[Magdalen] physically distanced communion

[Roger Stokes]

Ginga,

I recognize from my own parish ministry that there are two, or possibly 
three, distinct forms of ministry to those who are unable to join in the 
regular worship. One is the ministry of friendship. I have long felt 
that is best exercised by laypeople who have known the shut-in for a 
number of years rather than by the parish priest. I ise the metaphor 
that they will be entertained with a mug of tea round the kitchen table 
rather than the parson getting a china cup in the best parlour.

An important adjunct to that came to me in one visit to someone who had 
been a widow for sixty years and was housebound. She told me that she 
had said to one of her friends that she was waiting for death and wanted 
it to come soon. Her friend was horrified by that but she could say that 
to me as her priest who did not have those decades of shared experience 
and so could recognize and empathise with the constraints of her present 
existence.

Finally there is the sacramental ministry. In my last parish there were 
numerous nursing and residential homes and I gather that my predecessor 
had regularly visited them to take them communion. My experience was 
that most of the residents did not understand what was happening 
(assuming they were awake). Prompted by a period of sick leave I 
basically withdrew from being part of the entertainment programme and 
said I was happy to visit residents who requested it. Individual church 
members I would happily visit and I would celebrate a simplified 
Eucharist with them. There were few enough for me to be able to do that.

Roger

On 23/12/2020 22:58, Ginga Wilder wrote:
> Hi Roger,
> As I said, I have not asked why lay persons - all of whom are licensed and
> trained properly - are no longer asked to serve as Eucharistic visitors.
> We were always 'sent out' from the altar to proceed directly to the
> person.  Perhaps I jumped to a conclusion, one of my favorite exercises!
> I've not asked, and it could be that because we are a small community, he
> wants to visit any homebound or sick parishioners.  I'm not upset by that,
> but it was certainly an immediate change when he arrived.
>
> Ginga
>
> On Wed, Dec 23, 2020 at 5:42 PM Roger Stokes via Magdalen <
> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>
>> Ginga,
>>
>> That surprises me. Given that our RC brothers and sisters have the
>> practice of laypeople taking communion to those unable to be in church,
>> and being officially sent out to perform that ministry towards the end
>> of the mass, the idea of duly authorised laypeople taking the elements
>> to the shut-in members of the congregation should not be anathema to
>> him. In this diocese the requirement is that those exercising this
>> ministry should be specifically authorised by the bishop to do so. It
>> may be that your new Priest in Charge was concerned that this ministry
>> was not being carried out with proper respect for the consecrated
>> elements. We may no longer expect that a vested server precede the
>> priest bearing the Blesses Sacrament but the Eucharistic Prayer does
>> include the suffrage that the elements may for us be the Body and Blood
>> of Christ and, as such, it needs to be treated with respect. In the
>> current situation this is more challenging than it was when I was in
>> parish ministry but I am glad that your proest is reaching out to you at
>> this time.
>>
>> Roger
>>
>> On 23/12/2020 19:17, Ginga Wilder wrote:
>>> My priest called this afternoon to ask if I would like him to bring
>>> communion to me tomorrow between services.  Yes!  I have so missed
>>> receiving.
>>>
>>> He quietly ended lay Eucharistic visitors when he became
>> priest-in-charge.
>>> I've never asked why, because I know it has to do with is
>> 'Anglo-Catholic'
>>> centering...he served for nearly 20 years at Holy Communion, Charleston -
>>> the High Church in the Lowcountry - before coming to Good Shepherd.
>>>
>>> Anyway, I am grateful that I will have Christmas communion.