Gluten-free Host Arrives to Old St. Pat’s in Chicago

One Sunday while attending mass at Chicago’s Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, we’ve discovered that faith-based communities are increasingly becoming health-aware. Low-gluten Communion hosts, suitable for most Celiacs, are now available at Old St. Pat’s at all Masses as an alternative for those who cannot receive regular Communion host due to health reasons. One just has to inform the Mass coordinator before Mass begins and at Communion identify himself or herself to the presider as the person to receive the low-gluten host.

Apparently, this option is a viable solution to a long-standing problem, at least in the Catholic Church. Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University, wrote about this issue at catholic.org (Liturgy: Low-gluten Hosts). He notes that even this necessary and practical alternative to the gluten-based Communion host has caused some controversies. As Father Edward McNamara explains:

The Holy See has declared that some gluten is necessary for the substance to be considered as true bread. And thus a gluten-free wafer, in spite of its external resemblance, is no longer bread and thus is incapable of becoming the Body of Christ.

The sacraments are far too important to risk performing them invalidly.

Recently, however, another solution has been found thanks to the patience and perseverance of two nuns, 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.

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