Protocol if wasp in chalice

[dochawk]

If a wasp did get in to the consecrated wine, it’s still the precious blood.

And given this, perhaps we should baptize it

Not a pall, but the aer and two smaller veils cover the gifts at the end of the Proskomidia (Rite of Preparation) and the priest and/or deacon carries the gifts during the Great Entrance.

And while the cup is prepared and wine poured before liturgy, it remains covered until the creed, which is followed immediately by the anaphora.

Although rarely used today, the cherubikon/fans origin was to be used to keep flies away during this part of the liturgy! I think it was the deacons that waved then constantly, but it may have been the subdeacons.

Do not eat the wasp. Or indeed any livestock that lands in the chalice.

Especially pigs, you could get trichinosis to go with your bellyache (from overeating). It would probably constitute gluttony, as well

 

[Pattylt]

This was a great read! I was laughing as I was was trying to visualize this taking place…
“Once you get the basic principles (with just about everything wound up burned and going down the sacrarium), you can extrapolate all sorts of solutions to scenarios not covered in the Missal. At a very clerical supper one night we mused about the possibility of a mouse dashing across the altar after the consecration and making off with a Host. Our solution was to bless a cat, put a white stole on it, send it after the mouse, and when the cat came back, burn the cat and put the ashes down the sacrarium.”

Thanks for this wisdom!

 

[JanR]

Shame on you! Cruelty to an animal! I know you’re joking, I just happen to be a cat lover.

 

[Fuerza]

I think it’s already been pointed out here, but De Defectibus covers exactly this type of situation.

 

[Pattylt]

Hey! I didn’t write that…it’s from Fathers link! It was from a Priest!

 

[dochawk]

And as a cat lover, I find it hysterical!

 

[Rasoleil]

Eating wasps is seriously discouraged. A stinger in the tongue or the throat could be a wee bit painful…

 

[JanR]

Not to mention life-threatening. If stung in the mouth, the throat could close up or the tongue could swell and hinder breathing. Also, some people are allergic and could go into shock.

 

[woolycaterpillar]

We get scorpions here where I live. The church has a regular exterminating service. Scorpions in the wine would be a little awkward since they don’t fly, and they are kind of big. I think that they would be caught sooner before the consecration because they are more visible.

Some bugs seem cleaner than others; flies are thought of as unsanitary. Bees, on the other hand, don’t seem dirty because they make honey and climb into flowers.

 

[woolycaterpillar]

I don’t think a mouse would do that because it dislikes being around people. Mice are kind of shy. They might eat, but it’s usually when there’s nobody around. Otherwise, they just hide and wait.

 

[JanR]

Perhaps a long tweezers (10 inches or so) to reach into the chalice and pick out the wasp without having to handle it would come in quite handy for such situations. It might be wise for the priest to bless the tweezers, first.

 

[MaryFrances]

" At a very clerical supper one night we mused about the possibility of a mouse dashing across the altar after the consecration and making off with a Host. Our solution was to bless a cat, put a white stole on it, send it after the mouse, and when the cat came back, burn the cat and put the ashes down the sacrarium."

That’s from the link posted by @edward_george1. If that excerpt doesn’t make you want to read it, nothing will. Now I know what to do if buggy situations arise. Or at least I can go get the father a pin and a match.:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

 

[Gorgias]

The wine was poured into the special sink afterwards.

Hmm… by rights, shouldn’t it have been diluted with water to the point that it no longer had the physical accidents of wine (at which point it’s no longer the Eucharist), and then disposed of reverently (down the sacrarium or directly to ground)…?

 

[Agnus-Dei]

I asked the general question, the priest answered the same way. I’m positive he handled it correctly.
Dominus vobiscum

 

[Agnus-Dei]

I’m liking that tiny silver/gold spoon idea actually. Bring out the ceremonial chopsticks!

 

[Gorgias]

I asked the general question, the priest answered the same way. I’m positive he handled it correctly.

I guess the way to ask the question might be “is it ok to dump the Eucharist down the sacrarium?”…

 

[dochawk]

I’m liking that tiny silver/gold spoon idea actually. Bring out the ceremonial chopsticks!

Byzantines, Orthodox and Catholic, use such a spoon to administer the Eucharist (save for the Melchites, who instinct a strip of non-consecrated bread).

Now, as I’ve stood there with the cloth, either with another server on the other side, or with it over my cupped hand ready to catch, I have contemplated whether a first baseman’s or a fielder’s mitt might make a better replacement, but I’ve never worried about knocking a beastie off a spoon as Father tries to drop it!

[and, yes, I’ve caught several over the years]

 

[CelticWarlord]

the appropriate course of action if a wasp should happen to fall or land in the chalice

With my phobias over flying-stinging insects, just having a wasp in the nave would be reason enough to leave. If it’s drowning in the chalice, that’s the best place for it.

 

[Redd_Jackal]

This very thing may have befallen at least one pope.

 

[Agnus-Dei]

I meant for use to remove the wildlife from the cup. I see “spoon-communion” as dangerous. Too many chances of spilling.
Im guessing you meant “intinct”?
Dominus vobiscum