Eucharistic Minister at a Difference Church?

[GonnaBeAPriest]

I go to a daily Mass at a church near my office. This is not my home parish. I am a Eucharistic Minister at my parish. Today, only two Eucharistic Ministers went forward to distribution communions. With the priest there are typically four for the daily Mass. Obviously I recognized this and wondered if I should go up to assist. So my question....

Can/should I (as a Eucharist Minister from another Church) have offered to serve in this capacity at the daily Mass today?

[Cam42]

Interesting question. First off....the name has changed. You are not a Eucharistic Minister, you are an [i]Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion[/i] (EMHC). The Vatican has made it clear that this is the terminology that we should use (cf Remeptionis Sacramentum #156). Just an FYI.

Secondly, no, you should not approach to be an EMHC. For most daily Masses, unless there are hundreds (plural) of faithful attending, there is no need for the use of EMHC's. Here is what [url="http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/documents/instructioneng.shtml#9"]Redemptionis Sacramentum[/url] says:
[quote name='Redemptionis Sacramentum #151']Only out of true necessity is there to be recourse to the assistance of extraordinary ministers in the celebration of the Liturgy. Such recourse is not intended for the sake of a fuller participation of the laity but rather, by its very nature, is supplementary and provisional. Furthermore, when recourse is had out of necessity to the functions of extraordinary ministers, special urgent prayers of intercession should be multiplied that the Lord may soon send a Priest for the service of the community and raise up an abundance of vocations to sacred Orders.[/quote]

[quote name='Redemptionis Sacramentum #158']Indeed, the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may administer Communion only when the Priest and Deacon are lacking, when the Priest is prevented by weakness or advanced age or some other genuine reason, or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the very celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged. This, however, is to be understood in such a way that a brief prolongation, considering the circumstances and culture of the place, is not at all a sufficient reason.[/quote]

I hope this helps. So the short answer is no, you shouldn't. Not because you are not duly instituted (depending on which diocese you live, that may be the case, however), but because most probably there is no sufficient reason.