‘An incredible role model for love of the Eucharist’

The Northern Cross 

Paul Gannucci stands with a statue of St. Padre Pio. Gannucci, 21, has Noonan Syndrome and worked for months to be able to receive his first Communion in June due to difficulty swallowing. (Photo courtesy of Annette Gannucci)

Rob Gannucci said his son Paul, 21, had talked for quite a while about receiving his first Communion, but he and his wife Annette were not sure quite how to go about it. What’s straightforward for most parents and their children was not for Paul, who was born with a genetic disorder called Noonan Syndrome. 

“He doesn’t eat anything by mouth, and he only drinks water,” Rob said. “... Whenever he does try to eat anything, he really gags and he starts to retch, and he gets pretty sick.” 

Annette said it’s not uncommon for kids with that disorder to be tube fed. Paul has had heart issues that slowed everything down, and he was also on a ventilator at one point, which caused an oral aversion for him. 

After Paul’s niece received her first Communion, Paul asked again, and the family decided it was time to approach their pastor at St. James in Duluth, Father Richard Kunst, and ask for help. 

“Father Rich’s response was, ‘OK, how are we going to do this?,’” Rob said. 

Father Kunst said his friend Rob asked him over lunch. The plan they settled on was simple: He gave them a sleeve of unconsecrated hosts to practice with. That began a process that would take about a year. 

In the evenings, Rob said, they would pray their family rosary together and then go through the process, breaking off a tiny piece and having Paul eat it. Over a period of “days, weeks, and months,” they gradually worked to get Paul to the point where he could consume a full host. 

Even at that point, they were not done. Father Kunst asked them to keep practicing a few more months to be sure Paul was ready. Paul Gannucci, receives his first Communion from Father Richard Kunst at a daily Mass June 3 at St. James in Duluth. He also received the sacrament of confirmation the same day. He had practiced for nearly a year to be able to swallow the host, due to a genetic disorder that makes swallowing difficult. (Photo courtesy of Annette Gannucci)Finally, on June 3, at a daily Mass at St. James, Paul was able to receive the sacrament of confirmation and his first Communion, with his whole family in attendance and his sister serving as his confirmation sponsor. 

Father Kunst said he didn’t tell anyone what was going to happen at the Mass until that morning. Having cleared it with Paul’s parents, he gave his entire homily about Paul’s story. He described the moment as “incredible.” 

“People were legitimately, sincerely, emotionally moved by it,” he said. 

Rob shared that assessment. “Still, even to this day, Paul still has a lot of people that come up to him,” he said, telling him how much he inspired them. 

“He wants this so much that he’s able to make it through,” Annette said. 

Paul’s parents say it’s hard to express how much it all means to them. It’s something they’d been praying about for years. 

“For us, it’s a huge deal,” Rob said. “Our faith is extremely important to us, and we wanted him to participate in our faith the full extent. Knowing that he hadn’t been able to do it, it’s hard as parents … especially that he desired it so much.” 

The story has grown well beyond the parish boundaries. Father Kunst said he shared it in the parish bulletin and it started making the rounds on Facebook. It was also covered by EWTN and the National Catholic Register. He jokes with Paul, calling him his most famous parishioner. He said the parish is now receiving letters from all around the country for him. 

The Gannuccis said the attention to Paul’s story has led to some beautiful outcomes. They have seen comments from other parents of special needs children saying that Paul’s story had given them hope for their own children. And they have heard from people who said Paul working so hard to receive what so many take for granted has inspired them to live their faith more deeply. 

Paul now receives Holy Communion every Sunday and once or twice a week at daily Mass. 

“He’s still not perfect at it,” Rob said. “He still struggles a little bit. But he does drink some water prior to and water afterwards.” 

Rob says he believes it was God’s timing that this all happened during the Eucharistic Revival. 

People around the country aren’t the only ones Paul has inspired. He’s inspired people close to home, too. 

“It’s been an inspiration,” Rob said. “He’s an inspiration to us, also, as family, and helps us. He sort of keeps me on my toes, keeps us on our toes in our prayer life.” Sometimes he’s even the one to remind them it’s time to pray their evening prayers. 

“I’ve never met anybody that had such a hunger for the Eucharist that they did what he’s done,” said Father Kunst. “… He’s just an incredible role model for love of the Eucharist.”