Receiving Holy Communion in the hand was a common practice in both the Church of the East and the West for about the first seven centuries of the Church.
The way it was done is that the communicant placed their right hand over their left in the form of a cross. The priest placed the Host onto the palm of the communicants right hand. Then, the communicant bowed down as both hands in the form of a cross come up and with the mouth and tongue take the Host from the palm of the right hand.
Episcopalians to this day receive in the hand in the ancient way and most Episcopal Churches have communion rails and receive in this manner while kneeling although standing is a more ancient way.
Catholics do not receive in the ancient way with the novel manner in which the laity were taught to receive Holy Communion by hand beginning in the late 1970’s.
The way the Church teaches the laity to receive Holy Communion in the hand is to place their dominant hand under the other hand (left or right), allow the minister of Holy Communion to place the Host in their palm and then take the dominant hand and pick the Host up form the palm and place the Host in one’s mouth.
This is completely foreign to the Episcopalian way which is, in fact, the ancient way.
Today, though, Communion in the hand in every Catholic Church has devolved into snatching the Host from the minister, placing both hands out without signifying which hand the Host should be placed and one handed reception where the communicant drops the hand so the Host moves towards the fingers and then one handedly and with the same hand in which the Host is received the person places the Host in their mouth and usually while moving away from the minister.
Never mind how sloppily children receive the Host in the hand and this in the most important years of their life where proper piety and reverence for Christ in the Holy Eucharist is formed or deformed!
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