Is the cloth used to wipe the chalice a sanitary cloth?

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I have been noticing that many people have drunk from the chalice of His Precious Blood. I see every time, they wipe it with a cloth.

Is this cloth sanitary, or just an ordinary cloth, that really just smears the germs around instead of wiping it off completely?
 
The cloth (called a purificator) is a clean cloth, but it’s not a disinfectant wipe or anything.
 
A sanitary, germ killing, sanitary wipe could not be used in wiping the Precious Blood during the distribution.
 
**This is one of my soap boxes.

Many people wipe the Chalice with a circular swipe. This only moves the germs for one to another.

People who offer the Sacred Chalice need to be taught to:
  1. Open the purification
  2. Pull the purification up rather than swipe it after some receives from the Chalice
  3. Rotate the Chalice with every reception
  4. Keep moving the part of the purification with every reception
I trust that if Extra-ordinary Ministry of the Holy Euchairst was diligent…He would take care of the rest?**
 
jmjconder said:
**This is one of my soap boxes.

Many people wipe the Chalice with a circular swipe. This only moves the germs for one to another.

People who offer the Sacred Chalice need to be taught to:
  1. Open the purification
  2. Pull the purification up rather than swipe it after some receives from the Chalice
  3. Rotate the Chalice with every reception
  4. Keep moving the part of the purification with every reception
I trust that if Extra-ordinary Ministry of the Holy Euchairst was diligent…He would take care of the rest?**
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At the end of the day I say “it’s all family spit anyway” grin and bear it :grouphug:

It’s the blood of Jesus, after what he went through to spill it for us if I have to put up with a few germs to get it, its a small price.

If it is a big problem for you, get there early and sit at the front.
 
bcprincess said:
It’s the blood of Jesus, after what he went through to spill it for us if I have to put up with a few germs to get it, its a small price.
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Precisely. Besides, it is cleaner than the Holy Water font, which is also touched by little children as well as by adults - if you are going to catch something from your fellow parishioners, you already caught it when you blessed yourself at the font. 🙂
 
If this bothers you, you do not need to receive the precious blood. The host will be sufficient.
Also, if you have a cold don’t receive the precious blood.
If your immune system is weak just accept the host.
 
Just remembered…

The first time I took communion in a Catholic church was last year…

I looked into the chalice and saw a little bit of host floating about (I did not know the priest had put it there) I thought someone had let it fall in who had previously drunk from the chalice (YUCK) did it put me off…

No way I had waited so long to be able to receive the precious blood that nothing could have put me off :highprayer:
 
jmjconder said:
**This is one of my soap boxes…

People who offer the Sacred Chalice need to be taught to:**
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That’s what we were taught in my diocese, with respect to the distribution of the Precious Blood from the chalice… 🤷
 
JD27076 said:
I have been noticing that many people have drunk from the chalice of His Precious Blood. I see every time, they wipe it with a cloth.

Is this cloth sanitary, or just an ordinary cloth, that really just smears the germs around instead of wiping it off completely?
Click to expand...
Hi this has been discussed multiple times on CAF. It was a topic in the late 1980’s when there was a concern about HIV/AIDs, there was a concern with the Swine Flu and the SARS from China.

Medical science has concluded that there is very little risk of contracting a disease from common cup communion. I searched precious blood germs on the home page and found several threads and one had links to scientific studies.

Basically, contagious illnesses are contracted mouth to mouth or body part to body part, saliva and other bodily fluids. There are no proven cases of a person getting HIV, Hepatitis, Mono, Typhoid, etc. from participating in communion.

That said, it would only be polite to abstain from receiving the precious blood if you have been hacking, coughing, and snotting all through the liturgy of the word. Your fellow worshippers would probably be put off. When I am sick I do not shake hands during the Sharing of the Peace and I only receive the Host. I also abstain from dipping my fingers in the holy water font.

Welcome to the church! Your Easter Vigil will be spectacular. This has been quite a year for you.

God Bless
 
Here is a thought. Has there ever been an outbreak from a tainted chalice?
 
From what I understand there are no studies that have been able to determine whether cold and flu germs and viruses can be transmitted from the shared chalice. Most people have no idea where they have picked up these viruses or germs. No one can prove they caught it from Sunday Communion. If the person in front of you accidently spits into the chalice some germs, how long would these germs be active, maybe a few seconds, maybe a few moments?

It makes no sense to say one can not get sick (cold, flu, etc.) from receiving from the Chalice. The Church itself makes no claim about this. If the people want the Chalice the Church is making it available for them to some degree. If they don’t, they are always free to receive under one species.
 
ricofall said:
Here is a thought. Has there ever been an outbreak from a tainted chalice?
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The way the media is now, that would be a scoop! No, there has not ever been an outbreak. Have you ever heard of an entire parish getting hepatitis because of an infected chalice? Has a Catholic parish ever been blamed 10 or 20 for people getting AIDS? No.

The media ran the story of **one woman **getting AIDS from her dentist.

Don’t you think it would be a scandal if an entire congregation all got sick? or even 1/4 of the congregation got sick? It could happen in a Baptist Church, a Catholic Church, a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. Many churches offer the common cup for centuries.

The CDC in the USA would be all over that, tracking the disease to the source. And I suspect that the health organizations in other foreign countries would also make public such an outbreak. You are more likely to catch a cold from a sick kid serving juice coffee and donuts after Mass because he sneezes or wipes his nose on his sleeve than from an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister who is an adult, probably better hygiene in general than the school kids and in lots of parishes the ministers use a hand sanitizer before going to their station.
 
bcprincess said:
Just remembered…

The first time I took communion in a Catholic church was last year…

I looked into the chalice and saw a little bit of host floating about (I did not know the priest had put it there) I thought someone had let it fall in who had previously drunk from the chalice (YUCK) did it put me off…

No way I had waited so long to be able to receive the precious blood that nothing could have put me off :highprayer:
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Beautiful. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
 
How many people touch the door handle to enter the church? How many people have gone from door knob to kitchen utensils, then the steering wheel of the car, shaking hands with people entering the church, dip their fingers in the holy water font, and then shake 4-5 hands during the Sharing of the Peace? That is rather scary if you think of all the germs you are exposed to, except for the fact that exposure to germs actually builds one’s immunity. Sorry starting to get on a soapbox.

If one is concerned about exposure to germs, then one should abstain from receiving the Precious Blood, only take the Host, refrain from the peace (shaking hands), refrain from shaking the Priest or Deacon Hand before/after Mass and then proceed on home. One receives full Eucharist in either species, it is not necessary to consume both.

God Bless.
 
For people who are ill, impaired immunity, or some other medical reason should avoid the Chalice for their own safety. It’s foolish to potentially deadly to take such an unnecessary risk.

Sometimes on this type of thread there is a great lack of Charity to the sick. Or is the Roman Catholic Church only for the healthy (and wealthy)?

Also if you feel like your sick, you have an obligation to pass by the Chalice.
 
Kevin812 said:
For people who are ill, impaired immunity, or some other medical reason should avoid the Chalice for their own safety. It’s foolish to potentially deadly to take such an unnecessary risk.

Sometimes on this type of thread there is a great lack of Charity to the sick. Or is the Roman Catholic Church only for the healthy (and wealthy)?

Also if you feel like your sick, you have an obligation to pass by the Chalice.
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You are correct.

One is not obligated to drink from the chalice. Christ is present in both forms.

To make this a matter of virtue is simply trying to create trouble.

I have trouble imagining anyone keeping track of who does or who does not drink from the chalice.
 
Cathryn said:
A sanitary, germ killing, sanitary wipe could not be used in wiping the Precious Blood during the distribution.
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That’s not true. A typical/approved cloth purificator could indeed be treated with a germ-killing agent before it was used. If purificators were unfolded and say misted with 100% grain alcohol just prior to Mass their use would in no way impact holy communion. I’m not sure that doing this would be practical or of any real value but there is no specific prohibition from doing something like that.
 
Kevin812 said:
For people who are ill, impaired immunity, or some other medical reason should avoid the Chalice for their own safety. It’s foolish to potentially deadly to take such an unnecessary risk.

Sometimes on this type of thread there is a great lack of Charity to the sick. Or is the Roman Catholic Church only for the healthy (and wealthy)?

Also if you feel like your sick, you have an obligation to pass by the Chalice.
Click to expand...
Absolutely not. In many churches communion is by intinction via a spoon. The obligation you suggest would effectively prevent them from taking holy communion.

There is one fact that people seem to ignore. When was the last reported time that someone was infected by receiving via the chalice?
 
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