Question to Catholic nurses

[KatieMI]

Elderly patient in acute care, very sick, A,Ox4. Catholic chaplain tied up somewhere else, so a volunteer from Chaplain's office comes. This guy was NOT a priest (wore no robes, no badge).

The patient wanted to have Holy Communion, but was on extreme swallow precautions with "pureed food only, 1:1 supervision". The volunteer refused to give her the host. When I asked him would it be appropriate to just let her kiss it, or do something else so that her religious needs would be satisfied, he became rude and told that "church policies" prohibit anything except actually consuming the host, and if patient is not able to do that, then it is essentially his or her personal problems.

Poor LOL was all over the place in tears.

So, my question to anybody who might know: what can actually be done in such situation? I just do not believe that poor people who just cannot swallow must be treated so cruelly.

[NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN]

They explained that they believe that the communion wafers actually become the body of Christ and the wine actually becomes the blood of Christ when they are consecrated. The communion wafers that had been stolen had already gone through that transformation so the kids had actully stolen the body of Christ.

If the church believes that the communion wafer was the actual body of Christ, it is understandable that the volunteer couldn't just touch the wafer to the patient's lips and then toss it in the trash.

Do they know what happens to food after we eat it? Are there special procedures for disposing of stool that contains the body of Christ?

I respect others following their religion as they see fit, but it seem unnecessarily legalistic and cruel to treat the patient that way. There must have been a way to satisfy her need for participation without truly violating Catholic requirements..

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Update:

I wrote a tearful letter to the diocese. Today, when I was running by the office, a priest who was apparenly leaving spotted name badge, pulled me aside, said some million thanks and, most importantly, told that the hospital got it, volunteers are told what to do (and what not to), and in the nearest time there will be clear policies for every situation. Kissing the host and touching lips of an unconscious patient are all acceptable; the host needs to be brought in chapel and given to the priest after that.

Got many thanks, one blessing and a coffee from Starbucks. And hope not to see any poor old soul crying his/her eyes out because some holier-than-thou.

[JHeye]

That's really unfortunate that this occurred. I would think getting the sacrament of the sick which I received undergoing cancer treatment as a patient myself I wasn't required to have to take the host. Even a tiny little crumb would've been enough just on the lips you just happen to deal with kind of a jerk I guess. It doesn't have to be a priest that comes to the bedside it can be layperson trained,nun or deacon. There are not enough priests to go around anymore and I've been very frustrated in critical care trying to get a priest to come and visit a dying patient. You should contact your chaplains office during the day and find out what can be done in the future to avoid this.

[puzzlelover94]

Episcopal future nurse here.

I know of several patients who received the Eucharist through peg tubes. The bread or wafer was soaked in the wine first and then made to a consistency that can pass through the tube. As a priest or volunteer who is able to deliver the Eucharist, you should be doing just about whatever possible to figure out a way for your brother or sister in Christ to receive the Sacrament.

If anyone else has any issues in the future with a very strict Catholic priest, you can always see if the patient is open to an Episcopal priest. We allow any baptized person, baptized in any denomination to receive communion.

[Galveston65]

I am a Catholic nurse. When a patient wants to receive the Host and could not swallow or was NPO the priest or whoever was the Eucharistic minister would break off a small piece of the Host and place it on the patients tongue. I did this many times with the permission of the hospital priest. We never had any problem with the patient choking or having operative problems.

[maria87]

I'm a Catholic nurse and have worked in a Catholic hospital and now work in a Jewish hospital and have to say I'm disappointed by this situation but also by some of the responses here.

I understand the Eucharistic minister POV, the host has to be consumed if it is concentrated and that often falls to them if there are extras or one falls on the floor. They may not have been comfortable allowing a pt to touch it and then have to eat it. But also understand that they cannot make their own rules and so have to follow what they have been taught. Had it been a priest there may have been more options.

The other thing that they maybe could have broken off a small piece of the host as she wasn't NPO just had swallowing problems and maybe they needed some education in that regard.

I am saddened for all of the post here that have had such a negative experience with the catholic faith that you feet you had to leave the church and I'm saddened you feel a need to put it down because of one situation carried out by a single individual that could not possibly represent the entire faith. Please understand the Eucharistic ministers in hospitals are usually volunteers and non-medical people. I would think just by being there it shows that they want to help people not hurt or insult them.

[angelnurseinstructor]

If the Sacred Host loses the appearance of bread it no longer is the Body of Jesus Christ. This is possibly why the lay minister refused to give Holy Communion.

I strongly agree with the idea of Anointing of the Sick.

[ValRN1]

I am both a RN and a Eucharistic Minister, you can break off a miniscule piece of the host and allow it to dissolve on the tongue if that can be tolerated by the patient. The EM would then consume the remainder of the host. Refusing a cognizant patient the comfort of this sacrament is so mean!

[n6medjim]

Religion aside, I think you had a bigger problem here: your pt was on strict swallow precautions. Were you REALLY going to risk your pt choking and then having to scramble for suction, even if that wafer dissolved in her mouth?

[MunoRN, RN]

Religion aside, I think you had a bigger problem here: your pt was on strict swallow precautions. Were you REALLY going to risk your pt choking and then having to scramble for suction, even if that wafer dissolved in her mouth?

In a competent patient the decision to follow those swallow precautions are up to the patient.

[ktwlpn, LPN]

A very tiny piece will dissolve on the tongue.If a host falls or is not consumed they take it back to the church and bury them after saying a certain prayer.....You can BUY wafers on Amazon.If you are in the mood for a laugh check it out and read the comments people have made.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

I always thought they melted in your mouth, as others have indicated.

I'm not catholic, but I did take communion once at a funeral.....

I was 15 and the boy whose funeral it was was my first kiss. I was beyond grief stricken, so I just followed everyone up to the priest at the front. I thought maybe we were saying goodbye or something, (first catholic funeral)....So, I took the wafer and had no idea what it was. So, I put the wafer in my pocket. (I didn't know!! I swear, someone should have stopped me but no one did!)

I took it out on the bus afterwards and said "so, what is this thing"? All the catholic kids surrounding me let out this loud GASP. I'm still alive to tell the tail, so I really hope someone can give this poor lady her communion.

I also couldn't figure out why everyone who was kneeling was so much higher than me. I didn't know there was a stool to kneel on - I was using the floor.

I wasn't a very bright kid, I tell ya.