Banning Eucharist on the Tongue because of H1N1

[Eric_Olsen]

As I understand it though, they stopped letting people drink from the Chalice when there was the Black Plague, and the custom stuck centuries after the Black Plague was eliminated.

when was the black plague? People, other than the priest did not drink from Chalice then.

 

[kage_ar]

My parish, but apparently not the entire diocese, has banned receiving from the cup for the time being. Receiving on the tounge is ok, though. They reccomend that the EME’s either us a provided antibacterial in the front room prior to mass or wash prior to mass.

…

Please, let your Pastor know that the Faithful cannot be banned from reception on the toungue - the Holy Father would have to make such a decision

 

[JReducation]

Br. JR, OSF ; Don’t you think it would be prudent then on behalf of the Bishops to incite a temporary rule to his brother priests (“with the threat of the H1N1 virus strongly looming over the Church Faithful”) that the Sacred Blood of Christ will “ONLY” be dispensed under (“Intinction”) ? Sounds prudently logical to me.

Fraternally;
Chris

Let me make sure that I’m understanding you. Are you asking if it’s prudent to avoid receiving from the same chalice?

If that’s the question the answer is yes. That’s the road that we took in our diocese. Communion is on the hand and there is no sharing of chalices by the laity. Only the priests and deacons on the altar drink from the one chalice.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[dancny]

Let’s not get to far afield.

As administrators, I hate that word in this context but it fits, the priests and bishops have to take all precatuions they deem necessary. Even if it weren’t for legal issues they have a responsibility to the flock.

I also would not question the faith of any person coming to the altar. I made a statement about my own, but I have no idea what the heart and mind of anyone else is. Just because I feel safe does not mean anyone else has too and does not make me more full of faith than them. Five minutes later in some accident I may be a whimpering baby while they cling to the rock.

The priests and bishops do what they do, hopefully guided by the Holy Spirit. The best we can do is pray for them and that guidance and then follow along as obdient Catholics.

As an EME I have a request for those who DO receive on the tounge. I am serious. Please open your mouth and put your tounge out there. Sometimes I feel as though I am going for a coin slot. I do not mean to denigrate anything or be gross or anything else and I apologize right now if I just offended someone. I have no problem with anyone receiving on the tounge. If that is what you like, go for it. Please. But just make it wasy for the poor person administering it. thank you.

 

[centurionguard]

Let me make sure that I’m understanding you. Are you asking if it’s prudent to avoid receiving from the same chalice?

If that’s the question the answer is yes. That’s the road that we took in our diocese. Communion is on the hand and there is no sharing of chalices by the laity. Only the priests and deacons on the altar drink from the one chalice.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

For the prudent safety of all the congregation involved with respect to the H1N1 virus.

Yes;

Communion is on the hand and there is no sharing of chalices by the laity.

This to me is even more safer than receiving the Blessed Sacrament by Intinction of the Hosts.

Having talked to a Nurse friend of mine last night who has her Masters degree in Nursing.
She informed me that this H1N1 virus will feel no different than the common cold with the exception of young children, the elderly and others in society who are already afflicted by diseases that induce low immunity will have the greatest risk of being effected by the terminal effects of this disease.

 

[Quarles47]

Ok, if you’re going to be paranoid about this then stay home. Or don’t receive. No one twists you’re arm to go to communion and it seems that there are those that seem to forget why they’re going, and that is to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of or Our Lord Jesus Christ.
I myself work in the healthcare field and when I come down with anything that could be contagious I stay away from others until the threat of contamination of others has passed.:stretcher:

 

[Cat]

This whole Post has me bothered inside. It’s not what Brothers and Sisters in Christ here are talking about with very good reason. Surely this H1N1 Swine Flu Virus has everybody very much worried. I too am worried with many school children in both the United States and Canada resuming another School year with vigilant fears of this N1N1 virus making headlines in the global news media. Strict hand washing routines are being introduced in public schools, universities, government offices, and places where we work. In our Catholic Churches safety protocols even at the Church doors and exits strongly promote antiseptic hand-washing. If banning the Eucharist on the Tongue because of H1N1 is being enforced in a number of parishes, what does this say about sharing in the communion chalice with the Sacred Blood of Christ. As I said before, all this about H1N1 Swine Flu incites fears.
But the clincher here is about our fervent FAITH. Undoubtedly minuscule droplets of saliva
from the faithful who partake of the Sacred Blood of Christ are placed on the inside of the Communion Chalice and multiply after hundreds from the congregation have received under both species. My question here is one of Faith. Would Jesus intentionally allow us to become ill with the swine flu; if we received under Both Species should some people in the congregation be infected by the H1N1 virus ? This is ultimately a question of Faith.

My sister-in-law was sick over the weekend. Her place of work will not clear her continuance back to work until she clears it with her doctor with a signed certificate that she has not contracted the Swine H1N1 Virus.

Are you in the United States?

I work in a hospital lab in microbiology in Illinois, and took on the job of getting things straight between us, the public health dept, the state lab, and CDC.

According to our public health dept, an employer has no reason to ban an employee from work pending a statement of negative testing for H1N1.

Unless a patient has been hospitalized, our lab and our health dept do NOT send any tests to the State Lab for confirmation of H1N1, even if the rapid influenza test is positive. So if your sister-in-law is in our state, she will wait forever for confirmation, because it’s not ever going to be tested (unless she was hospitalized).

I don’t know if this policy is uniform across the U.S., but our policies are from CDC. Illinois was one of the hardest-hit states during the outbreak, so I doubt we are slacking off on a law. So I’m guessing that pretty much every state in the U.S. has the same basic policy as Illinois.

If I were your sister-in-law, I would call your County Public Health Dept and ask them to clear things up so that she can get back to work when she feels up to it.

 

[Statius]

It was announced at Mass yesterday that from now until the end of the winter flu season the chalice would be withdrawn. It was advised that communion be taken in the hand rather than on the tongue, but father did say that, as it is a matter of conscience for many people, that was a suggestion rather than a hard and fast rule.