This week Bishop Sutton addressed the clergy and wardens of our diocese on best suggested practices for the Eucharist, including instructions not to intinct, if possible. For decades, studies have shown that the common cup is not a significant source of disease transmission. They have also shown that putting one’s fingers in the cup transmits significantly more germs into the chalice. Our churches and those across The Episcopal Church each have specific practices around the Eucharist that are unique to each community. In the interest of the public health crisis the world has suffered in the past three years, Bishop Sutton encourages congregations to welcome and invite everyone to the Eucharist and to make it safe from a health standpoint, as possible.

From a Living Church article published November 16, 2003, Intinction: Is it safer? –

“Under normal circumstances, par­taking of the common cup poses less a danger to one’s personal health than most other forms of human inter­course. The common cup has been studied for more than a century and has never been identified as responsible for the communication of disease. In 1943, W. Burroughs and E. Hemmens reported:

‘Experiments on the transmission of organisms transferred  from one per­son to another by common use of the chalice showed that 0.001% of the organisms transferred even under the most favorable conditions and when conditions approximated those of actual use, no transmission could be detected.’ In 1967 Betty Hobbs and team concluded that the risk of trans­mission of disease via the cup was probably much smaller than “other methods in any gathering of people.” In 1973 Dr. Edward Dancewicz of the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that the risk of contracting disease through the chalice is minute. The number of bacteria on a person’s lips is small, and the chance that there are pathogens among them is not great. Moreover; “even if pathogens are pres­ent, the risk of ingesting them is small.” In 1985, Dr. David Ho verified that the AIDS virus is not spread through common eating or drinking utensils. In 1988, after an extensive study, Dr. O. N. Gill concluded: “Cur­rently available data do not provide any support for suggesting that the practice of sharing a common com­munion cup should be abandoned because it might spread infection.” In 1997, after studying 681 individu­als over a 10-week period, microbiol­ogist Anne LaGrange Loving reported that she observed no differences in illness rates between those who com­muned from the chalice on a daily basis and those who never attended church.'”

More importantly, the Eucharist a time of evangelism, of welcoming, of inviting. Inviting all to journey towards God, including the invitation to be baptized. Bishop Sutton offered the following example invitation:

Bishop Sutton’s Invitation to Communion
(Please feel free to use or adapt the following for your congregation’s printed or said invitation)

What follows is the Holy Communion, the sacred meal of the Christian faith. The Episcopal Church, as do all other denominations rooted in the historic Christian faith, affirms that the sacrament of Baptism is the ancient and normative entry point for receiving the sacrament of Eucharist, yet no one who comes forward to receive the bread and wine at communion is ever turned away from God’s table. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, The Episcopal Church welcomes you, and we invite you to explore with us what baptism may mean for you. Want to know more? Please see [insert here either the name of the priest, or “one of the clergy”] following the service.

When receiving the Holy Communion, you may take just the bread if you prefer, or the patent bearer can give you a gluten-free wafer if you request it. If you are not baptized, or would prefer not to receive communion for any personal or religious reason, you are still invited to come forward at the time of communion to receive a blessing from the priest. (Please place your arms across your chest to indicate your desire to receive a blessing.) Above all, remember that all are welcome here at [insert here the name of the church]!

(December 2012)