In Lleida, the Discalced Carmelite nuns of the La Caparrella community have stopped making communion wafers after decades of supplying parishes and convents across Catalan dioceses.
The Convent of the Heart of Jesus was one of the few places in Catalonia still producing wafers for Mass until a few years ago. The sisters also supplied them for major religious events.
One of the last occasions they took part in such an event was the celebrations for Mother Maravillas in 2017. A nun told the newspaper by telephone, “We do not have people.”
The community is Lleida’s last contemplative convent, and fewer than ten sisters live there in strict enclosure. The decision to stop production was driven by the small number of nuns, together with the fact that some are elderly and in delicate health.
The nun said the sisters now dedicate themselves to looking after the monastery, care and prayer, and was reluctant to speak further with the media. For more Catalonia news, see our news coverage.
Pope Leo XIV will conclude his apostolic visit to Spain without encountering the Lleida wafers. For official Vatican coverage, see the Vatican website.
