Communion options
Low-gluten hosts, receiving the Precious Blood alone, and the arrangements to discuss with your parish.
Faith & sacramental life
Communion,
with care.
The Eucharist is at the heart of Catholic life. These guides bring together the Church’s provisions for celiac disease and the practical care of preparing to receive with your parish.
Explore the guidesA place to begin
Preparing for Communion with your parish
A conversation before Sunday: understand the options, explain what you need, and agree on the details with your priest.
Read the guideReceiving the Eucharist
The Church’s teaching and the provisions for Catholics with celiac disease.
Understanding low-gluten hosts
The Church’s requirements for altar bread, and the medical and practical questions to consider.
The chalice & mustum
Receiving under one species, the meaning of mustum, and pastoral arrangements for its use.
Care in the parish
Simple preparations, agreed before Mass, for the people who prepare and distribute Communion.
The pyx & careful handling
Separate storage, preparation, and distribution to help prevent gluten cross-contact.
A note for your parish
A short, printable note to begin a conversation about receiving Holy Communion.
Sourcing low-gluten hosts
Supplier information for parishes arranging low-gluten altar bread.
Further reading
Faith, prayer & parish life.
Read more on the sacraments, the liturgical year, and the life of faith with celiac disease.
Church guidance: US bishops on celiac disease and Communion