Quote Originally Posted by jkdesq
I did a fair bit of surfing over the issue of common Eucharistic cups and the wisedom seems to be that: i) it is wiped between people and ii) the alcohol in the wine kills and germs. I'm not sure I by the idea that wine has enough alcohol to kill anything, but any whisky should!

I'm curious how any one uses or intends to use their quaich. I too would like one, but cannot picture using if for anything other than display. I am a generation away from a culture iconoclasm, so these points of culture need to be rediscovered. What does one do with a quaich.
Traditionally, the quaich was used to offer a "wee dram" to a visitor when arriving or departing a home. There's a great painting in Stuart Reid's book "Highland Clansman" that shows a Highland laird offering a quaich to a visitor arriving at the gate of his estate.

In our Scottish society, we use the quaich at our Burns Supper to give the piper his dram for escorting the Haggis, and for the person Addressing the Haggis (I always make sure to wipe and turn it, a la a chalice at the Mass!)

Glassman's idea to use the quaich at his reception to share a dram with friends and family is quite correct in the ancient right of hospitality -- once offered, it can never be taken back! :mrgreen:

I've studied the use of common chalice as well (I'm a chalice-bearer/sub-deacon) in the Episcopal Church, and most research indidcates that the alcohol and wiping the rim will kill the germs. Communion wine usually has a higher alcohol content for this very reason.

I've heard folks at church make similar comments about the common chalice as Schultz's in-laws, but every Padre I have talked to says that a handshake at the peace is far more likely to spread germs than the chalice is!

Cheers,

Todd