Receiving from the cup alone?

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waffles25

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Is it allowable to receive communion only from the cup at mass for health reasons without some kind of special arrangement or permission?

I have an autoimmune disease that my doctor and I recently decided to try treating (in part) with very strict dietary changes. One of these changes is eliminating wheat (similar to the way a patient with Celiac’s disease would). I’m very shy, and would rather not discuss the details of my recent medical history at my church. I thought (perhaps wrongly!) that communion could be received by the cup alone, but when I stepped to the line for the chalice, I was refused communion because I had not received the bread first. I was horrified that perhaps I was attempting to do something wrong, and very embarrassed and sad!:confused:

What to do?
 
Yes, this is acceptable but not common. You might want to talk with your pastor. You don’t have to give details, but simply explain that for health reasons you need to receive only the Precious Blood and let him know that a minister refused you. He can let them know that this is allowable and they should welcome you as they would any other communicat
 
You encountered an EMHC ignorant of the proper procedure? I am shocked, simply shocked that such a thing could occur, I do tell you.
 
I have noticed one of the school kids gets a Gluten free host at a daily mass I go to. But The priest does always say “Chelsea first” and she has to go first. I can see how that would be embarrassing (I noticed Chelsea though, is always enormously pleased by her special treatment :))

But it must be an increasingly common problem with many people diagnosed with such issues, I am sure your pastor will understand and find a solution for you either way without you having to go into any detail beyond “I can’t have gluten.”
 
My wife has a gluten intolerance and has started doing precisely what you describe. She goes up arms crossed for a blessing then goes for the chalice. We sit in the front on a side that doesn’t get the priests chalice but one of the others.

Prior to this they had something worked out where she and others like her went up with the eucharistic ministers on the sanctuary and were given their “special” wafers. Its not really discernible tot he rest of the parishoners and they leave the sanctuary with the rest of the eucharistic ministers. But my wife, frankly, was very nervous and felt awkward every time she had to go up front.

So she has started just taking the chalice.

I think you basically have to talk to your priest about this given that you are being denied the chalice. Its probably just a case of you explaining your situation and the priest providing some guidance for the eucharistic ministers.
 
You should probably also look into arrangements for a low-gluten host as well, because, especially when traveling or visiting other parishes, you cannot count on distribution under both species everywhere you go.
 
Bonnie said:
No such thing. No gluten = no wheat. I have heard of low gluten hosts, but have no idea how those would be made.
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This is a marketing problem. Some companies for some reason market low-gluten altar bread as “gluten-free” and sometimes even offer “zero-gluten” breads (made of potato or rice) to Protestant ecclesial communities. Imagine - potato-chip Eucharist (it’s always invalid matter for Catholics).

So, caveat emptor. Read the labels and do your homework. Listen to your priest’s guidance. If he has no experience with this situation then the diocese can refer him or provide assistance.
 
waffles25 said:
I thought (perhaps wrongly!) that communion could be received by the cup alone, but when I stepped to the line for the chalice, I was refused communion because I had not received the bread first. I was horrified that perhaps I was attempting to do something wrong, and very embarrassed and sad!:confused:

What to do?
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That should not have happened. Your pastor should be told, so that the EMHC can be advised.
 
From what I understand, there has to be some wheat in the host.
If you decide to go that route, here are two places where you can order
hosts made with very little wheat in them:

"…U.S. Catholic bishops have approved two manufacturers of low-gluten wafers. One is the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Missouri; the order’s website says it has provided hosts for more than 2,000 celiac sufferers. The other is Parish Crossroads in Indiana, which provides low-gluten hosts made in Germany.

The low-gluten wafers made by the Benedictine Sisters contain less than 100 parts per million, says Mary Kay Sharrett, a clinical dietitian at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She said the amount of gluten in one of the hosts is 0.004 milligrams and that researchers have found it takes about 10 milligrams per day to start a reaction".
 
The EMHC wasn’t wrong, per se. Usually, one isn’t allowed to receive from the chalice alone. Usually. So usually, if the EMHC didn’t know there was a health concern, he would assume somebody trying to receive chalice-only was either not a Catholic, or a really desperate alcoholic.

Yeah, I know, pretty dark view of human nature, but EMHCs sometimes see some bad stuff.

Now, as people with Crohn’s get more common in the US, EMHCs might just be able to assume, “Oh, another gluten avoider.” (Although there are probably tons more alcohol problems than gluten problems.)

But if they don’t know you, I would say you should just tell the EMHC in a whisper that you can’t have gluten, and they’ll get the picture. Everybody will know the score and be happy.
 
Do some research.
Sisters Jane Heschmeyer and Lynn Marie D’Souza, of the Benedictine convent in Clyde, Missouri. Over two years of experiments they have developed a Communion wafer that has been approved as valid material for the Eucharist by the Holy See.

With a level of gluten content of 0.01% it is safe enough for consumption by almost all celiac suffers, according to Dr. Alessio Fasano of the University of Maryland and other medical experts.

The U.S. bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy has deemed the sisters’ bread “the only true, low-gluten altar bread approved for use at Mass in the United States.”

Speak to your pastor about this. Our parish has a couple of women in this situation. Father consecrates their hosts, and places them in a small pyx in his ciborium.
They know to get in his line, and when they come up, he simply gets one of these hosts out frorthem. It’s all very subtle, and no one really notices anything different. The only reason I know is because I work at the parish, and the Sacristan and Father have shared about it with the staff. We place an order for these with a sister parish, since they use many more than we do over a 3 month period. So they allow us to buy a small quantity from them.
 
Thank you everybody for the responses! I have heard of the low gluten hosts, and may go that route in the future. For now, receiving from the chalice seems like the most convenient route for everybody.

I am curious, Mintaka, is it written somewhere that one is not (usually) allowed to receive from the chalice alone? When I researched, I couldn’t find anything to that effect. I understand someone without a health issue would not have reason to do this–but if the full presence of Christ is in both the bread and wine alone, what is the church’s teaching (if there is one) behind it not being (usually) “allowed”?
 
waffles25 said:
Thank you everybody for the responses! I have heard of the low gluten hosts, and may go that route in the future. For now, receiving from the chalice seems like the most convenient route for everybody.

I am curious, Mintaka, is it written somewhere that one is not (usually) allowed to receive from the chalice alone? When I researched, I couldn’t find anything to that effect. I understand someone without a health issue would not have reason to do this–but if the full presence of Christ is in both the bread and wine alone, what is the church’s teaching (if there is one) behind it not being (usually) “allowed”?
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Generally on the rare occasions when someone has to receive form the cup alone, it’s because there were not enough consecrated hosts. This is a rare occurrence, since often, there are consecrated hosts in the Tabernacle for bringing to the hospitals, etc. Father explains to all that they receive the Body and Blood together form the cup. So it’s permissible, but not preferred.
 
waffles25 said:
is it written somewhere that one is not (usually) allowed to receive from the chalice alone?
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No. It isn’t written anywhere. There is no such prohibition.
waffles25 said:
When I researched, I couldn’t find anything to that effect. I understand someone without a health issue would not have reason to do this
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One needs no reason to receive under either species alone.
 
We have many parishioners who for health reasons receive only from the Communion Cup. It does not matter; both species are the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus.
 
Mintaka said:
The EMHC wasn’t wrong, per se. Usually, one isn’t allowed to receive from the chalice alone. Usually.
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The GIRM specifically says (bolding mine): “It should never be construed, therefore, that Communion under the form of bread alone or Communion under the form of wine alone is somehow an incomplete act or that Christ is not fully present to the communicant . . . Clearly there are some pastoral circumstances that require Eucharistic sharing in one species only, such as when Communion is brought to the sick or when one is unable to receive either the Body of the Lord or the Precious Blood due to an illness.”
 
Thank you again, everyone for all of your clarification on the issue! I appreciate the time you took to help! 🙂
 
Mintaka said:
The EMHC wasn’t wrong, per se. Usually, one isn’t allowed to receive from the chalice alone. Usually.
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Really? What Church instruction states that people normally ought not be permitted to receive from the chalice alone? Who says that it sin’t allowed and by what authority?

This does not make theological sense anyway since both species are essentially identical. There is no difference between both species, receiving from the chalice is not a lesser form that exists to complement receiving from the host.
 
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