Q: Thank-you for your presentations to us priests. I especially appreciated the clear hermeneutic of interpretation, even though I still have a number of questions…
One Topic I would be interested in following up on is that of the Deacon and his role in distributing Holy Communion:
Fr Edward McNamara seems to have a different opinion to yourself – https://zenit.org/2018/10/30/administering-the-chalice/
In some ways the following is an even more interesting take on this topic as this purports to quote from a dubium sent to CDWDS in 2009.
The response came back “The passage noted in your letter, indicating that, ‘if Communion is given under both kinds, the deacon administers the chalice to the communicants’ (GIRM, No. 182), can certainly not be interpreted in the sense of prohibiting the deacon from distributing the sacred host when, in addition to ordinary ministers of Communion, there should be a need for extraordinary ministers to distribute the sacrament to the faithful.”
Context is Everything: The Deacon and the Distribution of the Host – The Deacon
The on the ground situation I have in the parish is that our bishop believes the giving of Blessing during Communion has reached the level of custom in the diocese, so we seem to be obliged in a way and as I have implemented that the EMOHC are not able to give blessings then it is practically much better to have the Deacon distribute the precious Body so that he is able to give the blessing as well.
I would be interested in your thoughts.
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A: I agree with Fr. McNamara that a deacon may administer either the Body or the Blood of Christ. I still say it is more fitting to his ministry and its symbols for him to retain his tight association with the chalice.
As you know, I hold a low view of administering blessings to non-communicants during communion, so in no way would I consider the greater potential for giving blessings as a convincing argument for the deacon to abandon the chalice in favor of distributing the Body of Christ.
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