Eucharist

The greatest of the seven sacraments is the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic
Church teaches that in the Eucharist, Our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and
true man, is really present under the appearances of bread and wine. Our
Lord is not merely symbolized by the bread and wine; nor is he present only
through the faith of those present. Rather, the two material things, bread
and wine, are completely changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ,
leaving behind only their sensible appearances. Thus, through the words of
consecration spoken by the priest, Jesus, without ceasing to be present in a
natural way in heaven, is also present sacramentally, body, blood, soul and
divinity, in many places throughout the world.
The Eucharist is not only a sacrament but also a sacrifice. In it Jesus, acting
through the priest, makes present again in an unbloody manner the sacrifice
which he offered once for all by shedding his blood on Calvary. In Holy
Communion, by obeying Jesus' command to eat his flesh and drink his blood,
the faithful are also united spiritually with Jesus himself, and they unite their
own prayers, works and sufferings to his perfect sacrifice.
Holy Communion

A special union of the soul with Christ. When the consecrated species is
physically united with the communicant, the Eucharist confers actual graces
to make acts of love for God and one's neighbor. It also curbs all disordered
passions and confers a new title to the final resurrection of the body in
heavenly glory. A final effect of Communion is to remove the personal guilt
of venial sins, and the temporal punishment due to forgiven sins. *

In the Catholic Church the term minister enjoys a variety of usages. It most
commonly refers to the person, whether lay or ordained, who is
commissioned to perform some act on behalf of the Church. It is not a
particular office or rank of clergy, as is the case in some other churches, but
minister may be used as a collective term for vocational or professional
pastoral leaders including clergy (bishops, deacons, priests) and non-clergy
(theologians and lay ecclesial ministers). It is also used in reference to the
canonical and liturgical administration of sacraments, as part of some
offices, and with reference to the exercercise of the lay apostolate.

Lay ministers
In a general sense, any Christian exercising a ministry is a minister. Since all
the baptised are part of the universal priesthood, whenever they engage in
their vocation to evenagelize the world and to help those in need, they are
ministers.
Liturgical lay ministries include lectors (Ministers of the Word) who proclaim
scriptural (the Bible) passages during the Eucharist, altar servers and
acolytes who assist the presider at the altar, cantors and music ministers
who lead the singing, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion who serve
during Mass and/or who take Holy Communion to the sick and homebound,
and ushers or ministers of hospitality who direct the seating and procession
of the assembly.
Catechetical lay ministries include catechists (Sunday school teachers and
teachers at Catholic schools), dismissal leaders (ministers who lead RCIA
catechumens on Sundays), retreat leaders, youth group leaders, and Scout
religious emblems counselors.
Other lay ministries include those who work with charitable activities,
pastoral care and outreach, or advocacy for social justice.
Ecclesial ministers
Some persons within the church are called by God and the assembly to serve
as ministers to the whole people of God. These people respond to this
vocation by receiving the proper formation, usually including graduate
studies in theology or divinity, and then exercising some leadership role in
the community. In common usage, when someone refers to a "minister of
the church" they are referring to any one of these "professional" ministers.
The Catholic Church identifies five ecclesial vocations, three of which are
ordained. Theologians and lay ecclesial ministers are not necessarily
ordained, while bishops, presbyters, and deacons are ordained. While only
the later are considered clergy by the Catholic Church, all are considered
ministers in the professional and vocational sense.
Sacramental ministers
The other kind of minister in Catholic parlance is a person who ministers a
sacrament, meaning that he or she is a conduit of sacramental grace. This is
not an office or position but instead a function that different kinds of people
may perform, depending on the sacrament. There are two kinds of ministers
in this sense. The ordinary minister of a sacrament has both the spiritual
power to perform the sacrament (i.e. a valid sacrament) and the canonical
authority to perform the sacrament (i.e. a licit sacrament). By way of
example, the priest is the only minister of the Eucharist[2]. If a priest is, for
some reason, debarred [3] and yet still celebrates the Eucharist, he does so
illicitly (i.e. against Canon Law) but the Eucharist is still valid. However, in
terms of the sacraments of Catholic marriage and Reconciliation (the
Sacrament of Penance), although the priest is the ordinary minister, he must
have permission from the appropriate authority if he is to celebrate these
sacraments validly [4]
An extraordinary minister (Latin: minister extraordinarius) has the spiritual
power but may only perform the sacrament in certain special instances
under canon law. If an extraordinary minister performs a sacrament illicitly,
the sacrament is effective but the person ministering could be liable for an
ecclestiastical penalty, such as an interdict. By way of example, an
extraordinary minister of Holy Communion is authorised to bring Holy
Communion within a particular parish or diocese. If a minister brings Holy
Communion to someone outside of the authorised area, it is done illicitly, but
the person still receives Holy Communion.
If a person who is not an ordinary minister attempts to celebrate certain
sacraments it is considered to be invalid.
Sacramental ministers
The other kind of minister in Catholic parlance is a person who ministers a
sacrament, meaning that he or she is a conduit of sacramental grace. This is
not an office or position but instead a function that different kinds of people
may perform, depending on the sacrament. There are two kinds of ministers
in this sense. The ordinary minister of a sacrament has both the spiritual
power to perform the sacrament (i.e. a valid sacrament) and the canonical
authority to perform the sacrament (i.e. a licit sacrament). By way of
example, the priest is the only minister of the Eucharist[2]. If a priest is, for
some reason, debarred [3] and yet still celebrates the Eucharist, he does so
illicitly (i.e. against Canon Law) but the Eucharist is still valid. However, in
terms of the sacraments of Catholic marriage and Reconciliation (the
Sacrament of Penance), although the priest is the ordinary minister, he must
have permission from the appropriate authority if he is to celebrate these
sacraments validly [4]
An extraordinary minister (Latin: minister extraordinarius) has the spiritual
power but may only perform the sacrament in certain special instances
under canon law. If an extraordinary minister performs a sacrament illicitly,
the sacrament is effective but the person ministering could be liable for an
ecclestiastical penalty, such as an interdict. By way of example, an
extraordinary minister of Holy Communion is authorised to bring Holy
Communion within a particular parish or diocese. If a minister brings Holy
Communion to someone outside of the authorised area, it is done illicitly, but
the person still receives Holy Communion.
If a person who is not an ordinary minister attempts to celebrate certain
sacraments it is considered to be invalid.