Comments on: Why does the Church not have a standard procedure during the Sacrament for those with Celiac disease?

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 15:07:00 +0000

In reply to trailblazer02. I understand exactly what you are saying. My 8 year old was just diagnosed with celiac disease this week. We are trying to figure out what to do about the sacrament. I'm pretty sure we can come up with a policy for our ward, but visiting wards will be a challenge. When my brother in law with celiac, who visited us a couple of months ago, tried to get our ward to comply with his wishes, they totally botched it, and I felt so bad for him. For people with celiac with severe wheat sensitivity, it is a BIG deal. It isn't just about having gluten free bread, it is about not having that bread touch anything that has touched gluten including the trays or hands that have touched other bread with gluten. Those people who are highly sensitive can be sick for hours or days. We are only just beginning our journey into this world of celiac. I appreciate that you have been pioneering it :)

By: Shawn Murphy

Shawn Murphy — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 19:21:00 +0000

In reply to PDXSPARKY. Some areas have a simple solution. Just ask the Bishop or Branch President to utilize gluten free bread for everyone, every week for the sacrament. Simple solution. Nobody is hurt by using gluten free bread for the entire ward or branch. How the bread is secured, where it comes from, who makes or procures it is a local unit issue. Additionally, we don't wear any cologne & use all natural essential oil based deodorants for our Sabbath day meetings as we are aware others have serious allergy issues & CANNOT tolerate how they are affected by all the allergens. To us it is simply trying to be courteous to the needs of others. Additionally we only use natural essential oil based soap / shampoo. Who is our brother's keeper???

By: Shawn Murphy

Shawn Murphy — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 18:44:00 +0000

In reply to PDXSPARKY. The Portland Oregon area has a simple solution. Just have the Bishop or Branch President utilize gluten free bread for everyone, every week for the sacrament. Simple solution. Nobody is hurt by using gluten free bread for the entire ward or branch. How the bread is secured, where it comes from, who makes or procures it is a local unit issue. Additionally, we don't wear any cologne & use all natural deodorants for our Sabbath day meetings as we are aware others have serious allergy issues & CANNOT tolerate how they are affected by all the allergens. To us it is simply trying to be courteous to the needs of others. Additionally we only use natural soaps like Dr. Bronners to shower / bath / wash hair. Dr. Bronners Tea tree oil soap makes for a fantastic natural shampoo where as the peppermint version is my favorite for everything! Who is our brother's keeper???

By: trailblazer02

trailblazer02 — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:16:00 +0000

There seems to be a misunderstanding by responders to my question above. I did ask at my son’s ward. I was told one thing and then they passed my cracker differently that what I expected from them. My son did not tell me how it was done in his ward even though he knew how it was done in my ward. I am a Celiac who is severely affected by gluten, i.e., wheat, rye and barley. So therein is my concern. It was very hard picking up the tiny crumbs from the tray and felt embarrassing as people around me watched what I was trying to do. Again, I did ask, I really did.

By: trailblazer02

trailblazer02 — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:07:00 +0000

In reply to Robert. Crackers are like bread. Not all crackers are gluten free. So, the Bishop, etc, need to be aware of those in their ward who are Celiac and/or gluten intolerant. That, of course, has to come from the member first to notify the Bishop. That is what I did.

By: PDXSPARKY

PDXSPARKY — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 06:29:00 +0000

Our Ward has all Gluten free bread.

By: trailblazer02

trailblazer02 — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:33:00 +0000

I did ask, but was given the wrong information.

By: trailblazer02

trailblazer02 — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:31:00 +0000

Again, in my explanation, I have absolutely no problem in my ward since they know me, but there was apparently a misunderstanding in my son’s ward, and to compound it, my son and his son, who are also Celiac, did not tell me ahead of time and I did not think to ask them. The Priests were told by me that I needed this gluten-free cracker because of my being Celiac, but they went ahead and crushed my cracker into tiny crumbs and dumped the crumbs out of the bag after transferring to a different tray. It was then I realized that my son’s ward handles this different than my ward and now I realize that from this point on, I should go directly to the Bishop or one of his counselors when I go to any other ward. I am not upset about this, just surprised. In my ward, my wife and I always sit in the same pew, or one before or one after, so the cracker is always in the same tray and never gets busted up. I now know what to do when we visit our son’s ward again.

By: trailblazer02

trailblazer02 — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:21:00 +0000

In visiting our son’s ward, I did ask the Priests and they showed me which tray to put it in, but in passing the bread, it ended up in a Celiac tray and all crushed up and dumped out of the bag.

By: trailblazer02

trailblazer02 — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:19:00 +0000

In reply to paul. I have no problem in my ward, it is other wards I visit, and there has been no problem except at my son's ward where they totally crushed up my gluten free cracker and dumped it out of the bag. Partly my fault because I should have asked my son how it is done at their ward.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 19:46:00 +0000

Wouldn’t it just be better to serve crackers to EVERYONE, so as not to have to fuss with special accommodations?

By: paul

paul — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 12:56:00 +0000

Our branch uses gluten free bread because we have a few folks who can’t take regular bread. I would just talk with your ward’s bishop and explain your situation. They might just need to make the young men aware of how serious your situation is so they make sure to get the right tray delivered to you. It should be a relatively easy fix.