Communion Bread | Eucharist Wafers

Communion Bread | Eucharist Wafers

Sacred Hosts and Forms to consecrate, manufacturing process

The Hosts and forms to consecrate during Mass are manufactured following a rigorous process that combines, on the one hand, the most modern technology and, on the other hand, the knowledge of manufacturing Hosts and Forms to consecrate accumulated in monasteries around the world to throughout the centuries.

The process is made up of six stages.

1. Select the raw material to make the Mass Wafers. The first stage of the manufacturing process of Hosts and Wafers for Mass is to select the products that will be used. The Forms to consecrate are made with the combination of two elements: water and wheat flour.
   1. The water used in our Mass Forms factory is totally natural, which has been purified to eliminate any unwanted agent.
   2. As for the flour, for the manufacture of our Hosts to consecrate, only the purest and finest wheat flour is used. Wheat flour known as flower flour or flower flour (in Italian "fior di farina") . This type of wheat flour is used for the manufacture of Sacred Forms and Hosts for Mass because it is very fine, very rich in starch, very white in color and of great quality. In the past, to obtain this type of fine wheat flour, it was necessary to grind two or more times. With the process used in the manufacture of our Hosts, it is only necessary to grind.
2. Once the raw material for the sacred Hosts has been selected, the water and flour are mixed. This process is done with a machine programmed to combine the two ingredients in a precisely calculated proportion. From this mixture comes out a homogeneous mass. This process is fully automated so that the combination of ingredients is exact. In the case of the Sacred Forms and Hosts to consecrate toast , the dough is subjected to a steam cooking process that gives it its characteristic color. The dough must rest for a while before following the manufacturing process of the Hosts and Sacred Forms.
3. Once the mass of Forms and Hosts is ready, it is introduced into a circuit. This circuit, formed by different processes, will transform the dough into Shapes and Wafers for Mass. The first phase of the circuit is the circular cutting system. This patented system eliminates all kinds of excess, giving the Forms and Hosts to consecrate a perfect circular shape.
   1. The circular cutting system is programmed according to the size of the Hosts and Forms that are needed:
      1. Hosts or Forms to consecrate 35 mm. diameter.
      2. Hosts or Forms to consecrate 38 mm. diameter.
      3. Hosts or Forms to consecrate 70 mm. diameter.
      4. Hosts or Forms to consecrate 80 mm. diameter.
      5. Hosts or Forms to consecrate 150 mm. diameter.
      6. Hosts or forms to consecrate 225 mm. diameter.
      7. Etc…
   2. It is also at this moment that the thickness of the wafer is defined:
      1. Hosts or Forms for Mass of 1 mm. of thickness.
      2. Hosts or Forms for Mass of 1.2 mm. of thickness.
      3. Hosts or Forms for Mass of 1.4 mm. of thickness.
      4. Hosts or Forms for Mass of 3 mm. of thickness.
      5. Etc…
4. Once the Hosts to consecrate have acquired their definitive form, it is very important to discard those that have impurities or inappropriate forms to consecrate. The Forms and Wafers go through a belt in which it is manually checked that none of them have any imperfections. All the Hosts that present some small defect in shape, color or finishes are discarded.
5. Once all the Hosts to consecrate have been checked, they are placed in hermetic bags. These bags have been designed to keep the properties of the Misa wafers intact for more than a year. There are different formats to buy the Forms to consecrate depending on the size. For example, we usually sell the 74 mm Hosts. in diameter in bags of 25 forms, the Hosts of 35 mm. in bags of 500 forms , etc…
6. The last step is carried out once the Wafers for Mass have been bagged. The bag of forms reaches the last stage of the circuit. At this time, the bag is marked with the relevant legal requirements: expiration date, product code, ingredients and batch.

Host or Ostia to be consecrated

In the online religious store we are specialized in the sale of all kinds of liturgical and Eucharistic products. The liturgical bread that is consecrated is one of the most important elements of Eucharistic sacrifice in any Christian celebration. The bread to be consecrated is known by different names: Body of Christ, Mass Forms, Forms to be consecrated, Liturgical Particles, Eucharistic Forms, Mass wafers, Holy Communion,...

Among the different names used, one of the most popular is the word Host. Some of our customers and buyers have asked us what the correct spelling of the word Host (or Ostia) would be. The terms Host and Ostia are two homophones, that is, according to what the Royal Spanish Academy tells us, they are two expressions that are written differently and have different meanings. The difference between one term and another is especially relevant when writing, since written with or without an "h", the meaning of the word varies.

To definitively eliminate any hesitation, we will again use the definitions contained in the RAE (The Royal Spanish Academy).

• Host

As can be read in the RAE the Host (with "h") is:

1. f. Round and thin sheet of unleavened bread, which is consecrated at mass and with which communion is given.

The first meaning of the word is reproduced because it is related to the Christian religion.

Although the definition does not come from any duly authorized Christian institution, it is possible to deduce a characteristic feature that bread must have to be considered Eucharistic material.

The feature is that the Host must be unleavened bread (or unleavened bread), that is, unfermented bread. This feature is very important, as we can see in can. 926 of the Code of Canon Law (CIC). At this point it is explicitly stated that, following the tradition of the Latin Church, the priest must use unleavened bread regardless of the place where he celebrates Mass. Norms related to Eucharistic material are also discussed in numbers 319 - 323 of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani. All of this is fully explained by the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The definition of the Royal Spanish Academy forgets another fundamental element that bread must meet in order to be consecrated. The Sacred Wafers must be made with natural wheat flour without any added element. That is to say, only those forms and hosts that are made with wheat flour will be valid for consecrating, not being suitable for the realization of the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament all those breads made with rice flour, fruits, or any other material other than flour. wheat flour. Nor may any other substance other than wheat be added.

It is also important to keep in mind that the particles and forms to be consecrated must have a minimum amount of gluten to be valid material for the Eucharist. Gluten is a substance intrinsic to wheat, so it is necessary that the bread for Communion has a minimum amount of gluten so that baking can take place.

• Ostia

If we look in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy for the meaning of Ostia we will find this

1. f. his. oyster.

That is, the term means oyster, a mollusk.

In short, the term Host, when we refer to the liturgical bread that once consecrated will become the Body of Christ, must be written with "h".