Archdiocese of Regina suspends sharing of communion wine due to COVID-19 threat

The ritual of sharing communion wine from a chalice will be put on hold at Catholic churches in Regina to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus.

Deacon Eric Gurash speaks for the Archdiocese of Regina and said the church will be taking several extra precautions in light of the warnings from public health officials across the country.

“We often will share from a common cup at our communion rites so that common cup-sharing is being suspended for the time being until such time as we see that the risk has passed,” Gurash said Tuesday.

The deacon said while many people already pass on the ritual of wine, the archdiocese has heard from a few parishioners who were concerned about the shared cup.

Communion bread will continue to be offered because the priest or deacon can place the host in someone’s palm and the risk of transmitting a virus is considered to be low.

“We are asking our priests, our deacons, our ministers of communion to make sure they are washing their hands before they distribute and then again after they distribute,” Gurash explained.

There won’t be any changes to baptism or to the holy water used for blessing because transmission by water is not considered to be high risk.

The sign of peace ritual may also look a little bit different during mass, with people being advised to bow and offer a word of peace instead of shaking hands.

Several other archdioceses across the U.S. and in Vancouver have made similar changes on the advice of public health officials.