General Guidelines when Ministering Holy Communion

Key Points

• Please always sign in at the sacristy before mass. This allows the priest to know there are enough ministers.
• Please continue to use face masks when ministering and use hand sanitiser
• At the start of the Communion Rite (just before the Our Father is said) go up and stand on the side of the altar nearest the tabernacle  (and wait).
• At the ‘Lamb of God’ the minister closest to the tabernacle goes to bring the ciborium(s). Keep the lids on for the priest to remove

General Guidelines

• Please always sign in at the sacristy before mass. This allows the priest to know there are enough ministers and for you to understand if 2 ministers or 3 are required at that mass.
• Please continue to wear face masks and use hand sanitiser.
• At the start of the Communion Rite (just before the Our Father is said) bow go up and stand on the side of the altar nearest the tabernacle  (and wait).
• At the ‘Lamb of God’ the minister closest to the tabernacle goes to bring the ciborium(s).
• Keep the lids on for the priest to remove.
• Place the ciborium(s) on the altar and the priest will position them as necessary.
• You should use the hand sanitiser on the altar if the opportunity arises.
• The tables will remain for ministers to stand behind when ministering.
• Once everybody has received communion, go back to the altar. The priest will close the ciborium’s and hand then to you to return them to the tabernacle.
• If you are carrying a ciborium it means you are carrying the Body of Christ. There is no need to bow anywhere else if you are holding a ciborium.
• The correct order when placing the ciborium in the tabernacle is to place inside, genuflect and then close the doors.
• For the 11.30 mass (only), once everyone in the church’s body has received communion, one of the ministers will go up to minister communion to the choir. The other Eucharistic ministers will put away the ciborium’s without waiting, and the person ministering to the choir then takes the ciborium to the altar, closes it and returns it to the tabernacle. The lid of the ciborium may also be on the credence table if the altar servers have cleared the altar.

It’s a lot of information but the most important aspect is to remain reverent to the Eucharist.

Some advice on ministering to parishioners who require low gluten hosts:

• If there are members of the congregation who require a low gluten host, Fr. Adrian will pass you a pix containing the host(s) at the same time as when you receive the ciborium of Holy Communion.
• Go to your position to distribute Holy Communion and place the pix on the table.
• If someone indicates that they need Holy Communion from the pix on the table, please place your ciborium down, take the low gluten square host from the pix and minister the Body of Christ in the usual manner.
• Switch back to the ciborium and take the pix and ciborium back to the altar when you have finished ministering Communion.

Please contact olol.eucharisticministry@gmail.com if you need any clarity on the points above. It’s also important to learn from each other, so please help and support each other whilst performing these valued roles in the church.