Friday, August 13, 2004
Another celiac allergy person versus the Institutional Church
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/08/13/build/nation/86-first-communion.inc
The latest young child seems to not have a sacramental home in the Church because of rigidity. The institution cannot permit altar bread to be made without wheat gluten. The parents want to avoid alcohol.
I'm not impressed by the portrayal of stubbornness on each side. As a liturgist, I appreciate the need to insist on wheat bread and grape wine. But we're not talking about the unravelling of the sacramental fabric of the Church, are we? This isn't pizza and beer or donuts and coffee. The sisters of Clyde, Missouri have perfected altar bread made with very low gluten. Though I know some celiac sufferers are extremely sensitive, was the good sisters' bread given a try?
Alcohol is a stumbling block, of course. Except when it is included in the recipe for liquid children's medicine.
Celiac allergies are reportedly on the rise, so the problem's not going away any time soon. Are there any Solomons out there with solutions?
