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Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...762908782.html
* JANUARY 7, 2011
Hands Off After Wafer Scare
At St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Clark, N.J., parishioners no longer handle the communion wafers that they once transferred from one bowl to another at the start of Mass.
Instead, parishioners use a very untraditional looking contraption known as a communion host dispenser. They pull a trigger and wafers are deposited into a bowl for consecration during the Mass.
"There was a big concern about germs on the hands getting on stuff so we use the dispenser instead," said the Rev. Dennis Cohan.
A Christmas hepatitis scare at a Long Island church has church officials across the region once again examining health and hygiene issues. Basics like using hand sanitizer and refraining from shaking your neighbors' hand or sipping from the communion cup if you are sick are being reinforced...
...Though there has never been a reported case of hepatitis A transmission through a communion wafer, after consulting with state and federal health officials, the health department decided to recommend that anyone who attended those Masses receive the vaccine.
The department estimated that up to 2,600 people could have received communion at those masses. Thus far, 583 individuals have received the vaccine through the health department...
...Sean Dolan, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, said the diocese wasn't considering any changes to its communion protocol, but would likely issue guidelines to its members about safe hygiene practices during flu season...
...Questions over germs have led to a small but growing industry of businesses targeting churches with their antigerm communion wares. Most such products aren't compatible with Roman Catholic practices and communion, and therefore are more often used by other denominations...
* JANUARY 7, 2011
Hands Off After Wafer Scare
At St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Clark, N.J., parishioners no longer handle the communion wafers that they once transferred from one bowl to another at the start of Mass.
Instead, parishioners use a very untraditional looking contraption known as a communion host dispenser. They pull a trigger and wafers are deposited into a bowl for consecration during the Mass.
"There was a big concern about germs on the hands getting on stuff so we use the dispenser instead," said the Rev. Dennis Cohan.
A Christmas hepatitis scare at a Long Island church has church officials across the region once again examining health and hygiene issues. Basics like using hand sanitizer and refraining from shaking your neighbors' hand or sipping from the communion cup if you are sick are being reinforced...
...Though there has never been a reported case of hepatitis A transmission through a communion wafer, after consulting with state and federal health officials, the health department decided to recommend that anyone who attended those Masses receive the vaccine.
The department estimated that up to 2,600 people could have received communion at those masses. Thus far, 583 individuals have received the vaccine through the health department...
...Sean Dolan, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, said the diocese wasn't considering any changes to its communion protocol, but would likely issue guidelines to its members about safe hygiene practices during flu season...
...Questions over germs have led to a small but growing industry of businesses targeting churches with their antigerm communion wares. Most such products aren't compatible with Roman Catholic practices and communion, and therefore are more often used by other denominations...