Getting sick from hands at Mass?

by Michael Shackleton · August 20, 2008

We shake hands at Mass with all sorts of people. Then the sacred host is put in the same hands and we put it into our mouths. This must be a big health risk. The one next to us could have a serious sickness like influenza or tuberculosis. I am concerned about this. What do the experts say?

No doubt about it: our hands carry all kinds of microbes picked up from touching people and things in our environment. Also, when we join the congregation in the church, we breathe in the air-borne microbes that are spread by those who cough and sneeze around us, most commonly in the winter.

However, healthy people who eat well and do regular exercise normally have a healthy immune system that can neutralise harmful toxins. This is probably why church-goers do not feel any excessive alarm at having to mix together and have hand-contact.

The Federal Centres for Disease Control in the United States has determined that there is only a �theoretical risk� of acquiring an infectious disease in church and that there are no documented cases of the transmission of disease by sharing the Common chalice.
Of course, it would be difficult to carry out meticulous and methodical research among the average Sunday congregation because such research would have to be ongoing and followed up. This would not be a simple exercise among a shifting and irregular assembly of people.

It is established, though, that most viruses are spread by hand and mouth. So it is extremely important for us all to know that regular and thorough hand-washing is an essential requirement of living hygienically. When there is a lot of sickness about, such as when colds and �flu are prevalent, or even in more serious cases, this washing is much more necessary.

That�s true not only when you go to Mass and Communion, but also when you visit your supermarket. Consider the number of objects you touch there, which have also been touched by an indeterminate number of people, and you will appreciate the need for cleanliness. It would be silly not to wash your hands immediately on arriving home.

We must get into the habit of washing hands before and after going to church. And this applies as well to our sacristans, priests and other ministers whose hands are the first to touch what we receive in holy Communion.