Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist assist Priests and Deacons in the distribution of Holy Communion at Mass or at other times when it is necessary to bring the Eucharist to the homebound or the hospitalized.
Why are they needed?
In 1973, Pope Paul VI published Immensae Caritatis (Immense Love) and wrote “Present day conditions demand that …greater access to Holy Communion should be made possible so that the faithful, by sharing more fully in the fruits of the sacrifice of the Mass, might dedicate themselves more readily and effectively to God and to the good of the Church and of mankind. First of all provision must be made lest reception become impossible or difficult owing to a lack of sufficient number of ministers.”