<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Here are the responses that came in. Please note..I am not a Catholic, just
reporting.
Someone shared a comment from Dr Fasano and I checked with him before
posting (see below).
-Michael Thorn
-----------------------------------------
I just received my first shipment of these hosts. They are made by
Benedictine Sisters in Missouri and it took them ten years to confect a host
safe for celiacs and also approved by the Catholic church. The gluten
content is 0.01% but is probably less. The actual finished host revealed
"no gluten detected".Dr. Alession Fassano of the University of Maryland and
the author of the forward Betty Hagman Gluten -Free Gourmet was quoted as
declaring these hosts "perfectly safe for celiac sufferers. The hosts look
like large cornflakes and are very delicate. Please don't discourage
Catholic celiacs from at least giving this a try. Dr. Fassano is a very
respected authority on Celiac disease and I doubt he would approve them if
they were not safe.
+++and from Dr Fasano
I confirm that these host will be safe for the vast majority of celiac
sufferers. Of course, exceptional cases of high sensitivity to gluten may
react to even small amount of it. Nevertheless, I feel confident that these
reactions will be very rare.
Sincerely,
Alessio Fasano, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Physiology
Director, Mucosal Biology Research Center
University of Maryland School of Medicine
------------------
interesting article, but as usual the RC church gets it wrong. Do they
remember
that the host is dipped into the wine MANY times during the mass? what are
they
thinking?
---
Thank you for your posting on this subject!!! I'm 75, biopsy diagnosed 15
years ago, and have almost 25 years as a recovering alcoholic in AA.
If our church thinks for one moment that I'm going to INTENTIONALLY ingest
gluten (I almost died before correct diagnosis) in the form of a "low
gluten" host, they have another think coming. And supposing a person wishes
to be a daily communicant???? Just how many "low-gluten" hosts does it take
before irrepairable damage is done? Who in the church is the authority on
Celiac Disease and the damage even a small amount can do?
And, does this mean that Jesus is present only in wheat gluten? I'm truly
angry that this subject is treated with such an off-handed approach. For
many years I sat in my seat while the "normal" people received communion.
Our pastor, Fr. Joe Stearns, himself a recovering alcoholic -- great man --
assurred me I wouldn't return to alcoholism if I drank from the cup. Oh,
really? For these many years, I have avoided the smell of the stuff -- and I
now just put the cup to my lips -- but, stop and think!!
At the consecration, listen to the words -- Jesus did not give out the
recipe!!!! He used the bread of the area -- and who in Jeruselem ever got
Celiac Disease? I have been there -- and it's a far cry from Ireland, where
I've also been. My ancestry is Irish (dead ringers for both diseases I
have.) Of course, it's a standing funny in the "program" that if they took
out of AA all the Irish Catholics, they could fit everyone else in a phone
booth.
I know I can't fight "city hall", so to speak, but there are many of we
Celiacs who refuse to take those low gluten hosts -- I'm not taking any
chances!! And how can one receive them in a truly spiritual manner without
the tiny "question and fear? lurking in the back of our minds that we are
perhaps causing ourselves harm? Did Jesus just want the bread of His Body to
be taken by all or just by the "normal" people. Did He say "Take this ALL OF
YOU?" Or did He say, "Now, you guys with the Celiac Disease -- I'll just
toss you a crumb." No He didn't. We should be able to receive an entire hose
made of gluten-free bread -- unless Jesus is only in Wheat Gluten!!
During the "season" down here in Naples, I'm lucky to even get to take the
tiny taste from the cup, and we get to the church early!! It's gone by the
time I get there, many times. You can't imagine how alone I feel -- except I
know that Almighty God knows full well what is going on, and it takes the
church a long time to make some changes that have nothing to do with faith
and morals which never change -- but bread? The blessed mother most likely
made it from what she had on hand.
And another thing -- where in the Consecration have you heard Jesus say what
was in the cup?? Could He have not specified it on purpose? What if it was
water from the well? Hmmm.
-----------------------
You are right about low gluten still is not safe. But remember, this is
the same church who handles sex abuse with, I'm sorry!!!!!!! Something
else they just do not quite get.
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* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *
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