Anglican Church “regalia”…

[CurlewKate]

A friend of mine went to her first ever church service recently. It was a choral evensong and she was fascinated by the “stuff” that the celebrants carried. I confidently explained that there might have been a big Bible, a cross and a thurible and showed her pictures. But she was insistent that there was something else “like a big spoon”. Has anyone got any ideas? Save me from diving down rabbit holes!

Could it have been the staff topped with a Celtic cross, catching the light oddly? What did she say they were doing with it? Processing down the aisle, or something else?

This crozier could look like a spoon from some angles.

Sounds like your friend was in a very "high" Anglican church, where formality and ritual is very important. But I can't think how a spoon would fit into a Choral Evensong, or even a Eucharist (Communion). How big was it?

Actually Orthodox services do use a spoon to give people the wine during the Eucharist (which they call the Divine Liturgy). But AFAIK spoons are not used in any kind of Anglican service.

Could it have been a candle snuffer? That I can definitely imagine at a Choral Evensong.

It was a Cathedral-so pretty fancy. She was insistent that it wasn’t a crozier. Candle snuffer is a good shout! I tried to suggest it was a special holy spoon for “stirring-up” the Bishop’s Christmas pudding-turns out she’s gullible but not that gullible!

Could it be a verge? https://www.ottewill.co.uk/news/new-verge-for-westminster-abbey/

It could have been a virge, the vergers carry them in-front of the clergy.

Oo cross post!