EMHC QUIZ
The purpose of the quiz is to be a tool to reinforce your training. Thank you for serving the Lord!
How long should you have the Blessed Sacrament when going on communion calls?
Where should you not go when transporting the Blessed Sacrament?
What should you be doing while transporting the Blessed Sacrament?
When does your responsibility begin and end when distributing Holy Communion?
When should you refrain from distributing Holy Communion when visiting a new person at the hospital?
What should you do when a person drops the Blessed Sacrament at Mass?
What should you do when a person gets sick before completely consuming the Blessed Sacrament?
Where should the Blessed Sacrament be located on your person?
When do you keep the Blessed Sacrament at your home overnight?
How small does a fragment of the Blessed Sacrament need to be before it no longer is the Blessed Sacrament?
After distributing Holy Communion what do you do with the pyx?
What is an explicit supplication you can offer when a person comes up for a blessing at Mass?
What are signs that a person is not Catholic when they come up at Mass for Holy Communion?
What do you do when you see someone walk off with the Blessed Sacrament?
What is the most reverent way to receive the Blessed Sacrament?
What are signs that it’s time to consider stepping down from one’s role as an EMHC?
What do you have to believe to be an EMHC?
What is the relationship between being an EMHC and Confession?
How long does permission to be an EMHC last?
What do you do when the communicant can only receive a part of a host?
Bonus: How do you pronounce “pyx”?
EMHC QUIZ
How long should you have the Blessed Sacrament when going on communion calls? Answer: As short of a time as possible to avoid accidents with the Holy Eucharist and maintain its safety.
Where should you not go when transporting the Blessed Sacrament? We should not include other types of stops when accompanying Jesus. We need to accompany the Blessed Sacrament with affection, attention, and solemnity to honor Jesus, grow our faith, and witness to others. You are on a Eucharistic Procession with the King. For this reason, we do not include other tasks, such as: getting groceries, going to the dentist, ordering at the drive-thru, etc… However, serious unexpected emergencies are exceptions, such as: when one’s own health and safety (or that of others’) is at stake or we have problems with our car. Should this happen and you have a moment to call, contact the parish so that someone may retrieve Jesus so you can attend to your emergency.
What should you be doing while accompanying the Blessed Sacrament? Answer: Pray for the communicant and adore Jesus during this privileged time together.
When does your responsibility begin and end when distributing Holy Communion? Answer: An EMHC is responsible for the care of the Blessed Sacrament from the moment he or she obtains Him until He is swallowed by the communicant. One exception is when the communicant vomits while consuming and EMHC is present or notified.
When should you refrain from distributing Holy Communion when visiting a new person at the hospital? Answer: There are two scenarios: a) When the nurse says the patient cannot receive. b) When the communicant demonstrates or communicates that they do not have Eucharistic faith. An example of this might be when a patient says they no longer go to Mass due to a lack of interest or belief. If it is not clear, you might ask them: “Do you believe that the Blessed Sacrament is no longer bread but now the Body and Blood of Jesus?” If they say ‘yes,’ then suggest that they go to confession and arrange it for them. Due to the urgency of some illnesses, going to confession might not be possible. In such cases, invite them to call to mind their sins and then lead them through the Our Father.
What should you do when a person drops the Blessed Sacrament at Mass? Answer: You need to pick Jesus up since He is your responsibility. Often it is helpful to say: “I will pick Him up….These things happen...”
What should you do when a person gets sick before completely consuming the Blessed Sacrament? Answer: Place Jesus in an unused tissue and bring Him back to the parish. Place him in the secondary tabernacle with a note, and tell the staff so the deacon or priest can care for Him.
Where should the Blessed Sacrament be located on your person? Answer: A safe and dignified place, such as: a) A purse b) A breast pocket c) A special pouch (a burse) designed for a pyx that is placed over the heart.
When do you keep the Blessed Sacrament at your home overnight? Answer: Never. The role of the tabernacle is to keep Jesus safe. Even priests need special permission from the bishop to keep Jesus overnight in their homes.
How small does a fragment of the Blessed Sacrament need to be before it no longer is the Blessed Sacrament? Answer: When it loses its ‘form,’ it is no longer the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, if you still see a speck of white, it’s still Jesus. Jesus knew that if He made Himself in the form of what looks like bread, there would be crumbs. But we take extra care to prevent accidentally losing Him because we love him. It’s important to make a distinction between ‘unnecessary scrupulous care’ versus ‘thoughtful relational attentiveness.’ ‘Unnecessary scrupulous care’ refers to burdening ourselves with an expectation to go beyond reasonable precautions to care for Jesus. We do not need a microscope to look for Him. We do not have to do some sort of special purification of the floor after every Mass because a small particle of Jesus, in theory, could have fallen onto it. ‘Thoughtful relational attentiveness’ means we want to demonstrate care by employing practical redundancies in our care of Jesus since, at times, human senses fail. For instance, it is a reasonable practical custom to use a tablecloth at a meal to protect the table. So, too, it is a reasonable practical custom for a priest at Mass to fracture the host over something (i.e. the paten) that collects fragments. Yet the paten is small and priests have noticed that sometimes particles fall beyond the paten and so they use a corporal. But a corporal is white and so is the host, making it hard to see. For this reason, after the corporal is used it is folded in a certain way to hold any unseen particle of the host. The corporal is then treated like it could have Jesus in it. When the corporal is to be cleaned it is first soaked in water to dissolve the ‘form’ of a potential particle. After that, as a sign of love, we pour that water into the earth. Considering that we can make mistakes and we love Jesus, it makes sense to take a few extra precautions to care for Him.
After distributing Holy Communion what do you do with the pyx? Answer: Immediately check to see if there are any white fragments of Jesus. If there are, continue to offer special prayers until you place the pyx in the secondary tabernacle.
What is an explicit supplication you can offer when a person comes up for a blessing at Mass? Answer: You can say the following: a) “May God bless you and keep you.” b) “May the Lord be your peace.” c) “May the Lord Jesus make you into a great Saint.”
What are signs that a person is not Catholic when they come up at Mass for Holy Communion? Answer: Signs could be: a) They do not place their hands out properly, b) They try to grab the host (except for those who have problems with their hands), c) They do not take a side step after receiving the host in their hands, d) They walk away with Jesus in their hand as if they are holding their keys.
What do you do when you see someone walk off with the Blessed Sacrament? Answer: Do the following: a) Whether you are distributing or in your pew, immediately walk after them and tap them on the shoulder. b) Ask: “Are you Catholic?” c) If there is any hesitation or there is confusion, simply say: “May I have that?” d) Ideally, you might say after retrieving Jesus: “I can explain to you after Mass. e) Then, place that host on the paten after the distribution and notify the celebrant after Mass.
What is the most reverent way to receive the Blessed Sacrament? Answer: Devotion is primarily in the heart. We want to have the spirit of adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication (ACTS) when we receive Jesus.
What are signs that it’s time to consider stepping down from one’s role as an EMHC? Answer: When a person is unable to safely transport and care for the Blessed Sacrament. Some examples might be: a) When an EMHC is unable to use two hands to navigate the stairs with the Precious Blood. b) When an EMHC cannot pick up a host that falls to the ground. c) When an EMHC has a loss of memory that compromises his/her care for the Holy Eucharist. d) When an EMHC cannot walk after those who walk away with the host (or find a solution for these scenarios).
What do you have to believe to be an EMHC? Answer: An EMHC officially represents the Catholic Church and the bishop. A minister can confidently proclaim like those at the Easter Vigil: “I believe and profess all that the Holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.”
What is the relationship between being an EMHC and Confession? Answer: The title “minister” (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion) requires one to believe in the need for confession when one commits a mortal sin. Ministers believe confession is necessary for their salvation and they go. Ministers also are willing to propose to others in mortal sin to consider going to confession.
How long does permission to be an EMHC last? Answer: Three years. Every three years the bishop needs to give his permission no matter how long a person has served as an EMHC.
What do you do when the communicant can only receive a part of a host? Answer: Answering this question will be different from pastor to pastor. It is important to realize this. Whether the EMHC is permitted to do this or not, the same care the Church expects of the priest at Mass (recall what is done) is to be expected of the EMHC. It seems the possible options are: a) The EMHC is given a corporal and trained to use it when a host is to be fractured. b) The EMHC does not fracture the host but instead contacts the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion to visit the communicant. c) The EMHC brings with them a small fractured host that is made available in the secondary tabernacle that is brought to the visits in the event it is needed. Options 2 and 3 are to be used. Option one is to be used by those equipped and trained by an ordinary minister of Holy Communion.
Bonus: How do you pronounce “pyx”? Like Twix!