History
The development of Glencairn Eucharist Bread began with a specific mandate of providing alternative employment for Sisters who could not engage in the strenuous manual labour involved on our dairy farm at the time. Production began in 1981 but due to the commitment of both staff and customers it quickly outgrew its original facilities which necessitated major extension and improvements. This was made possible in 2005 through the support and assistance of Waterford Leader Partnership Limited for which we continue to be most grateful.
We now operate a very suitable and congenial environment in which to produce, package and dispatch our hosts which are supplied to cathedrals, parishes, nursing homes, religious houses, hospitals and educational institutions throughout Ireland, the UK and further afield.
In 2007 we invested in a fully automated baking machine which allowed us significantly increase our production while simultaneously ensuring greater uniformity of our final product. In 2011 we made further improvements by upgrading our humidifying and cutting rooms.
Our Products
We produce both brown and white hosts from just two basic ingredients – specialized wheat flour and our own Glencairn spring water. Since there are no additives, artificial colourings or preservatives included, our breads fully conform to the requirements of Canon Law for Eucharist Bread.
While the thinner, more traditional white hosts are supplied primarily to hospitals and nursing homes (where there is a special requirement for ease of consumption) we continue to experience steady demand for our more substantial brown hosts which correspond to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (par 283) calling for Eucharist bread ‘which appears as actual food’ .
Both our brown and white hosts are available in five sizes:
- 3cm People’s host
- 7cm Priest’s host
- 9cm Canon’s host
- 12cm Bishop’s host
- 15cm Cardinal’s host
To facilitate handling while minimizing packing and shipping charges, our People’s hosts are normally dispatched in multiples of 500 or 1,000 while our larger breads are pre-packaged in multiples of 10.
Our three largest sizes are also normally supplied with scored markings to facilitate ease of breaking and distribution.
Dispatch Policy
We make every endeavour to optimize the value of packing and shipping charges by sending smaller orders by post and larger consignments (to anywhere on the Island of Ireland or within the UK) by courier.
Samples
For your convenience sample packs of the various sizes of our hosts in both brown and white are available together with price lists. Please make your request for same to the contact details below.
Contact Details
Sr Nuala O’Reilly ocso
Glencairn Eucharist Bread, St Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn, Lismore, Co Waterford. P51X725
Tel: 00 353 (0)58 56706 Email: glencairnaltarbreads@gmail.com
