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Coeliacs' prayers answered
21.02.10
by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
BUNCRANA coeliacs’ prayers have been answered with
the availability of gluten-free Communion bread at
St Mary’s Oratory.
For many Catholics, receiving the Eucharist is a
matter of course every weekend but for coeliacs, who
suffer from a severe intolerance to wheat, it is
anything but.
Buncrana Priest, Fr. Eddie McGuinness, said he
introduced the gluten-free host after being
approached by a number of Mass-goers a number of
years back.
“Coeliacs who I have spoken to said they much
preferred to receive the host instead of the
chalice. It is important that they are given the
option to receive Communion bread,” he said.
St Mary’s caretaker, Patrick McGonagle, who was
diagnosed with coeliac disease in 1986, is happy to
accept the host again after almost twenty years.
The Buncrana man, who almost died at the age of 22,
when he weighed just seven stones, said it was
important to local Catholics to receive the
sacrament. |
“I didn’t think that I
would ever see gluten-free Holy Communion but people
really appreciate it. Up until its arrival to St.
Mary’s I hadn’t received the host since 1986.
Instead I used to take wine at the end of Mass,” he
said.
Patrick, who is one of up to 20 local Mass-goers to
avail of the special host every week, is a member of
the Inishowen Coeliac Support Group. |
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“It is great to meet
people with similar experiences to me. We meet up
for a ‘Chat n’ Chew’ a few times a year, when we
taste each other’s recipes,” he said.
The Buncrana man said that people, who are gluten
intolerant, are much better catered for now than in
the 1980s, when he was diagnosed.
“When I found out I was a coeliac in 1986,
gluten-free food was extremely hard to get. I had to
order food through my local chemist. The bread
tasted like rubber,” he said.
“Thankfully now it is much improved although it is
still more expensive than a normal diet. Rich Tea
biscuits for coeliacs cost €3.65.”
Patrick carries a gluten-free card when on holiday
to alert foreign waiters of his condition.
The amiable caretaker was keen to stress that
coeliacs can lead a perfectly normal life if they
properly manager their disease. “There are worse
things you could get!” he joked.
If you would like to join the Inishowen Coeliac
Support Group contact Patrick on 07493 62769 or
Breege on 07493 81666. |
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