Anglicans: Do you still kneel to receive?

[The_Reginator]

I was baptized and grew up as an Anglican.

For more than 20 years I attended Anglican parishes almost exclusively. In that time we only received communion kneeling. I first saw people stand to receive when I attended a Catholic church with my girlfriend.

I converted about 15 years ago.

Does everyone still kneel at most Anglican parishes?

 

[CMatt25]

I was baptized and grew up as an Anglican.

For more than 20 years I attended Anglican parishes almost exclusively. In that time we only received communion kneeling. I first saw people stand to receive when I attended a Catholic church with my girlfriend.

I converted about 15 years ago.

Does everyone still kneel at most Anglican parishes?

I only know at one parish near me where at their Sat evening Eucharist the Communicants gather together standing around the altar and pass the bread and wine to each other. It’s TEC though. I’m not certain about their Sun services. But from other threads on CAF I have the impression kneeling is still common.

 

[Moscati]

I’ve been on a departmental retreat at an Anglican camp a few times, and they distributed communion in the hand, standing, and offered either the cup or intinction–it was up to the communicant. There was no kneeling.

However–the whole thing was held in an outdoor ‘chapel’ on a lake, so I doubt it’s representative of typical Anglican services.

 

[Nine_Two]

Up until a few years ago I belonged to the Anglican Church of Canada, and we always knelt to receive.

 

[GKC]

Anglicans vary widely, and more widely of late, in more things, more’s the pity. Traditional Anglicans kneel to receive, exclusively. At the altar rail.

GKC

Anglicanus-Catholicus

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

At St. Paul’s we always did. I was back there as recently as last November and they still knelt for Communion. It was always a more humble, pious, noble way to receive IMO. But the parish was tiny and logistically it was pretty feasible. Where I am not at St. Mary’s Catholic Church you’ll have hundreds and hundreds of people coming up for communion. If they knelt for communion in the mode of St. Paul’s, the Mass would be three hours long and you could watch the Fellowship of the Ring extended edition by the time it was finished!!

Anglicans vary widely, and more widely of late, in more things, more’s the pity. Traditional Anglicans kneel to receive, exclusively. At the altar rail.

GKC

Anglicanus-Catholicus

 

[chris_molter]

At my church we always did. I can’t remember ever standing for communion in an Episcopal Church except one time, and that was at the diocesan office chapel for my confirmation. Kinda threw me a bit

 

[Publisher]

I have attended a few Episcopal churches…and every service I’ve ever been to, the communicants kneel at the rail and receive in the hand or by intinction from the priest or EM’s. Of course my experience is very limited…I’ve visited parishes in California, Tennessee, Alabama and Oregon…all knelt…the services ranged from “low” to “very high”(bells and smells). I’m assuming by “Anglicans” it includes the Episcopalians…if not…disregard my post.

 

[GKC]

I have attended a few Episcopal churches…and every service I’ve ever been to, the communicants kneel at the rail and receive in the hand or by intinction from the priest or EM’s. Of course my experience is very limited…I’ve visited parishes in California, Tennessee, Alabama and Oregon…all knelt…the services ranged from “low” to “very high”(bells and smells). I’m assuming by “Anglicans” it includes the Episcopalians…if not…disregard my post.

Your assumption is correct, as to Episcopalians.

You might have also seen some receiving directly by mouth. It is common.

GKC

 

[BernadetteM]

Just a thought. Before VII during Mass there would be hundreds attending and everyone kneeled to receive. It didn’t take over an hour and a half, I believe, I wasn’t Catholic then.

My parish is small, but we have between 250 and 300 receiving and we kneel to receive. The Mass lasts for an hour. Of course there are fewer priests now at parishes.

As an Anglican we always kneeled to receive and most received on the tongue, but it was an Anglo Catholic parish.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[Usbek_de_Perse]

As has been noted by many posters, practices vary widely. At my church we receive at the altar rail exclusively. The communicant may choose to intinct, and may choose to receive on the tongue.

At Grace Cathedral, in San Francisco, given that there can be 2000 people for the main 11:00 service, they distribute the elements at several stations, and it is common for people to take them standing. The last time I was there, we were seated toward the back, so we were directed to the back near the baptistry to receive. Those who come to the front can kneel.