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mavmama
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| Posted: Nov 20 2006 at 10:05pm | IP Logged
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I introduced myself a bit ago, and have been reading for 2 months. I have learned so much from you ladies, so wanted to bring this to you:
For the last month or so, the eucharistic ministers have been using hand sanitizer at mass when they go up to serve. The bottles are sitting there, in full view, and I've been watching closely to see if Fr. uses it, too. Yesterday I saw that he definately did. I feel....uneasy about this, for lack of a better description. Please share your thoughts on this, will you? I am very interested in how others feel about it.
Liz
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lapazfarm
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Sounds weird. 
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KC in TX
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| Posted: Nov 20 2006 at 10:41pm | IP Logged
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Maybe since it's flu and cold season, the priest and minsters don't want to infect the congregation with germs. I know that the priest in one parish told the parishioners that it's okay not to shake hands with someone if you're feeling sick.
Now, as to having this stuff in full view during mass, it does seem odd.
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Martha
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My boys just started being alter servers a few months ago...
the priest says everyone is to wash their hands thoroughly to be as clena as possible when touching the blood and body of Christ.
I don't think hand sanitizer is quite kosher, imho. I don't know that there is anything wrong with it, but why didn't they just wash their hands before comming out?? I think it would bother me more that they weren't washing their hands first than that they were using hand sanitizer! 
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Nov 22 2006 at 7:38am | IP Logged
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Well, even if you wash your hands before Mass, you shake people's hands during the Sign of Peace and many hold hands during the Lord's Prayer, so your hands may not be "clean" by the time you serve the Eucharist. And I find that many people who are coughing, blowing noses, and are otherwise visibly sick still shake others' hands during the Mass. Since the best way to keep colds and illness at bay is to frequently wash hands, the hand sanitizer seems like a good option to me, even if it's not visibly appealing.
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MacBeth
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Ways to avoid the whole matter:
Eliminate the sign of peace (it's optional anyway).
Eliminate hand-holding (it's outside the GIRM).
Eliminate EMHCs unless the situation is extraordinary.
But I know that none of this will happen... 
[edit]I didn't mean literally eliminate the EMHC .
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Nov 22 2006 at 10:31am | IP Logged
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Liz,
When during the Mass are they using the hand sanitizer? Where is it during Mass?
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Martha
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MacBeth wrote:
Ways to avoid the whole matter:
Eliminate the sign of peace (it's optional anyway).
Eliminate hand-holding (it's outside the GIRM).
Eliminate EMHCs unless the situation is extraordinary.
But I know that none of this will happen...
[edit]I didn't mean literally eliminate the EMHC . |
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 I know just what you mean and agree whole-heartedly!
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Lisbet
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I was going to say just what MacBeth said! At least that's what we do at our parish! 
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Sarah
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Well said MacBeth!
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cathhomeschool
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I agree with MacBeth too. At our parish, holding hands at the Lord's Prayer is taken to a new level, and I don't care for it at all.
Elizbeth has some great questions. Where and when would make a huge difference.
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Erin
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In our parish the extrodinary ministers go up onto the sactuary and then into the sacristry first. I know that they wash their hands in there. Discret, and not an unappealing way to do it.
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mavmama
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Ok, I made a call to find out a few things and this is what I got:
The hand sanitizer started after a member of our parish went to a Mass out of town where they did this. He had recently had a transplant (kidney, I think) and was, naturally, interested in the sanity issue. Our priest ok'ed it.
The sanitizer itself ( 3 BIG bottles) sits on the table where the holy water and bowl are, and the purificators. The table itself is up on the altar, off to the side. After the sign of peace, the Eucharistic ministers go up and use it, being careful to not share the sign of peace with the others until all have "sanitized." Fr. uses it at this time, also. It all looks so .........surgical, I can't think of a better word. To me, it is out of place and almost irreverant when it is done on the altar, in full view, at such a holy time in the Mass.
Now, I am embarrassed to ask, but want to learn-- please explain about the sign of peace being optional, and what does "GIRM" stand for? As for not using eucharistic ministers, we have only one priest and approx. 250 people at Mass each Sunday, so they would appear to be neccessary.
I really like what MacBeth offered, but know that our parish would never do that. Wouldn't want to "put anyone out" you know. However, in exactly 12 days we are moving to NC where the church is very orthodox, and I can't wait!!
Liz
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kjohnson
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Or how about this for a thought: The Body and Blood of Our Lord is the Food of Immortality and not the means of carrying diseases. There are many miraculous stories of reception of the Eucharist (especially on a common spoon in the east) during times of plague in which the disease was not passed from one communicant to another. The Bread of Life is not the Bread of illness, disease or death.
On a lighter note, the kiss of peace is an ancient tradition dating back to the beginning of Church history. The holding of hands during the Our Father? Well, that dates back to roughly the era of Woodstock!
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MacBeth
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mavmama wrote:
| Now, I am embarrassed to ask, but want to learn-- please explain about the sign of peace being optional, and what does "GIRM" stand for? As for not using eucharistic ministers, we have only one priest and approx. 250 people at Mass each Sunday, so they would appear to be neccessary. |
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GIRM is the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. It's sort of the "how to" for the Mass.
I am curious about the numbers (not your assessment, Liz! Welcome, by the way!!). How many is too many for a priest to handle? How long is too long to wait to receive the Sacrament? A friend of mine pointed out that the Latin Mass, with a communion rail, is way more efficient, as everyone is in place, and the priest just has to go along the rail. I think I'd have to time it myself (our Latin Mass is way smaller than the NO)...personally, I like the communion time to last, as it is an amazing time for private prayer...
But back to hand sanitizing...my dh, who is cynical  by nature, said it sounds as though the EMHCs are trying to mimic the lavabo. I would definitely give them the benefit of the doubt, but I wonder why a person who has had a kidney transplant would want to risk infection at all by distributing Holy Communion. Even with hand sanitizer, the risk of infection is high.
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Kathryn UK
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kjohnson wrote:
| Or how about this for a thought: The Body and Blood of Our Lord is the Food of Immortality and not the means of carrying diseases. There are many miraculous stories of reception of the Eucharist (especially on a common spoon in the east) during times of plague in which the disease was not passed from one communicant to another. The Bread of Life is not the Bread of illness, disease or death. |
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This is what I was told by the elderly Irish priest who catechised me when I converted. I prefer it to hand sanitizer
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mavmama
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MacBeth, I agree with the idea of waiting. However, in this parish, it would cause such an uproar if people had to wait, isn't that sad? And, get this, at Easter and Christmas Masses, they also have ministers half way up the aisle to speed things along. I am anxious to get to our new church where my husband says Mass lasts a full 1 1/2 hours. It is my favorite place to be, and why would one want to hurry through just to get back to the regular grind? Things that make you go "hmmm" I guess.
Liz
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Topic: Hand sanitizer at mass?
