In his interesting comment following my previous post, Ttony of The Muniment Room has included a link to the Diocese of Clifton's swine flu guidance. I'm delighted he did, because at the end of the guidance there is a box for messages. I have sent the following suggestion, and will let you know if I receive a reply:
"Grateful if special arrangements could be made for those few of us who wish to do so, to receive Holy Communion on the tongue. Perhaps there could be a separate queue?"
I will have to miss Mass today; I started with a cold yesterday, and am certain to be infectious. It's the responsible thing to do ... While there are always one or two who go out and about when they are infectious (or else how could I have got this? I suspect the local bus into town, which is something of a germ-box), when you consider the incidence of swine flu in the general population, reduced by the proportion of Mass-going Catholics, reduced further by those who prefer to receive on the tongue, reduced again by the number who quarantine themselves ...
Setting it out like this makes me realise that it would be far more useful for the Diocese to announce that anyone who has developed a cough or the sniffles should stay away from church altogether until they are better. They should be assured that they are relieved of the solemn obligation to attend Mass until they are sure they are no longer infectious. Judging by the amount of coughing that goes on at most Masses, I think this should produce benefits all round.
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2 comments:
+Declan sent an ad clerum out yesterday calling the whole swine flu thing off!
Thanks for this, Ttony. I have written a new post about it. Assuming I have looked at the right document on the diocesan website, there may be a good deal of variation from parish to parish. It will be interesting to see how things work out.
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