am.

PRIEST:  Are you resolved to continue to administer the Holy Eucharist with the utmost care and reverence?

MINISTERS: I am.

PRIEST:  Are you resolved to continue to strive more earnestly than ever to live the Christian life, to give good example and to take your faith more seriously?

MINISTERS: I am.

The special ministers then kneel.  The priest continues:

PRIEST:Dear Friends in Christ.
Let us pray with confidence to the Father; let us ask him to bestow his blessings on our brothers and sisters, chosen to be ministers of the Eucharist:  Merciful Father, creator and guide of your family,  + bless our brother and sisters.  May they faithfully give the bread of life to your people.  Strengthened by this sacrament may they come at last to the banquet of heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

MINISTERS:Amen.







                           ADORO TE DEVOTE
                   (St Thomas Aquinas)

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas,
Quae sub his figuris vere latitas;
Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit,
Quia te contemplans totum deficit,
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and
nothing more.
See, Lord. at Thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur,
Sed auditu solo tuto creditur.
Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius;
Nil hoc verbo veritatis verius.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do
Truth Himself speaks truly or there's nothing   
true.                                      
In cruce latebat sola Deitas,
At hic latet simul et Humanitas,
Ambo tamen credens atque confitens,
Peto quod petivit latro poenitens.
On the cross Thy godhead made no sign to men
Here Thy very manhood steals for human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.        
Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor:
Deum tamen meum to confiteor.
Fac me tibi semper magis credere,
In te spem habere, te diligere.
I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love      
O memoriale mortis Domini!
Panis vivus, vitam præstans homini!
Præsta meæ menti de te vivere,
Et te illi semper dulce sapere.
O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind
There be though the sweetness man was meant to
find.                                          
Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine:
Cujus una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere
Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran
Blood whereof a single drop has the power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.
Jesu quem velatum nunc aspicio,
Oro, fiat illud quod tam sitio:
Ut te revelata cernens facie,
Visu sim beátus tuæ gloriæ.  Amen.
Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so.
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with Thy glory's sight.
Amen.





                                MASS INTENTIONS


Please write the name of the intention on an envelope and if a particular date is required,
please specify - if more than one Mass is requested on a date, first come first served rule
applies, but the Mass will be said as near to the date as possible.

Where it is not possible for a Mass to be said at St Mary's intentions will be passed onto
our retired clergy.