First Saint of the Day for September

 

St. Giles, Abbot

Feastday: September 1
Patron: of beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breast feeding; cancer patients; disabled people; Edinburgh (Scotland); epilepsy; fear of night; noctiphobics; forests; hermits; horses; lepers; mental illness; outcasts; poor peoples; rams; spur makers; sterility
Birth: 650
Death: 710

St. Giles, Abbot (Patron of Physically Disabled) Feast day - September 1

St. Giles is said to have been a seventh century Athenian of noble birth. His piety and learning made him so conspicuous and an object of such admiration in his own country that, dreading praise and longing for a hidden life, he left his home and sailed for France. At first he took up his abode in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone river, afterward near the river Gard, and, finally, in the diocese of Nimes.

He spend many years in solitude conversing only with God. The fame of his miracles became so great that his reputation spread throughout France. He was highly esteemed by the French king, but he could not be prevailed upon to forsake his solitude. He admitted several disciples, however, to share it with him. He founded a monastery, and established an excellent discipline therein. In succeeding ages it embraced the rule of St. Benedict. St. Giles died probably in the beginning of the eighth century, about the year 724.

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For the month of September, Pope Francis prayer intention is care for the earth

 

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• Pope Francis
• prayer
• environment
• solidarity

Pope’s September prayer intention: For the cry of the earth

In a video message accompanying his prayer intention for September, Pope Francis prays that "each of us might listen with our hearts to the cry of the earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and climate change, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit."

By Christopher Wells

Considering rising temperatures around the globe, we can say the earth has a “fever”, Pope Francis says in his video-message announcing this month’s prayer intention.

The earth “is sick”, he continues, “just like anyone who’s sick”.

“But are we listening to this pain?” he asks. “Do we hear the pain of the millions of victims of environmental catastrophes."

In his message the Holy Father notes that it is the poor who suffer most from these disasters, pointing especially to those forced to leave their homes due to floods, heat waves, or drought.

Our response, he continues, must be comprehensive, involving not only ecological but also “social, economic, and political” action.

“We must commit ourselves to the fight against poverty and the protection of nature, changing our personal and community habits.”

“We must commit ourselves to the fight against poverty”, the Pope says, and to “the protection of nature” by making both personal and communal changes”.

Pope Francis’ prayer during the month of September – when the Church observes the “Season of Creation” – is “that each of us might listen with our hearts to the cry of the earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and climate change, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit”.

Creation is groaning

The prayer intention for September was elaborated in collaboration with the Dicastery for the Promoting Integral Human Development.

In a press release accompanying the Pope’s video-message, the Dicastery’s prefect, Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., says, “Creation is groaning. Its suffering is caused by humans who were originally its guardian and are now its subjugator”.

However, Cardinal Czerny points out, in his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis invites Christians “to hope and to act with Creation, which we could translate as ‘living in faith’.”

The prefect’s comments are echoed by Fr Frédéric Fornos, S.J., the international director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which publishes the pope’s prayer intentions each month. “The earth is crying”, he says, as are the victims of environmental disasters and climate change.

Pope Francis, he concludes, “invites us to prayer, for only prayer can awaken our anaesthetised hearts”.

Pope Francis has Saturday visit with the Capuchin Friars

 

Pope Francis addressing the General Chapter of the Capuchin Friars  (Vatican Media)

POPE

• pope
• religious
• peace
• st Francis

Pope to Capuchins: ‘Be peacemakers following the footsteps of St. Francis’

Addressing the Capuchin Friars meeting for their General Chapter, Pope Francis encourages them to continue the Order’s historical commitment to peace, fraternity, and charity towards the poor, following in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi.

By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis, on Saturday, addressed the members of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFMCap) gathered in Rome for their 86th General Chapter.

Under the motto: "The Lord gave me brothers to go into the world", some 200 friars, including Provincials, Custodians and delegates from over 100 countries, are reviewing the past six-year period, with its challenges and opportunities, and discussing the guidelines for the next six years.

The  Chapter, running until 15 September,  will also elect the successor of Brother Roberto Genuin as General Minister of the Order, and the new members of the Council.

As they discern the future of their ministry, Pope Francis invited the Capuchin Friars to keep in mind three key dimensions of Franciscan spirituality: fraternity, readiness to serve others, and commitment to peace.

Fraternity

He recalled that, according to the charism of St. Francis of Assisi, their mission is rooted in and arises from their communal fraternity.

At the core of this charism, he said, “is a ‘mysticism of collaboration,’ in which no one, in God's plan, can consider themselves an island, but each is in relation to others to grow in love, coming out of oneself and making one's uniqueness a gift to others.”

He thereforefore stressed that their focus should not be on optimizing resources or preserving structures, but on fostering deep, genuine relationships grounded in faith. Fraternity should be the central theme of their formation and daily lives, even if it means sacrificing other projects, the Pope said.

“A Capuchin friar who doesn’t transform your uniqueness into a gift to your brothers, has not yet begun to be a Capuchin!”

Readiness to serve others

Referring to the readiness to serve, the Holy Father praised the Capuchins for their reputation of being willing to go where others might not, emphasizing that this openness is a testament to the importance of charity.

In this sense, he noted, they represent “a sign for the entire Christian Community,  called to be, as a whole, always and everywhere, missionary and ‘going forth’."

The Pope therefore encouraged the Capuchin Friars to maintain their readiness to serve and to embody this missionary spirit, which, he said is crucial in a world marred by conflict, selfishness, unjust exploitation of the poor, and environmental devastation.

This readiness to serve, the Pope added, should be marked by simplicity, freedom, and a readiness to respond to God's call without seeking recognition.

Commitment to peace

Finally, Pope Francis highlighted the Order’s historical commitment to peace, going back to St. Francis, “who became a symbol of peace through his encounters with the suffering and marginalized."

“Your ability to be with everyone, among the people," he said, "has made you over the centuries expert ‘peacemakers’ capable of creating opportunities for encounter, mediating the resolution of conflicts, bringing people together, and promoting a culture of reconciliation, even in the most difficult situations.”

He therefore urged the Friars to continue being instruments of peace and reconciliation: “You must be like St Francis: men of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.”

Concluding, Pope Francis invited the Capuchins to persevere on their journey “with trust and hope”, invoking the support of Our Lady.

Saturday Saint of the Day

 

St. Raymond Nonnatus

Raymond was born at Portella, Catalonia, Spain. He was delivered by caesarean operation when his mother died in childbirth. Hence his name non natus (not born). He joined the Mercedarians under St. Peter Nolasco at Barcelona. He succeeded Peter as chief ransomer and went to Algeria to ransom slaves. He remained as hostage for several slaves when his money ran out and was sentenced to be impaled when the governor learned that he had converted several Mohammedans. He escaped the death sentence because of the ransom he would bring, but was forced to run the gauntlet. He was then tortured for continuing his evangelizing activities but was ransomed eight months later by Peter Nolasco. On his return to Barcelona in 1239, he was appointed Cardinal by Pope Gregory IX, but died at Cardona a short distance from Barcelona the next year while on the way to Rome. He was canonized in 1657. He is the patron saint of expectant mothers and midwives because of the nature of his own birth. Although his mother died in labor, Raymond miraculously survived the ordeal. His feast day is August 31.

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Let's speculate...who could be the next American Cardinal?

 

America’s Next Cardinal: 6 Bishops Who Could Soon Receive a Red Hat

Pope Francis celebrates Mass with cardinals for the opening of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon region in St. Peter's Basilica in 2019. (photo: Riccardo De Luca / Shutterstock)

Jonathan Liedl VaticanAugust 29, 2024

If 2024 turns out like most years of Pope Francis’ decade-long reign, the Catholic Church will soon be getting a new slate of cardinals. 

And if Pope Francis does call his 10th consistory before 2024 ends, it’s reasonable to think that an American could be among those to receive a “red hat.” 

Since becoming pontiff in March 2013, Francis has created new cardinals in every full calendar year of his pontificate except 2021. And with the backstretch of 2024 already upon us, the Vatican rumor mill is already turning about a forthcoming consistory.  

The Italian traditionalist blog Messa in Latino cites “plausible rumors” that Pope Francis will soon announce a consistory set for October’s synod, while ecclesial insiders like Ed Condon are speculating about which Church leaders from around the world could be in line to become cardinals.  

Will a U.S. prelate be among them? With Boston’s Cardinal Seán O’Malley no longer eligible to vote in a papal conclave after turning 80 this past June, the Pope could be looking to add another American cardinal-elector. 

Additionally, at 87 years old, Francis could view a 2024 consistory as one of his last remaining chances to leave his mark on the American episcopacy, a group that is both hugely influential in the universal Church but also seen as somewhat unenthused about some of Francis’ priorities. 

Currently, there are 10 American cardinals among the 124 eligible to vote in a conclave. Pope Francis has created six of them: Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago; Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey; Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C.; Robert McElroy of San Diego; Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life; and Robert Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. 

Of course, given Pope Francis’ documented preference for expanding the geographic makeup of the College of Cardinals, it wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t add another American. While representation from the Global South has gone up during Francis’ pontificate, the percentage of cardinals from North America has fallen, from 12% in 2013 to 10% as of last September’s conclave.  

But if Pope Francis does add another American, a small batch of U.S. prelates exhibit some of the qualities he typically looks for when he creates cardinals, such as shared ecclesial priorities, collaboration on a papal project of importance, and affiliation with the peripheries. 

Here are six prelates who Pope Francis could pick to become America’s next cardinal. 

 

Archbishop Jóse Gomez

Archdiocese of Los Angeles 

72 years old 

By conventional standards, no American prelate is more qualified to wear the red than Archbishop Gomez. The Los Angeles prelate leads an archdiocese with more than 5 million Catholics, the largest in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. His three immediate predecessors in Los Angeles were all named cardinals, and the Mexican native’s personal experience of immigration and leadership on the issue squares nicely with a Francis priority. 

But all of these things have been true of Archbishop Gomez throughout the present pontificate — and yet he has been passed over in all nine consistories convened by Pope Francis.  

The conspicuous fact is part of a broader pattern of the Pope skipping over prelates from traditional “cardinalatial” sees, like Paris and Milan. But in Archbishop Gomez’s case, it’s especially glaring: Pope Francis has not only not made the Los Angeles archbishop a cardinal, but he gave the red hat to the ordinary of one of Archbishop Gomez’s suffragan dioceses, Cardinal McElroy, in 2022. Some have surmised that Archbishop Gomez’s previous leadership of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), or even his ties to Opus Dei, could be behind the papal pass-over. 

But perhaps a consistory at the twilight of Pope Francis’ pontificate will change all of that. While some have speculated that the Pope is using consistories to “stack the conclave,” ensuring that a successor who continues with his reform agenda is elected, it’s also true that Francis has recently made the effort to define himself and his legacy as less disruptive than the common narrative suggests. Perhaps offering the red hat to an American prelate as well-respected as Archbishop Gomez could be one way to do that. 

 

Archbishop Paul Etienne

Archdiocese of Seattle 

65 years old 

Last summer, Pope Francis tapped Archbishop Etienne as one of his personally nominated delegates to the Synod on Synodality. The only other American prelates to receive that designation, other than Cardinal O’Malley? Cardinals Cupich, Gregory and McElroy — each given the red hat by Francis.  

The Seattle shepherd’s inclusion among the Francis-made American cardinals suggests that he may be in next in line to become one. 

Like Francis’ U.S. cardinal picks, the pastorally minded Archbishop Etienne has emphasized Pope Francis’ priorities in his ministry, speaking out on issues like care for creation and nuclear disarmament. 

Widely regarded as the “progressive bloc’s” candidate in the 2022 elections for USCCB president, Archbishop Etienne only mustered 37 of 242 votes (15%). Of course, being somewhat of a stand-apart from the U.S. episcopacy is arguably what Pope Francis has typically looked for when picking American cardinals. 

There are certainly other American archbishops who have been elevated by Pope Francis and seem to share his pastoral priorities, such as Archbishops Mitchell Rozanski (St. Louis), Christopher Coyne (Hartford, Connecticut) and Gregory Hartmayer (Atlanta). But the fact that Archbishop Etienne is already thought of in Rome as a peer to Cardinals Cupich, Gregory and McElroy suggests that he may be the most likely candidate to join them in the College of Cardinals.  

And if the next consistory is really set to take place amidst October’s synod session, he’d already be there. 

Bishop Daniel Flores

Diocese of Brownsville, Texas 

62 years old 

Pope Francis has given red hats to prelates who have played a pivotal role in executing initiatives important to the Holy Father, such as Portuguese Cardinal Américo Aguiar, who led World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon as a then-auxiliary bishop. 

If Francis hews to that criterion again, consider Bishop Flores to be a strong candidate for a red hat. 

As the USCCB’s doctrine head, Bishop Flores has adeptly led the U.S. bishops’ implementation of the various stages of the Synod on Synodality — no easy task, given heightened concerns about the initiative. The Pope already expressed his esteem for Bishop Flores by making him one of only nine “presidential delegates” from across the world at the Rome synod sessions. Who’s to say Francis doesn’t go a step further by naming Bishop Flores to the College of Cardinals? 

But whereas Francis’ other U.S. cardinal picks have been divisive among the local episcopacy, Bishop Flores’ selection would be something of an olive branch between Rome and America. The Texas native is widely respected throughout the U.S. ecclesial landscape and across typical partisan divides.  

And while there are other moderate, Latino prelates who are well-regarded across the U.S. Church (Philadelphia’s Archbishop Nelson Pérez comes to mind), the symbolism of having a “prince of the Church” in the lowly border diocese of Brownsville may be too much for Pope Francis to pass up on. 

 

Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv.,

Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky 

58 years old 

If giving a red hat to someone like Bishop Flores or Archbishop Gomez would be a reconciling move between Rome and the U.S., tapping Bishop Stowe would be the polar opposite: It would be seen as nothing short of a parting shot from Francis to the majority of U.S. bishops and active Catholics.  

It’s hard to think of an American prelate who has been more divisive than Bishop Stowe. He has criticized the National Eucharistic Revival as opposed to synodality and defied his brother bishops by publicly endorsing the Equality Act, pro-LGBTQ legislation that the USCCB opposed due to religious-liberty concerns.  

Bishop Stowe’s critics have been quick to point out ways in which his stances appear to diverge from Pope Francis’ such as his recent approval of a transgender hermit’s vows, which seems to run afoul of recent Vatican guidance critical of gender theory.   

But Pope Francis clearly has a pattern of using his U.S. cardinal picks as a way to chastise the USCCB status quo. And if this is his primary consideration when selecting the next American red hat, as opposed to picking a unifying figure, it’s hard to think of a more fitting candidate than the contentious Bishop Stowe. 

 

Bishop Mark Seitz

Diocese of El Paso, Texas 

Age 70 

Pope Francis likes to give the red hat to prelates embroiled in conflict as a pledge of papal backing. 

El Paso is certainly not a war zone, but it is in the epicenter of the southern border’s migration crisis. And giving the red hat to Bishop Seitz, a strong voice for justice to migrants, would certainly send a powerful message. Most recently, the El Paso bishop has gone toe-to-toe with the Texas state government over its targeting of Catholic charities ministering to migrants. Perhaps the Pope will conclude that Bishop Seitz will be even more effective with “cardinal” in front of his name. 

What’s more, the Pope is already clearly familiar with Bishop Seitz’s ministry. He gave the Texan blessed rosaries for victims of the 2019 Walmart shooting and their families, called Bishop Seitz after he took part in a prayer vigil against racism in 2020, and praised the El Paso prelate in a May 2024 interview with CBS News, calling him “a great bishop” who “does the impossible to help migrants.” 

Pope Francis clearly thinks highly of Bishop Seitz’s ministry. Giving him the red hat would be the ultimate seal of papal approval. 

 

Archbishop-Elect Richard Henning

Archdiocese of Boston 

59 years old 

If Pope Francis is looking for a successor to Cardinal O’Malley in a future conclave, why not pick the prelate he already tapped to follow Cardinal O’Malley in Boston?  

Archbishop-elect Henning is intelligent, forward-thinking and mission-driven — all qualities that led Pope Francis to install him as the head of one of the country’s most prominent sees at only 59 years old. Presumably, these same qualities would make the Long Island native and outgoing bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, a valuable cardinal as well.  

And while picking a recently elevated 50-something-year-old with minimal episcopal experience to join the exclusive College of Cardinals may seem dramatic, there’s Pope Francis precedent for it. The Pope gave 58-year-old Spanish Cardinal José Cobo Cano the red hat last September, just months after he had made the former auxiliary bishop the archbishop of Madrid. 

At the same time, Francis moved three other prelates under 60 into major archdioceses last year, including Archbishop Francis Leo of Toronto, and none of them received a red hat at last September’s consistory. So there’s no guarantee that one is coming to Archbishop-elect Henning in Boston. As with so many other things with this pontificate, we’ll just have to wait and see. 

Pro-Life leader says we now have two pro-abortion Presidential tickets

 

Live Action president Lila Rose: ‘Trump is losing pro-life votes’

By Tyler Arnold

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 29, 2024 / 17:13 pm

Live Action president Lila Rose is increasing her criticism of 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — arguing that his recent statements are alienating pro-life voters such as herself.

“Given the current situation, we have two pro-abortion tickets,” Rose said in a post on X on Thursday, Aug. 29.

“A Trump win is not a pro-life win right now,” she continued. “Pro-lifers will need to challenge both leaders either way. We only help Trump by sounding the alarm — Trump is losing pro-life votes regardless of what I say — because of his own actions.”

Rose, who is Catholic, argued that “expressions of disappointment are not enough” and that “the currency and the language in this season is votes.” She added that “it is wrong for Trump supporters to demand that pro-life activists be endlessly loyal to Trump in response to repeated betrayal.”

“We will continue to speak the truth and demand better from the Trump campaign for the sake of innocent babies who cannot speak for themselves,” Rose said. “Fear cannot keep us from doing and saying what is right. We are two months out from the election. It’s not too late for Trump to change course.”

Rose added: “I hope and pray that President Trump will change his course and stop supporting the legalization of the killing of babies.”

During his campaign, Trump has repeatedly taken credit for nominating three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which ended the country’s recognition of abortion as a constitutional right. For decades, this has been the biggest goal of the pro-life movement. 

Trump further used his executive power to restrict foreign aid funding of abortion and to prevent Title X funding from going to the abortion industry. As president, Trump also signed an executive order to protect infants who were born alive after a failed abortion.

In June, Trump said in a speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition that, if elected, he would “rapidly review the cases” of pro-life activists and “every political prisoner” who has been jailed under President Joe Biden’s administration and get them “back to their families where they belong.”

Despite this, Trump’s rhetoric on abortion has frustrated some pro-life activists over the past few months.

In April, the former president said abortion policy is “up to the states to do the right thing” and shied away from federal restrictions. He said in a post on Truth Social last week that if he is elected, his administration will be “great for women and their reproductive rights” without expanding on what that meant. He also told CBS in an interview last week that he would not use the Comstock Act to restrict mail-in chemical abortion drugs and that such drugs would remain available.

Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, also said in an interview with NBC last weekend that Trump would not sign a national abortion ban if elected.

An abortion ban at the federal level would be unlikely to reach any president’s desk because it would need 60 votes in the Senate to overcome the filibuster. Republicans have 49 votes in the Senate, although some of them oppose a federal ban on abortion.

The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, has vowed to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law, which would undo pro-life gains at the Supreme Court and prohibit states from passing laws that protect unborn life. This, too, is unlikely to reach any president’s desk because of Senate filibuster rules.

As a senator, Harris backed a bill to prevent states from passing abortion restrictions and voted against a bill that would have required doctors to provide medical care for a child who is born after a failed abortion attempt. As attorney general of California, Harris also backed a law that forced pro-life pregnancy centers to provide advertisements for abortion and oversaw a raid on the home of pro-life journalist David Daleiden, whom she claimed broke laws when obtaining undercover videos of Planned Parenthood officials.

In an interview with Politico published on Thursday, Rose said she “would not vote for Harris or Trump” if the election were held today and said there are “other candidates” and even “write-in candidates.”

“I think that it’s the job of the pro-life movement to demand protection for preborn lives,” Rose said. “It is not the job of the pro-life movement to vote for President Trump.”

Rose said she hopes Trump “embraces the pro-life movement again” and that he would make a better case for pro-life voters if he promises “we will do everything in our power through the executive branch to protect the lives of innocent children.”

Many other pro-life activists have taken a different approach to the 2024 election than Rose, such as Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Although she has criticized some of Trump’s rhetoric, Dannenfelser has urged pro-life voters to focus on the “short-term urgent threat” that Harris poses to the pro-life movement. 

“The [pro-life] cause is way bigger and younger than Donald Trump. …” Dannenfelser said last week. “The short-term urgent threat? Harris-Walz and all Senate candidates promising unlimited six-, seven-, eight-, nine-month abortion as the only option for women.”

Candidate Trump now wants government sponsored IVF Coverage breaking with Catholic teaching

 

Trump pledges new IVF-coverage mandate 

under his administration

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to Alro Steel manufacturing plant in Potterville, Mich., Aug. 29, 2024. In comments to multiple media outlets the same day, Trump pledged his administration would require the government or insurance companies to pay for in vitro fertilization treatments, commonly known as IVF. (OSV News photo/Brian Snyder, Reuters)

(OSV News) — Former President Donald Trump pledged his administration would require the government or insurance companies to pay for in vitro fertilization treatments, commonly known as IVF, in comments to multiple media outlets.

IVF is a form of fertility treatment opposed by the Catholic Church on the grounds that it often involves the destruction of human embryos, among other concerns.

In an interview with NBC News on Aug. 29, Trump said that if elected, his administration would protect access to IVF but would have either the government or insurance companies cover the costly treatment. A Department of Health and Human Services fact sheet estimates that a single cycle of IVF costs from $15,000 to $20,000 and can exceed $30,000.

“We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” Trump told NBC, adding, “We’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.”

Asked by NBC to clarify whether the government would pay for IVF services or require insurance companies to do so, Trump did not specify but said insurance companies may pay “under a mandate, yes.”

OSV News has reached out to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Benefits Association for comment but has not yet received a response. Both of those organizations fought long-running battles with the federal government for Catholic employers’ exemptions to an Affordable Care Act mandate requiring employers to provide coverage for contraception, sterilization or drugs and devices that may cause abortions in their employee health plans.

Trump told Kaitlyn Buss, a columnist for The Detroit News, “We’re going to be making a major statement today that IVF treatments — you know I’m in favor of it — that IVF treatments will be covered by the government under a Trump administration.”

Trump did not provide details on how his administration would pay for his proposal. Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival, has made IVF a talking point in her campaign after a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court found that frozen embryos qualify as children under the state law’s wrongful death law. Lawmakers in that state later enacted legal protections for IVF.

The 1987 document from the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith known as “Donum Vitae” or “The Gift of Life,” states the church opposes IVF and related practices, including gestational surrogacy, in part because “the connection between in vitro fertilization and the voluntary destruction of human embryos occurs too often.”

Issued by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, the teaching named the “right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death” and “the child’s right to be conceived, brought into the world and brought up by his parents” as behind the church’s moral objections to those practices.

It emphasized, “The political authority consequently cannot give approval to the calling of human beings into existence through procedures which would expose them to those very grave risks noted previously.”

The teaching warned further, “The possible recognition by positive law and the political authorities of techniques of artificial transmission of life and the experimentation connected with it would widen the breach already opened by the legalization of abortion.”

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 238,126 patients underwent IVF treatment in 2021, resulting in 112,088 clinical pregnancies and 91,906 live births.

Do you have the option of the Chalice at your Mass?

 

The pandemic is officially over,

but will Communion chalices make

a comeback at Mass?

Communion chalices for reception of holy Communion by the faithful rest on the altar during Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Prescott, Ariz., Dec. 10, 2023. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

CHICAGO (OSV News) — After the federal government declared a health emergency in 2020 over the COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic churches in the U.S. scrambled to figure out how to provide the Eucharist, the sacrament that is the “source and summit of the Christian life” while keeping people safe from contagion.

In that process, most Catholic churches decided to suspend the Communion chalice at Mass, while allowing people to receive just the host. That prudential judgment by church officials to restrict holy Communion to just one kind only was possible for Catholics, because the church teaches Jesus Christ is “wholly and entirely present” — body, blood, soul and divinity — in the Eucharist. Whether one receives either the host, the body of Christ (which retains the appearance of bread), or the blood of Christ (which retains the appearance of wine) at holy Communion, that person receives the same Christ and can “receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace.”

But the Catechism of the Catholic Church also teaches “the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly.”

By the time the federal government completely lifted all health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2023, Catholics were routinely receiving the host, the body of Christ, at holy Communion.

While some dioceses allowed distribution of the blood of Christ from the Communion chalice as early as June 2022, residual fears about the virus have left their mark long after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established the risk of COVID-19 contagion from surfaces was actually low and that vaccination was the most effective protective measure against contracting the airborne disease.

With the exception of Eastern Catholic churches (where Catholics receive the Eucharist under both kinds commingled from the priest), the return of the faithful routinely receiving the blood of Christ in Communion chalices has proceeded far more slowly in parishes of the Latin Church.

“I was looking forward for it to come back,” said Edward Zampinella, who receives Communion under both kinds at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Chicago. The pastor there confirmed to OSV News that his parish started to distribute the blood of Christ again at weekly Mass in mid-May.

Zampinella, 67, told OSV News he has been receiving the Eucharist from the Communion chalice “for as long as I’ve been living” but that he had to stop during the pandemic.

“With COVID people got scared and stuff. Now it’s coming back. People are coming out of their shells. Some people are still a little scared, but we (should) just be an example, make people feel comfortable” receiving the blood of Christ again, he said.

During the pandemic, hesitant reception of the blood of Christ raised concern among church officials that the practice of offering holy Communion under both kinds to the faithful might go by the wayside in churches. The Washington-based Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions included in a February 2024 survey, answered by 99 (arch)dioceses nationwide, a question of whether offering the Communion chalice has been “restored to the faithful.” It found 50 said “yes,” but 47 left it up to individual pastors to decide and two said “no.” (There are 196 archdioceses and dioceses in the United States.)

Rita Thiron, the federation’s executive director, told OSV News in an email, “as the pandemic fears lessened, there was a fear that the distribution of the Precious Blood would be restricted, lost or forgotten. Many in the church hierarchy, diocesan leaders and parish priests were anxious to restore the cup to the faithful after the pandemic — for theological, liturgical and pastoral reasons.”

At Sacred Heart Church in Prescott, Arizona, associate pastor Father Gaspar Masilamani said his church started to offer Massgoers the blood of Christ again at the end of December last year. He said Sacred Heart is just one of five parishes in the fast-growing Phoenix Diocese that offer Communion under both kinds.

Claretian Father Masilamani told OSV News that after the pandemic disrupted church life, when the Vatican in September 2020 urged a return to in-person Mass participation as soon as anti-COVID measures permitted, the parish wanted to take part. After receiving multiple requests to return to offering the Communion chalice to communicants and seeking feedback from parishioners, the parish reinstated it.

“Honestly, I was thrilled. Especially whenever I finish Mass, people come up and they say, ‘Wow, we are really happy and are privileged that we started this,'” he said. The priest noted seeing in the faithful “that emotional and sentimental satisfaction of getting both species” in holy Communion.

Father Michael Witczak, a liturgy and sacramental theology professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, said that receiving holy Communion under both kinds speaks to the integrity of the church as the body of Christ.

“To receive Communion under both kinds is a reinforcement of the underlying unity of the body of Christ,” Father Witczak explained to OSV News, “which is hierarchically organized: the bishops and the priests representing Christ the head for the local communicants and local congregations, but that all those who are baptized are members of the body of Christ and participate in their own way as … members of the church.”

Father Witczak pointed to different periods in the Latin Church’s history when the blood of Christ was not distributed to the lay faithful for various reasons, such as for not giving it proper dignity with careless distribution and the potential for spilling, stealing the chalice and also fears of infection from plague and disease.

At times in the Middle Ages, for example, Latin Church authorities stopped offering the chalice to the laity to prevent disrespect for the Eucharist. The Council of Constance in 1415 prohibited the use of the chalice for the laity. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) limited Communion for the faithful to reception of the body of Christ only.

But in 1963, the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) issued the constitution on the sacred liturgy “Sacrosanctum Concilium” authorizing the reception of Communion under both kinds by the faithful. In the U.S., the bishops’ conference gave permission to distribute the Eucharist under both kinds during weekday Masses in 1970 and this was extended to Sundays in 1978.

“I’m glad for those who missed (the Communion chalice), that they are able to go back and have it,” said Elizabeth Watson, who assists in the distribution of holy Communion at St. Thomas the Apostle in Chicago. However, she told OSV News that when the blood of Christ was available again for the faithful, she decided to stop being involved in its distribution as a precaution.

“I don’t want to spill it or anything because it’s the precious blood. … You have to make sure to clean (the chalice) off and do something extra,” said Watson. Because she has grown physically unsteady due to declining health, she expressed concern over the possibility of not being able to carry out new health protocols of cleaning the lip of the chalice and turning it a specific way after each communicant receives the blood of Christ.

In Louisiana at least two dioceses brought back offering the Communion chalice in November 2022. In a statement sent to OSV News from the Baton Rouge Diocese, officials said since then, “those who regularly partook of the Precious Blood seem to have resumed their practice.”

“They value the ability to receive under both forms,” said Father Tom Ranzino, director of the diocese’s Office of Worship. “The full act of eating and drinking is in the tradition of the church the best way to do what Jesus said to do.”

But even after COVID, he recognized there is still some trepidation.

“The pandemic really shook up our Communion practice,” he said.

Father Nile Gross, director of the Office of Worship at the New Orleans Archdiocese, said anecdotally — as of this June — he estimated about 90% of the parishes in the archdiocese have brought back the blood of Christ for the faithful. But he suspected that not as many who used to receive it have gone back to receiving from the Communion chalice, likely due to residual fears from the pandemic.

At his church, St. Francis of Assisi in New Orleans, which started offering the chalice at Communion in June 2023, Father Gross told OSV News the Masses now have just two persons offering the blood of Christ to Massgoers. There used to be four at Communion before the pandemic.

“That we know of, in the year since we’ve brought it back … we have no even hints, or suggestions, that anyone has gotten sick from receiving the precious blood,” he said, “which goes with what we were hearing from health officials locally.”

Simone Orendain writes for OSV News from Chicago.