We wouldn't use homemade bread at my parish, partly because of the crumb factor, and I'm not sure if we buy from Cavanaugh (but I'll check next time I'm in the sacristy). It seems not *all* that long ago, though, that I read of various religious orders, both Roman Catholic and Episcopal, that provided altar bread for sale. Has that practice gone the way of the Canterbury cap, I wonder?

Bill Dilworth

Members of our congregation bake our communion bread, but we have a supply of wafers on hand in case of need. I don't know where we purchase the wafers, but we did, at one time, buy gluten-free wafers for a member of our church, who has since moved away.

June Butler

Our parish makes it's own, leavened, bread and we keep a supply of gluten free wafers on hand to consecrate in case they are needed. We also reserve consecrated, unleavened wafers to communicate the homebound (I have no idea where we get them).

I've heard of a few Roman Catholic women's religious orders that still make communion hosts. One of them recently came up with a recipe that is almost gluten free and that still fulfills the Vatican's requirements (it makes me wonder what Jesus would think of that).

-Cullin R. Schooley

Years ago the sisters of Saint Mary sold their Altar Bread equipment to a congregation that continued their ministry. That congregation eventually left the Episcopal Church, but continued to provide Altar Breads. Then that congregation split and a Deacon independently assumed responsibility for the business.
I still order from them because of the excellent quality control, availability of white and whole wheat wafers for congregants and priest, perfectly wrapped rolls of 50 wafers (in the same style as the Sisters used to do), and because it is NOT a big business operation. And, oh yes, the cost is reasonable.

Information regarding this ministry can be read at: http://holytrinityaltarbread.org
I recommend them.

Michael Hartney
Watkins Glen, New York

The church I serve uses Cavanagh wafers. They used to use homemade bread, to a no-crumb recipe. There were some still frozen in the coffee room kitchen fridge when I got there - they had been there a very long time. The people who used to make it had left some time ago.

I did serve a church, in Delaware, which got its wafers provided by a parishioner as a pledge. They were made by nuns, I was told, but I don't remember whose nuns.

We used gluten free wafers from some supplier - maybe Cavanagh as well - but they were so crumbly. So the altar guild, in their very practical wisdom, purchases rice wafers from Whole Foods.

Egad, I can remember the days of store-bought pita bread. What is this church coming to?

Parishes I've served in the past regularly used bread baked by the altar guild or a bakers guild using a recipe that we got from the sacristans at Church Divinity School of the Pacific; it is a non-crumb recipe. At my current parish we use wafers most of the time, occasionally using that recipe to bake bread for special services. I'd like to go to home-made bread for all services, but we haven't made that move yet.

Not exactly thrilled to find out that the manufacturer of high fructose corn syrup has a hand in producing our wafers. Might have to look into that Holy Trinity company.

We buy ours from a Roman convent nearby. The sisters are marvelous good friends and this supports their order. High quality.
Craig Sweeney