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Holy Blood Communion: Storage and Preparation
20Aug
Today we discuss the details of giving Communion with the Holy Blood solely: why we do it, how we prepare and keep the Holy Blood, how we commune a sick person and under what circumstances.
This text is based on the thoughts of Bishop Panteleimon (Shatov). Bishop Panteleimon is heading the Commission for Hospital Ministry and has rich experience in administering Communion to the sick.
Communing with the Holy Blood
It is a long-standing and also a straightforward practice. For example, infants have always received Communion with the Holy Blood.
As for adult patients, medical technology has become so far advanced they can go for months or even years without taking any food or liquid by mouth. They receive the essential fluids intravenously. No patient in this condition can swallow a Particle, so Holy Blood Communion is also given to adults. This practice is becoming increasingly common across the Church.
A dedicated chalice for storing the Blood
At the Moscow hospital church where Bishop Panteleimon served, the clergy soon realized from their experience that they needed to keep a reserve of the Holy Blood.
Celebrating the Liturgy frequently was not possible, and the Blood could go stale quickly when kept in a regular Sofrino (the main supplier of church utensils in Russia and Belarus) portable tabernacle. By storing the Blood, the clergy were putting themselves at risk of the desecration of the Gifts.
❗️ It can take as little as one night for the Holy Blood to go bad, depending on the circumstances.
A vessel made of neutral glass could provide a solution, but it can easily fall over, and without a special lid, it is not suitable. With all of these considerations in mind, Patriarch Alexis II recommended against storing the Holy Gifts for long periods to avoid sin.
✅ Therefore, a special chalice was designed and crafted specifically for the storage of the Holy Blood. This chalice is made from food-grade stainless steel, a material that has less impact on its contents compared to other metals or even silver. The Blood within it is subjected to minimal oxidation and other chemical alterations.
The special chalice is taller than most standard portable chalices, which keeps its contents from spilling over and trickling through the space between the walls and the lid. A massive base gives it extra stability. The screw-on lid has a plastic gasket for insulation.
Preparing the Holy Blood
If you anticipate keeping the Blood for more than three days, take it from the liturgical chalice, after a particle of the Sacrificial Lamb Jesus has been placed into it, and a minimum amount of warm water has been added, but before the other particles are included.
⬆️ This procedure is similar to the preparation of the Presanctified Gifts, where we soak the Lamb with the Blood. To prevent the formation of mold, it is recommended to add only small quantities of water into the chalice during the Proscomedia and after the Communion Verse.
If these conditions are met, the Holy Blood in the special stainless steel chalice can be kept on the Altar for about five days, according to Bishop Panteleimon. Other priests say that the gifts can stay fresh for up to a week.
It is important to note that the Holy Blood should be stored separately from the Particles. The Particles should not be placed in the same vessel, as it may reduce the storage life of the Holy Blood. These Holy Gifts possess a physical substance and are subject to the same chemical processes as other compounds.
When you need to give Communion with a Particle, use a regular chalice or portable Tabernacle, add wine (or take some Holy Blood, if available, from the chalice where it is kept) - and place a particle of the Gifts.
If you keep the Holy Blood at the Altar, it is best to have two storage chalices available. You store the Holy Blood from the next liturgy in the spare vessel, and consume the Blood from the past Liturgy.
Communing the critically ill with the Holy Blood
Bishop Panteleimon advises: "If a patient is unable to swallow, simply moisten a spoon with Holy Blood and place it somewhere in the oral cavity. Ideally, it should be positioned under the tongue, but if that is not possible, any other area in the mouth will suffice. Even if the patient has a breathing or feeding tube in place, it is still feasible to position the Holy Blood near the mouth without touching the tube as the spoon is inserted."
According to some priests, there is a possibility that the Blood may come into contact with the tube, necessitating its elimination. In response to these concerns, Bishop Panteleimon says: "...If you place the soaked spoon under the patient’s tongue without touching the tube, the Blood from the spoon will mix with the saliva and be absorbed into the body directly without going through the oesophagus, as confirmed by medical experts. Thus, the Holy Blood will not come into contact with the tube, and no desecration of the Gifts will occur. One just needs to take precautions."
❌ "However, if the breathing tube takes all the space in the mouth, this procedure will not be feasible, of course," admits Bishop Panteleimon.
✅ "Sometimes, the patient’s mouth is tightly closed, or the tube occupies most of the mouth. Then you can deliver the Blood by placing the spoon under the lip,” continues Bishop Panteleimon.
❌ “I would not recommend communing with anything like a syringe or feeding tube – I would not call it good practice.
✅ It should still be possible to deliver the Blood with a spoon by placing it somewhere in the mouth. It can be done even in patients with an obstructed oesophagus. Fluids can be absorbed in the mouth. Many intensive care patients suffer from a dry mouth, and they are given fluids orally. Similarly, the Holy Blood will be absorbed in the mouth, and the Communion will be valid.
At least I would prefer to be communed in this way if I were in critical condition myself,” concludes the Bishop.
When to commune, and when not to?
According to the general rule, we cannot give Communion to someone who cannot confirm their willingness to be communed in some way.
Bishop Panteleimon explains: "In practice, it is as simple as this: if we can find out with certainty that the patient is a churchgoing believer, and has taken Communion regularly, we may commune him with the Holy Blood. Suppose the patient is an old woman who last took Communion a year before. What grave, unconfessed sins could she have? She may be communed, especially if we knew that she might die any minute because of her critical condition.
We commune infants, and even the mentally ill, who are not fully conscious, if they are willing. This is a similar. I heard about a man who had returned after a coma. He was thankful for the Communion, as he remembered it and felt it had helped him. Some people were communed minutes before their death. Given their poor state, we do not know if someone will die within minutes.
❌ However, if we have reason to doubt if the patient was a practising believer and if they wished to receive the Holy Sacraments, we cannot proceed. The relatives might say the patient had wished to be communed when he was conscious, despite not taking Communion before.
But that could be wishful thinking. In these cases, I would recommend giving the patient holy water and serving molebens at their bedside, hoping that they would come around and express their will.
We addressed this subject in our previous article.
How we do it at Saint Elisabeth Convent
Our situation is somewhat easier than many others’ – we serve liturgy every day in the early hours of the morning, and we always have a fresh supply of the Holy Blood. Occasionally, we save some in a tabernacle, but we do not keep it longer than a day or two, and try to consume and wash it up as early as possible.
By the way this is not long enough to conclude if the material of a Sofrino-made vessel affects the storage life of the Gifts.
However, we have removed from circulation a chalice that, based on its weight, appeared to be made of aluminum. It affected the color and taste of the Blood remaining in it after Сommunion, and the Gifts in it were also covered in a white deposit.
❔ If you need somewhere to keep the Holy Blood for an extended period but do not have a special chalice, test any available portable tabernacle by pouring in some water-diluted wine and observing the result after several days.
We recently learned that stainless steel chalices, designed by Bishop Panteleimon, are now available for purchase. As our priests frequently visit hospitals, we plan to discuss the possibility of acquiring them for our monastery churches at the next clergy meeting.
We are grateful for your presence and wish you the peace and protection of God. Thank you for your support, blessings, and the warm responses we receive every time.