Thursday, May 14, 2009

Swine Flu Response: More Communion Services

The Prayer Book commands:

... the Curates [that is, those ministers with the cure of souls including vicars and so on] shall dilligently from time to time (but especially in time of pestilence, or other infectious sickness) exhort their Parishoners to the often recieving of the holy Communion ...

The Communion of the Sick, BCP, p323

The Curate is to go to the homes of the sick if there are 2 or at least 3 to communicate there who cannot get to church.

The sick person is directed to communicate last. A precaution against infection, perhaps?

In the time of the plague, sweat, or such other like contagious times of sickness or diseases, when none of the Parish or neighbours can be gotten to communicate with the sick in their homes, for fear of the infection, upon special request of the diseased, the Minister may only communicate with him. (p325)

I wonder if some churches will actually want to cancel communion services if things do get bad with piggy colds this winter?

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