Parish Communion movement
Encyclopedia
The Parish Communion movement is a movement in the Church of England
which aims to make Parish Communion on a Sunday the main act of worship in a parish.
The movement's aims are often summarized as "the Lord's people around the Lord's table on the Lord's day
" This movement has been significant in that one currently finds parish communion as the usual act of Sunday worship in Church of England parishes.
Prior to this movement, the main act of parish collective worship had been morning prayer on a Sunday or a Sunday evening prayer or evensong
.
As the Book of Common Prayer
states only that it is "binding on everybody to communicate three times a year", it was not the norm prior to this movement for the average Churchman to receive holy communion every week. That said, the Prayer Book does envisage communion being celebrated every Sunday and on the feast days.
Prior to the movement, the sacrament of Holy Communion was seen as an individual "making his communion" as a private act of devotion. Communion usually occurred on Sunday either in a separate service in the early morning (often around eight) or after the non-communicants had left the church or chapel following the mid-morning (often around ten) morning prayer. The movement is regarded as have changed the current Anglican practice such that a more collective service of communion in the mid-morning is often central to a parish's Sunday worship. The practice of non-communicants leaving the church while communion is offered has also retreated.
and originated in Anglo-catholic circles.
Early advocates of parish communion included Cosmo Lang
when Bishop of Stepney
in the first decade of the twentieth century and by William Temple
when Archbishop of York
in the thirties. However the movement could not be regarded as a movement until the collection of essays entitled "The Parish Communion" was published in 1937.
Even though the movement is held to have originated between the wars, it only lost its Anglo-catholic connotations and started to gain popular momentum in the sixties. The key proponent of parish communion was the "Parish and People movement", a group formed in 1949 to promote services of parish communion. It was key to the extent that the terms "the Parish and People movement" and "the Parish Communion movement" are used synonymously. The Parish and People movement has sometimes been conceived of as being representative of central Churchmen
in that it was not low Church
in its views but not strictly speaking Anglo-catholic either.
The movement could be regarded as having achieved its aims given that the National Evangelical Anglican Congress
in the Keele statement of 1967, acknowledging that the Church is moving in a new direction as a result of Anglo-catholicism
, the Liturgical Movement
and the Parish Communion movement, stated its members planned to make a weekly celebration of communion the main corporate act of worship in their parishes.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
which aims to make Parish Communion on a Sunday the main act of worship in a parish.
The movement's aims are often summarized as "the Lord's people around the Lord's table on the Lord's day
Lord's Day
Lord's Day is a Christian name for Sunday, the day of communal worship. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is said in the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament to have been witnessed alive from the dead early on the first day of...
" This movement has been significant in that one currently finds parish communion as the usual act of Sunday worship in Church of England parishes.
Prior to this movement, the main act of parish collective worship had been morning prayer on a Sunday or a Sunday evening prayer or evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
.
As the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
states only that it is "binding on everybody to communicate three times a year", it was not the norm prior to this movement for the average Churchman to receive holy communion every week. That said, the Prayer Book does envisage communion being celebrated every Sunday and on the feast days.
Prior to the movement, the sacrament of Holy Communion was seen as an individual "making his communion" as a private act of devotion. Communion usually occurred on Sunday either in a separate service in the early morning (often around eight) or after the non-communicants had left the church or chapel following the mid-morning (often around ten) morning prayer. The movement is regarded as have changed the current Anglican practice such that a more collective service of communion in the mid-morning is often central to a parish's Sunday worship. The practice of non-communicants leaving the church while communion is offered has also retreated.
History
Early instances of weekly parish communion include W.H. Fere's services at St Faiths, Stepney in the tenth decade of the nineteenth century and Henry de Candole's services at St Johns, Newcastle in the late twenties. The movement grew from the Liturgical movementLiturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
and originated in Anglo-catholic circles.
Early advocates of parish communion included Cosmo Lang
Cosmo Lang
William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth GCVO PC was an Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury . His rapid elevation to Archbishop of York, within 18 years of his ordination, is unprecedented in modern Church of England history...
when Bishop of Stepney
Bishop of Stepney
The Bishop of Stepney is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Stepney, an inner-city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets...
in the first decade of the twentieth century and by William Temple
William Temple
William Temple may refer to:* William Temple * Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet , 17th century British politician, employer of Jonathan Swift...
when Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
in the thirties. However the movement could not be regarded as a movement until the collection of essays entitled "The Parish Communion" was published in 1937.
Even though the movement is held to have originated between the wars, it only lost its Anglo-catholic connotations and started to gain popular momentum in the sixties. The key proponent of parish communion was the "Parish and People movement", a group formed in 1949 to promote services of parish communion. It was key to the extent that the terms "the Parish and People movement" and "the Parish Communion movement" are used synonymously. The Parish and People movement has sometimes been conceived of as being representative of central Churchmen
Central Churchmanship
Central Churchmanship describes those who adhere to the middle way in the Church of England, being neither High Church nor Low Church in their liturgical preferences....
in that it was not low Church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
in its views but not strictly speaking Anglo-catholic either.
The movement could be regarded as having achieved its aims given that the National Evangelical Anglican Congress
National Evangelical Anglican Congress
The National Evangelical Anglican Congress is an infrequent conference for evangelicals in the Anglican Communion. All congresses to date have been held in England, but have attracted delegates from other countries. They have been notable events which have had significant implications for both the...
in the Keele statement of 1967, acknowledging that the Church is moving in a new direction as a result of Anglo-catholicism
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
, the Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
and the Parish Communion movement, stated its members planned to make a weekly celebration of communion the main corporate act of worship in their parishes.