Churches adjust rituals because of flu fears
Churches around the region said Saturday they are adjusting some of their rituals to avoid illness as the seasonal and H1N1 flu season marches on, doing away with communal chalices or relying on hand sanitizer instead of traditional hand washing during services. Others say no changes are necessary.
In the Archdiocese of Boston, worshipers may no longer drink from the communal chalice and will no longer offer each other a handshake during the sign of peace ritual, the archdiocese said in a news release Friday.
The Diocese of Brooklyn has also told its parishes to stop using a communal chalice during flu season, a spokesman said.
"Because of the transmission of swine flu, the diocese has withdrawn the chalice from the people's Communion," said Msgr. Kieran Harrington, who added that taking the wafer is still considered fully taking Communion.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre has no plans to adjust Mass rituals, a spokesman said Saturday. "We have been asking the parishes to remind parishioners to do what they ordinarily should be doing, which is acting prudently when they go to Mass," said spokesman Sean Dolan.
In the Episcopalian tradition, worshipers sometimes dip wafers in a communal chalice. That's now strongly discouraged in favor of having the priest do it, said spokesman Canon Kris Lee of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island.
Hand sanitizer has also become an important weapon against germs, as several churches mentioned their priests and pastors making liberal use of the cleanser. The Rev. Leonard Davis, pastor of the Babylon AME church, said: "Previously, we did a ceremonial washing of hands in water. Now we use the hand sanitizer."
One deacon at a Greek Orthodox church, where the Eucharist is served with a communal spoon, said he has drunk the dregs of the communal chalice countless times, yet has never fallen ill from it. "I think it's an article of faith that this is something very special," said the Rev. John Protopapas of St. John the Theologian Church in Shirley.
