Communion & Wheat Allergy

[sraplayas]

DS has an allergy to wheat, among other things. This poses a potential problem in taking communion, which we take in the form of "prospora"--white wheat bread.

Since we are still BFing, I am on the same w-free, etc. diet.

Have any of you faced this and what has been your solution?

Thanks!
sraplayas

[rhesp1212]

You might want to talk to your church pastor to see what they recommend. At my church, you can still go and recieve a blessing if you are not able to take communion for some reason. We simply cross our arms across our chest and that signals to the priest or deacon to give you a blessing instead of the communion wafer. This is done church wide, so it doesn't single out anyone.

[ktgrok]

how allergic are you? I'm assuming you are Eastern Orthodox? If you just partake of a spoonful of wine, rather than the bread, would trace amounts of wheat that are disolved in the wine be a problem?

[kjbrown92]

I know the Catholic church has gluten-free wafers that you can buy. For other churches, can you offer to make a gluten-free/wheat-free bread and have the person bless it for you? Or do what someone else suggested, and just receive a blessing. I know that in our old church, they always said you could receive a blessing instead of drinking the wine if you were a recovering alcoholic, etc. With gluten being what it was, and depending on how they do the wine, I wouldn't risk the cross contamination. But I know other people aren't like that. A friend of mine with two sons with celiac let them still do communion the first year. When they went back, their numbers hadn't changed at all, even with all the other changes she made, so she cut out communion for them, and switched to just receiving the blessing.

[HRJ]

I am Eastern Orthodox in the United States and some parishes have started making a gluten free bread that is also consecrated b/c of the celiac's in the parish. We also have a lady at our parish w a severe peanut allergy. So she receives her communion separately from a small cup b/c if anyone had peanuts anywhere near where they were baking communion bread, she would go into anaphalaxis.

[sraplayas]

Thanks for the helpful input. I bake the prospora in our church so I could definitely make a separate loaf. Glad you mentioned the wine being mixed with the non-w-free bread...

We are without a priest right now and so when we can receive communion, we absolutely want to! I want to do everything to make it possible without compromising DS's immune system--and I don't know how allergic he is b/c we are still figuring this out based on his IgG test. He is definitely more allergic/sensitive to lentils. (BTW he's 1.5yrs)

When we visit other parishes I suppose that I could call ahead to check and see if they are making gluten-free loaves (this would be stateside so I appreciate knowing that some parishes are making these. ).

Thanks!