One Mass on Dec. 24 and another Christmas Day at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church will be "incense-free." At least one parishioner has already sent a thank-you note because of the change.
"I have asthma and so does my son," Kristi Otto said. "I get physically ill from the smell of it. There have been so many times when I've gone to church and I've had to leave and sit in the car and wait for my family."
Frankincense was widely used for centuries, in part because of its medicinal use as an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and calming fragrance.
The incense - resin scraped from the root of the frankincense tree found in eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula - was even touted as beneficial to those with asthma.
But those such as Otto, her 7-year-old son, and people with certain perfume allergies are sensitive to the smell.
"We've had a number of people in the parish call because they find it difficult to go to Mass on high holidays, as much as they'd like to go," said Mary Bothwell, an administrative assistant at Presentation.
Churches with traditional "high liturgy" - such as Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans - often burn incense during worship, especially on holy days such as Christmas and Easter.
"It is a symbol of our prayers rising to the heavens, as described in the Psalms," said Steve Klein, an administrator at Presentation.
It also makes worship a full sensory experience, said Tom Paulus of St. Patrick's Guild, which sells liturgical incense to many parishes in the Twin Cities.
"We use all the physical senses in worship - music appeals to sound, and incense draws in the sense of smell - to remind us Jesus actually took the form of a human being," Paulus said. "We are a physical church."
