Formation Workshop for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Carmel Bulletin, 2 November 2014

Over the past week, thirty-four of our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion participated in the annual formation workshop.

We reflected upon the participation on everybody in the liturgical celebration.  The Mass is the celebration of Christ and his Church – the Church present at this time and place, united in prayer and faith with the Church universal and those gone before us marked with the sign of faith.

The focus of this workshop was to consider some of the qualities that our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion possess.  Blessed (Pope) Paul VI, in his 1973 instruction, Immensae Caritatis, described those suitable for this ministry being people “whose good qualities… recommended them”.  We shared a number of qualities that are displayed by our ministers, and focused on four in particular:

• Humility
• Hospitality
• Gratitude
• Reverence

We will discuss these qualities in greater detail in the coming weeks.  We also considered how these qualities, displayed and modelled by our ministers (and hopefully by all our parishioners), allow us to contribute in a small way to the realisation of our parish vision that all families feel connected, supported and valued as they live and grow in their faith.  That is why you will find some of our discussion recorded and displayed on our parish vision board in the narthex today.