Posted on 09/18/2010 1:21:16 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
CLYDE, MISSOURI -The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Mo., have developed a Communion host that is extremely low in gluten – allowing Catholics who can’t tolerate gluten an alternative to taking only the cup during communion.
Many people are gluten intolerant suffer from celiac disease, or celiac sprue, an inherited autoimmune disease that affects over 3 million people in the United States, or one in every 133 people. This is a genetic disease and often several members of the same family will have it. It is caused by an immune system malfunction that causes the body to attack the lining of the small intestine, when certain proteins commonly found in the cereal grains wheat, rye and barley are ingested. There is no cure; the only treatment is a completely gluten free diet. This means removing all food which contains gluten from the diet, including the wheat hosts typically used for Holy Communion.
Canon law and tradition require that the host have a percentage of wheat for a valid celebration of Eucharist, said Timothy Johnston, Director of Liturgy of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.
However, the host made by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration contains gelatinized wheat starch. The sisters report the hosts test to a level of 0.01 percent gluten. The Secretariat for the Liturgy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has stated that these hosts meet the requirements of the Code of Canon Law (924 §2) and may be used at the celebration of the Eucharist with permission of the person’s pastor.
“They are the only group of sisters (or Catholic group at that) that make valid low-gluten hosts. Any other company or group is not approved for use during the liturgy,” Johnston said.
A discussion between the pastor and individuals with celiac disease will help each understand the church doctrine and teaching regarding low-gluten hosts, as well as the practical steps necessary for Holy Communion. Before Mass begins, particular arrangements for receiving Holy Communion should be discussed with the celebrant and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion so that all parties are comfortable with the procedure.
“There are several parishes that use low-gluten hosts,” Johnston said, including St. Andrew, the Cathedral of the Madeleine and Saint Thomas More.
“We are inspired by the deep desire of those suffering from gluten intolerance to receive Holy Communion. We are humbled by the many letters, emails, and phone calls we have received thanking us for our efforts to produce low gluten altar bread,” said a letter of the Sisters in response to the acceptance and gratefulness of the people with celtic disease. “We are blessed to have the opportunity to allow God to work through our hands. We are honored and privileged to provide for you and your parish the bread that becomes the Body of Christ.”
“They are the only group of sisters (or Catholic group at that) that make valid low-gluten hosts. Any other company or group is not approved for use during the liturgy,” Johnston said.
In a related story at "This Is Lancashire", it is reported that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, changed the Catholic law to allow gluten-free wafers sometime around 1995, based on research sent to the Vatican by Dr Kieran Moriarty, an expert in digestive disorders at the Royal Bolton Hospital. This researcher will meet the Pope as a guest at the Queen’s reception for Benedict XVI in Edinburgh.
Related threads:
Monsanto's genetically-modified Eucharist (Catholic / Orthodox Caucus)
Breaded bliss [one company makes 80% of all Catholic Eucharist wafers sold worldwide]
No Genetically Modified Jesus! (Important Issu!) [Catholic Caucus]
What had those with the medical condition taken for years prior to technology allowing the reduction of gluten in the wheat?
As a celiac and a Catholic, yet another reason to say God Bless His Holiness!
Which would be ridiculous in the extreme.
Good of the sisters to come up with an exceedingly low gluten wafer ~ so, are they available to Protestants?
Good for those with celiac’s
Extra time in Purgatory?
BTW, James, I was thinking of what we were talking about earlier --- is faith really trust? --- as I was reading about John Henry Newman (not an exact quote, but my paraphrase): Truth is not an encounter between a concept and a brain. It is an encounter between a whole person and a whole person.
Wine.
Thanks, Mrs. Don-o. Isn’t the work-around still contingent upon the realisation that the person receiving the host suffers from the condition? Was the wheat association known for a long time? (Late 1800s, I recall reading somewhere, though.)
About the earlier discussion, I still owe you a reply. The Newman quote deserves a lot of thinking about. I’ll get to both, one of these days.
Hi,
you are correct in your assumption. Celiac disease is often referred to as the Great Masquerader, because the symptoms mimic those of other conditions. If the hypothetical person knows, then a few words with their pastor should cover it. The first realization I’ve read of (about celiac disease, as opposed to what used to be called non-tropical sprue) was in Holland in 1945, when Allies fed young Dutch kids wheat-based foods and they became sick. A good place for general info:
http://www.csaceliacs.org/ (not trying to blog pimp). I hope that helps.
There's also the difficulty of people who cannot or should not drink alcohol, even in tiny quantities. This is addressed by the use of "mustum," which is what vinters call freshly expressed, natural, untreated (that is to say, not pasteurized) grape juice.
I was reading the account of a priest, Walter Ciszak, who was confined in Soviet prisons and labor camps for 20+ years. Other prisoners smuggled him handfuls of raisins, which he soaked in water and then squeezed out the juice: this he used for saying Mass.
Thanks!
Fr. Ciszek was a great man. I hope he’s been praying for me, because I’ve asked!
Raisins are also what the World War II POWs used to make bootleg distilled alcohol ... not potatoes, as shown in the movie of “The Great Escape.”
Yes, the low-gluten breads are available to anyone. The Benedictine Sisters have clients of many denominations around the world. They sell to groups (parish, church, etc.) and to individuals. Click on http://altarbreadsbspa.com/lowgluten.php for more info.
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