Ministers of the Eucharist should reverence the Body of Christ both in the Eucharist they distribute and the people whom they serve; they embody a concern for feeding both the spiritual and physical hungers of the world. Their specific skills include knowledge of the rites for communion at Mass and to the sick and dying. 

Training is required to learn the proper way to distribute the Eucharist, have familiarity with the sacristy and be able to purify and care for the vessels used for communion. 

 

At times Eucharistic Ministers may be called upon to preside at communion services or other liturgical prayers.

 

--Guidelines from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston