Alice Pagett Vomits During Communion is a disturbing interruption of a Mass in a small convent chapel, where Alice becomes ill immediately after receiving Communion. The episode unsettles Father Hagan, who appears frightened before it begins, and is later explained by Bishop Caines as a temporary reaction to excitement rather than a serious illness.

Setting and Expectations

The incident takes place against a growing public expectation that Alice will appear again and produce another miracle. A rumor has circulated that she told Father Hagan and her mother that the Lady wanted to see her on Sunday the twenty-eighth. On that Sunday, unusual traffic and crowds move toward St. Joseph’s Church; the entrance is packed with believers, pilgrims, and curious visitors, including families accompanying sick children. Gerry Fenn arrives with Sue and Ben, carrying a camera and recorder in case something happens.

The Communion incident itself occurs in the convent chapel, not before the crowds gathered at St. Joseph’s. Its small scale heightens the tension: the service is so quiet that even a rumbling stomach would be noticeable, while the congregation follows the nuns and clergy through the Mass. The contrast between the chapel’s close, restrained ritual and the public appetite for a further spectacle makes Alice’s sudden illness especially consequential.

The Communion Service

Father Hagan stands at the altar holding the chalice and Host. Bishop Caines leans over to speak to Alice; when she does not move, he whispers to her again. Her mother touches her arm, but Alice remains still until the Reverend Mother rises and leads her toward the priest. Fenn, present as a reporter, watches the exchange and becomes concerned for the frail child.

Father Hagan’s hand trembles as he offers the Host. He hesitates before placing it on Alice’s tongue, then both remain still for a moment. Alice’s body begins to shudder; she drops to her knees and vomits onto the floor and the priest’s shoes and white robes. The disruption is immediate and public within the chapel, turning an ordinary point in the Mass into a crisis witnessed by the congregation.

Fear and the Reported Explanation

Fenn recognizes that Father Hagan is frightened, not merely unsettled by the interruption. The priest’s visible tension before Alice receives Communion gives the episode an ominous undertone, although the scene does not establish what he fears or why. Alice herself gives no explanation in the moment; the account presents her as still and unresponsive before the illness begins.

Later, Bishop Caines tells others that Alice is fine. He says the previous day’s excitement had been too much for her, that her own doctor had examined her thoroughly, and that the only finding was a slight temperature. The bishop recommends a few more days of peace and quiet. He also expresses relief that the episode did not happen at St. Joseph’s in front of the crowds, and describes keeping Alice at the convent as prudent. His explanation contains the incident’s immediate consequence: Alice is withdrawn from public attention while she rests, even as expectation around her alleged miracles continues to grow.

Significance

The episode places the physical vulnerability of a child at the center of a religious spectacle. Outside, people are gathering in the hope of witnessing another miracle; inside, Alice’s body interrupts the sacrament rather than confirming the crowd’s expectations. The separation between the private chapel and the public gathering prevents this particular incident from becoming a spectacle at St. Joseph’s, but it does not resolve the unease surrounding her condition.

Father Hagan’s trembling and the later reassurance from Bishop Caines pull in different directions: the scene records an unmistakable alarm, while the official account treats Alice’s illness as temporary and medically unremarkable. That gap leaves the event suspended between bodily distress and religious expectation, without supplying a definitive explanation.