S
SeekerJen
Guest
And for the original question: the priest usually doesn’t eat that whole big host that he holds up for the consecration. Our priests will usually break up that host, eat a piece of it, and then distribute the rest with the smaller hosts. I am occasionally a cantor at my parish, and when I serve in this ministry, I go up and receive communion with the altar servers, and often the priest gives me one of the pieces from the large host.
The ones used at our parish are made from white wheat flour so they are light. Hosts made from whole wheat flour would be browner. Both would be licit as long as they only had flour and water in them. I really can’t explain the taste, although I find it comforting. It’s not like regular bread because of the lack of sugar and yeast. It’s wafer-like in that the lack of oils, sugars, and leavening agents result in it being flat and crunchy.
If the priest consecrates extra hosts, those go into the tabernacle (as someone else mentioned). Then priests or volunteer lay people can take them to the homebound parishoners, or they can be reserved in case of a Mass where more people show up than were expected (which happens occasionally at our parish).
The ones used at our parish are made from white wheat flour so they are light. Hosts made from whole wheat flour would be browner. Both would be licit as long as they only had flour and water in them. I really can’t explain the taste, although I find it comforting. It’s not like regular bread because of the lack of sugar and yeast. It’s wafer-like in that the lack of oils, sugars, and leavening agents result in it being flat and crunchy.
If the priest consecrates extra hosts, those go into the tabernacle (as someone else mentioned). Then priests or volunteer lay people can take them to the homebound parishoners, or they can be reserved in case of a Mass where more people show up than were expected (which happens occasionally at our parish).