Tom Ciszek

I wrote this because I needed it and could not find it. I wanted something honest enough to help and gentle enough to share.

About Tom

Tom Ciszek is a Catholic writer and the author of You Can't Live on Bread at All, a memoir and practical guide for living with celiac disease while navigating Catholic Communion. After his own celiac diagnosis, Tom spent years researching Church teaching on the Eucharist, Vatican guidance for Catholics with celiac disease, and the practical realities of managing gluten-free life while staying rooted in faith.

What began as personal necessity became a mission to create the resource he wished had existed: a guide that takes both celiac disease and Catholic faith seriously, without minimizing either. Tom writes with honesty about the grief of diagnosis, the complexity of Communion options, and the everyday challenges of living gluten-free in a wheat-centered world.

Faith and Experience

As a practicing Catholic with celiac disease, Tom brings firsthand experience to the unique intersection of faith and chronic illness. He understands what it means to navigate low-gluten host protocols, have difficult conversations with parish staff, and work through the spiritual questions that arise when receiving the Eucharist becomes medically complicated.

Tom's Catholic faith informs his approach to this work. He cares deeply about faithfulness to Church teaching while also advocating for practical solutions that protect people's health. For non-Catholic readers with celiac disease, Tom offers clear, truthful information about gluten-free living drawn from years of personal research and experience.

Expertise

Tom's knowledge spans multiple areas critical to the Catholic celiac experience:

• Celiac disease lived experience: Personal journey with diagnosis, gluten-free diet management, and cross-contamination protocols
• Catholic theology and Canon Law: Research into Vatican documents, episcopal guidelines, and approved Communion options for celiac Catholics
• Low-gluten hosts and mustum: Understanding of approved suppliers, handling protocols, and pastoral implementation
• Practical advocacy: Experience navigating parish conversations and helping others understand celiac accommodations in Catholic settings

Why This Work Matters

Catholics with celiac disease face a unique challenge: the central sacrament of their faith contains the very substance that harms their health. Tom created this book to ensure no one has to choose between their faith and their health, and to provide clear, compassionate guidance for navigating both.

If you are Catholic, Tom cares about faithfulness. If you are not, he cares about truthfulness. Either way, he cares about your actual life.

Connect

Tom is available for speaking engagements, parish presentations, and interviews about living with celiac disease as a Catholic, navigating Communion accommodations, and the intersection of faith and chronic illness.