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Sunday Worship
Sundays 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Holy Communion in the Church
Holy Days and other Observances
as announced
HOLY WEEK 2025 - All services are in the Church:
April 13th: Palm Sunday - 9:00 am
April 17th: Maundy Thursday - 6:00 pm
April 18th: Good Friday - 6:00 pm
April 19th: The Great Vigil - 7:30 pm
April 20th: Easter Sunday - 8:00 & 10:00 am
About Holy Communion
as of April, 2023
Spiritual Realities
All baptized Christians, of whatever age or denomination, are welcome to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion at Saint Paul's Church. The Sacrament is distributed in two forms (called "species" or "kinds"): the Body of Christ in the form of consecrated bread; and the Blood of Christ, in the form of consecrated wine. The process by which bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ is a mystery; the eyes of faith are satisfied with Our Lord's promise to be among us when we "do this" as he commanded. It is faith, not chemistry or physics, that tells us that bread offered as he commanded is his body, and that wine offered as he commanded is his blood, the blood of a new covenant, shed for us, and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. It is a privilege granted in mercy, not deserved by merit, still less an inherent right, to partake of the Sacrament, and God cautions us, among other things through the writings of Saint Paul, not to treat this gift and privilege lightly.
For, as the benefit is great, if with penitent hearts and living faith we receive the holy Sacrament, so is the danger great, if we receive it improperly, not recognizing the Lord’s Body. Judge yourselves, therefore, lest you be judged by the Lord. Examine your lives and conduct by the rule of God’s commandments, that you may perceive wherein you have offended in what you have done or left undone, whether in thought, word, or deed. And acknowledge your sins before Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life, being ready to make restitution for all injuries and wrongs done by you to others; and also being ready to forgive those who have
offended you, in order that you yourselves may be forgiven. And then, being reconciled with one another, come to the banquet of that most heavenly Food. (Book of Common Prayer 1979, page 317)
If the priest knows that a person who is living a notoriously evil life intends to come to Communion, the priest shall speak to that person privately, and tell him that he may not come to the Holy Table until he has given clear proof of repentance and amendment of life. The priest shall follow the same procedure with those who have done wrong to their neighbors and are a scandal to the other members of the congregation, not allowing such persons to receive Communion until they have made restitution for the wrong they have done, or have at least promised to do so. When the priest sees that there is hatred between members of the congregation, he shall speak privately to each of them, telling them that they may not receive Communion until they have forgiven each other. And if the person or persons on one side truly forgive the others and desire and promise to make up for their faults, but those on the other side refuse to forgive, the priest shall allow those who are penitent to come to Communion, but not those who are stubborn. (Book of Common Prayer 1979, page 409)
The two species, consecrated Bread and consecrated Wine, constitute one presence of Christ, not two; the church has taught, since its earliest recorded teachings, that all of the benefits and graces of Holy Communion are received in either form alone. This means that those who, for any reason, cannot or chose not to consume the bread or the cup, are no less full communicants of Christ than those who partake of both.
Public Health Considerations
During the SARS epidemic of 2003, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Canadian Ministry of Health (Health Canada) jointly sponsored research into the public health consequences of sharing Holy Communion in the form of wine.
That study found that:
Jesus makes no promises that the sacramental cup provides any protection against transmissible illness (Matthew 4:5‑7; Luke 4:9‑13). Neither the low alcohol content of the wine (rarely more than 14%; at least 70% is required to neutralize viral pathogens) nor the silver content of some communion cups sterilizes adequately. Proper infection control can, however, help reduce the possibility of illness. Nevertheless, those who are not vaccinated, or who are at risk of complications, may wish to consider their options.
As of April 2023, we administer Holy Communion in the form of consecrated Bread to you in your outstretched palm. You may, if you wish, sip from the common cup if a minister is available to administer it; or you may carefully intinct (dip) the host in the consecrated Wine, taking care not to allow your fingers to come into contact with the liquid or the cup. Or you may simply consume the host in full confidence that you have received all the benefits of Christ's passion.
We are blessed by those who, with cheerful and selfless generosity, have gladly forgone communion in both kinds over the many months of the strictest Covid restrictions. There is no guarantee that they will not again become necessary, or that some other public health threat may appear. What we can count on, however, is that God sanctifies, blesses, and makes holy those who have the mind of Christ, who set aside their own preferences and desires for the good of the community. Their patient endurance, faith, and generosity in practicing a discipline of gracious surrender to the mysterious ways of God have grown them out of natural human self-concern and closer to the perfection of their life in and with God.
Please pray for the safety and health of those who still contract Covid or suffer consequences of a previous infection and for the consolation of those who have lost loved ones to the disease, and for an end to threat of serious disease.
All baptized Christians, of whatever age or denomination, are welcome to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion at Saint Paul's Church. The Sacrament is distributed in two forms (called "species" or "kinds"): the Body of Christ in the form of consecrated bread; and the Blood of Christ, in the form of consecrated wine. The process by which bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ is a mystery; the eyes of faith are satisfied with Our Lord's promise to be among us when we "do this" as he commanded. It is faith, not chemistry or physics, that tells us that bread offered as he commanded is his body, and that wine offered as he commanded is his blood, the blood of a new covenant, shed for us, and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. It is a privilege granted in mercy, not deserved by merit, still less an inherent right, to partake of the Sacrament, and God cautions us, among other things through the writings of Saint Paul, not to treat this gift and privilege lightly.
For, as the benefit is great, if with penitent hearts and living faith we receive the holy Sacrament, so is the danger great, if we receive it improperly, not recognizing the Lord’s Body. Judge yourselves, therefore, lest you be judged by the Lord. Examine your lives and conduct by the rule of God’s commandments, that you may perceive wherein you have offended in what you have done or left undone, whether in thought, word, or deed. And acknowledge your sins before Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life, being ready to make restitution for all injuries and wrongs done by you to others; and also being ready to forgive those who have
offended you, in order that you yourselves may be forgiven. And then, being reconciled with one another, come to the banquet of that most heavenly Food. (Book of Common Prayer 1979, page 317)
If the priest knows that a person who is living a notoriously evil life intends to come to Communion, the priest shall speak to that person privately, and tell him that he may not come to the Holy Table until he has given clear proof of repentance and amendment of life. The priest shall follow the same procedure with those who have done wrong to their neighbors and are a scandal to the other members of the congregation, not allowing such persons to receive Communion until they have made restitution for the wrong they have done, or have at least promised to do so. When the priest sees that there is hatred between members of the congregation, he shall speak privately to each of them, telling them that they may not receive Communion until they have forgiven each other. And if the person or persons on one side truly forgive the others and desire and promise to make up for their faults, but those on the other side refuse to forgive, the priest shall allow those who are penitent to come to Communion, but not those who are stubborn. (Book of Common Prayer 1979, page 409)
The two species, consecrated Bread and consecrated Wine, constitute one presence of Christ, not two; the church has taught, since its earliest recorded teachings, that all of the benefits and graces of Holy Communion are received in either form alone. This means that those who, for any reason, cannot or chose not to consume the bread or the cup, are no less full communicants of Christ than those who partake of both.
Public Health Considerations
During the SARS epidemic of 2003, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Canadian Ministry of Health (Health Canada) jointly sponsored research into the public health consequences of sharing Holy Communion in the form of wine.
That study found that:
- The safest way to administer Sacramental wine is for an uninfected minister with properly sanitized hands to intinct (dip) a host (consecrated wafer of bread) into the wine and to administer it to the communicant on the tongue.
- Almost as safe with regard to risk is sipping from the common cup, provided that the rim of the cup is cleansed by pinching (not wiping or rubbing) the rim of the cup, inside and out, firmly with a clean portion of a purificator, and the cup rim is rotated between communicants.
- The riskiest option, from the standpoint of communicating disease, is for the communicant to handle and then intinct a host received in the hand. Hands and fingers are more heavily contaminated than lips.
Jesus makes no promises that the sacramental cup provides any protection against transmissible illness (Matthew 4:5‑7; Luke 4:9‑13). Neither the low alcohol content of the wine (rarely more than 14%; at least 70% is required to neutralize viral pathogens) nor the silver content of some communion cups sterilizes adequately. Proper infection control can, however, help reduce the possibility of illness. Nevertheless, those who are not vaccinated, or who are at risk of complications, may wish to consider their options.
As of April 2023, we administer Holy Communion in the form of consecrated Bread to you in your outstretched palm. You may, if you wish, sip from the common cup if a minister is available to administer it; or you may carefully intinct (dip) the host in the consecrated Wine, taking care not to allow your fingers to come into contact with the liquid or the cup. Or you may simply consume the host in full confidence that you have received all the benefits of Christ's passion.
We are blessed by those who, with cheerful and selfless generosity, have gladly forgone communion in both kinds over the many months of the strictest Covid restrictions. There is no guarantee that they will not again become necessary, or that some other public health threat may appear. What we can count on, however, is that God sanctifies, blesses, and makes holy those who have the mind of Christ, who set aside their own preferences and desires for the good of the community. Their patient endurance, faith, and generosity in practicing a discipline of gracious surrender to the mysterious ways of God have grown them out of natural human self-concern and closer to the perfection of their life in and with God.
Please pray for the safety and health of those who still contract Covid or suffer consequences of a previous infection and for the consolation of those who have lost loved ones to the disease, and for an end to threat of serious disease.