Expert: Fr. Michael - 3/18/2007

Question
From what i understand the host used at Mass should be pure white, or as white as possible.  i once went to Mass where the host looked a little brownish and/or had dark spots all over it.  i'm wondering if i should be concerned or not about the color of the Eucharistic host.  for example, if i saw that it was colored blue i would think something was fishy and would tend to think that that was not really the body and blood of Christ... but i'm not sure about the color brown!
Thanks,
John

Answer
The color is unimportant in itself.  The requirement is that, for validity, the Host must be made only of wheaten flour and water.  The dark spots may have been grains of wheat, which would be acceptable, but more probably they were raisins or some other invalidating substance.

Most services in the United States are not valid because (to speak of the matter only, not of the invaliding form and intention), the "recipes" call for the addition of invaliding substances such as baking powder, cinnamon, vegetable oil, cinnamon, and sugar.  These are not bread, but cookies.

In 1979 the Vatican told the bishops of the United States to correct the situation and to resay all the services from 1969 to 1979 because they were invalid.  The bishops ignored the instruction, so people in the United States typically attend services that are not Masses and receive not the Corpus Christi, but a mere cookie.

The only way to be certain that you are attending a valid Mass is to worship only at the Traditional Latin Mass of Catholic and Apostolic Tradition.  A list of these is available in the Official Traditional Catholic Directory at www.traditio.com/nat.htm.