Long Time No Post
It's been a long time since I've updated. I'm getting married in 11 days, and I am extremely busy. It should be much easier to find time after the wedding.
I was up in Horseshoe Valley one Sunday a few weeks ago, and couldn't find a Catholic church in the area. I went instead to an Anglican church. I've been to an Anglican service before, and I find it very similar to our Mass. Since I'm not in a state of grace to receive Communion anyway, I figured it would be the same as Catholic church for my purposes.
The parishoners were very friendly. As I entered the building, they had me sign the guestbook and put on a nametag, since I was a visitor. The music was lovely, and everything seemed very similar to our own Mass until time came for Communion. There was no Communion! The service ended shortly after the homily.
Afterwards, I was welcomed by who I had assumed to be the priest. He invited me to stay for cookies and juice. I thanked him, told him that I found his church very welcoming, and asked him about the Communion. He told me that there was no Communion because there was no priest! They'd lost their priest, and the new priest was coming from England. He wouldn't be arriving for another few weeks. He himself was a layperson, and so of course couldn't do the Eucharist.
It was interesting, because I wondered if our Catholic system would have handled it the same way. I couldn't imagine not having the Eucharist at a Mass. I think that the diocese would have been more likely to send a neighbouring priest to cover the Mass, rather than go without Communion. But maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Perhaps in a small community like that, there simply isn't a neighbouring priest.
I was up in Horseshoe Valley one Sunday a few weeks ago, and couldn't find a Catholic church in the area. I went instead to an Anglican church. I've been to an Anglican service before, and I find it very similar to our Mass. Since I'm not in a state of grace to receive Communion anyway, I figured it would be the same as Catholic church for my purposes.
The parishoners were very friendly. As I entered the building, they had me sign the guestbook and put on a nametag, since I was a visitor. The music was lovely, and everything seemed very similar to our own Mass until time came for Communion. There was no Communion! The service ended shortly after the homily.
Afterwards, I was welcomed by who I had assumed to be the priest. He invited me to stay for cookies and juice. I thanked him, told him that I found his church very welcoming, and asked him about the Communion. He told me that there was no Communion because there was no priest! They'd lost their priest, and the new priest was coming from England. He wouldn't be arriving for another few weeks. He himself was a layperson, and so of course couldn't do the Eucharist.
It was interesting, because I wondered if our Catholic system would have handled it the same way. I couldn't imagine not having the Eucharist at a Mass. I think that the diocese would have been more likely to send a neighbouring priest to cover the Mass, rather than go without Communion. But maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Perhaps in a small community like that, there simply isn't a neighbouring priest.
posted by Catholic of Conscience at
12:30 p.m.
2 Comments:
I am a former high church Episcopalian who made the (relatively small) step into the Catholic church a while ago. One of the very reasons for the move was the very issue you raise. The Anglican Church (Canada) and the Episcopal Church (US) are part of the larger Anglican Communion, children, as it were, of the Church of England. Although all Anglican churches are sacramental in nature, confessing the same seven sacraments as Catholics, the Eucharist does not play as central a role as it does for us. Growing up, I remember having communion once a month, which was a big improvement from once a quarter in generations past. There is a strong vein of Protestantism in the Anglican churches, despite some High Church pressure of the past two hundred years. It's that vein, plus the very obviously middle-class bias of the church that led me to become fully Catholic.
I don't know about the situation in Canada, but in the US there is a surfeit of priests (especially after the ordination of women). Priests often cover for one-another, but it isn't that unusual for several Sundays to go by without a priest: the alternative service is called "Morning Prayer" in the Book of Common Prayer.
By
Anonymous, at 1:21 p.m., September 14, 2005
Ah, nice to see you're still alive and blogging.
In Catholic churches, when a priest is not available, "pre-consecrated" hosts are often used, and distributed entirely by lay ministers. It's not considered a "Mass," but something else...I can't remember what they call it.
Congrats on the marriage, by the way.
By
PrickliestPear, at 5:54 a.m., September 24, 2005
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