Communion at All Souls
Communion in the liturgical church is, in part, an act of community. Instead of receiving the elements while sitting in our pews, as in other churches, communicants at All Souls slide out of their rows and process together down the aisle to gather around a “common table” to receive the bread and wine. The quiet, more private act found in non-liturgical settings, is replaced by the vibrations and sounds of parishioners moving together, with families and children, to kneel shoulder to shoulder at our rail-in-the-round to receive the eucharist.
It’s a wonderful culmination of our worship together each Sunday, but because we are on the move, and the arrangement of our altar, the logistics of all that movement can be challenging. In order to serve everyone in a smooth fashion, and with the solemnity desired, we thought it appropriate to provide a little guidance, especially for those new to All Souls or the liturgical church. So, to help out those bearing the paten (the bread) or the chalice, please review these illustrations.
If you have any questions in the moment as to where you are to go, or what you are to do, please ask the usher leading you out of the pew.
Hold your palms out to receive the bread (you can ask for gluten-free). Consume at once (we do not “intinct,” or dip the bread in the wine).
Assist the chalicers by guiding the cup to your mouth using the bottom rim. Speak up if you did not receive any wine (chalicers can’t always tell).
If you do not want to receive the bread or the wine, cross your arms across your chest. You will receive a blessing if you do this before the bread.
