Hand Sanitizing during Mass

[GoneFishin]

I just have to rant a bit…
I felt a little upset today during Mass. After the Our Father and the Sign of Peace handshakes, the woman next to me pulls out hand sanitizer and wipes her hands I understand their are people that have phobias about germs but it really bothered me that they would do such a thing…as if they were that clean! oh well just ranting thats all.

 

[IrishAm]

Rant accepted. Bear in mind she may, indeed, be phobic; or she may have a debilitated immune system that makes her susceptible to illness, but still did not want to miss the opportunity to participate in sharing the peace of our Lord with those around her.

Maybe you should feel complimented, not offended, that she was willing to overcome her challenges – whatever they may be – just to offer God’s peace TO YOU!!!

(It may have only been bad timing, too . . . Perhaps she just discovered something really nasty on her hands right after the hand shake – in which case you should have been offered a sanitizer as well. )

 

[Tantum_ergo]

I don’t want you to think I’m finding fault and there could be some ‘negative’ reasons for her action, but being in the health care profession myself, my first thought would be that she was or had recently been undergoing possible chemotherapy treatments or something similar, or was caring for somebody with immunity issues. It’s easy to think, “Couldn’t she wait until she got home to wash?” but first of all, there are all the surfaces she could touch and contaminate, starting with her own face, her car door, seat, steering wheel, etc., and what if the minute she walked inside the ill person ran to her and grabbed her hand, etc.? It actually makes a lot of sense to ‘decontaminate’ as quickly as possible and not have to clean ‘more’ or assume one will have the chance.

Does it help to think that there could be a good reason for this action and that it isn’t a ‘personal rejection’ of you?

 

[vee8]

Here in Japan people bow for the sign of peace so Ive never witnessed anyone whip out the hand sanitizer at all, however, I have seen such a thing back home where people shake hands. My guess is that for the majority of people who sanitize their hands they have no medical reason rather they are going to receive the Eucharist on their hands in a couple of minutes. If everyone received the Eucharist on the tongue I think you would see a lot less hand sanitizing.

 

[onetimeposter]

She’s a wise woman. I do the same thing if I have sanitizer with me.

Shaking strangers dirty hands, who knows where they have been , very gross indeed.

Don’t be offended, it’s about her, not about you.

 

[GoneFishin]

I don’t want you to think I’m finding fault and there could be some ‘negative’ reasons for her action, but being in the health care profession myself, my first thought would be that she was or had recently been undergoing possible chemotherapy treatments or something similar, or was caring for somebody with immunity issues. It’s easy to think, “Couldn’t she wait until she got home to wash?” but first of all, there are all the surfaces she could touch and contaminate, starting with her own face, her car door, seat, steering wheel, etc., and what if the minute she walked inside the ill person ran to her and grabbed her hand, etc.? It actually makes a lot of sense to ‘decontaminate’ as quickly as possible and not have to clean ‘more’ or assume one will have the chance.

Does it help to think that there could be a good reason for this action and that it isn’t a ‘personal rejection’ of you?

It only bothered me at the time and and found it rather awkward and decided to rant to fellow Catholics about it here. I dont mind rejection I had enough during High School:crying:so I am used to it.

 

[stbruno]

Often times, the Extraordinary Eucharistic ministers will pull out the hand sanitizers before distributing communion, I’ve seen that done. Was she one?

 

[PatrickJT914]

Hi everybody,
I’d like to say that all your reasons and explanations are valid. Maybe we should place near the entrances of our churches hand sanitizer dispensers. They could be placed near the Holy
Water fonts It’s just a thought, is it:whacky: or :clapping:

Anyway let me add a slightly a different perspective. I’m a trained and commissioned EM in my parish. When it comes time to get ready to distribute Holy Communion myself and other EM’s use the parish provided hand sanitizer pump dispenser, located on the credence table in the sanctuary. Now distributing Holy Communion on the tongue sometimes means being in contract with a person’s silivia. When a person comes to my station I have no authority to refuse them. Besides that is their optional right to receive either on the tongue or in the hand. But the question I propose to ask is this(which actually belongs in another thread)
Which is more healthier, receiving on the tongue or in the hand?

 

[Salonika]

I’ve also seen the Priest and Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers use hand sanitisers, especially when one or more of them of them had been coughing and spluttering (along with half the congregation.)

Sometimes this may mean that people with a cold or recovering from one may feel able to take communion rather than risk reinfection or a different bug. May have the same result result for some people with a lowered immune system.

 

[Shoshana]

Our priest has one sanitizer beside the Blesses Sacrament, out of view, that after distributing communion we both do our hands before going to our seats.

 

[SoulRebel777]

these hands sanitizing with women is so freaking funny.

give me a break , your so freaking brainwashed and scared now of germs you bring this useless product with you .

you live in fear of people places and things , …your controlled by fear of everything. Unless your a doctor you shouldnt be worrying about germs like this. your grandmothers…the throw back real women which are few and far between these days would even laugh at you.

Come on ladies…

And if your a man and you use this…seriously…check your …uh huh

 

[Shoshana]

[Edited]

This is a topic for hand sanitizing at mass…and our priest demands it of us ministers to do it after communion just like he does.

 

[SoulRebel777]

whatever…to me its dehumanizing.

Have we gotton to the point now that we need to bring around little chemical bottles to clean are hands because we shaked another human beings hand? or gave them a hug?

maybe we should all just sit home and talk to each other online in our safe little homes and this way ensure we wont be tainted by another human beings touch.

You think mother teresa used this ****?

what the hell sort of culture and society is this??

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

Our EMHCs and priest use hand sanitizer before distributing the Eucharist. We’ve had a outbreak of bad colds, flu and pneumonia this past winter. Washing one’s hands is one of the best ways to keep germs down; in lack of running water and soap, the next best way is hand sanitizer.

I would not put hand sanitizers near the holy water fonts. I would put sanitizer wipes near the pews, or have the ushers distribute them prior to HC…

As somebody who almost lost her husband due to weird bacteria this winter, I don’t think that’s too much precaution.

 

[onetimeposter]

these hands sanitizing with women is so freaking funny.

give me a break , your so freaking brainwashed and scared now of germs you bring this useless product with you .

you live in fear of people places and things , …your controlled by fear of everything. Unless your a doctor you shouldnt be worrying about germs like this. your grandmothers…the throw back real women which are few and far between these days would even laugh at you.

Come on ladies…

And if your a man and you use this…seriously…check your …uh huh

Oh yeah, a real rebel. Go ahead, shake the hand of the person who failed to wash after using the restroom…and then go ahead and eat something with same hand…

What kind of a society have we become? A healthy, hygienic and hopefully reduced transmission of flu kind of society…

Do you refuse to wash your hands after going to the bathroom? Just out of spite for having clean hands? Lol.

Like I said, your such a rebel!

 

[bpbasilphx]

Shaking strangers dirty hands, who knows where they have been , very gross indeed.

I’m sure the same thing occurred to Jesus as He healed people.

 

[CarrieH]

You don’t know what’s going on with these hand-sanitizing people, so don’t judge. I have used the hand santizer myself on a couple of occasions following the sign of peace, and I receive on the tongue. Why? In one instance, I was sitting near an old man who let loose with a particularly juicy sneeze right into his hand, and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out this disgusting handkerchief to wipe his hands on. So after I shook his hand, I very discreetly gave myself a squirt of hand santizer, not because I was about to receive communion in the hand, but for general hygienic reasons because the flu was going around and I absolutely could not afford to get sick at that time, or risk carrying those germs home to my elderly mother who has cancer. If any of you finds this offensive, sorry but that is your problem and not mine.

Now that I attend the EF Mass, I don’t have to shake anyone’s hand, or risk having to hold hands during the Our Father.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I don’t really understand what the problem is here and why anyone would be offended. We live in a germy world. What is wrong with trying to stay healthy by using hand sanitizers? Of course, I may be a bit sensitive because in our house in the past 8 weeks or so, two of my kids have had strep throat, one has had pneumonia and mononucleosis and I had something that may have been pneumonia (I was sick for 6 weeks but never had a chest x-ray or diagnosis of pneumonia, but the doc did put me on an antibiotic which finally knocked whatever it was down). My little guy was sick too, but it never progressed beyond fever/cold symptoms. The only one who remained healthy was my hubby, but the germs that made the rest of us sick came from somewhere.

We have lately started to use hand sanitizer, though not as much as many other folks seem to, but I’m thinking maybe I should carry it with me all the time after the latest round of illness in our house. It just might prevent an illness, so why not?

 

[Newbie2]

these hands sanitizing with women is so freaking funny.

give me a break , your so freaking brainwashed and scared now of germs you bring this useless product with you .

you live in fear of people places and things , …your controlled by fear of everything. Unless your a doctor you shouldnt be worrying about germs like this. your grandmothers…the throw back real women which are few and far between these days would even laugh at you.

Come on ladies…

And if your a man and you use this…seriously…check your …uh huh

whatever…to me its dehumanizing.

Have we gotton to the point now that we need to bring around little chemical bottles to clean are hands because we shaked another human beings hand? or gave them a hug?

maybe we should all just sit home and talk to each other online in our safe little homes and this way ensure we wont be tainted by another human beings touch.

You think mother teresa used this ****?

what the hell sort of culture and society is this??

So elquent a response…

Shaking strangers dirty hands, who knows where they have been , very gross indeed.

I’m sure the same thing occurred to Jesus as He healed people.

Yeah, but Jesus could have healed himself from disease, no?

Our EMHCs use hand sanitizer before administering communion, especially during cold and flu season (and yes, we use one that is effective). It’s a good hygenic practice; like washing hands.

No, it won’t kill off everything, but we live in a society of ever-increasing risk of infection with ever more pathogenic microorganisms. Part of the reason is that we often use half-measures of hygene, which fosters resistance.

The suggestion that use of hand sanitizers is not macho is akin to my way to thinking that it’s sissy to disconnect the power to the sink disposal unit before sticking one’s hand down into it, or rewiring an electrical switch with the power still connected.

 

[CarrieH]

The suggestion that use of hand sanitizers is not macho is akin to my way to thinking that it’s sissy to disconnect the power to the sink disposal unit before sticking one’s hand down into it, or rewiring an electrical switch with the power still connected.

Amen. And let us remember that the germ theory wasn’t discovered until the 19th century. St. Francis didn’t wash up after embracing the leper, but nobody washed their hands after contact with the sick back then because they didn’t know anything about infection control at that point in history.