To the members of our diocese:
Due to the outbreak of swine flu, the diocese would like to
provide some information that we hope will be helpful. We are
not making specific recommendations, and ask only that our
parishes use their best judgment as this situation develops.
Much of the information in circulation describes common sense
health practices such as frequent hand washing, covering one’s
nose and mouth when one sneezes or coughs, throwing away used
tissues quickly and staying home from work, school or church
when sick. You can find detailed information of this sort, as
well as specific information about swine flu in a pew sheet
prepared by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas on our Web site at:
http://www.edow.org/swineflupewsheet.pdf
Additional information is available here:
http://www.sleh.com/sleh/Section004/index.cfm?PageName=SwineFluFAQ&PageMD=INFLUENZA
We know that many of you have concerns specific to Episcopal
Eucharistic worship, especially the sharing of the common cup
and the passing of the peace.
A paper from the Anglican Church of Canada covers the risk of
infection at the Holy Communion. Information relevant to the flu
is part way down the article at this address:
http://www.anglican.ca/faith/ministry/euc-practice-infection.htm
The information is also available in brochure form as a pdf:
http://www.anglican.ca/faith/ministry/69_Risk_of_Infection_brochure.pdf
Here is perhaps the most relevant excerpt:
“Thus for the average communicant it would seem that the risk of
drinking from the common cup is probably less than the risk of
air-borne infection in using a common building.
Will intinction reduce the risk of transmitting infection?
Intinction (dipping the bread in the wine) is in use in many
Episcopal Church (U.S.A) parishes and is increasingly being
suggested in Canadian Anglican churches as well. There is,
however, real concern that many of the modes of intinction used
in parishes do not diminish the threat of infection, and some
may actually increase it. Hands, children’s and adult’s, are at
least as likely to be a source of infection (often more so) as
lips. Receiving the wafer in the hands and then intincting it
means that the wafer, now contaminated by the hand of the
recipient, is placed in the wine―thus spreading the infection to
it. Dipping the wafer into the wine also means that the wafer
picks up any bacteria that might be in the wine. So this offers
no protection to the communicant.”
The North American Old Catholic Church outlined its response to
the outbreak of swine flu in a press release here (we are not
endorsing it, simply passing it on):
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200904/1240928373.html
The relevant section reads:
Until the Centers for Disease Control ends the health emergency
declaration with regards to the Swine Flu, the following changes
to the worship experience have been instituted:
• Physically exchanging the sign of peace by shaking hands,
hugging, or other bodily contact is prohibited;
• Passing the communion chalice when non-alcoholic wine is
utilized is prohibited;
• The practice of ‘intinction’- dipping the communion bread into
the communion wine before consumption is prohibited;
• Passing the chalice when 12% by volume alcohol wine will
continue to be permitted, however the communicant will not be
allowed to hold the chalice as is sometimes the practice. The
chalice will need to be held by the minister.
Several Roman Catholic dioceses have decided not to offer the
common cup and have adopted the practice of a “no contact”
passing of the peace, in which parishioners keep physical
distance in exchanging the peace. Some parishes in which the
priest places the host into the mouth of the communicant have
suspended that practice and are placing the host in the hands of
the communicant.
Episcopal Relief and Development maintains a section of its Web
site devoted to planning for pandemic influenza here:
http://www.er-d.org/PlanningforPandemicInfluenza/
A general overview is available from Episcopal Life Online here:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_107136_ENG_HTM.htm
The federal government has made this pandemic flu preparation
checklist available to faith communities:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/faithbaseedcommunitychecklist.pdf
