South West Margaree: Extraordinary Minister of Communion (EMC) = Rosita Gillis
East Margaree: EMC = Anne Marie Leblanc and John Archie Mac Kenzie
North East Margaree : EMC = Cecile Miller
Margaree Forks: EMC = Bill Cameron
Two Zones for First Fridays
South West and the North East – Group 1 (Fr. Doug starts here in September)
East Margaree, Belle Cote, Margaree Harbour and Margaree Forks – Group 2
First Friday Communion Calls
Will be done with assistance from the local laity (extraordinary ministers of communion) from each parish. The priest (ordinary minister of communion) will visit two of the four zones within the Margaree family of parishes every first Friday of each month, and lay ministers will bring Holy Communion to the other two zones. Thus our sick and shut-in parishioners will receive communion every first Friday as normal, either from the priest or from an officially installed lay person (EMC) every month.
* Homes where a care giver or family member is always present with our shut-in parishioner, the priest (OMC), or the lay person (EMC) may bring communion alone, otherwise the Minister of Communion must travel with another parishioner. Ministers of Holy Communion, whether they are the priest or a lay person must travel in pairs where necessary.
*The purpose of reserving Holy Communion in our churches is two-fold: To bring the Eucharist to our sick and shut-ins and secondly, to provide a place for adoration of our Lord, sacramentally present in the Eucharist. Ministers of Communion should go to the local tabernacle of the parish church to which the parishioners they are visiting belong.
Why the change and why use new terms such as ordinary and extraordinary ministers of communion? The change is minimal because the primary objective of bringing Jesus in Holy Communion to those who are home bound remains. By virtue of our universal baptism in Christ, we are all configured to Jesus the priest, prophet and king, thus we are inviting the leadership (Kingly) gifts of the lay persons in our parishes. Those who are ordained undergo a further ontological change in their soul, as we are configured to Christ Capitus (head), hence we are known as ministerial priests. Since the ministerial priest is the one who confects the Eucharist he is the ordinary minister of Holy Communion. Lay persons are configured to the body of Christ at baptism, thus assist the leadership responsibilities of the ministerial priest when necessary and they are known as the extraordinary minister. I thank everyone in the Margaree family of parishes for your contribution to the life of the community as we build up the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Peace be with you, Father Douglas