KENDALL PARK, N.J. — It's the Year of the Eucharist — even for those who are allergic to wheat and can't receive the Communion host.

We surveyed celiac disease sufferers to see how they cope.

After learning she had celiac disease, Laura Riccardi knew she had to avoid pizza and other foods she enjoyed. The digestive disorder triggered by the consumption of gluten, a protein found in barley, wheat and other grains, led to complications such as weight loss and abdominal pains.

But there was something else she could not consume, and that caused the Catholic woman the greatest pain. During holy Communion, she couldn't receive the host, which retains the physical attributes of wheat even after consecration.

“That was the most difficult blow,” she said.

All was not hopeless. The Church believes the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus is present in both species of the Eucharist.

“For those who are capable of receiving the Precious Blood, Jesus is contained whole and entire, both under the appearance of wine and the appearance of bread,” said Father James O'Connor, author of Hidden Manna: A Theology of the Eucharist.

“So if they receive the Precious Blood, they're receiving all of Jesus,” he said.

In the Code of Canon Law, Canon 925 says: “Holy communion is to be given under the species of bread alone or, in accordance with the liturgical laws, under both species or, in case of necessity, even under the species of wine alone.”

Riccardi and her 10-year-old daughter, Maryann, who also suffers from celiac disease, realized this and would drink from the chalice at their parish, St. Augustine of Canterbury in Kendall Park, N.J., grateful to receive the “fullness” of Christ. But Riccardi said she still longed to receive the host again.

She is not the only celiac sufferer who wants to receive the Communion wafer. Her feelings on the subject, however, are different from those of another family from her home state.

Elizabeth Pelly-Waldman, from Brielle, N.J., has been urging the Vatican to recognize the use of gluten-free, rice-based hosts. Earlier this year, her daughter, Haley, received a rice wafer in a communion-like ceremony, which, in the eyes of the Church, is not valid. In August, Bishop John Smith of Trenton issued a statement reminding the faithful that “hosts that are completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist.”

“One of the things (the Church) feels she has no power to change in respect to the Eucharist is the nature of the elements,” said Father O'Connor, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York. “Jesus used wheat flour, and he used wine from grapes. We don't have the ability to change that; therefore, the material for Mass has to be flour made from wheat and wine made from grapes. The Church has to use what Jesus used.”

In late 2003, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a low-gluten host developed by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Mo. The gluten content is tiny.

That amount, though very small, may adversely affect some celiac sufferers, said Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

“There may be some who react to it,” Green said. “But the bulk of people would tolerate it.”

‘Unchangeable’

Fearing for her daughter's health, Pelly-Waldman is adamant that Haley not receive the low-gluten host, saying it “is not permissible. End of discussion. Any type of gluten is toxic for a celiac.”

She also doesn't want her child to drink the cup because it's “not appropriate.”

“You can argue with me that it's no more alcohol than you would find in a common, over-the-counter cough syrup, and I do understand and respect that,” she said. “But Christ had a meal with his disciples, and I don't think Christ would have turned someone away from that meal because of medical conditions.”

Pelly-Waldman has written twice to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, urging the Church to allow gluten-free hosts. One of her points, she said, is that Christ used the bread commonly used at the time, and, therefore, his choice of wheat was based on custom and not theology. She has not received a response yet.

But just as the words used at the time of consecration can't be changed, what Jesus used during the institution of the Eucharist also can't be changed, said Father O'Connor, a former theology professor.

“There are some things he did in his life of such major importance that they're not simply bound by the customs of his time,” he said. “The Church has always understood them to be permanent. The fact that he wore sandals doesn't mean the rest of us have to wear sandals.”

Riccardi, however, felt she received a response to her prayers, which included a novena every day for three years when she was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999. When her pastor told her that lowgluten hosts had been approved by the bishops, she was “speechless.”

She and her daughter have been receiving the Body and Blood since January. She said her pastor has been supportive and understanding. Before the low-gluten hosts were approved, he even gave Maryann a small chalice to use during her first Communion.

Riccardi, 41, said she understands the anguish and stress faced by many parents and their concerns for their children's health. “That's why I think it's vitally important that priests are educated on how to deal sensitively with this subject,” she said.

She added that she believes in the authority of the Church, which is why she has been obedient to the doctrine of the Eucharist.

“As a member of the mystical body, we're called to place our confidence and trust in the authority of our Church, and I did, and I can say I think certain spiritual gifts have come out of that in my life,” she said. These gifts, she said, include not taking the Eucharist for granted and being more humble.

Carrying a Cross

Other celiac sufferers also said there are crosses involved in obeying the Church, but they also realize the blessings they have received.

Although Julie Blonigen, 55, won't receive the low-gluten hosts, she does drink from her own chalice, which does not receive any part of the host the priest breaks right before Communion. Depending on the priest and what church she goes to, she has received the Precious Blood with the other extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, or been first in line or the last to receive.

“It is a cross and a trial because we're separated out,” said Blonigen, a St. Cloud, Minn., woman who was diagnosed when she was about 40. “There are some churches that you're not treated nicely.

“Part of the problem is that we have people who don't understand Church teaching, and we have people who reject the Church as a teaching authority,” she said. “And there are people who don't believe in the Eucharist as the body and blood of Christ, so what difference does it make if it's rice or potato chips or whatever?”

Because Rae Kapfhammer believes so strongly in the Real Presence, she continues to receive the regular host — even though her pastor at St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus in Altoona, Pa., has the low-gluten ones available for celiac sufferers.

“I have continued to take the host because I fail to believe that consuming the body and blood of Christ will make me ill,” said Kapfhammer, 51, who was diagnosed with the disease about 10 years ago. “It's such an awesome gift we've been given.”

She said she has had minimal adverse reactions to taking the host, although cancer of the esophagus can result for celiac sufferers who don't try to avoid gluten.

In the end, education is key, said Chris Spreitzer, founder of the Catholic Celiac Society (catholicceliacs.org), whose husband and three children have the disease. She hopes her organization can become officially recognized by the U.S. bishops' conference to help educate more dioceses, lay ministers, clergy and celiac sufferers.

Carlos Briceño writes from Seminole, Florida.