Communion Wine and Alcoholic Priests

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FickleFreckled

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I saw a prayer request on the prayer forum and it made me wonder how priests who are recovering alcoholics or who are struggling with the disease of alcoholism cope with consumption of the consecrated wine at Mass. Lay people receiving communion can forego receiving under both species, but the priest can’t…can he? What does the Church do to help, besides send them to a substance-abuse center when it’s gotten out of hand? What a terrible situation to be in. Any thoughts?
 
Alcoholic priests may obtain permission to use mustum, a product that consists of grape juice fermented just enough to be called wine, but not enough to have a substantial amount of alcohol. Why not google “mustum” and learn how it’s made, etc.

Betsy
 
FickleFreckled said:
I saw a prayer request on the prayer forum and it made me wonder how priests who are recovering alcoholics or who are struggling with the disease of alcoholism cope with consumption of the consecrated wine at Mass. Lay people receiving communion can forego receiving under both species, but the priest can’t…can he? What does the Church do to help, besides send them to a substance-abuse center when it’s gotten out of hand? What a terrible situation to be in. Any thoughts?
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You are correct that the main celebrant MUST consume BOTH forms. The USCCB document usccb.org/liturgy/innews/1103.shtml states that if a priest cannot even use Mustum which he can obtain permission to use from his Bishop or Superior. Then he may only Concelebrate with another priest acting as the Main celebrant. Also he may not act as the Main celebrant in a concelebrated Mass.
 
FickleFreckled said:
I saw a prayer request on the prayer forum and it made me wonder how priests who are recovering alcoholics or who are struggling with the disease of alcoholism cope with consumption of the consecrated wine at Mass. Lay people receiving communion can forego receiving under both species, but the priest can’t…can he? What does the Church do to help, besides send them to a substance-abuse center when it’s gotten out of hand? What a terrible situation to be in. Any thoughts?
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I am wondering about that too. Years ago, I attended a Mass celebrated by a recovering AA priest who used Grape juice instead of wine. Now I wonder if it was indeed a true Sacrifice of the Mass???
 
Thank you, Bro. Rich and baltobetsy, for your quick responses and for the link. I’d never heard of Mustum. (Maybe that’s what elts1956’s priest was drinking, and not grape juice.) Thank goodness there’s an option that, hopefully, is sufficient for the majority of afflicted priests.
 
elts1956 said:
I am wondering about that too. Years ago, I attended a Mass celebrated by a recovering AA priest who used Grape juice instead of wine. Now I wonder if it was indeed a true Sacrifice of the Mass???
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No, if it was truely common grape juice.
 
One common practice of a couple of priests I’ve known was to confect the sacrament with very little wine… a teaspoon or so if not communing the altar servers under both species. One of them would tell the servers before mass, and instruct that the last server to be communed was to drain the chalice.

Not much need be confected. What is confected must be consumed, however.
 
FickleFreckled said:
I saw a prayer request on the prayer forum and it made me wonder how priests who are recovering alcoholics or who are struggling with the disease of alcoholism cope with consumption of the consecrated wine at Mass. Lay people receiving communion can forego receiving under both species, but the priest can’t…can he? What does the Church do to help, besides send them to a substance-abuse center when it’s gotten out of hand? What a terrible situation to be in. Any thoughts?
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The Vatican has allowed, in certain circumstances, wine that has had the alcohol removed, or diluted with water
 
"elt1956:
I am wondering about that too. Years ago, I attended a Mass celebrated by a recovering AA priest who used Grape juice instead of wine. Now I wonder if it was indeed a true Sacrifice of the Mass???
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Br. Rich SFO said:
No, if it was truely common grape juice.
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I disagree. Assuming the bread was valid matter, and its consecration occurred without a problem, you would still have a true Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It would not be complete, and it would be highly illicit, but you would still have the real presence of the body and blood.
 
Digitonomy said:
I disagree. Assuming the bread was valid matter, and its consecration occurred without a problem, you would still have a true Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It would not be complete, and it would be highly illicit, but you would still have the real presence of the body and blood.
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As far as I know, priests are required to consume both, not one or the other.
 
You might want to refer to the link provided by Bro Rich SFO in post # 3.
 
Digitonomy said:
I disagree. Assuming the bread was valid matter, and its consecration occurred without a problem, you would still have a true Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It would not be complete, and it would be highly illicit, but you would still have the real presence of the body and blood.
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Wine is required matter for a valid consecration. The Vatican has ruled on this. See the link. If anyone only received from the chalice they would not receive communion.
pasteurized grape juice in which all alcohol has been evaporated through high temperature preparations is invalid matter for Mass.
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I understand but the could uses lots of water and little wine …the wine is watered
 
redrosetea said:
I understand but the could uses lots of water and little wine …the wine is watered
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Not really. Canon law reads:

Can. 924 §1. The most holy eucharistic sacrifice must be offered with bread and with wine in which a little water must be mixed.
§2. The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.
§3. The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled.

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3A.HTM
 
Aramis said:
And for those few clerics, mustum is permitted.
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I understand that. As was noted in earlier post where I referred to the church document. I was responding to Redrosetea’s misunderstanding of the problem.

You should know that mustum is even a problem for some. Those unfortunate men are relegated to the status of only being concelebrant as has been stated. Must be a heavy cross to bear.
 
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