For Socially Distance Sections of the Church

St. Joseph Catholic Church

From Training on June 14^th, 2021

Thank you for volunteering to be Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at St. Joseph.  We appreciate your willingness to serve your brothers and sisters here at the parish.  Here are some instructions and reminders for you.

• Mass Times are 5:00 PM Saturday evening and 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 and Noon on Sunday
• Until further notice, if you do not replay to email requesting your availability to volunteer we will not schedule you to assist at a Mass. (Request usually go out around the 15^th of each month)
• Please e-mail Monica Greer (mgreer1727@aol.com) and Sarah Kendrick (skendrick@stjoeshawnee.org) so we can add you to our e-mail distribution list

Until further notification, we still require our EMHC volunteers to wear a mask when distributing the Body of Christ.

At the Our Father, please go to one of the three sacristies behind the altar (the priest sacristy, the server sacristy, or the work sacristy).  There is a total of 4 sinks at which to wash your hands.  Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.  DO NOT put on an alb. (please remember to dress appropriately for this reverent responsibility)

When the Lamb of God begins, move from sacristies to the area around the altar.  Spread out and stand in front of the 6 sections within the church.  After the priest (and deacon) receive Communion, they will come down to distribute to you (do not come up on the altar as has happened in the past.)  You will first receive Communion after you say “Amen” with your mask on and then remove to consume the host.  Next, the server or lector will put sanitizer on your hands and you will take a Clorox wipe from him/her (more on this below.)  Then, you will receive your ciborium.  Hold the wipe with the hand that is holding the ciborium.

For Socially Distance Section of the Church:

Once you have received your ciborium, you will begin distributing Communion to those who are in your assigned section.  Everyone is seated on the edge of the section (either at the end of their pew or at the front of the section or at the back of the section).  This is to keep them from having to exit their pews into the aisle to receive.  You will just walk around the section to distribute.  Those in the front row will receive from you standing in front of them.  Those at the end of the pews will receive with you standing in the aisle.  Those in the back row will receive from you standing behind them.  Please do not walk between open pews when distributing Communion.  This is a trip and fall hazard.

For Non-Socially Distance Sections of the Church:

Once you have received your ciborium, you will go to first step of the alter aisle facing the confessional doors on the east or west side of the church.  If you are assigned to a center section, please go to the first step of the alter facing the center aisle.

If you happen to come in contact with the communicant’s hand, or you for any other reason think your hand has possibly been contaminated, wipe your hand with the wipe to sanitize it.  When you return to the altar, place the wipe in the basket.  Because they may contain fragments of Jesus, they will be burned after the weekend Masses.

When you have finished distributing to the communicants in your section, you can help with another section or merely return to the altar. We only need one additional assistant for each EMHC with a line.  Please stand just in is front walkway closest to the corner of the pew near the aisle where people are entering to return to their seat.  If you return to the Alter, place ciborium on the altar and wipe in the basket.  If no one else is at the altar yet, please wait to “keep watch with Christ.”  If there is someone already there, you may return to your seat or stand on the bottom step area (wider step area) – keeping socially distanced.

EMs will not distribute Communion on the tongue.  For those wishing to receive on the tongue, they are instructed to go to the narthex, and either the priest or the deacon will distribute there.  If by chance you would distribute Communion on the tongue, please make sure to wipe hand with sanitized wipe before continuing to distribute to others.

The Priest/Deacon will also be distributing Communion to those who require a low gluten host.  They are also instructed to go to the narthex.

The ciboria will be purified by the deacon or the priest and washed with soap and water by the head EM after Mass. 

Here is a link to the EMHC June training by Fr. Scott.  https://youtu.be/-xAQfJV83s0