A Retired Rector's Reflections

A priest whose area of work covers several parishes told me he was having great difficulty in finding priests to cover for Eucharists in his parishes over the Summer. He had therefore approached the Bishop to ask for permission for the laity to take services of Communion, in which they would administer Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament. The Bishop said ‘No.’ The Bishop said ‘Communion by Extension’ (that is using Communion from a Mass celebrated earlier) didn’t allow for this, and instead a ‘Service of the Word,’ was preferable.

Several months ago I went to a village church some distance from home, for a change. As it happened, unknown to me, someone I had met a few years ago was churchwarden. She greeted me, and asked if possible could I celebrate the Eucharist. The allocated priest hadn’t turned up. She said this happens quite often, and so, she remarked, we do the service ourselves. Reluctantly I agreed to celebrate for the 10 or so people present. As I did so I thought over the words ‘so we do it ourselves’ and afterwards, gently, asked what would have been done if I hadn’t been there. ‘Oh we put the bread and wine on the altar and we all say the priest’s words together, and then receive Communion.’ Well, there’s an innovative approach! I couldn’t help but recall Bishop David Jenkins’ comment years ago in a meeting when he was being accused of doing something incorrectly. He said ‘Well we may be doinging it wrong but I wouldn’t put it past God to sort it out.’

A friend was telling me that in her Church, in vacancy, a priest is not available on the first Sunday of the month so that Sunday the churchwardens distribute the Reserved Sacrament in a ‘Eucharistic Service.’ They’ve never bothered to ask a Bishop if this is OK.

Sometimes then, sadly, Bishops get in the way of people receiving communion. Personally I would be upset to turn up to a Church expecting to receive Communion only to discover the Bishop, applying too strict rules, was standing in the way of me doing so. The innovative examples of the other two churches I mention suggest not asking the Bishop may be the best way forward, and the best way to ensure change. In due course church rules may catch up with actual practice?