A note for your parish.
A short request to share with your priest as you prepare to receive Holy Communion with celiac disease.
For the parish
Receiving Holy Communion
with celiac disease
Dear Father,
I have celiac disease and need to avoid gluten, including cross-contact from other hosts, hands, or vessels. I would like to make arrangements to receive Holy Communion at our parish.
Could we discuss a low-gluten host suitable for my medical needs, kept and handled separately in a clean pyx?
If a host is not suitable, I would receive the Precious Blood alone, from the chalice at Mass. Where the chalice is not usually offered, could it be offered to me?
Please let me know whom to contact before Mass and where to receive.
Thank you for your care.
- Name
- Space to write your name
- Usual Mass
- Space to write your usual Mass time
- Contact
- Space to write your contact details
Church guidance: USCCB, Celiac Disease, Alcohol Intolerance, and the Church’s Pastoral Response.
Before sharing the note
Discuss the suitability of a particular low-gluten host with your clinician. Contact the parish ahead of the Mass you plan to attend, so there is time to agree on the preparation and handling.