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.

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

I was taught that the Body of Jesus was never to be chewed, however I see it done at Mass all the time. I've also seen the Host touched to the lips of a patient who was NPO, but not what happened to it afterwards. At any rate, the Eucharistic Minister in the OP was out of line, and if he had questions about how to administer the Eucharist under these circumstances he should have asked a priest beforehand. Sounds to me like his training was inadequate.

I try to chew and swallow before I take a sip of the blood of Christ (amen). I have found, however, that the church loves to use sweet red wine instead of a dry red wine, and if I just follow my 9 year old, there is usually no wine left. He wears a silly little grin after church and tells me that the "blood of Christ is delicious". We had to have a talk after that, although I was able to just let the wafer dissolve in my mouth if I followed him before the talk.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

I am an admittedly lapsed Catholic - but when actual consumption of the host is not possible I remember one can still receive a blessing from the priest or person administering communion. I don't know if it would apply in the described situation but possible an anointing of the sick would be more appropriate.

Hppy

[downsouthlaff, LPN]

I am a Nurse,LPN. But I'm also a good standing practicing Catholic. This sounds like a volunteer Eucharistic minister. As Catholics we usually do not swallow the "host or body of Christ," we usually allow the host to melt in our mouth. And when it comes to anointing of the sick aka last rites this usually applied to people who are near death or terminally ill. This particular patient may have been very sick but not terminally ill. I think it's wrong and against every thing the church teaches to have this poor elderly women who probly dedicated her whole life to the faith treated that way. And doesn't she have a right to refuse any ordered dietary measure ?

[Emergent, RN]

I am a Nurse,LPN. But I'm also a good standing practicing Catholic. This sounds like a volunteer Eucharistic minister. As Catholics we usually do not swallow the "host or body of Christ," we usually allow the host to melt in our mouth. And when it comes to anointing of the sick aka last rites this usually applied to people who are near death or terminally ill. This particular patient may have been very sick but not terminally ill. I think it's wrong and against every thing the church teaches to have this poor elderly women who probly dedicated her whole life to the faith treated that way. And doesn't she have a right to refuse any ordered dietary measure ?

The Anointing of the Sick is not just reserved for near death or the terminally ill.

Anointing Of The Sick

The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient. The Sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after the anointing but becomes ill once again, or if, during the same illness, the person's condition becomes more serious. A person should be anointed before surgery when a dangerous illness is the reason for the intervention (cf. Rite of Anointing, Introduction, nos. 8-10).

Moreover, "old people may be anointed if they are in weak condition even though no dangerous illness is present. Sick children may be anointed if they have sufficient use of reason to be comforted by this sacrament. . . . [The faithful] should be encouraged to ask for the anointing, and, as soon as the time for the anointing comes, to receive it with faith and devotion, not misusing the sacrament by putting it off" (Rite of Anointing, nos. 11, 12, 13).

[downsouthlaff, LPN]

Emergent thanks for clearing that up. I did say I am a Catholic in good practice with the church but at the same time I'm not an surely expert in the church. But we still don't know the exact condition of the sick old woman if the sacrament would have applied to her. I do not thing that she should have been denied the sacrament of communion.

[downsouthlaff, LPN]

I do know that in our church different priests have the authority by the church to do things at there own discretion. For example a priest in St Charlie parish may allow a couple in which there is a non biological kid for one parent to marry where as in Our Lady of the Appletree parish the priest may be more stearn and insist on months of marriage classes.

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

Our priests will "puree" the host with holy water. If patient can't swallow or NPO they say a blessing the way they do at mass for those who can't or wish not to receive communion. Hospice patients are allowed communion even if they are on swallow precautions because it's comfort care, the ministers soften the host with holy water for them as well