6
The Saskatchewan Anglican
March 2017
Setting the Lord's table By Linda Coates ARBORFIELD (Skwn) – It is a Sunday morning, with a service of Holy Communion. The altar is set with the colours of the season, the wafers are on the sideboard and there is wine and water in the cruets. Everything is set for the Lord’s Supper. But, does everyone know how all of these items appear on the altar? At the Church of the Ascension in Arborfield, three ladies belong to the altar guild, and their job is to assist the priest in ensuring everything is in place for a service of Holy Communion. About seven years ago, Rev. Steven Page instructed these women in the duties involved in being members of the altar guild. It is usually a Saturday morning when a member of the altar guild does this work. The Sacristy is the centre of altar guild work. In our church it is a tiny room beside the altar. There is a small locked cupboard where the wine is kept; drawers hold the various cloths; shelves hold the bottled water, altar candles, a funnel (for pouring wine into the cruet), a real bread box (which holds small boxes of wafers and priest hosts); and a large wall hook that holds the larger hangings on individual hangers. The hangings may have to be changed to the colour of the church season. The liturgical colours are white (which symbolizes purity and joy), red (fire of the Holy Spirit or blood of martyrdom), green (life), purple (prayer, penitence and sorrow), and
blue (sympathy, truth and eternity). The hangings are usually made of a silky material and are hung from the pulpit, lectern and small shelves. At our church, all of these hangings were made by members of the ACW. First, the corporal (a fine white cloth) is placed on the altar. The chalice is then placed in the centre. A purificator (a square linen napkin) is draped over the chalice. It is used to wipe the chalice after each person drinks from it. The paten with a priest host is then placed over this. On top of this is placed the pall (a square clothcovered piece of glass, metal or cardboard). Finally, the veil is placed over this, with the burse (similar to a book, which holds a spare purificator) on top. Wine and water are poured into two cruets (small glass bottles) and placed on a shelf near the altar. A lavabo bowl (small bowl for the priest to wash his fingers) and a towel are also placed on this shelf. The lavabo bowl is a symbol of reverence for the presence of Christ in the bread. A ciborium (small silver bread box), which holds the wafers, is filled (including gluten-free wafers) and placed on this shelf. Now everything is ready for the priest to consecrate the bread and wine for the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. But there is other work to be done. The altar candles may
114 Seminary Crescent Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X3 (306) 975-1550 www.usask.ca/stu/emmanuel
11
Spring and Summer School In Ancient Languages 2017
Introductory Biblical Languages: Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Coptic Intermediate Greek Part I: May 8-26, Part II: June 5-23 (3 week course = 3 credit units)
For more information or to register contact:
Church of the Ascension Altar Guild members, from left, Betty Burningham, Shirley Reavie and Linda Coates. Photo courtesy Munden Coates need to be changed and the candle snuffer is checked to see if it needs to be cleaned. Who knew that Pam cooking spray is an excellent product for cleaning the inside of a candle snuffer! Banners are hung and changed according to the liturgical season. We have six banners, which were made by women and teenage girls from our church. Flowers are an important part of the duties of the altar guild, from
Easter lilies to Christmas poinsettias. In the summertime, altar guild member Shirley Reavie brings flowers from her garden; her gladiolus are especially beautiful. After the service, an altar guild member will clear the altar. The purificator, which may have wine or lipstick stains, needs special attention. It helps if it is placed in a plastic bag with water. The chalice and other items are placed in our
church’s special “altar box” that was made by one of our woodworkers. It has small partitions and a handle, perfect for carrying these items home to be washed (there is no running water in our church). The purificator and possibly other cloths are hand washed and then ironed. Performing the duties of the altar guild is a quiet, contemplative experience. We take pride in setting the Lord’s table for our church family.