Huh?

I know of a woman who has taken upon herself the job of being an extraordinary minister at Mass sans the required training. This is evident in the way she performs the task. Many of us tend to cringe when we approach Communion time and this wannabe minister starts looking around for help using elaborate hand signs, trying to draft other untrained people, and clumping up and down the aisle.

While I'm not in favor of the laity trampling all over the sanctuary space, a well-trained, devout, reverent extraordinary minister is sometimes a necessity but should be an unobtrusive necessity. This particular person is hardly any of the above and often detracts from the sacred moment.

Since she is the first to rush up to perform as an extraordinary minister, I was shocked and amused today at morning Mass. She wasn't in the ministering line up and when we started going up for Communion, she headed out the opposite way, up the aisle and over into the other Communion line - the line where the priest was distributing Communion rather than to the gentlemen extraordinary minister in the closer line. It was almost laughable that SHE feels herself uplifted to distribute Communion but goes out of her way to avoid another extraordinary minister.

Sure keeps life interesting but not a distraction we need played out during Mass!