Incarnation Catholic Church

The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion or Eucharistic Ministers (EMs) is a powerful ministry to which the Church invites her lay members. Ministers hold and distribute the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, while affirming their faith and witnessing the faith of others during the Rite of Communion. It truly is a wonderful, gentle, and love-filled ministry. As with any ministry in the Church, those called to serve will deepen and enhance their relationship with Jesus by coming to know Him better. To be truly suited for this ministry, the individual must be a fully initiated Catholic (received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist), be living in Communion with the Church and the parish community, and have a deep spiritual faith (if married, he/she must have been married in the Church). EMs are registered members of Incarnation Catholic Church and attend Sunday Mass here.

During the pandemic, not all liturgical ministries are active. 
CURRENT STATUS: ACTIVE

MINISTRY NOTES 

Check-In (Sunday Masses, includes Vigil on Saturday):  Please check in at the vestibule (Brand Blvd.) at least 10 minutes before the Mass begins.  Check in is NOT in the sacristy.  Coming early helps the EM to receive last-minute instructions, changes, etc.  Check to make sure you know where your station is.  At five minutes before Mass, an EM who has not yet checked-in is replaced by Les Rangel-Santos, Director of Liturgy, Music, Communications (or his designee).

Attire (Sunday Mass, includes Vigil on Saturday): Please wear your Sunday Best when serving at Mass. Slacks and button-down shirt or suit for men (no shorts, t-shirts).  For ladies, modest clothing--no strapless or sleeveless, see-through, low-cut, tight-fitting blouses or jeans.

Sacristy (Weekday Masses & Sunday, includes Vigil on Saturday):  "Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence to be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner (General Instruction of the Roman Missal)."  This is the reason why check-in for lectors, EMs, and other liturgical ministers is not in the sacristy.  A priest preparing for Mass needs time to prepare himself in mind, body, and spirit, without liturgical ministers going in and out of the sacristy to catch up with the priest or each other.  At the request of clergy, please give them the space they need to prepare themselves for Mass.

Entrance Procession (Sunday Mass, includes Vigil on Saturday):  EMs are not part of the entrance procession.  EMs remain in the pews until it is time for them to exercise their ministry at Communion time.

Masks:  For now, masks and social distancing are required for employees and volunteers if they are working in the church during Mass (from updated liturgical guidelines of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, dated June 15, 2021). Based on this, when distributing communion, please wear a mask.

Communion on the Tongue:  Arhcdiocesan guidelines, dated 12 July 2021, indicated: For now, Holy Communion will be offered in the form of bread. Communion on the hand is strongly encouraged. The Ministers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are encouraged to sanitize their hands before distributing Communion and after Communion has concluded.  There was no mention of a continued prohibition on communion on the tongue.  Because of this, here at Incarnation, we will not deny communion on the tongue to anyone.

When a person with his/her arms crossed over his/her chest comes to an EM during Communion:  This usually means that the person is not going to be receiving communion but is only coming up for a "blessing."  In the liturgy, only the clergy can give a blessing using the Trinitarian form and gesture.  A lay person cannot give such a "blessing."  A lay person can say "Jesus loves you" or "God bless you."  An EM who is not a member of the clergy cannot give a "blessing" in the same way that a member of the clergy does.  EMs, please make sure you also acknowledge children who come before you with their arms crossed over their hearts by saying: "Jesus loves you" or "God bless you." too!

What happens when a Host falls on the floor during Communion?  1) You set the Host aside or consume the Host yourself or the person for whom the Host was intended may consume the Host and 2) wave an usher down so that he/she can make sure no one tramples on the spot where the Host fell (there could be small particles of the Host on the floor!).and 3) send someone (another usher, perhaps) to alert the sacristan who will know what to do.  Standing aside from where the Host fell, you continue distributing Communion.

Sacristy or Vestibule?  The sacristy is where the priest gets ready for Mass.  The vestibule is the entrance at Brand Boulevard.


EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION (Eucharistic Ministers) Currently Serving (as of June 23, 2021):

Leni Algiers
Michelle Algiers
Peter Algiers
Otilia Cespedes
Vilma Champion
Claude Champion
Tim Chan
Carlitos Directo
Jennifer De Gracia
Carlitos Directo
Douglas Espinosa
Alice Harutunian
John Healy
Suzanne Healy
Rose Lim
Elizabeth Mangun
Elvira Maron
Daniel Martinez
Alicia Nocum
Jorge Nocum
Itohan Onyamendan
Vanessa Poe
Patty Pontrelli
Sophie Quach
Monica Rangel-Santos
Abe Razon
Eloisa Razon
Valerie Remy-Milora
Manny Reodica
Yvonne Schneider
Rosario Schroeder
Ted Schroeder
Ann Marie Smith
Giovanni Smith
Lenore Solis
Cris Tongson
Ina Tongson
Marysol Velasco