Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
| Wednesday Messiah Ministry Procedures | |
Coordinator Gene Olinger
766-7322 emhc@steas-mech.org
WEDNESDAY MESSIAH VILLAGE MINISTRY
JUNE 2011
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion for visiting Messiah Village on Wednesdays:
| Elizabeth Madigan (lead) | 243-5492 | |
| Armeda Boscardin | 766-6558 | |
| Rachel Burk | 766-8044 | rkburk@netzero.net |
| Justina Brumbaugh | 432-3636 | pennstatex3@comcast.net |
| Monica Hersey | 432-2004 | |
| Gene Olinger | 766-7322 | ollieathome@hotmail.com |
| Cay Pickard | 766-2281 | geocay@aol.com |
| Don Wargo | 697-0720 |
The Wednesday Messiah Village Ministry consists of:
Two Ministers will visit Messiah Village (MV) every Wednesday following the 9:00 AM Mass. With the current team of Ministers available, this translates to approximately one visit per month. The scheduled Ministers for the week should meet in the sacristy following Mass.
Changing Wednesday visits to another day of the week is strongly discouraged, as it may conflict with other MV activities.
Gene Olinger will develop a schedule for Messiah visits approximately every calendar quarter. These schedules will be made available in the Ministers’ sacristy no less than two weeks before the expiration of the current schedule. Copies will also be available in the blue pocket folder (see below) in the Ministers’ Sacristy “Messiah” drawer.
Each schedule will include a date by which “OFF” requests for the next schedule may be made.
Team members each Wednesday will be varied to the degree possible.
Team members who can’t make a scheduled Wednesday visit must make a switch with any of the other available Wednesday Ministers.
Gene Olinger will maintain and update the list of visits to be made each Wednesday, and will place two copies of the updated residence list in the blue pocket folder in the Ministers’ Sacristy “Messiah” drawer.Twice a year (in February and September), Father goes to Messiah Village to anoint the residents. One of the Wednesday Messiah Ministers will be scheduled to accompany him during these visits.
In early December, the Parish purchases poinsettias which are delivered to the residents, along with greeting cards and Parish calendars. Elizabeth Madigan will solicit volunteer(s) to help with the distribution.
Historically Communion has been taken to Messiah Village on Christmas morning at 9:00 AM. The resident list for these visits is pared down somewhat so that two or more Ministers can make them in a reasonable time frame. Elizabeth Madigan will solicit volunteers for this.
From time to time, the students of the CCD Program make home-made greeting cards to be delivered to the Messiah Village residents. When they do, they will be placed in the blue pocket folder in the Ministers’ Sacristy “Messiah” drawer for distribution.
Ministers are urged to vary their visits to the Messiah Village residents so that over time they get to know all of them.
Ministers are requested to make a concerted effort to track down as many residents during their visits as practical. Visiting residents who are “stragglers” in the dining rooms is acceptable; however, if breakfast or lunch is in full swing, the resident should be skipped. Discretion and common sense should prevail.
Each member of the Wednesday Messiah Village Ministry will receive his/her own copy of the Communion To The Sick book. They are free to bookmark it, include special prayers, etc., at their discretion. If they forget their book on the day of their scheduled visit, they may borrow one from the Ministers; Sacristy “Messiah” drawer, but they should be sure to return it immediately afterwards so that it is available for the Sunday visits.
When going to Messiah Village, the following items are recommended:
List of Messiah Village residents
Communion To The Sick book
Pyx with the appropriate number of consecrated Hosts (approximately 9-10 for each Minister, currently).
Burse to carry the pyx. If the burse is carried around the neck, it is unnecessary to carry a purificator on which to set the pyx during the visits.
Hand sanitizer. There are several small bottles in the Ministers’ Sacristy “Messiah” Drawer, or Messiah VillageV Ministers may purchase their own. It is important that if the Parish’s sanitizer is used, that the bottle be returned so that it can be used on the following Sunday.
The wearing of the EMHC Medallion is optional. It demonstrates to the Messiah Village staff who we are and why we’re there, but the burse around the neck does the same thing.
Clean handkerchief and/or Kleenex, in order to capture and protect the Host should one of the residents spit it back out or refuse to swallow it. Should this happen, the procedure for handling is outlined below.
Maps of the three levels of the Messiah Village complex. These maps will be attached to the weekly Messiah Village resident list. It is expected that after a few visits, the need for the maps will disappear.
The rite for distributing Communion to the Messiah Village residents should be as follows:
Greeting
Our Father
“This is the Lamb of God…”
Reception of the Host
Closing PrayerMinisters may wish to consider giving small “gifts” to the Messiah residents from time to time. Such items include holy cards, rosaries, medals and other sacramentals that we all receive from time to time in the mail and from other places. Residents enjoy receiving such items.
Ministers should be very cautious before giving Communion to any of the MV residents, but in particular those in the Special Care Unit and in Donegal Hall. Ministers are sure to struggle from time to time with knowing how much a resident fully understands the sacred mystery he/she is about to receive. Often the decision comes down to the “little voice” inside all of us to help make a decision as to whether to offer the Blessed Sacrament to the resident, or whether to limit the visit to praying an Our Father with him/her. The Church teaches that receiving the Eucharist requires understanding, something that is lacking in some of the residents, especially those residing in the sections mentioned above. Any communicant must be able to understand what he/she is doing and Who he/she is receiving.
In order that the list of residents to be visited on Sundays and Wednesdays is kept as accurate as possible, all Ministers are urged to contact Gene Olinger as soon as possible after returning to alert him of any room changes, new residents, deaths, etc. Gene will update the Sunday Messiah Communion To The Sick books accordingly, as well as the next Wednesday Messiah Village resident lists.
The pyx must be purified after each visit to Messiah Village. At least one of the two team members should return to the Ministers’ Sacristy to purify the pyx in the sacrarium. The procedure for doing this is at the bottom of this page.
In the event that a resident spits out a Host, the particles should be captured in a handkerchief or Kleenex and brought back to the church kitchen. A plastic or Styrofoam cup should be half filled with water, and the Host placed in it. A coffee stir should be used to gently agitate the water, until the Host dissolves. At this point, the water containing the dissolved Host should either be poured down the sacrarium in the Ministers’ Sacristy, or else poured out in the flower bed outside the church in a place it is unlikely to be trampled on.
PURIFICATION OF THE PYX
(JANUARY 2011)With the presence of a sacrarium, it is now incumbent on each of us to properly purify the pyx upon returning to the church after a sick call to Messiah Village or elsewhere. The proper procedure is as follows:
Leftover Hosts should never be allowed to remain in the pyx, but should be promptly returned to the tabernacle, if possible.
A small number (up to 5) of Hosts can be consumed if it is not practical to return them to the tabernacle because of Mass going on.
The pyx should then be carefully purified by first using the fingertip that has been moistened in the sacristy sink to consume as many small particles of the Blessed Sacrament as possible.
Next, the pyx should be filled with water from the sink. Any remaining particles of the Host should be allowed to dissolve. The ablution should be poured down the sacrarium (not the sink).
The first EMHC returning from Messiah Village should retrieve a clean purificator from the Sacristy drawer, and dry the pyx. The pyx should be returned to the burse, and both should be returned to the “Messiah Village Drawer” in the Sacristy, along with the purificator.
The other two EMHC’s returning from Messiah Village should use the purificator that has previously been placed in the Messiah Village Drawer to dry his/her pyx.
The last EMHC to return to the church from his/her Messiah Village visit should place the soiled purificator in the dirty linen basket after it’s been used to dry his/her pyx.
MESSIAH VILLAGE WEDNESDAY MINISTRY NOTES
Updated 06/2011