Restoring the Common Cup

The most recent diocesan protocols allow us to resume sharing communion in both elements—bread and wine. You can read the full report from the committee here:

Eucharistic Fellowship in an Age of Pandemics

Our parish worship committee met on Palm Sunday to determine the best way for us to share the wine safely. Here is our plan starting Easter Day, April 17.

First, please note that no one is required to take the wine. You may continue to receive just the bread if you wish. You will still receive the full benefit of the sacrament.

For those receiving the wine, essentially we will have two options at 10 am – one on each half of the communion rail. There will be one chalice for the common cup and a separate chalice for intinction.

1. On the South (organ) side, intinction will be offered. The communion minister will have a shallow dish with wine and you will dip your bread and then consume it.
2. On the North side, the common cup will be offered as we used to do pre-COVID. After receiving the bread, you take a sip from the chalice.
3. Since more people will be intincting, if you wish to just receive the bread or if you wish to receive a gluten-free wafer, please come to the North side of the church.

This will require some adjustments from all of us. To help the traffic flow, if you are heading to the other side of the church for communion, please go around the back or through the parlor.

At 8 am we will not have wafers. You may either sip from the common cup or intinct using the real bread. 

Let’s try this for a few weeks and see how it goes. Please share your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas with Fr. Eric. And thank you for your patience and understanding as we pivot yet again to a new way of managing worship.