Deacon's Role In Distribution Of Eucharist

[OnlySunshine]

I was hoping someone could clear something up for me. My parish is has been assigned a permanent deacon who will be with us starting August 1st. I recently learned that, during the distribution of the Eucharist, the deacon, if present at Mass, is the ordinary minister of the Sacred Cup.

This confused both me and my mom because we are EMHCs and we know, through the training that we received, that we are only there if there is a need for the lay faithful to help serve if the distribution disrupts the natural flow of the Mass. Otherwise, only the ordinary ministers are given utmost right to distribute and the lay faithful step aside.

[b]If the deacon is an ordinary minister, why is his role to serve the cup instead of the host?[/b] The deacon we will be receiving has been scheduled at the Masses to serve in the chalice position. Shouldn't they stand next to the priest?

I appreciate any help you can offer in clearing this up. Every single document I read either confused me or didn't answer this matter at all.

[Theoketos]

If you want official documents, start a thread asking for them and I will oblige, but for now...

The laity ought to be used in only extra-ordinary circumstances for the distribution of holy communion.

The deacon is the ordinary minister of the cup. But if there are not enough ordinary ministers, deacons are the most proper extra ordinary minister of the Body of Christ. They are ordained to the order of priests unlike the laity.

Ideally, and this is the traditional and continued preference of the ordinary and universal magisterium, only those whose hands are consecrated to do so would touch the host.

Practically, these days, no parish follows official church teaching on this. Mostly this is due to a like of catechesis and a misunderstanding of active participation and the nature of hierarchy (which is often opposed to popular notions in America).