WisSJ: Bishop Morlino to priests: Hold the "communion wine"

Credit: Diane Korzeniewski, OCDS

Madison Catholic Bishop Robert Morlino has asked priests in the diocese to move toward using only bread during regular communion services, reserving the use of both bread and wine for more solemn or special occasions. [I think host and cup or chalice would be a better way to address the species]

The change would be a significant departure from current U.S. Catholic custom, although bread-only is the norm in many other parts of the world. Madison would become only the second diocese in the country known to limit wine as a general policy.

However, diocesan officials stressed Monday that Morlino has not issued a directive to priests.

“He has not issued a formal mandate or set a fixed timeline but has asked pastors to exercise their own leadership to move in this direction,” said Monsignor James Bartylla, the diocese’s second-in-command.

Morlino first discussed the topic with priests at a retreat late last month, Bartylla said.

In a letter to priests Monday, Morlino said the change was needed to deepen laypeople’s reverence for the Eucharist, the Catholic term for communion. Catholics believe bread and wine, when consecrated by a priest, become the actual body and blood of Christ. [Well, some of us do anyway.]

Morlino wrote that he has personally experienced occasions when reverence for the consecrated wine “is not being met.” 

The use of consecrated wine at regular Masses often requires non-ordained parishioners to assist priests in helping with distribution. Some believe this increases the likelihood of unintentional mishandling of Christ’s blood through careless treatment, spillage or swilling[swilling??].

“Wine, as a liquid, is much more subject to accidents and misuse than bread,” Bartylla said. “There are practical and logistical difficulties.”

Catholic teaching holds that only one form — consecrated bread or wine — is needed to receive Christ’s full person, while both together constitute “a fuller sign” of the Last Supper.  [I think that was JPII's take on the issue... although I never understood what that actually meant.]

Travis Ganser, a member of the Cathedral Parish, said he supports the move.

“If you really believe what the church teaches and that the bishop is the church’s shepherd, then decisions like this are easy to accept,” he said.

Jim Andrews, a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Beloit, called it “sort of a ridiculous idea.” [and added "fer sure, like totally"..]

“This changes the meaning and traditions that I know,”[those two word do go together, don't they?] he said. “The other practical ramification is there will be fewer laypeople involved in services.” [what a concept!]

That rationale for dropping wine was hotly debated Monday by Catholic scholars.

Anthony Ruff, a Benedictine monk and associate professor of theology at St. John’s University in Collegeville[gee, I wonder what his take on the matter will be], Minn., said the failure to get an explicit extension just means the universal rules of the church kick in.

“Nothing in the universal rules of the church requires the bishop to restrict both forms,” he said. “This decision is absolutely unnecessary. The bishop has full authority to allow communion under both forms at all Masses if he wishes.”

Ruff called the move “demoralizing to dedicated priests and lay ministers in the diocese.”  [oh, what?  Ah, yes, thanks for waking me up after his comments were over.]

But Dennis Martin, a theology professor at Loyola University in Chicago[Interesting!], said any U.S. diocese routinely distributing both forms “is in violation of church rules.”

“A renewal was requested and not given,” Martin said. “I’m sorry, that sounds to me like a pretty deliberate and intentional statement of bread-only.”

He praised Morlino’s move as “quite reasonable and quite practical.”

Officials with the Madison diocese said examples of when both wine and bread might be used include marriage ceremonies, ordinations and occasions that are solemn in nature for the diocese or individual parishes.

The whole thing at WisSJ: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_12b3e3d0-a352-58c0-aeca-148b7b8bf0bf.html#ixzz1aV1GZV5i

They go into the history, early church loved having that chalice passed around, etc.  Really not a terrible article though, balanced out, I mean they are trying to report on these things well which is nice to see.  Ha, and if you want to take a look at the picture that goes along with the article it made me laugh.