Incense and allergies... any brilliant suggestions?

[Jamie Howison]

So here is a very practical one to throw into the mix. Since our community of saint benedict's table first began gathering for worship back in 2003, we have used incense. Just a ceramic pot on the corner of the altar, into which grains of incense are place at the gathering and during the sanctus. A lot of our people are coming from outside of the liturgical church, and one of the things that really draws them is our rich use of sign and symbol. However, just today someone came forward with a concern about how the incense was triggering her allergies and effectively keeping her from the church community. I've read of hypo-allergenic incense, but wonder if it is actually effective. Anyone come up with a solution to this... one that doesn't involve dispensing with the incense altogether?  Your suggestions are most welcome.

 

Jamie Howison