Cardinal Turkson: Pope Francis will decide if I continue to lead Vatican dicastery

Vatican City, Jul 11, 2017 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The norms regarding gluten and Communion hosts that went viral this weekend are nothing new in the Catholic Church.

On Saturday morning, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a circular letter to bishops reiterating existing norms regarding the matter of the Eucharist, including the norm that Communion hosts must contain some amount of gluten to be valid matter for consecration.

By Saturday night, the (misconstrued) news had spread like wildfire: “Catholic Church bans celiacs from Communion!” many media outlets declared. It was such a hot topic that Twitter declared it a “moment” in world news.

But these were existing norms – there was no change, no announcement of new norms, nor banning of celiacs from the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Gluten-free hosts have always been invalid matter for the sacrifice of the Mass, meaning that Catholics with celiac disease have already grappled with other options for Communion.

Usually, such “reminder” letters are issued when someone, generally a bishop, has raised a question or has been alerted of a possible abuse of the norm.

Still, the letter left lingering questions regarding people with celiac disease (or those with other serious allergies to wheat) and Communion. Here’s what the Church, and Catholics with celiac disease, have to say about going gluten free for Communion.

Why must a Communion host contain at least some gluten?

Wheat bread and wine of the grape are the matter of the sacrament of the Eucharist because Christ instituted the sacrament under these species. Moreover, Christ compared himself to a grain of wheat, and to the vine.

At some point along the line the question of gluten came arose, and whether the bread used for Holy Communion necessitated at least some gluten (and its accompanying protein gliadin) to be considered wheat bread that was valid matter for the sacrament.

A July 2003 circular letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, noting documents from the 1980s and ’90s, recalled that “Hosts that are completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist.”

It added that “Low-gluten hosts (partially gluten-free) are valid matter, provided they contain a sufficient amount of gluten to obtain the confection of bread without the addition of foreign materials and without the use of procedures that would alter the nature of bread.”

And in 2004 the Congregation for Divine Worship wrote in its instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum that “The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition. It follows therefore that bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament.”

That said, the Church recognizes that it mustn’t exclude from receiving Communion Catholics with celiac disease, and has made accommodation for those who are unable to consume normal bread.

Options celiacs have for Communion: Advice from a priest with celiac disease

A layperson affected by celiac disease who is unable to receive even a low-gluten host may receive Communion under the species of wine only.

A priest in a similar situation, when taking part in a concelebration, may with permission of the Ordinary receive Communion under the species of wine only. But such a priest may not celebrate the Eucharist individually, nor may he preside at a concelebration.

Father Joseph Faulkner, a priest of the diocese of Lincoln, was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2008.

Already a priest, he had to receive special permission from his diocese to use low-gluten hosts in order to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Fr. Faulkner told CNA he was surprised that the letter regarding communion norms exploded so quickly on Twitter, but he saw it as a teachable moment.

The problem of gluten is especially pressing for priests, who must consume Communion under both species at a Mass which they celebrate individually.

For Father Faulkner, he has found that the best low-gluten hosts are made by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri. The sister’s website includes a page about proper storage and distribution of low-gluten hosts so as to avoid cross-contamination.

While the hosts are not low-gluten enough to be considered gluten free (which is understood to be less than 20 parts per million), they are low enough to be approved by the Celiac Support Association, which has some of the most stringent guidelines available on what celiacs can safely consume, Father said.

“I throw up if I eat bread, but I consume 8-9 large, low gluten hosts per week, and have done that for 9 years, and I don’t get sick from them,” he told CNA.

Father Faulkner said he recommended that any celiac wary of the low-gluten hosts obtain a few of them, unconsecrated, and try tiny particles to see if they are able to safely consume them.

For celiacs who are unable to receive these low-gluten hosts, Fr. Faulkner said “the safest and most certain thing a person could do would be to ask to receive (the Precious Blood) from a chalice other than the chalice that the priest uses.”

That’s because the chalice of wine that the priest uses contains the frumentum – the little bit of Host dropped in during the Angus Dei. To avoid any cross-contamination, a separate chalice is necessary.

“That’s the most certain way, and when you receive the Precious Blood, you receive Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity, so you don’t have to worry” about only receiving part of the sacrifice, he said.

For those who are able to receive the low gluten hosts, travelling with a sleeve of unconsecrated hosts can be a way to ensure that they can receive Communion in different parishes, Fr. Faulkner said.

“Just go up to the pastor and explain, ‘Hi, I’m a celiac, can I have one of these hosts consecrated on a separate paten?’” he said. “Because parishes want to be accommodating, but if they don’t have a celiac in their parish they’re probably not going to stock (low-gluten hosts) in their fridge.”

The lay Catholic experience: What it’s like finding gluten-free Communion

Michelle De Groot is a layperson with celiac disease in the Diocese of Arlington. She said that for a long time, she would approach priests in the sacristy before Mass to ask them to consecrate a separate chalice of wine, so that she could safely receive without cross-contamination.

“That was always kind of stressful because sometimes the priest would understand what I was talking about and sometimes not. And they didn’t always have a second chalice handy,” De Groot told CNA.

“So sometimes I’d just receive anyway from the cup with (the frumentum) and sometimes I’d make a spiritual communion instead,” she said. A spiritual communion is a uniting of oneself to the Sacrifice of the Mass through prayer, and can be made whether one is able to receive Communion or not.

Then, De Groot found out about the low-gluten altar breads made by the Benedictine Sisters. After doing her research, she decided to try these hosts, since they are approved as celiac-safe.

“I’ve never had any symptoms,” she said. De Groot says she also travels with her own supply of low-gluten hosts and a pyx (a small, round container for hosts) that allow her to receive Communion at parishes that may otherwise be unprepared.

She said while her celiac diagnosis was an emotional one for her at first, it has allowed her to establish relationships with priests and Eucharistic ministers at her parish and other churches she frequents.

“At my home (parish), it’s even not the end of the world if i’m running a few minutes late because they know me and my needs – whereas when I was first diagnosed, I had to get to church 15 minutes ahead to give time for the awkward explanations,” she said.

“If anything, celiac has been good for me in terms of my relationship to my parishes – I’m not an isolated stranger there, I’m known!”

Molly O’Connor is also a Catholic with celiac disease, who expressed similar frustrations with trying to make sure the Communion she received was both valid and safe. Having lived in six local Churches throughout the country, she said experiences varied widely from parish to parish.

“I typically just receive the cup at Communion, and I try both to sit in a part of the church where Communion is distributed by a priest so I may receive a blessing and near a cup that doesn’t have part of the host in it. If that sounds complicated, it is!” she said.

Travelling can be difficult, she said, as it can be hard to know whom to approach about receiving Communion. Parishes also often don’t announce whether they have low-gluten hosts, or how low-gluten they are, and not all parishes are conscious about cross-contamination, she said.

The U.S. Bishops issued a letter in 2012, updated in April 2016, regarding low-gluten and gluten-free communion options, as well as guidelines to avoid cross-contamination that can be found here.

O’Connor said the best situations have been when priests consecrate a separate chalice for her, and when parishes announce specifics about low-gluten or gluten-free options.

“As the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith, I think making Communion accessible to celiac and gluten-sensitive Catholics, in a manner consistent with Vatican and the U.S. Bishop’s norms, is paramount,” she said.

“How diminished is our faith life if we are unable to share in the paschal mystery with our fellow Catholics?”

[…]

null / Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 12, 2023 / 13:45 pm (CNA).
England’s National Health Service has announced it is limiting the use of puberty-blocking drugs for minors and will allow them only “as part of clinical research” following an evalu… […]

Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) in Columbia Pictures’ Father Stu. / Courtesy of Sony Pictures.

Denver Newsroom, Feb 10, 2022 / 18:05 pm (CNA).

An upcoming film about a rough-and-tumble Montana priest has the potential to inspire every person to consider a relationship with God, Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg said in an interview that aired Feb. 10 on EWTN’s The World Over. 

“It felt like it was a story and a message that everybody needed to hear,” Wahlberg said. “If we get one other person, if we plant one more seed…and even if it takes him 50 years to get there to impact somebody else, we’re doing our job.”

Father Stu features the story of Father Stuart Long, a Montana priest who died of a rare muscular condition in 2014. Father Stu, as he was affectionately known, was a late vocation to the priesthood. He pursued careers in boxing, acting, teaching, and museum management before his ordination in 2007 for the Diocese of Helena. He is also remembered for his no-nonsense and, at times, rough demeanor. 

Wahlberg plays the role of Father Stu in the film and Academy Award-winner Mel Gibson plays the role of Bill Long, the late priest’s father. 

“It’s based on a true story,” said Father Bart Tolleson, a priest of the Diocese of Helena and a longtime friend of Father Stu. “It certainly will take liberties with the story, but it will get interest in his life, and that alone is a good thing. It’s a great story.” 

Father Stu was an avid athlete. He played football at Carroll College, a Catholic university in Montana, though he wasn’t Catholic at the time. He later pursued boxing, winning the Montana Golden Gloves championship in 1985. 

He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting, taking a job at a comedy club before managing an art museum in Pasadena for several years. He would ride his motorcycle, an artifact of his acting days, to and from the museum.

“One day, I was riding home after work, and I got hit by a car, and I smashed into a car in the next lane with my head,” Father Stu shared in a 2010 interview with The Montana Catholic. “The witnesses told the sheriffs and reporters that I was rolling down the road and another car ran over the top of me. And here I am.” 

Father Stu had what he called a “religious experience” in the hospital and he entered RCIA shortly after. On the day he was baptized, he knew he was going to become a priest.

He entered Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon in 2003. While in seminary, doctors discovered a fist-sized tumor and diagnosed Father Stu with inclusion body myositis, a rare muscular condition for which there is no cure. He died in 2014 after seven years as a priest. 

“That cross of his disease was the most powerful way to serve people,” said Father Tolleson. “He was tireless in his service and the Lord gave him many beautiful gifts, of counsel, of providing the sacraments. He was fearless even though he was limited.” 

The project seems to be one of incredible personal importance for Wahlberg. He first learned about Father Stu in 2016 during a dinner with two priests. 

Wahlberg said he was impressed by Father Stu’s perseverance in the face of suffering. 

“[His story] gives me so much hope…because death is inevitable. Sickness, all of those things are inevitable. We’re going to face those,” Wahlberg said. “But how you face those things and how Stu is able to embrace those things. And as his physicality started to deteriorate, his spirituality just soared.” 

“It allowed him to get closer to God through his suffering,” he continued. “And it gave him the ability to share that with other people in a very honest way that was very relatable.”

Wahlberg said he was able to connect with Father Stu’s suffering because of his own father’s battle with cancer. 

“My dad was the strongest guy that I ever seen,” Wahlberg said. “And then next thing I know my dad was in a wheelchair, and my dad couldn’t walk, and we had to take care of him. He lived in an assisted living home, so I understood that.”

Also, Wahlberg’s mother died during the production of Father Stu. Wahlberg said his grief plays out in the film. 

“Obviously [I] went to the services and everything and I was able to digest it a little bit. But I kind of kept it bottled inside,” he said. “And then I was…shooting the scene where I’m asking God ‘why?’ before crawling at the altar…and it was one take for probably about 15 minutes, and it all just came out.”

Wahlberg said he was also motivated to pursue the project because of his own Catholic faith. 

“I’ve always been kind of thinking about how…I continue to pay for all the blessings that have bestowed upon me,” he said. “I know God didn’t put me in this position to kind of forget about where I came from.”

“I’ve always been kind of saying, ‘okay, what is my mission? What is my purpose?’ And planting the seed, letting it blossom and then utilizing that to continue to spread His word.”

The project took about six years to complete because Wahlberg struggled to find the right screenwriter. He told EWTN’s The World Over that he prayed for God’s intercession for the film’s success. Wahlberg ultimately chose screenwriter Rosalind Ross, who also directed the film. Sony Pictures picked it up in January. 

The film does include foul language. Wahlberg said this was intentional, to make the film accessible to a wider audience: “We wanted to be brutally honest,” Wahlberg said. “We want to make sure that this movie is not exclusive to Catholics and devout people. This is inclusive to everybody…You remember what God’s mission was, right? He didn’t come to save the righteous.”

Father Stu will be released in theaters on Good Friday, April 15.  

​​”I cannot wait for people to see it,” Wahlberg said. “I cannot wait to go from city to city, state to state, encouraging people to see it, showing them, having conversations and encouraging people.”

[…]