Question:
Can an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion distribute communion with his or her left hand? I was shocked to see this happen in my parish last Sunday. I have only ever seen a priest or minister use their right hand.
Answer:
The reason you see ministers of communion distributing with their right hands is that most people are right-handed.
Another reason could be superstition that the left hand is evil, the so-called sinister hand in Latin. In some cultures, using your left hand to do anything other than “dirty” tasks is considered an insult.
However, the Church does not dictate which hand must be used to distribute communion. In some cultures societal norms might, but the Church itself does not.
I once had my right hand closed in a car door. My fingertips and nails on my right hand were a black and blue mess. Until it healed, I used my left hand for distributing Communion.
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