BUFFALO, N.Y. — No holy communion wine chalices if you attend Catholic parishes in the Tonawandas.
The reason is to limit exposure to COVID-19, the flu, and RSV.
"We don't have statistical numbers of who's sick, but you can definitely notice more and more at mass, especially this time of year. People are sneezing, and coughing. A couple of our deacons over the last couple of weeks have gotten quite sick," said Father Michael LaMarca, pastor of the Roman Catholic Community of the Tonawandas.
He said, "We took the steps in agreement with all the priests of our family to suspend the distribution of the Precious Blood at Mass. To help limit the amount of exposure someone might have to any of the various bacteria, germs, and illnesses that are going around this time of year."
Father LaMarca said the response has been positive. "Some people even sent a couple of emails thanking us for the decision that we made that we are being proactive."
A total of six parishes in the Tonawandas are not providing communion wine chalices.
The suspension of the communion wine chalices is at St. Francis of Assisi in the City of Tonawanda, St. Christopher, St. Amelia, and St. Andrew Kim Mission in the Town of Tonawanda, St. Jude the Apostle and Our Lady of Czestochowa in the City of North Tonawanda.