Crumbly Eucharist

[Holland]

Doesn’t it bother anyone posting here that in places where this type of bread is being used (assuming that the consecration is valid to begin with), that the Blessed Sacrament is being dropped and trampled around the country and around the world? I used to go to such a place. Jesus, have mercy on me.

Of course I care. The reality in the United States is that some of us are in Dioceses where this type of behavior is not only tolerated, it is encouraged and most of the people in these areas embrace this. There are a couple of parishes in my Diocese that are OK and I attend Mass at these parishes on a regular basis. If I am constrained by work, travel, etc. I have made the choice to attend Mass at one of these “other” parishes. I will not miss Mass on Sunday even if it means attending a Mass that doesn’t follow the GIRM exactly or doesn’t have the Communion bread made correctly.

 

[chicago]

Receiving on the tongue is *always *better and always appropriate.

Again, there is a practical consideration. In the Eastern rites, where leavened bread is used, they know how to administer communion directly to the mouth while taking precuations against anything falling. In those Roman Catholic parishes where a thicker form of bread than wafer hosts is used, the priests and EMHCs really would be pretty shocked and stunned at someone sticking out their tongue, not knowning how to handle it with this sort of form of bread. And trying to receive like that isn’t particularly fostering of due care taken towards ensuring that the host doesn’t fall off the tongue and onto the floor. As a matter of prudence and reverence, then, I’d generally recommend that someone receive in the hand and place the host in their own mouth when this sort of bread is used.

 

[Wendy-Kay]

Again, In those Roman Catholic parishes where a thicker form of bread than wafer hosts is used, the priests and EMHCs really would be pretty shocked and stunned at someone sticking out their tongue, not knowning how to handle it with this sort of form of bread.

There is always the option of recieving directly from the priest.

 

[prv]

Doesn’t it bother anyone posting here that in places where this type of bread is being used (assuming that the consecration is valid to begin with), that the Blessed Sacrament is being dropped and trampled around the country and around the world? I used to go to such a place. Jesus, have mercy on me.

Yes, we do care.

Kyrie Eleison

 

[havemercy]

Off topic -
Once a priest told me about another priest who distributed host to an old man. After received and put it in his mouth, he slept! and part of the host (which already mixed with saliva) slowly coming out from his mouth.

After mass, the priest tried to wake him up, but failed. So what did he do? He took it and ate it.

hahahahaha Oh my goodness!

 

[LilyM]

Talk about reverence for the Eucharist though! Big hats off to that priest :tiphat:

 

[chicago]

There is always the option of recieving directly from the priest.

The priest can’t magically keep the host precariously balanced on your tongue, though. Well, unless maybe if he’s a juggler,

 

[Wendy-Kay]

No, but if my options are limited to recieving from an EMHC who wouldn’t know what to do if I wanted to recieve on the tounge versus the priest, I would defer to the priest. Although, I wasn’t aware that the paten had been done away with in a lot of parishes.

 

[plato3]

The Host especially old Hosts will get crumbly. In my parish, I make sure that the Hosts are rotated properly to try and prevent this situation. We also keep the bags of unconsecrated hosts in the freezer in our pastor’s kitchen. They stay fresh longer. I notice that sometimes the EMS leave crumbs in vessels that are not purified properly. I also take care of this as was said, every crumb contains Jesus. Every parish should have someone to see that the Eucharist is handled with reverence.

 

[chicago]

No, but if my options are limited to recieving from an EMHC who wouldn’t know what to do if I wanted to recieve on the tounge versus the priest, I would defer to the priest.

With the sort of Eucharistic bread which is being discussed in this thread, the priests likely wouldn’t know how to handle it, either. I’ve been in the position as a communicant approaching a priest and not realizing what kind of bread was being used. I instinctively stuck out my tongue and the look on the priest’s face was of terror. He clearly understood the danger present. (After some confusion, I think we finally managed to hook up on having him place the host in my hand, afterall.) It’s just the nature of the bread and it’s unsuitability for distribution directly to the mouth without a spoon like the Eastern Catholics do.

Although, I wasn’t aware that the paten had been done away with in a lot of parishes.

Wow, you weren’t? Really, there are probably very few parishes at all who still use it. In the ones that do, it is likely mostly a return to useage after long having giving it up.

 

[LittleRose]

I don’t know what the problem could be here.

The nuns who bake the communion bread have been following the same recipe for ages, maybe a novice messed up a bit in the kitchen.

They’ll probably have it straightened out the next time you’re there

I wouldn’t count on it. I used to attend a university parish that used the thick, crumbly, whole wheat type stuff for the host, and it was not made by nuns. Rather, it was made by volunteer parishoners at home.

The priests there also knowingly distributed the eucharist to non-catholics, and I know for a fact that there have been EMHC’s there that didn’t know the difference between a host that had been consecrated and host that hadn’t,…but that’s another story. Said parish has now been taken over by the diocese.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

No one is “forced” to attend an irreverent, sacraligious service. We have a free will, a conscience and an intellect. Add in a pinch of character, a dash of backbone and 1/2 cup of “I’m not putting up with this garbage anymore”, stir well and bake to golden brown perfection and you’ll never be “forced” to go somewhere where our Lord is being mocked and dishonored.

TradyDaddy: I meant exactly what I said. If one is assigned as a seminarian to a particular parish and one wishes to remain in the seminary, one has little choice but to comply. I complied for as long as I could, but I ended up leaving the seminary and that diocese. That takes free will, conscience, and intellect.

 

[TradyDaddy]

TradyDaddy: I meant exactly what I said. If one is assigned as a seminarian to a particular parish and one wishes to remain in the seminary, one has little choice but to comply. I complied for as long as I could, but I ended up leaving the seminary and that diocese. That takes free will, conscience, and intellect.

You did the right thing by leaving, but in the future when something like that comes up, don’t put up with it at all, much less for “as long as you can”. Also, think about how many other young men have left the seminary for the same (or similar) reasons as you and then these people have the audacity to turn around and use the Priest shortage to justify closing parishes, allowing laypersons to perform communion services, etc. Don’t you see there is something drastically wrong with this system? It’s not just one diocese or one bishop or one priest. It is the very reason the seminaries emptied out in the 60’s. Those seminarians who had the desire to be good and holy Priests found little reason to stay as disciplines eroded and new unorthodox theologies were being taught. Many of those who did stay were the ones that didn’t care and the overall sactity and holiness of the episcopate declined and voila, you have scandals and liturgical abuses.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

You did the right thing by leaving, but in the future when something like that comes up, don’t put up with it at all, much less for “as long as you can”. Also, think about how many other young men have left the seminary for the same (or similar) reasons as you and then these people have the audacity to turn around and use the Priest shortage to justify closing parishes, allowing laypersons to perform communion services, etc.

Your argument is offensive and makes little sense. Dioceses do not get orthodox priests unless orthodox seminarians remain to study for them. This requires a lot of toleration for heterdoxy in the seminary, in parish assignments, and in dealing with the chancery, vocations director, and bishop. Despite all the liturgical abuses, my pastor was still a priest, and his consecrations were valid, and since Christ was truly present, I could remain for His sake. Beggars cannot be choosers.