Gluten Intollerant Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist

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beth40n2

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I have been a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist for many years. I have been having health problems and have found eating gluten is a problem. Gluten causes abdominal pain, IBS, joint and muscle pain. I have eliminated all gluten from my diet except the Eucharist. When I take communion as a person in the parish I take the wine only. But as Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist I take both species and have claimed it is the real body of Christ. But I find taking the host is still causing problems. This brings me to my question. Can a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist receive the blood only when in front of the church?
 
Is it a possibility for you to consume low-gluten hosts? Might that be an option that could be extended to you at your parish?
 
beth40n2 said:
I have been a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist for many years. I have been having health problems and have found eating gluten is a problem. Gluten causes abdominal pain, IBS, joint and muscle pain. I have eliminated all gluten from my diet except the Eucharist. When I take communion as a person in the parish I take the wine only. But as Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist I take both species and have claimed it is the real body of Christ. But I find taking the host is still causing problems. This brings me to my question.** Can a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist receive the blood only when in front of the church**?
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Yes. The only person who must consume the Eucharist as both species is the priest.
 
beth40n2 said:
I have been a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist for many years. I have been having health problems and have found eating gluten is a problem. Gluten causes abdominal pain, IBS, joint and muscle pain. I have eliminated all gluten from my diet except the Eucharist. When I take communion as a person in the parish I take the wine only. But as Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist I take both species and have claimed it is the real body of Christ. But I find taking the host is still causing problems. This brings me to my question. Can a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist receive the blood only when in front of the church?
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Sounds like you might have celiac. I don’t seem to have that but I discovered have a bad allergy to gluten. For me it caused bad skin patches on my hands. Just mentioning it incase someone out there has had psoriasis or rough, cracking skin problems. Might be worth stopping all gluten intake for a couple of weeks and see what happens.
 
There are low gluten host. Talk to your priest about it. We have a parishioner who has the same troubles as you.
 
vallancec said:
There are low gluten host. Talk to your priest about it. We have a parishioner who has the same troubles as you.
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This. I heard it discussed on Sirius XM Catholic Radio. There are hosts that have such a minuscule amount of gluten (we’re talking fractions of a percent) that they are safe for sufferers of celiac disease yet conform to the standards for hosts.
 
We had EMHCs who did not receive from the Chalice so I don’t see why you can’t have some that only receive from the Chalice.
 
I have been an EMHC for many years (20+) and was diagnosed with celiac disease around 19 years ago. At that time, there was no low gluten host. When I was in front of the congregation, the priest would walk past me with the Host, as he served the other EM’s. I would only receive from the cup. I don’t think anyone in the congregation noticed. As a matter of fact, the other EM’s didn’t even notice! Of course, the priest was aware that I couldn’t have the Host, so things went very smoothly. Now that there is a low gluten alternative, the priest places it in a separate little pyx for consecration- then puts the pyx in the paten so that when the EM’s are served, it appears that I’m receiving a wheat Host. Again, it is NO big deal! Talk with your priest, and work out a way to receive without causing a distraction or bringing attention to yourself. There is no reason to be uncomfortable serving as an EM!
 
Thank you all for your replies. I am not celiac, have had the blood test and endoscopy. Just intolerant to gluten. My choice is to just receive the cup and not make anyone have to purchase low gluten hosts just for me. I will share the good news with my priest.

Thanks again.
 
I am training to be an E.M.H.C, but will hopefully be used mainly to take the Pyx containing the Blessed Eucharist to the sick. As a long-term reformed alcoholic, it is impossible for me to ever drink wine, but our very understanding Priest did not see this as an impediment, as it is not necessary for anyone to drink, even those helping to distribute the Blood of Christ.
Strongly suspect the same applies to the Host, but hope you are able to obtain a supply of gluten free.
God bless you.
 
beth40n2 said:
I have been a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist for many years. I have been having health problems and have found eating gluten is a problem. Gluten causes abdominal pain, IBS, joint and muscle pain. I have eliminated all gluten from my diet except the Eucharist. When I take communion as a person in the parish I take the wine only. But as Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist I take both species and have claimed it is the real body of Christ. But I find taking the host is still causing problems. This brings me to my question. Can a Extra Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist receive the blood only when in front of the church?
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Sorry but on a separate note you are not an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Eucharist. You are an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.
The Church changed the name because many people thought that meant they were Eucharistic Ministers which they are not.
 
Be careful in buying low gluten hosts. Some are made from wheat and are marked as approved by the Church. Others are made from rice flour or something else and are often called gluten free, but these are invalid matter and cannot be consecrated. The only permissible ingredients in the Roman Rite are wheat flour and water.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
Be careful in buying low gluten hosts. Some are made from wheat and are marked as approved by the Church. Others are made from rice flour or something else and are often called gluten free, but these are invalid matter and cannot be consecrated. The only permissible ingredients in the Roman Rite are wheat flour and water.
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True. Properly speaking, gluten free hosts are invalid matter for consecration as the host must contain some gluten.

Try here: altarbreadsbspa.com/altarbreads/index.php?main_page=page&id=2
 
thistle said:
Sorry but on a separate note you are not an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Eucharist. You are an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.
The Church changed the name because many people thought that meant they were Eucharistic Ministers which they are not.
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This is right. Only the priest celebrating Mass is the minister of the Eucharist. All others are ministers of communion. Communion has to do with distribution.

-Tim-
 
InThePew said:
True. Properly speaking, gluten free hosts are invalid matter for consecration as the host must contain some gluten.

Try here: altarbreadsbspa.com/altarbreads/index.php?main_page=page&id=2
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Just to confuse matters a lot, there are altar breads marketed as “gluten free” that are in actuality “very low gluten” and approved by the Catholic Church. The site I linked uses the term “zero gluten” for its potato-based products not usable as matter for the Catholic Eucharist.

Check this USCCB statement for more information about celiac sprue disease and other sources for approved altar bread.
 
Sure. You don’t have to receive at all. I’ve been an EMHC at times without receiving and it’s relatively common for extra priests to come to help out with the distribution of communion who weren’t at the Mass, they don’t receive.

But certainly you may receive only from the chalice, if that is appropriate to your health.
 
Thank you everyone for clarifying the terms I used. I have decided not to receive any host, just the blood of Jesus. I will leave it up to my priest as to whether he wants me to help with communion or not based on that.
 
I went to a parish yesterday that would not let you receive the wine unless you had a gluten intolerance. very odd and not sure how I feel about that.
 
CatholicSooner said:
I went to a parish yesterday that would not let you receive the wine unless you had a gluten intolerance. very odd and not sure how I feel about that.
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It’s not odd, there are many parishes that don’t offer Communion under both species. They will usually make an exception for someone who had gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
 
Phemie said:
It’s not odd, there are many parishes that don’t offer Communion under both species. They will usually make an exception for someone who had gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
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I realize that there are many parishes that only offer one “species” (although I’ve never been to a mass that only had wine) but it is odd here in Oklahoma at the very least. We aren’t talking about a small parish where you usually only see the host. We are talking about a several thousand people church in an upscale town. Pretty big church. It’s odd to me b/c I had never heard of reserving wine for only G.I. people. I wouldn’t think that gluten would pass from mouth to cup but who knows.
 
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