Ship of Fools: Augustinerkirche, Zürich, Switzerland

The Mystery Worshipper

Ship of Fools: Augustinerkirche, Zürich, Switzerland

Ship of Fools

Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here

Forthview

It is relatively common in German Lutheran churches for communicants to stand in a circle/semi-circle round the altar to receive Communion.I have never been to a Christian Catholic church service,but I guess that it comes from Lutheranism (and of course from the Roman Catholic church from the time before altar rails came into use - that would be in the wake of the Council of Trent when rood screens were removed and replaced with low altar rails.)

Columba_in_a_Currach

MW reporter here:

Standing in a semi-circle around the altar was not what I found odd. Even the formal ceremony of all bowing in unison was not new to me: I'd seen it in various CofE churches (although usually at smaller Eucharists, not the main Sunday service). What was odd was that only a few received during the service, with everyone else being invited to receive afterward. That was new to me. As I said in the report, though, it may have been the consequence of the service being filmed.

Bishops Finger

You may well be right. IIRC, a Eucharist filmed at our Cathedral many years ago showed only a few people receiving Communion - the rest waited until after the (filmed) Blessing.

IJ

Gee D

The semi-circle is (or at least was, not 100% sure if the new rector continued the practice) usual at St Luke's Enmore, one of the non-Sydney parishes here. The congregation is not large and in that area there's little chance of expanding it. Lothlorien went there for a while, may still do but she did not answer a recent query I sent her.

Bishops Finger

This might be a suitable subject for a separate (albeit perhaps short) thread, but IME the 'semi-circle around the altar' does indeed work well with small congregations.

We do it at Our Place on Ash Wednesday, and again on Maundy Thursday, when the assembled Faithful Few (10-14) are easily accommodated in our spacious sanctuary (free-standing altar, no choir stalls, and bags of room for chairs as required).

It certainly gives the Eucharist a more 'intimate' feel, without diverging greatly from the formal liturgy which it is our custom to employ.

IJ

Curiosity killed

When I've attended broadcast services, we were told in advance that we would be given the opportunity to come forward for communion after the service had been broadcast, and that only the altar party would communicate during the service.

caroline444

Where I go to morning prayer followed by communion, we stand in a semi-circle, but there are only a few of us.
Very interesting to read about the quality of yodeling. I'm off now to see if I can find some 'proper yodeling' online.