Receiving communion at Protestant services

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Eric,

You cannot receive “communion” in an Anglican (Episcopalian) church. It is only a symbol.

The Anglicans do NOT have a valid priesthood because Apostolic succession was broken with the death of St. John Fisher (eternal memory!)

Pope Leo XIII infallibly defined this in Apostolicae Curae.
Eric_Hyom said:
I have taken communion in an Anglican church on occasions, and I accept this as the body and blood of our Lord. There is only one Jesus Christ, we cannot divide him into denominations.
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There IS one Lord Jesus Christ and He has one Spouse, the Catholic Church.

Please find a good priest who can help you.

Regards,

Margaret
 
OP, think about it this way.

Back in the days of the early Church Christians refused on pain of death to offer incense, sacrifice an animal or whatnot to a statue of one of the Roman gods.

Why do you think they did not just say to themselves “well, I know in my heart that this Roman god is not real, merely a statue, and that I am simply slaughtering an animal or burning incense, as I might do outside of the context of worship. God knows they are not real and that I am not intending this as an act of true worship. Surely it doesn’t matter that, as far as these pagan Romans around me are concerned, I am truly accepting their religion and worshipping their gods” and go ahead?

Even signs and symbols are very important. The Eucharist, even if one only believes it is symbolic, is the central tenet of our faith and the central part of our worship for those who practice it. It is very much a symbol of communal belief as well as communal worship - and not just communality of beliefs about the Eucharist itself. For that reason alone it is important to avoid receiving communion in a church which is not your own.
 
Margaret_Ann said:
You cannot receive “communion” in an Anglican (Episcopalian) church. It is only a symbol.
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A few hundred years ago, Catholics and Anglicans were killing each other because of wrong belief. I grew up in the fifties and sixties, I remember as a child the language Catholics used to describe our Anglican brothers and sisters. I remember the Northern Ireland conflict divide between our faiths.

Christ has not changed, the Bible has not changed, but we are changing, I wonder how much more we need to change.
Margaret_Ann said:
There IS one Lord Jesus Christ and He has one Spouse, the Catholic Church.
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The word 'Christian is mentioned in the Bible, but Catholic?

I feel deeply troubled with the relationship the Catholic church has with others. We are all created by the same God, the same God hears all our prayers. We have a duty of care to all of God’s creation, and that has to mean caring for each other despite all our differences
 
Eric_Hyom said:
The word 'Christian is mentioned in the Bible, but Catholic?
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Remember the New testament was written in Greek.

The name “the Catholic Church” (Greek: katholikos ekklesia) developed from Acts 9:31 “the Church throughout all” (Greek: ekklesia kath olos).
 
Eric_Hyom said:
The word 'Christian is mentioned in the Bible, but Catholic?
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The word “Trinity” isn’t in the Bible either, but there are still Three Persons in one God.
Eric_Hyom said:
We are all created by the same God, the same God hears all our prayers.
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True, but different denominations and religions don’t pray to the same God. Some religions believe there is only one person in God, some believe in God the Father and Jesus but not the Holy Spirit, others that Jesus is not the Christ, and still others believe in multiple gods.

So how does one sort through everything? Find out what God Himself has revealed. (That’s Vatican I.) He wants us to know about Him. The Catholic Church IS the Mystical Body of Christ and His Spouse (c.f. Mystici Corporis). To participate in non-Catholic services “communio in sacris” is forbidden.

Please talk to a good priest who can help you.
 
We are not to receive communion anywhere outside of the Catholic Church. We are “Church militant”, meaning we are faithful to our Pope and Mother Church. Therefore, we cannot receive elsewhere. Also, why would you? You have the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. Outside communion lacks the truth that is presented in Scripture.
 
Catholics receiving communion at Protestant worship services is absolutely intolerable, because by that act you’re outwardly processing communion with that false religion.
 
Because life isn’t fair. Sorry I’m a mom.

The Roman Catholic Church allows it in theory for orthodox to receive. Orthodox have the ordination passed down and the real presence. Other Christian denominations don’t have this.

While in theory it is not an ordinary event. There must be a really estradordianry reason with leadership in both churches agreeing. I have read that the orthodox haven’t given permission for their members to receive communion in Catholic Churches. So it doesn’t practically matter we allow it. There really is no reason an orthodox Christian can’t get from an Orthodox Church and a Catholic can’t get from a Catholic Church.
 
I was told that to receive in another non-Catholic service would be breaking the Faith.
 
Margaret_Ann said:
True, but different denominations and religions don’t pray to the same God.
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However, the same God hears all our prayers, regardless as to who we think we might be praying to.

You will never look into the eyes of anyone who does not matter to God.
 
No, we are not supposed to receive in the Orthodox Church, either. It is an issue of the Church militant. Even if it is possibly the Real Presence, we can’t know for sure and we are supposed to be faithful to our pope and Mother Church.
 
There are very conservative Protestant communities, which are often quite anti-Catholic. Communion is not given the same importance as in the Catholic Church, and only members of the community have the right to “bread-breaking”.
 
semper_catholicus said:
Catholics receiving communion at Protestant worship services is absolutely intolerable, because by that act you’re outwardly processing communion with that false religion.
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Only God can judge who will have eternal salvation, I am not sure we can use that language against anyone else. I hope and pray that it will not only be Catholics who have salvation.
 
When did I say anything about salvation? I was talking about Catholics receiving communion at Protestant services.
 
I use to attend a black denomination for bible study, then go across the highway to St. Eulalia, and after mass, back to the black church as they finished services and chatted with friends. When they did their version of communion, they declared it merely as a symbol. There were small chunks of bread and wine served in small shot-glass sized plastic cups. So it seems incongruous at best to declare faith in the Eucharist, but then also be open to receiving it as merely a symbol. I also remember one gentleman taking down half the wine in his little plastic cup and then disposing of the rest. When one was done with their cup, they tossed it into a small trash can that had a plastic liner and was held by someone nearby. So even if one considers the wine to be even just symbolically the blood of the Lord, it seems almost blasphemous to throw half of your portion into the trash.
 
brit_2911 said:
No, we are not supposed to receive in the Orthodox Church, either. It is an issue of the Church militant. Even if it is possibly the Real Presence, we can’t know for sure and we are supposed to be faithful to our pope and Mother Church.
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Actually that is not strictly correct.

CCC 1399 The Eastern churches that are not in full communion with the Catholic Church celebrate the Eucharist with great love. “These Churches, although separated from us, yet possess true sacraments, above all - by apostolic succession - the priesthood and the Eucharist, whereby they are still joined to us in closest intimacy.” A certain communion in sacris, and so in the Eucharist, “given suitable circumstances and the approval of Church authority, is not merely possible but is encouraged.”
 
semper_catholicus said:
When did I say anything about salvation? I was talking about Catholics receiving communion at Protestant services.
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My hope is that our non - Catholic brothers and sisters can also attain eternal salvation. To me it seems strange that we may share eternal salvation together, but not the Eucharist.
 
brit_2911 said:
No, we are not supposed to receive in the Orthodox Church, either. It is an issue of the Church militant. Even if it is possibly the Real Presence
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The Catholic priest or the Orthodox priest do not have the power to bring the ‘Real Presence’. Only Christ has that power.

Christ chose us first, and it seems strange that we have been chosen in seemingly diverse ways to acknowledge that Christ is our Lord and Saviour.
 
Right. It is strange. It’s strange because salvation isn’t found in any of the Protestant churches.
 
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