Call to recognize Baptism as Norm for Communion
Diocesan Press Service. December 1, 1968 [71-9]
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Council of Associated Parishes has called on the Bishops of the Episcopal Church to recognize Baptism as the basic norm for admission to the Holy Communion.
The organization, which is devoted to liturgical renewal, has issued a statement asking that younger children be admitted to the sacrament of Holy Communion. The statement cited action by the recent Lambeth Conference and a resolution approved in London by the Bishops of the Anglican Communion allowing for guest Communions in Episcopal Churches.
"We believe that a child should not be able to remember a time when he has not received Communion," the statement said. "As members of the Church they should have the opportunity to participate fully in the Church's sacramental life. "
The statement said that this was already being done in a number of congregations and expressed the hope that the Bishops would create a climate for other parishes to follow suit.
With the mobility of population, the Council said, a five-year-old may be a regular communicant in one city and be rejected from the Lord's Table when his family moves to another.