From a priest reader:
Dear Father,
When I have lived in Italy for extended periods of time I noticed that virtually all the hosts there are the conventional white variety and the priests’ hosts are stamped with religious symbols such as the Agnus Dei.
These are like the hosts I remember from back in the 1960s.
Here in the U.S. I can only find those pressed appearance hosts that have a texture something like chewable styroform. They come in brown ("whole
wheat") and white.Do you know of any monastery or religious goods store in the U.S. where I can order the kind of hosts used in Italy.
I suggest you contact John in the church goods section of Leaflet Missal Company based in St. Paul. (651) 487-2818 They have some nice priest’s hosts with good religious symbols. I used them.
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Here is one possibility. We used these occasionally in the seminary I attended.
http://www.mvchurchgoods.com/listing.lasso?id=stMichael&label=communion
They can be a bit hard to fraction in that they don’t have a score line on them. They do have a line on the back if memory serves, but it is a raised ridge and so it doesn’t really serve to facilitate clean fractioning. But maybe I just didn’t do it right.
In Britain the Hosts are pure white too. However in France a thicker light brown Host seems to be used with a texture as described by the writer. I think they are usually pressed but cannot be sure. I should be interested to know why there are these differences.
Well, Fr. BJ beat me to it, but I can add my recommendation to his. I recommend the St. Michael altar breads from MV (from the link above). That’s where I get ours.
How do these breads “fracture”… (They don’t seem perforated like the cheap ones. Is it a mess?
Sacristy rat:
If you\’re asking about the St. Michael altar breads/priest\’s host, they fracture very well and cleanly. There is a line down the center back and another line for the portion that is placed in the Precious Blood.
Was it a custom to use the paten to “score” the host at the “Libera nos”….?
Sacristy Rat,
I don’t know about the Roman Rite, but it was a custom in the Dominican Rite to “score” (roll the edge of the paten like a wheel along the line on the host in the sacristy before Mass when setting up the chalice.
There are some contemplative sisters in Sioux Falls, SD who make such altar breads. They sell them through Hurley’s Religious Goods in Sioux Falls. They are very traditional in look and texture (they are very thin). I have also purchased them in the past from the Poor Clare Sisters in St. Louis, and the Poor Clare Sisters in Rockford Illinois.
I can confirm Fr. A’s comments. I am only an MC, but as such have witnessed up close a great many fractionings: the hosts ARE scored, and break very cleanly. The MV altar host (used at my parish) bears an image of the Crucifixion.
POL AM church goods sells very nice hosts and so does meyer vogelpohl of cincinnati, oh sells St. Michael Altar Bread
The special whole wheat Communion breads are distinctive in texture and flavor, yet consist solely of flour and water. These breads are crisp, almost cracker-like and are available in several sizes. We highly recommend this product for its “real bread” taste.
St. Michael’s Bakery was founded in 1844 by the Roman Catholic Instituut voor Doven (Institute for the Deaf) at Sint-Michielsgestel, Holland to generate funds to provide food and lodging for deaf and hearing-impaired children. Today, St. Michael’s Bakery provides occupational therapy for deaf and hearing-impaired adults and revenue for the International Assistance Program, which is a hallmark of the Instituut voor Doven. The goal of the Institute is to enable the deaf and hearing-impaired to function as independently as possible.
Fr Z,
I use a priest’s host from a Mariavite church in Detroit. They import them from Poland where they are made on 50 year old irons. They have three designs and they are beautiful. They can be ordered from the Mariavite Old Catholic Church, 2803 Tenth Street, Wyandotte, MI, 48192-4994, 734-281-3082, Church E-mail address: mariaviteocc@hotmail.com.
Fr Braun