Saturday, January 12, 2013

Everyone a Minister... Roman Style

A few decades ago a little paperback was published by our church publisher that most wished had not been brought to market.  Oscar E. Feucht was the author and the title was Everyone a Visitor.  The presumption in this perspective was that the ministry was more function than office and the royal priesthood of all believers made everyone a minister.  While the book has largely been discredited, its perspective is not without support.  Now it seems that someone in the Roman Catholic Church may have been reading it.

Colorado Priest To Appoint Entire Parish Eucharistic Ministers

Loveland, CO––Saint John the Evangelist Parish Priest Father Nick Farley announced Friday that he would be appointing every single parishioner at his church an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. ”In due respect to the amount of Extraordinary Ministers needed per mass, the adage ought to be, more the merrier,” Farley said. Farley later proudly added that all of his current Extraordinary Ministers are so extraordinary that they are not only able to distribute, but to smile as they do so; an aptitude that, Farley believes, is imperative to proper distribution. “We don’t want people receiving Jesus from the hands of somber looking priest, you know? A happy Jesus should come from the happy hands of a happy minister.” When asked whether appointing an entire congregation Eucharistic Ministers was excessive, Farley responded, “Absolutely not…just as each Christian is entrusted an individual Guardian Angel, so then should they be entrusted their own individual Eucharistic Minister.”

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yuck.

Joe Herl said...

This is another post from Eye of the Tiger, the Onion of the Catholic press. So don't take it too seriously.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy their stories "Confused Parishioner Won't Stop Accidentally Saying 'And Also with You'" and "Nation's Catholics Demand Better Catechesis to Better Understand what Teachings to Ignore."

Joe Herl said...

Sorry, the website is Eye of the Tiber, not Tiger.

Janis Williams said...

Evanjellycalism is full of ministers. Perhaps why they have so many in pulpit who shouldn't be? They have no Sacraments, no idea of what an Office is other than where the CEO (ah, senior pastor) 'works.'

What a blessing to come into a church (LCMS) that understands the Office of the Ministry, and has the Real Presence and Baptism that is not something you do (if they don't mess up and toss them out in order to make people "equal").