For a quarter century, Monsignor Ed Lofton has served as one of 86 volunteer chaplains at the Charleston County jail. Bringing calm to inmates and jailers alike is considered essential to his mission.
That endeavor includes Communion, and for Catholics, wine is a necessary component.
But carrying wine into a facility where alcohol is labeled as contraband hasn’t come without controversy. He has fought and won that battle before….
A serious error that will surely be rectified promptly. No Roman Catholic priest would (or could) celebrate Mass without wine. I doubt that many Anglican priests would, either. But Holy Communion prepared by a non-Roman Catholic priest would not meet a prisoner’s Mass obligation.
It sounds like Mr. Lucas could use some cultural sensitivity training.
[blockquote]On such a slippery slope, Lucas wouldn’t rule out inmates asking for “peyote or sweat lodges.â€[/blockquote]
Peyote and/or sweat lodges would be entirely appropriate for certain Native American spiritual practices.
Kendall,
With the Post Courier’s new policy of requiring a paid subscription, I cannot read the article.
One can receive under either the bread and the wine. Every parish has lay eucharistic ministers who take preconsecrated bread to the home or hospital bound, and nobody demands wine. All he needed to do was to use preconsecrated bread. No problem.
I was thinking the same, Clueless. For many older Catholics, receiving in one kind was the norm and the introduction of the cup on a weekly basis an innovation of the last fifty years.
Sorry, Clueless, but the administration of communion by lay ministers outside of Mass is not the same as attending Mass. One wonders where Lucas worships and whether this has affected his judgment.
As I understand it, the priest must consume both the Body and Blood during the celebration of Mass, though laity may receive in one kind; this being the case, wine is necessary for a valid Mass.
#1–Peyote is illegal and a sweat lodge is not a “substance”. Consequently, the argument is a complete red herring. This is the kind of stuff that makes me suspicous of government, in general. Re-read the article. Mr. Lucas states very clearly that he suspects the good father is going to assist in helping prisoners with a civil rights suit against the jail. One doesn’t even need to read between the lines to figure out what is going on.
I was struck by the following sentence in the article: “Neither of them knows why the issue suddenly came to a head this week, when the two wrangled verbally. Words were exchanged, and the quarrel ended with Lucas ordering the chaplain to leave and relinquish his badge.”
I wonder if there’s a piece of this story that we don’t have.
Even if some RC provision permits people to receive communion in one kind only, the problem will arise with traditional Anglicans who take their faith seriously:
[blockquote] Article XXX
Of both kinds
The Cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the Lay-people; for both the parts of the Lord’s Sacrament, by Christ’s ordinance and commandment, ought to be ministered to all Christian men alike. [/blockquote]
Do RC Chaplains on US Navy vessels use wine? I regret to admit that I do not remember how this was handled on dry ships. I’m not sure whether my regret is based on the enormous number of years it has been since I was on a ship or whether the regret more reflects my shallow approach to the sacraments in my feckless youth. Probably both.
#10–I haven’t been on a ship since 1976, but it was certainly true then, and I am certain it remains the same.