Gluten Free Host at Mass

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I see your world renowned doctor and raise you one Mayo Clinic Gastroenterology department. Now, I actually did look your doctor up. I don’t know why he would tell you that Celiacs should do anything but avoid any and all gluten. But science is not based in individual credentials. His credentials do not change the evidence. Which I pointed out to you, which you apparently don’t understand. That study, which one of many similar, clearly states that even if gluten doesn’t leave evidence of damage in your scopes, it still always induces a T-cell mediated autoimmune response. THAT is way more serious than mere cilli damage in the SI.

As it turns out, however, you don’t have to believe. Your own doctor agrees and actually is on board with the program with the Gastroenterology standards of care. In his own words:

"Celiac disease is driven by even minimal cross-contamination of gluten…

"And finally, there are consequences with celiac if you don’t stick with the program. So you can develop problems over time like osteoporosis, lymphoma, and so on if you are not strictly gluten-free.
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maryjk said:
So, how about this? Don’t presume that because either of us are Celiac, that we know all that there is to know about the disease. That we listen to our own doctor
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I don’t think she presumed anything of the sort. Stating that Celiac Disease requires strict adherence to a gluten-free diet is hardly a claim to all knowledge of the subject. In fact, it’s rather a basic understanding of the disease. One that’s shared by your own doctor.
 
Herculees said:
The family would notify
the priest a minimum of ten minutes prior
to Mass that they were their and prior to the
Mass he would prepare an injection needle
with the consecrated wine, and at communion
time we would inject it into the child.
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Wait – what???

Before Mass (and therefore, before consecration)? You mean he would prepare unconsecrated wine, and then consecrate it, right?

And besides which… injecting alcohol into a child?!?!?
 
NO! He would prepare and consecrate the wine that was going into the injection needle prior to Mass! EM would inject the consecrated wine into the child as their communion because the child could NOT eat or drink ANYTHING (even at home)!
 
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Herculees said:
NO! He would prepare and consecrate the wine that was going into the injection needle prior to Mass!
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sigh. Even worse, no?
Herculees said:
EM would inject the consecrated wine into the child as their communion because they could NOT eat or drink ANYTHING (even at home)!
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So, unless the EMHC were a medical professional – and even if s/he were – we’re talking about injecting alcohol directly into a child’s bloodstream!
 
I don’t think it is worse at all.
It is an accommodation just like people who need gluten free hosts!
EM were given training by the church of how to use the injection needle.
Remember folks we are NOT injecting a bottle of wine or anything just a little
bit of the consecrated wine.
 
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They don’t want to make a big thing out of the fact that
a parishioner needs an accommodation.
 
I’ll pass on that extremely dangerous wine injection idea, thanks.

My entire point…and this is the grand finale for me…Jesus told us to eat bread and drink wine in memory of Him. He did not say the bread must be made from wheat. St. Augustine presumed based on local custom in Jesus’ time that it was likely wheat bread, so sure, we can use that. There is no reasonable argument in the entire history of the church, however, that bread made of an alternative grain such as rice or potato flour, cannot be used for those who have a life threatening reason not to eat wheat.
There is no statement by Jesus that the bread and wine must be exactly and materially identical to what he had within reach at a meal he did not prepare. We could have been perfectly fine offering any food or beverage in memory of Jesus because it was his blessing and words, not the material property of the food, that he made sacred.

We do not identically follow church teaching on communion. Jesus had actual table bread and tore it…we use a strangely made, machine made cracker that is totally dissimilar in taste, texture and appearance from any bread commonly served anywhere in the world at any time in history.

So fixation on this detail is a bit OCD and without actual meaning. I believe the church should revisit the decision as there is a lack of understanding that their “accommodation” is a danger to those they are trying to accommodate. Church leadership can change this…it is not doctrine. They are lacking in knowledge and based on bad information, made a bad decision. Bad decisions can and should be changed.

There are many practical reasons not to offer the chalice. Among them, the other parishioners cross contaminate both chalice and winebdo it is still unsafe. Also, sharing the chalice requires more Eucharistic ministers which not every parish can provide. It risks disease transmission not just this week, but every day of every year. It is an expense as well.

Safest option is to have the deacon or a dedicated Eucharistic minister who has not just touched a regular host, offer gluten free hosts…truly zero percent gluten…serving celiac patients and gluten sensitive parishioners first. Then they can continue serving parishioners who do not have this concern. If there is only the one priest serving, he should clean his hands after the blessing and serve the celiac patients from a separate pic with 0 gluten hosts.

This is what would be safe. It would certainly help to do this and it would certainly not be less than a spiritual communion.

Church should be inclusive and safe. We should not put greater emphasis on molecules of gluten than we do on 90 percent or more recipients never going to confession. Which issue truly imperils the validity and sanctity of the sacrament?

And no, if a communicant in a state of Grace presents for a sacrament, they should not be ostracized nor forced to go over the heads of their priest, pastor, and bishop in order to safely recieve. Disagree if you like but given we are called to be prudent, I argue for prudence.
 
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Kindnessmatters said:
Why is it so hard to understand celiac patients should not ingest gluten and Catholics would like to recieve communion? I’d this that hard to understand?
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There’s nothing difficult to understand. Most of us, here, I think understand perfectly, and sympathize with you. But it is not within our power to change the Church’s doctrine on the meaning of the word “bread”.
 
It is not doctrine. It is tradition. For this reason, it has been addressed a few times.
 
Kindnessmatters said:
Jesus had actual table bread and tore it…we use a strangely made, machine made cracker that is totally dissimilar in taste, texture and appearance from any bread commonly served anywhere in the world at any time in history.
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You realize He was eating unleavened bread for the Passover, right? Ever seen matzo bread in the grocery store? It’s also kinda “totally dissimilar in taste, texture and appearance from any bread commonly served anywhere.” 🤷‍♂️
Kindnessmatters said:
Safest option is
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Then… propose this! (You realize, though, that you’d be proposing to exactly the same people to whom you refuse to reach out, in order to have the Precious Blood distributed to you… right?)
 
Kindness, I’ve read back through your posts and I’m wondering if you are still in contact with your friend who is a priest?
 
QContinuum said:
I understand clergy are overwhelmed and overworked these days. This is just another burden for them. Tough place to be.
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Having worked for a parish, the only burden is that the office order low gluten hosts or a small chalice. It is common place at every parish I’ve ever encountered.
 
TheLittleLady said:
Having worked for a parish, the only burden is that the office order low gluten hosts
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And make sure that they’re handled properly to avoid cross-contamination…

And make sure that the information (“low gluten” vs “gluten-free”) is communicated properly by ushers, sacristans, and others…

It’s not just “buying supplies”, right?
 
Unless a Catholic has just now been diagnosed, in our experience they already know all about the low gluten hosts. Friends of mine buy their own because they travel often and don’t want to catch a parish who may have never had a Celiac receive.

They go into their own, separate pyx.

Really, in the US this is all very common place and not in any way an inconvenience. We and the priests have been doing this for years. They Church has very clear directives in place.
 
TheLittleLady said:
Unless a Catholic has just now been diagnosed, in our experience they already know all about the low gluten hosts.
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Maybe the folks in your neck of the woods are better informed than the folks in mine: everyone I’ve ever talked to, in this context, asks for a “gluten-free” host. That’s not what we provide. 🤷‍♂️
 
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