Re-consecrating A Host?

[Kylie Spinelli]

(I asked this in Ask-A-Scholar, but I wanted your input too!)

 

Hello!

 

I participate in a ministry that caters to a Hispanic group that works at the Back Stretch of a racetrack. We celebrate Mass, pray the Rosary, and then give the workers food after Mass. This evening we celebrated Mass for the workers. Because many of them had not been able to attend Confession, very few received the Eucharist, so there was some left over. The priest placed them reverently in a corporal to bring back to the Church and place in the Tabernacle, and a bag of un-consecrated hosts was put in Father's bag. One woman was helping to clean up after the celebration and she took the consecrated hosts out of the corporal and put them in the bag with the un-consecrated hosts, not knowing that they were different. This was brought to my attention when, after hearing one man's confession and then deciding to give him Eucharist, Father asked me where the consecrated hosts were. I had seen the woman put them in the bag, and I had just assumed that Father had instructed her to do so, so there was no need for me to stop her. 

 

I'm not sure what Father did regarding giving the man Communion, but what should be done with the Hosts in this case? Should he take them all and consume them, or dissolve them, or can you "re-consecrate" them? 

 

Just wondering, as I love to know the logistics of all of this stuff, and I am genuinely curious and I really want to know. I don't think this is in the Book of Canon Law, but if it is please let me know! I would love to find it in there!

 

Thank you and God bless!!

 

~Kylie

[PhuturePriest]

Is it bad that if I'm ever a Priest I hope what you're supposed to do is eat all of them because I love the taste of the host so much?

[Nihil Obstat]

I am speculating, but perhaps he would consecrate all the hosts together conditionally, just as we do a conditional baptism in case there is doubt about the previous baptism's validity. I am not sure whether or not there is a rubric for conditional consecration.

It is a very serious situation, and whoever was responsible for it should probably have known better than to touch hosts that were sitting on the corporal.

Dissolving them would be possible, but if there are too many it may or may not be feasible. Consuming them all is a valid option.

[PadrePioOfPietrelcino]

I tried to look-up the Canons, but alas I can not find them tonight. So, this is an unofficial opinion, but one which I think has merit and most likely correct. When in a Church which has the Host reserved in the Tabernacle it stays reserved until it is needed, it is not brought out onto the altar during the consecration. I believe there are specific reasons for this (which I was trying to find) as such I think those reasons would apply to this situation. I also know of a case in England where a Deacon accidently put unconsecrated Hosts with Consecrated one and the solution was to consume them all and start "fresh" from there. So from example and logic I would say re-consecration is not an option and consumption by a Deacon, Priest, and or Bishop are the only options remaining as the laity can not self-communicate. Of course this is just my hypothesis, I look forward to the answer which might come from our scholars (probably Cappie).

[GeorgiiMichael]

Well, if he celebrated mass and had all of the hosts together for consecration, the ones that hadn't been consecrated would then become so, and the others would remain as they were. 

[Nihil Obstat]

I tried to look-up the Canons, but alas I can not find them tonight. So, this is an unofficial opinion, but one which I think has merit and most likely correct. When in a Church which has the Host reserved in the Tabernacle it stays reserved until it is needed, it is not brought out onto the altar during the consecration. I believe there are specific reasons for this (which I was trying to find) as such I think those reasons would apply to this situation. I also know of a case in England where a Deacon accidently put unconsecrated Hosts with Consecrated one and the solution was to consume them all and start "fresh" from there. So from example and logic I would say re-consecration is not an option and consumption by a Deacon, Priest, and or Bishop are the only options remaining as the laity can not self-communicate. Of course this is just my hypothesis, I look forward to the answer which might come from our scholars (probably Cappie).

That does sound most reasonable.

[reminiscere]

In a sort-of similar situation all the H/hosts were then consummed on the spot. Also the bag would need to be properly purified and disposed.