Low-gluten hosts now available
By Scott Alessi
Staff Writer
SOUTH PLAINFIELD — For more than a decade, Marion Flesher attended Mass knowing that she could not receive Communion without risk of severe illness. A new type of host available at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, however, has finally given Flesher a solution to her dilemma.
Flesher suffers from celiac sprue disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder in which the ingestion of the protein gluten causes damage to the small intestine. Gluten is found in rye, barley, oats and wheat — the key ingredient in the hosts used by the Catholic Church in the Eucharist. Individuals with celiac disease must observe a strictly gluten-free diet, which means abstaining from Communion.
“In the beginning, I was told by the doctor not to take the gluten host,” said Flesher, who was diagnosed with the disease in 1990.
At first she did not follow the doctor’s advice and found her condition beginning to worsen. “I started feeling sicker and sicker, so then at some point I stopped. I attended Mass all those years and really felt the loss when everybody else would receive Communion.”
Flesher became aware of the development of a new low-gluten host but did not know if it was approved by the church. Upon hearing from her daughter, who lives in Connecticut, that such hosts were available at her parish, Flesher discussed the possibility of having the hosts with Father John Paul Alvarado, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish.
Little did Flesher know, the matter was already being considered at Sacred Heart. A woman planning to attend a funeral Mass in February had informed the parish that she and her son were unable to receive Communion through ordinary hosts. When Flesher became the second person to inquire about the hosts, pastoral associate Sister of Saint Joseph Kathleen Rooney looked into obtaining them.
“All these little pieces just started to come together,” Sister Kathleen said. “We put it in the bulletin and received a call from another woman who has the same condition. There are probably a whole lot more people out there who have this condition, and we’re happy to help.”
Sister Kathleen discovered that low-gluten hosts were available for purchase from the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Mo. The Benedictine Sisters had spent years attempting to create a recipe that would adhere to the requirements of the church without causing harm to those with celiac sprue.
“Canonically, you need a host that has some wheat in it,” explained Sister Kathleen. The specially designed hosts, made from wheat starch and water, meet this requirement by maintaining a gluten content of 0.01 percent.
The Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy issued a statement condoning the use of low-gluten hosts in their November 2003 newsletter. The document stated that while use of gluten-free hosts is not acceptable, “Low-gluten hosts are valid matter, provided they contain a sufficient amount of gluten to obtain the confection of bread.”
The Bishop’s Committee also stated that individuals with celiac sprue may receive full Communion through the blood of Christ if they cannot consume the host. While this may be possible for some who suffer from the disease, others are so sensitive to gluten that even a small amount of the host placed in the wine can trigger a negative reaction.
Although only two parishioners of Sacred Heart have come forward to ask for the low-gluten hosts thus far, Sister Kathleen stated that they are available at any time provided the person notify the priest before Mass. “We just keep them consecrated in the tabernacle and when we need it, it is there,” she said.
Sister Kathleen also stated that the parish would consider having a separate Communion line or a Mass at which only low-gluten hosts are used if the demand were to arise. Currently, they must be careful to keep the hosts separate from the regular hosts for fear of contamination.
Flesher has monitored her health and so far finds no negative effects from consuming the new hosts. More importantly, she is finally able to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist.
“I received Communion on Easter for the first time in many, many years,” she said. “I was very emotional that day. I actually shed tears because I was so happy.”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law