Yes, this was a known practice. For example, the Order
of Sempringham ('Gilbertines') had double houses of
Canons and Nuns, with their own cloisters and a wall
separating the two halves of the church. Within the
wall was set a turntable with doors, through which the
sacrament was passed, ands on the nuns side it was
distributed by the Abbess to the community.
I believe Rose Graham's book on the Gilbertines goes
into this.
Rob
--- Jo-Ann McNamara <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >----- > (3) I have a reference somewhere to ladies
> called
> >> CONHOSPITAE who called down the wrath of bishops
> >> because they were assisting priests to take the
> >> Sacraments to the sick & dying. These seem to be
> early
> >> proto female "clergy" - administering but
> (probably) not
> >> consecrating the sacraments.
>
> Distributing, but not consecrating, the eucharist
> does not necessarily
> require a priest. From at least the Carolingian
> period forward there were
> sporadic efforts to keep women from handling
> consecrated vessels or entering
> the sanctuary but they were apparently ignored
> pretty widely in the early
> middle ages at least (and I would guess probably in
> rural areas throughout).
> Also in the early middle ages, I have the impression
> from hagiographical
> sources that it was not uncommon to reserve a supply
> of consecrated hosts in
> female monasteries to be distributed by the abbess
> (and possibly other nuns)
> to sick or dying women (and conceivably even male
> personnel). Again, this
> is not entirely clear to me but it seems to fit some
> of the deathbed scenes.
>
> Jo Ann
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