Holy Wine Will Return At North Jersey Churches In Time For Easter

NEWARK, NJ — The Archdiocese of Newark has given churches throughout North Jersey the “all clear” to offer consecrated wine again, beginning on Thursday, April 6.

It will be the first time since the coronavirus pandemic that the “Blood of Christ” – as it is known in church doctrine – will be available to the public since the coronavirus pandemic began, the archdiocese said.

The practice was put on hiatus in 2020 due to safety concerns. Only priests have been permitted to receive Communion from the cup during Mass over the past three years.

“Although it is not required, taking from the cup is considered a fuller participation in the Eucharist and a direct response to Jesus’ command to take and drink,” said the Rev. Thomas Dente, director of the archdiocese’s Office of Divine Worship.

The office’s post-pandemic liturgy directive also calls for the archdiocese to “foster a renewed fullness” in liturgical celebrations, and to discontinue remaining pandemic restrictions or accommodations. That will include the return of holy water in receptacles and baptismal fonts, and the full incorporation of liturgical music.

The Archdiocese of Newark serves an estimated 1.3 million Catholic residents in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

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