Why do Catholic priests usually NOT administer wine after the bread at
mass? It is done in all other divisions of the Christian church.

Dr Bill Pomeroy

Dear zambpom-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. The
sacrament known as Eucharist, a Greek transliteration of the word
"eucharistia", meaning ?thanksgiving? (or Communion, from Latin
?communio? or "sharing in common"), in the Catholic faith are based on
acts in the New Testament Bible, most notably 1 Corinthians 11:20,
Acts 2:42, 20:7, and John 6:55-56. In the Catholic Church it is
believed that it is possible to participate in the Eucharistic rite
without physically partaking of the consecrated elements.

The seperation or division of communion offerings has long since been
a subject of debate in the Catholic Church. In the 16th century
Council of Trent, (October 11, 1551, paragraph 1376 of the Catechism
of the Catholic Church) the Church coined the term
?transubstantiation?. This is the word used for the ceremonial
transformation that takes place when the earthly bread and wine are
?changed? (consecrated) into the body and blood of Christ (in other
words they are believed to actually become flesh and blood upon
consecration) for the purposes of the sacrament. The enabling of the
transubstantiation can only be done by a priest who is commissioned by
the church to do so.
 
From the Council of Trent came the concepts of ?communion in one kind?
and ?communion in both kinds?. It was here that it was determined that
under most circumstances only the celebrant receives the Blessed
Sacrament in two kinds (bread and wine), but it is distributed in only
one kind (bread only) to the faithful. According to early church
tradition, upon which much of the Catholic rites are based, it was a
common practice in the early years of persecution for the faithful to
take the consecrated bread to their homes and administer communion to
themselves and their families under one kind alone in private. It is
also said that the practice of the celebrant being exclusively the one
who received communion in two kinds may also have arisen from the
logistical difficulty of transporting and storing wine in the early
years, and perhaps also because wine is more easily spilled and
dropped than bread. Whatever the traditional reason, using these
precedents orthodox Catholics believe that receiving one kind of
communion is just as effective and just as acceptable as receiving
both kinds, and is therefore sufficient.

(It is important to note however that Vatican II mitigated this
practice in the 1960s and on December 4, 1963 ?communion of both
kinds? was officially restored to laity at the discretion of the local
Bishop).

Sacrosanctum Concilium
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy - Second Vatican Council
Promulgated by His Holiness Pope Paul VI On December 4, 1963
http://www.adoremus.org/SacrosanctumConcilium.html

Adoremus: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy
http://www.adoremus.org/0502CommunionRite.html

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

NEW ADVENT
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04175a.htm

CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS
http://www.catholicapologetics.net/wtchiwst-4

COLUMBIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/Communion+wafer



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Dr. Pomeroy,
In additon to Tututzdad's answer, this may be of additional use.  I
expect that the Catholic Church keeps an eye on pertinent websites so
that a Wikipedia article can be trusted.

"The Eucharist is given to Catholics who wish to receive either at
Mass or outside of Mass. This is called the administration of Holy
Communion. When it is given at Mass, it may be given under one kind
(usually the host), or under both kinds (both the host and the
consecrated wine, referred to by Catholics as the Precious Blood).
Regular use of Communion under both kinds requires the permission of
the bishop, but bishops in some countries have given blanket
permission to administer Holy Communion in this way. The ordinary
ministers of Holy Communion are Bishops, Priests and Deacons, the
latter traditionally ministering the chalice. Members of the laity may
also be commissioned as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, but
only where there is a necessity."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist

This site also provides much information, especially Part II, no 31 and following:
http://www.saint-mike.org/library/Curia/Congregations/Rites/Instruction_Eucharist.html

The above link can be found here, which provides many other links: 
http://www.saint-mike.org/library/Eucharist/Eucharist.html
the right hand column:  "Instruction on Eucharistic Worship"