Liturgical Commission Issues "First Communion" Statement
Episcopal News Service. November 9, 1977 [77368]
DALLAS, Tex. -- No special form for the admission of baptized children to Holy Communion is desirable, the Standing Liturgical Commission declared in a statement adopted unanimously at its meeting in mid-October.
Meeting at the Center for Continuing Education of St. Matthew's Cathedral here, the Commission, one of the Standing Commissions of the Episcopal Church's General Convention, considered this question along with other matters arising from the preparation of a Book of Occasional Services.
The Commission recognized the uneasiness that many people feel concerning the reception of Communion by small children, but concluded nevertheless that the provision of officially authorized forms for admission to Communion "would obscure the principle that Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit."
It warned against the adoption of "certain artificial norms," such as the arbitrary setting of a fixed age for "First Communion;" the introduction of children to the Sacrament in a context that separates them from their own families; and the temptation to form "First Communion classes" on the model of Confirmation classes.
The Commission commended the practice of admitting individual children to regular reception of Communion upon evidence of their desire to communicate, and after consultation between the parish priest and the parents. "Practical efforts to enhance the sense that baptized children are, in fact, full Christians are to be commended and encouraged, " the Commission concluded.
The panel also adopted a position paper on the desirability of developing suitable forms for preparing adult converts to understand and accept the responsibilities of baptism. This period of training for Christian living, known as the Catechumenate, was historically an integral part of the process of Christian initiation. Among factors which would justify the restoration of such a preparatory period are (1) the fact that there exists a substantial number of unbaptized adults who have had little or no experience of Christianity as a living religion; (2) that the instruction currently given adults who seek baptism "is often inadequate;" and (3) that the general picture of the faith and practice of the Christian Church presented by our culture is "grossly inadequate."
The provision of simple rites for the admission to candidacy for Baptism, and of a series of liturgical acts preceding baptism, and involving the candidates' sponsors as well, would set an example to entire congregations and could lead to the continual transformation of the whole Church.
This position paper will be circulated to chairmen of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions and other Consultants and to seek their advice and suggestions.
The title, The Book of Occasional Offices, was selected for the revision, mandated by the General Convention of 1976, of the collection of supplementary services known as The Book of Offices, to avoid confusion with the Daily Offices of Morning, Noonday, and Evening Prayer. The Book of Offices was last revised in 1960.
Progress reports were presented on the various elements in The Book of Occasional Services by the Rev. Dr. Marion J. Hatchett of Sewanee, Tenn., General Chairman of the proposed revision. Five sub-committees had been established:
- (1) on review and revision of those services in the 1960 Book which were not taken up into the Proposed Book of Common Prayer, such as the Installation of a Bishop, the Induction of Lay Ministers, Blessing of a New Home, etc., the Ven. Paul E. Langpaap of Seattle, Wash., Chairman
- (2) on supplementary Christian Initiation materials, Rev. Dr. Leonel L. Mitchell of Notre Dame University, Chairman
- (3) on healing, exorcism, etc., Mr. James D. Dunning of New York, N.Y., Chairman
- (4) on supplementary rites connected with the observance of the Church Year, the Rev. Dr. H. Boone Porter, Jr., Editor of The Living Church, Chairman
- (5) on Holy Week observances, the Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Talley of the General Theological Seminary, New York, N.Y., Chairman.
Progress reports of these sub-committees were discussed and several of the rites were given preliminary approval. Other draft rites were referred back to their respective sub-committees for further work.
Commission members also heard a progress report on the revision of the book, Lesser Feasts and Fasts, published in 1973 and authorized for optional use. The Chairman, the Rev. Canon Charles M. Guilbert, Custodian of The Book of Common Prayer, reported that three sub-committees had been set up to review, and where necessary to revise, the Collects, the historical or biographical material, and the lections for each of the 128 commemorations. A sampling of the work in progress was considered and approved in principle and referred back for further work.
At its first meeting early in 1977, the Commission set up a Permanent Committee with the Rev. Canon Lloyd S. Casson of Washington, D. C., as Chairman, to consider revisions of the calendar. The Commission approved the commemoration of Archbishop Janani Luwum, and referred this recommendation to the Committee. It also decided that a constitutional amendment be proposed to allow changes in the calendar of optional commemorations by action of a single General Convention. This matter was referred to the Commission's Committee on Constitution and Canons, Mr. Dupuy Bateman, Jr., of Pittsburgh, Pa., Chairman.
The Commission received a report from its staff on the progress of preparing the official Altar Book for the press. The book is designed to be of maximum assistance to the Celebrant. All necessary materials, including the music of the Prefaces will be in sequential order, so that so far as possible, pages need to be turned in one direction only. Two musical settings, one simple and one solemn, are provided for each Preface.
An appendix will contain helpful materials on the chanting of Collects, Lessons, and Gospels, similar to that in the old Choral Service Book (now out of print), but revised and brought up to date.
In addition, one or two settings will be provided for each of the sections of the service that may be chanted by the Ministers.
Separately from the main Altar Book, a Supplement will be published containing the Proper Liturgies for Special Days (Ash Wednesday and Holy Week services) with musical settings. The Altar Book and the Supplement, each to be ordered separately, will be published by The Church Hymnal Corporation, and should be available for distribution early in 1978.
The Commission welcomed a report from the Coordinator on consultations with The Church Hymnal Corporation and the Hispanic Affairs Officer of the Executive Council regarding plans to prepare and publish a Spanish translation of the Book of Common Prayer that could be used both in the Ninth Province and in Hispanic congregations in this country. It requested the Executive Council of the Church to appropriate funds for the completion of this project as "basic to the life of the Church. "
A report was presented by Dr. Alec Wyton, Coordinator of the Standing Commission on Church Music on the preparation and publication of settings for the eucharistic rites (Hymnal Series One), of the new Canticles (Hymnal Series Two), of the 120 hymns in Hymnal Series Three, and of the settings for the eucharistic Psalms (Hymnal Series Four). He reported that work has begun on the revision of the Hymnal. An effective method for evaluating the experience of the Church in the use of hymns in the present Hymnal has been developed.
The Very Rev. David Carter, Vice-Chairman of the Synod Committee on Doctrine and Worship of the Anglican Church of Canada, who attended as an observer, reported on the favorable reception the Proposed Prayer Book has received in the Canadian Church. Two of the dioceses have authorized the use of Eucharistic Rite II, as an option; the Ordination rites from the Proposed Book have been in wide and general use since their publication in Prayer Book Studies 20, and in subsequent revisions of 1973 and 1976.
The Standing Liturgical Commission has considered the question of the desirability of providing a form for the admission of baptized children to Holy Communion.
The Commission has concluded that no such form is desirable, for the following reasons:
- 1. Theologically, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism admits to the reception of Communion. Many would apply this theological principle by communicating all newly baptized persons at the time of their baptism, regardless of their age. This however, is not the same pastoral question as, "At what age will children begin regularly to receive Holy Communion?"
- 2. Different pastoral situations in different congregations will inevitably result in different answers to this latter question. Therefore, no general provision would be practicable.
- 3. The provision of officially authorized forms for admission to Communion would obscure the principle that Holy Baptism is "full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit." (Book of Common Prayer.Proposed, page 298.) It is to be noted that such forms are totally unknown in the historic liturgical tradition of the Catholic Churches.
Whatever the pastoral situation may be, the Church should guard against certain artificial norms; for example:
- (a) the arbitrary setting of a fixed age for "First Communion;"
- (b) the introduction of children to Holy Communion in a context that separates them from their own families.
- (c) the temptation to form "First Communion classes" on the model of Confirmation classes, or in imitation of the practice now being increasingly abandoned in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Commission recognizes the uneasiness that many people feel concerning the reception of Communion by very small children, for various reasons, mainly having to do with notions about appropriate reverence, or with cultural conditioning. We believe that none of these reasons is an adequate basis for the provision of a liturgical rite.
The Commission regards with favor the practice of admitting individual children to the regular reception of Communion upon evidence of their desire to communicate, and after consultation between the parish priest and the parents.
Practical efforts to enhance the sense that baptized children are, in fact, full Christians are to be commended and encouraged.