Communion Services
Reintroducing regular commmunion services
For over 200 days our parishes have not celebrated commuion at the Lord’s Table as congregations. Occasional online services, which could be revisited, may have helped a little, but did not quite ‘hit the mark’ as far as most of us were concerned.
A first service was announced in a short magazine article, which could only be seen by those who have signed up for the online magazine, or who are able to attend church to pick up their own copy. This was deliberate as there is a level of uncertainty about how best, if at all, to meet togather at the Table.
We wanted to keep the numbers low so that the process of distributing the bread could be managed safely. Members of the Mothers’ Union were the focus of the invitation to attend and, along with their diocesan president and chaplain, they shared in this significant event.
Two further communion services are coming DV during the rest of October. The first is at 10:00 am on Wednesday 14th in St. Ignatius’, Carryduff and the next at St. Andrew’s, Killaney on Wednesday 21st again at 10:00 am.
The existing regulations both in the land and in the church mean that we cannot kneel, stand close, touch one another’s hands, hold or share a cup. Nor can we hold two services in the one building in the one day. This makes the usual process of receiving bread and wine impossible.
For now we receive bread only, and will do so following the directions applied at the different services. Each of the three events will be different in some way, and we will seek a best way forward when October is over. If and when we can have a Sunday Communion for the whole congregations we will take our experiences in mind as we plan them. Your personal responses to the events will help guide the parishes’ thinking.