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Eucharistic Ministers Honor Our Lord and Reverently Share Christ with Our Faith Community
At our parish, we always see our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion serving at Mass, where they exercise their special call to service — assisting the priest in distributing the Precious Body and Blood of Christ. Here at Our Lady of the Assumption, our Eucharistic Ministers take much devotion and care when ministering the Eucharist to their fellow parishioners. They are also able to grow in their faith and grow closer to the Lord through their service.
At Our Lady of the Assumption, we have about 80 Eucharistic Ministers, trained personally by Deacon Michael Tateishi.
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“We go over the basics, but we also spend time on how to prepare spiritually before serving at Mass,” Deacon Michael says. “We encourage folks to realize that what they are giving is Jesus, God, the Real Presence — and that they need to do that very reverently. In addition to the idea of being reverent, I also really impress on them one thing to do when they serve, which is to smile! I think Jesus was always smiling when He gave of Himself. We’re not here to be stern, it’s not a chore — what we’re giving is Christ.
“We also stress that they don’t need to make decisions about who receives Communion and who doesn’t,” he adds. “It’s not for them to decide — it’s between folks and their priests. We stress the loving and giving nature of the Eucharist.”
Since the ministry is large, individual Eucharistic Ministers are usually scheduled to serve once every couple of months. At the moment, only about half of the ministers can actively serve due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But while the pandemic has changed much about how we can worship in community, the ministry remains dedicated to bringing the Body of Christ to as many as safely possible.
“Like many parishes, many of our ministers are elderly, so I lost a good 50 percent of our ministers who don’t feel comfortable serving, especially because of the proximity and contact that comes with being a Eucharistic Minister,” Deacon Michael says. “Everyone is wanting to come back whenever they can. We currently are down to one weekend Mass on Saturday and three on Sunday, and all are live-streamed so people can watch online. We also have Eucharistic Ministers who stay after the Mass for those who can come after the live stream to receive Communion. We offer this for about 15 minutes after the conclusion of each weekend Mass. We want everyone to feel comfortable.”
In addition to their usual responsibilities, in non-pandemic times many Eucharistic Ministers would bring the Eucharist to individuals who were homebound, in the hospital, or in nursing homes. Ministry members truly feel humbled to be of service to their community by distributing the Body and Blood of Christ.
“For me, it’s been a very positive thing, and for my ministers, they feel that it’s a wonderful responsibility and are fulfilled by it year after year,” Deacon Michael says. “It has enriched their personal lives, and they keep coming back to do it.”
“We always welcome others to come and help serve,” he adds. “We would love to have more younger people — we have always allowed anyone who is at least a junior in high school to become a Eucharistic Minister. It speaks to how universal Christ is — we want all ages involved and we encourage their participation as early as 16 or 17 years old.”
