Communion CofE what happens and can we partake?

[SwimmingFree]

We will be on holiday next week, my 13 year old daughter and I are regular attendees at our Church of Scotland services. We will be on holiday in England and there's a cathedral close by with a Sunday communion service,l and tern DD and I would like to attend.

Could anyone give a brief overview of what will happen?

We both always take communion in our CofS church, the kids have always been included but it's probably quite relaxed. Elders hand round the very small individual glasses and bread (no sharing since Covid) and we remain seated.

Could anyone give me a brief overview of what would likely happen and if we are allowed to participate?

In most services I've attended the vicar will notice if there are non regulars in the congregation, they will then usually say something like if you don't want to take communion but would like to come up and be blessed, carry the service book when you go up (so they can obviously spot who isn't taking communion), so if you want to take communion just follow everyone else. Usually there's an etiquette of going up row by row, so sit somewhere in the middle to follow the lead of what the etiquette is in the church you're attending

If you’re regular attendees at a CofS church and take communion there then of course! The CofE rule/guidance is usually that anyone who is a communicant member of another church (even a non Anglican one) is welcome to take communion.

The exact format varies a little from church to church but you normally queue up the aisle and then kneel (or sometimes stand) at the altar rail, and the priest/an assistant brings you the bread wafers and then someone else brings you the wine in a communal chalice. At some churches you eat the wafer and then sip the wine (they wipe it in between) and at others you dip the wafer in the wine. The should tell everyone beforehand which of these they do.

This is very helpful, thank you

C of E theological rules state should be common cup, not individual glasses, but if you don't want common cup it's OK to take just the bread. My experience of cathedral communion is if you go up and put your hands out you will receive, if you are holding the prayer book or hands not outstretched you will receive a blessing.

Our church is a local ecumenical project, so can choose to do a baptist communion, which pleases me, as post Covid I'm very twitchy about sharing bugs!

In every CofE church I am familiar with the official policy for visitors is that if you are accustomed to taking communion in your own church and it is any trinitarian christian church then you are welcome to take communion with us. So yes you and your DD are very welcome to take communion. At a cathedral a lot of the people there will not be regulars so it will be totally fine if you don't seem to be familiar with the procedure.

Exact procedures for taking communion will vary from place to place but in most cathedrals it will be like this:

After the Eucharistic Prayer and the Lord's Prayer there will be some form of words inviting all to come to the Lord's Table (various different words can be used) and then usually either the choir will start singing (and the choir will take communion last) or the organ will start playing (and the choir will take communion first). The congregation will remain seated and vergers (cathedral officials wearing black robes usually) will move around inviting people row by row to go forward so wait till your row is invited. At most cathedrals you will queue to kneel at the altar rail but in some places you receive standing. Cup your hands right over left to receive the bread wafer, then you will be offered a sip from a communal cup of wine - it is fine to decline the wine if you prefer not to do this. The administrants will usually say something like "The blood of Christ" etc and you may wish to respond "Amen" and may wish to cross yourself but both these are optional and bo one will think you are doing anything wrong if you choose not to, so you don't need to copy exactly what others are doing.

Just to add to the above excellent information....

Please don't intinct (dip) the wafer into the wine as an alternative to sharing the chalice (cup). This is now against CofE policy because (a) it puts gluten into the wine which could affect those with coeliacs (who have their own gluten-free wafer) and (b) people aren't good at judging the depth of the wine so often end up dipping their fingers in as well, which is a bit grim!

It's fine, turn up and when it gets to the communion section they will invite "all those used to receiving communion" to line up, it's pretty similar but usually cathedrals have good music! For cathedrals I would aim to arrive at least 5 minutes before the published time perhaps a little more if a big one to allow time to get seated. I often go myself

@whyhere

Most churches do have intincting - we have two chalices at ours but they dip for us. Local cathedral which I regularly attend for work reasons had three, a gluten free one!

Current CofE policy is not to do this.