Gluten-Free Communion Update!

I've written before about the difficulties of receiving the Eucharist now that I am gluten-intolerant. There has been some misunderstanding of the issue by both celiac groups and parish clergy. Last year I was concerned that preference for the more traditional communion under one species would further limit my sacramental access. 

So I was overjoyed to see Fr. Z's blog announcing a new USCCB statement on the appropriate pastoral response to celiac disease. Here is the text of the document. (My emphasis added.)

From the United States Bishops Committee on Divine Worship newsletter, October 2012.

Celiac disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. For those with the disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in the small intestine. Over time, this immune reaction damages the small intestine's lining and hinders absorption of some nutrients. The intestinal damage often causes stomach pain, diarrhea, and weight loss, and can lead to serious complications. A Mayo Clinic-led analysis published in 2012 estimates that roughly 1.8 million Americans have the disease, but around 1.4 million of them are unaware that they have it.Given the serious health risk for those suffering gluten intolerance, it is important for pastors and other Church leaders not only to be aware of the reality, but prepared to address the situation of Catholics with celiac disease who come to parishes and seek to receive Holy Communion in a safe, sensitive, and compassionate manner. 

The Risk of “Cross-Contamination”For those members of the faithful with gluten intolerance, even trace amounts of gluten can be damaging. It is important, therefore, to be mindful of “cross-contamination” when using either low-gluten hosts or when offering Holy Communion to someone only under the species of wine. It might be best, for example, for the communicant to prepare a pyx with the low-gluten host before Mass, in order to avoid the situation of a sacristan who has handled the other hosts also to handle the low-gluten ones. At Communion time, then, they could approach the sanctuary together with any Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and receive the pyx from the celebrant with the words “The Body of Christ” (or, if possible, they could be given the pyx within the normal Communion line, provided “contamination” from handling of the pyx is avoided). Similarly, it might be necessary for someone who has permission to receive Holy Communion under the species of wine alone to prepare before Mass a chalice, which will not be part of the commingling rite and from which either they alone will receive or from which they will be the first to receive. Such precautions are not only medically necessary, but they demonstrate compassion to avoid singling out those who want to receive Communion, but are unable to receive one or the other species. 

Low-Gluten Hosts and MustumThe most recent Church teaching on the use of mustum and low-gluten hosts at Mass remains the letter from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on July 24, 2003 (Prot. n. 89/78-17498), which was addressed to the Presidents of Conferences of Bishops. In that letter, pastors and the faithful are reminded that for bread to be valid matter for the Eucharist, it must be made solely of wheat, contain enough gluten to effect the confection of bread, be free of foreign materials, and unaffected by any preparation or baking methods which would alter its nature. The amount of gluten necessary for validity in such bread is not determined by minimum percentage or weight, though hosts which have no gluten are considered invalid matter for Mass. (In the Roman Rite, the bread prepared for the Eucharist must also be unleavened.)Mustum is defined as grape juice in which fermentation has begun, but has been suspended with the result that its alcohol content (usually less than 1.0%) does not reach the levels found in most table wines. It should not contain additives and may be stored through freezing or other means. The process used for the suspension of fermentation must not alter the nature of the juice in any way. The amount of alcohol needed for validity in mustum is not determined by a minimum percentage or weight. Pasteurized grape juice in which all alcohol has been evaporated through high temperature preparations is invalid matter for Mass. In the United States, it is forbidden to sell wine without the addition of sulfates as preservatives. The Church has determined that the very small amount of sulfates is acceptable and does not make the matter invalid.The lay faithful who are not able to receive Holy Communion at all under the species of bread, even of low-gluten hosts, may receive Holy Communion under the species of wine only, regardless of whether the Precious Blood is offered to the rest of the faithful present at a given celebration of Mass.Permission for priests, deacons, or the lay faithful without distinction to use mustum or low-gluten hosts is within the competence of the diocesan Bishop. The authority to permit the lay faithful to use mustum and low-gluten hosts in the reception of Holy Communion may be delegated to pastors under canon 137 §1 of the Code of Canon Law. Medical certification of a condition justifying the use of mustum or low-gluten hosts for Holy Communion is not required. Such permission, once granted, stands for as long as the condition persists which occasioned the request for the original permission.As a best practice, it is recommended that individuals with gluten and/or alcohol intolerance arrange through their parish the purchase any low-gluten hosts or mustum. This facilitates the oversight and good stewardship of the pastor who is responsible as mentioned above. It also “normalizes” the practice for the communicant, as well as keeping the purchase of liturgical supplies together in the parish budget.It is also worth recalling that, through the doctrine of concomitance, the Church teaches that under either species of bread or wine, the whole Christ is received (cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 282; Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1390). Thus, the faithful may be confident in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist they receive, even under only one or the other species. 

Obtaining Low-Gluten Hosts and MustumIn the dioceses of the United States, there are three approved distributors of low-gluten hosts and two of mustum known to the Secretariat of Divine Worship. (Any additional low-gluten host and/or mustum distributors are strongly encouraged to contact the Secretariat so that an up-to-date listing may be maintained.) 

Low-Gluten HostsBenedictine Sisters of Perpetual AdorationAltar Breads Department31970 State Highway PClyde, MO 64432-8100Phone: (800) 223-2772E-Mail: altarbreads@benedictinesisters.orgWeb: www.BenedictineSisters.orgGluten Content: 0.01% 

Parish CrossroadsP.O. Box 84Zionsville, IN 46077-0084 Phone: (800) 510-8842 E-Mail: admin@parishcrossroads.comWeb: www.ParishCrossroads.comGluten Content: 0.016% 

GlutenFreeHosts.com Inc.100 Buckley RoadLiverpool, NY 13088Phone: (800) 668-7324 ext. 1E-Mail: info@glutenfreehosts.comWeb: www.GlutenFreeHosts.comGluten Content: 0.002% 

MustumMont La Salle Altar Wines605 Trancas Street, Suite DNapa, CA 94558Phone: (800) 447-8466E-Mail: info@montlasallealtarwines.comWeb: www.MontLaSalleAltarWines.comMonks Wine & CandlesP.O. Box 681248 Schaumburg, IL 60168 Phone: (800) 540-MONK (6665) E-Mail: info@monkswineandcandles.comWeb: www.MonksWineAndCandles.com 

Conclusion“Any baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to Holy Communion” (can. 912). It is important for pastors to make every effort to accommodate and normalize the experience of Communion for the faithful, including those suffering from celiac disease. As this article points out, such can certainly be done within the norms of Church teaching.

I will always be grateful to the many kind priests and altar servers who have set aside low-gluten hosts for me or saved a few last drops of the Precious Blood in a chalice. When the Eucharist is a potential health risk, such understanding is a huge relief. This morning I went to daily Mass, and no one batted an eye when I skipped ahead to the chalice line. God is good. 

7 Quick Takes Volume 19

I just realized I have been numbering these all wrong; I've done way more than I thought. Thanks, Jen for hosting. And for keeping the link-up open all weekend for procrastinators like me.

1. Yesterday I moved to a new desk at my job for the fourth time. Some people are annoyed that 7 of us are sharing a room, but I'm just happy to be within earshot of my department again.

2. I am determined not to pay full price for a gown from a bridal salon, but that didn't keep me from trying on dresses last weekend with my sister and mom in tow. It's funny how things I liked on paper look silly on me in person, and how my attitude toward wedding dresses has evolved now that I am engaged. With every dress, I pondered "Would I want to be the minister of a sacrament in this dress?" What I like to wear to a party and what I want to look like for a life-changing solemn moment are different. Textiles have meaning, you know ;-)

3. Still, wedding dress ads are pretty entertaining for their sheer ridiculousness alone. On my material culture blog I wrote about some that featured zombie models and classic Hollywood references.

4. I've been trying not to focus on the HHS mandate as much, because it's just stressing me out. But I couldn't help laughing at this juxtaposition of articles in my Facebook newsfeed: a piece from the feminist website Jezebel entitled "Law Will Allow Employers to Fire Women for Using Whore Pills." immediately followed by a Human Life International article, "The Assault on Femininity: Is Fertility the Next Down Syndrome?"
Both articles were not afraid of hyperbole, but obviously I'm more inclined to agree with the latter. The politics of fertility - it's a big deal, ya'll.

5. This year's gluten free Irish soda bread turned out pretty well. Baking with teff flour is always weird - things can come out dry and a little greenish. But this loaf is pretty tasty with butter and a schmear of marmalade.

6. I've been a little bummed that The Betrothed isn't around to go see the cherry blossoms, try new restaurants, go to daily Mass etc. But this afternoon I decided "Screw it, I'm going on adventure by myself." So I drove the 30 miles downtown to attend Gregorian chant vespers at St. Matthew's Cathedral. It was awesome. Then I took a long walk down 16th Street, which ends in...the White House! That was also awesome. As were the blossoming trees and the windows-down weather. Solo excursions can be fun.

7. It's the 4th week of Lent - Happy Laetare Sunday! I'll leave you with Matisyahu's reggaeton version of today's responsorial psalm.

Alien species: Life as a Gluten-free Catholic

via Scientific American

I've lived gluten-free since summer 2006, when an antibody test confirmed my doctor's suspicion that gluten was the reason for my debilitating stomach cramps. So I reluctantly eliminated wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and most oats from my diet. Since then, my stomach problems have never returned and I've never felt better.

At first, giving up conventional pasta, bread, pizza, and baked goods seemed impossible. But really, it's not so  bad being GF in the 21st century. There are far more GF products and menu items available today than ten years ago. Still, as with any food intolerance or allergy, you have to be very aware of everything you eat. When I read a restaurant menu or enter the office break room, I do a visual scan and mentally flag anything that is off limits -  hamburger buns, sandwiches, muffins, frozen dinners, condensed canned soup, flour thickened gravies, etc. This survival technique is second nature to me now, and the memory of weekends curled up on the couch in pain keeps me from cheating.

Unfortunately, there is one other food on my off-limits list: the Eucharist. I'm not sure what one little host would do to me, but I'm positive that a Sunday habit of ingesting the "gift of finest wheat" would be bad for my body. There are some alternative options, praise God, but they all make receiving Communion a complicated operation.

Gluten-free Eucharist Option 1: Low-gluten hosts
Parishes can now offer Communion in the form of Vatican approved, extremely low-gluten hosts made by Benedictine sisters. This eliminates the need for any more kerfuffles about rice crackers. (Hallelujah). If you're curious, low-gluten hosts are lumpier, denser, and tougher than regulation altar bread, with a vague potato chip flavor. They take a long time to dissolve on your tongue.

Keeping the LG wafers in a separate pyx during Mass prevents cross-contamination. Of course, this means I need to alert the priest or sacristan to fill that pyx ahead of time.  I always feel awkward poking my head in the sacristy before Mass - it's basically an ecclesiastical men's locker room in there. My home parish in Virginia distributes LG hosts before the general distribution of Communion- this means I usually spend the Agnus Dei worrying that the priest will remember and that I'll stand in the correct place this time.Maybe this all is God's way of teaching me to trade shyness for assertiveness.

Gluten-free Eucharist Option 2: Chalice only

I've found that if I ask, a priest is happy to save a sip of the Precious Blood for me. (The only exception was my first Extraordinary Form Mass, but that's a long story of liturgical red tape.) When I'm in a parish that offers Communion under both forms, I just make a beeline for the chalice line. I've developed a series of near-dance steps that allow me to skip out of the initial host line without tripping anyone. I've gotten a few dirty looks from confused extraordinary ministers, and I probably throw off the host line's momentum. Still, it's a practical solution, especially when I am visiting a new parish. So if you see someone jump the line next Sunday, don't freak out. Ditto if you see someone eyeing the priest's chalice warily to ensure she doesn't ingest the speck of Host floating about.

Will Both Species Be a Thing of the Past?

Chalice by A.W.N. Pugin, 1851, via the V&A

Lately the distribution of the Eucharist under both forms has gotten a lot of press. I had no idea this was a trad vs. liberal issue, but it seems that way.

The Dioceses of Phoenix and Madison recently declared that Communion under both kinds would be reserved for special occasions only, such as First Communions, Confirmations, etc. Their bishops made this decision to align liturgical practices with the current General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM). Bishop Morlino of Madison has stated that the Papal indult for both species on a regular basis expired years ago.

I'm certainly not going to rebel against the GIRM, but I'm still slightly baffled by the attitude that a valid form of the Eucharist is too Protestant, too progressive. This detailed post at Chant Cafe helped me understand a little bit. Essentially, the Council of Trent reaffirmed the Medieval practice of offering only the Host to the laity. This reminded the Reformation world of the Catholic belief that Christ is fully present in both the host and the chalice - the Eucharist is not just some memorial meal in courses.

Chant Cafe makes a fascinating point that the Mass and the Eucharistic Sacrament are two distinct co-existing entities; one should not be confused for the other. It's absolutely true that a Novus Ordo Mass can get reduced to a Host assembly line staffed by an army of Extraordinary Ministers. The faithful show up to "get" their weekly wafer, not unlike the perennially popular ashes and palm branches. At times the concept of the Mass as divine sacrifice gets lost.


The Church's evolving customs for reception of Communion suggest that we are always readjusting, trying to find that Eucharistic sweet spot where everyone has the right blend of piety and theological understanding. Swing too much one direction, and the Real Presence/sacrifice/Christian unity equation gets unbalanced. In one extreme, pew sitters don't dare approach the Eucharist, receiving once a year and peeking a the priest through rood screens. On the other end, the Body of Christ gets passed around willy-nilly, lacking particular reverence and ignoring the significance of an ordained priesthood.


I would counter that intense catechesis is the key to sacramental understanding, not semi-condescending manipulation of the laity's experience. Drastic changes of customs do not always work out. For example, after Vatican II, the USCCB document Environment and Art in Catholic Worship promoted reservation of the Eucharist in a chapel separate from the sanctuary and main worship space. Why? To help the folks in the pews understand the difference between "active" liturgy and "passive" private adoration. Decades later it's clear that this compartmentalizing decreased reverence, often relegating tabernacles to closet-like annexes. Without pulpit emphasis on Eucharistic devotion, genuflection and holy hours fell by the wayside. In the same way, reverting to single-form Communion won't have the desired theological effects without clear explanations and much discussion of the theology at hand. Simply reviving the Council of Trent won't do; we can't rewind to the Church of the 1500s.

The Gluten-Free Bottom line: Compassion

While the American Church is figuring out Eucharistic rubrics, please don't forget those of us with a special dietary cross to bear. If both species again become a rarity, don't be unwilling to make exceptions when necessary. I don't want us GF Catholics to sound like a rabid special-interest group or high-maintenance devotees of a fad diet. We're just ordinary people whose own bodies can prevent us from receiving the Body of Christ. It's a painful experience to sit through a wedding or Confirmation wondering if the Sacrament will be accessible at this parish, or to look at a full ciborium and feel your mental danger signals going off. Jesus in the Eucharist will always be more elusive for me, and I'm eternally grateful to the patient and conscientious priests who have brought Him to me. Parishes don't mind the "extra trouble" of bringing Communion to the sick. Please remember those of us who can make it to Mass, but still need a little extra help approaching the Eucharist.

Such downright domesticity

(Bonus points if you can tell me the song/musical where I got that title.)

It was great to be back home on break, but I also love coming back to my own apartment and getting re-settled in my own domain. My roommate doesn't cook too much, so she doesn't mind my crazy kitchen experiments. Thus I spent Monday playing at domestic goddess. Maybe I didn't get much thesis writing done, but I felt darn productive anyway.

First, I tried out my favorite Delaware Christmas present - a new washing machine! Call me an old lady, but I was seriously ecstatic when I heard the landlords were replacing our ancient leaky, shaking, violently loud machine. Check out the glorious new toy - those buttons and timer are the bees knees.

Then I roasted a chicken in the awesome roasting pan I got for Christmas. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

 Finally, I tried out a black bean soup recipe my Mom gave me that involved bacon, sherry, and lemon. It was delicious, and I bet you could adapt the 400 degree oven cooking time to a crock pot

. If you are interested, click on the link for the recipe.

Gluten Free Recipes: Birthday Cake!

Since I went gluten-free four years ago, birthday cake has been one of the hardest foods to navigate. I can't just dive in whenever someone blows out the candles. One of my favorite solutions was the cake my roommate made for me senior year in undergrad. She knew I ate Reese's peanut butter cups, so she filled a cake pan with them and stuck candles in their centers. Perfect!

I've tried some GF cake mixes in my time, but this past weekend I successfully made my first from-scratch cake, in honor of my beau's birthday. Everyone agreed it was a success, and the leftovers tasted even better the next day. It was moist and spongey, unlike many a GF baked good.

GF Chocolate Cake

From Life Tastes Good Again by Kirtsti Kirkland and Betsy Thomas

1 3/4 cup GF flour (I used 1 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup sourghum, and 1/4 cup cornstarch)
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour baking pan(s).

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
In a larger bowl, beat eggs well. Add sour cream, oil, and vanilla to eggs; mix.
Beat in dry ingredients.
Slowly stir in boiling water. Mix well, making sure to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
Pour into prepared pan.

I used two round cake pans that took 30-40 minutes to bake. The recipe also suggests
a 9x13 pan for 35-40 minutes
a 13x18 pan for 17-20 minutes.