Ditching Communion Wine, Avoiding Handshakes: Here's How 5 Churches Are Avoiding the Flu
The Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
To combat the bad flu season, which has hit New York City especially hard, the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn has told its parishes to suspend the serving of wine during communion.
In an interview with local media, St. James Cathedral Basilica rector Fr. Peter Purpura explained that they were trying to take measures to keep their members safe.
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"This is all about making sure we are playing our part in keeping people safe and in keeping people healthy," said Purpura.
"The challenge with distributing holy communion with wine is you actually have to use a shared chalice. So that could be a moment where people could contract illness."
