another question

[kamikat]

Someone mentioned that Anglican churches have open communion, does this include children or is there a certain age where they go through a "first communion" type ceramony?

kamikat

[TomUK]

Most Anglican Churches will expect communicants to be baptised. Beyond that all are welcome.

The more traditional Churches will also ask that communicants be confirmed as well.

[SeenAndUnseen]

Most of the ECUSA churches I have attended make a special note to invite everyone to share Communion (without specifying they should be baptised) and there is no age restriction.

[pmcleanj]

Someone mentioned that Anglican churches have open communion, does this include children or is there a certain age where they go through a "first communion" type ceramony?

kamikat
Yet another question where the answer is Yes. No. Maybe. Sometimes.:)

We do not have a "First Communion" milestone for children. In the past, people were expected to be confirmed or to be prepared for confirmation prior to being admitted to communion. But the age of confirmation varied wildly: Princess Elizabeth Tudor (later Queen Elizabeth I) was confirmed when she was one month old. During the Victorian era the norm became catechism followed by confirmation followed by admission to communion in the early teens.

In the mid twentieth century, liturgical reform re-examined the reasons and history behind many of our customs. Theologically, we cannot make any case for Baptism being any less than a complete sacrament of initiation into the life of the church. Since Anglican theology doesn't recognize the concept of denominations -- we are Catholic in our belief that there is One Church which is the Whole Company of All Christian People -- that understanding of the role of Baptism led directly to opening our Tablefellowship to include all the baptized, and "all" includes children.

In practice, two variations exist on this norm. One is fully open communion: no restrictions, not even baptism. That is a controversial practice discussed elsewhere on this forum, and doubtless to be discussed again, but I'll try not to derail this thread. The other is "communion of all baptized above an arbitrary age" which is also a controversial practice. The arbitrary age is usually about two, sometimes five, occasionally as old as six or seven.

But normally, if a child kneels properly at the communion rail, and holds out his or her hands when the minister comes by, he or she will be served. Sometimes the minister will ask you quietly "does he receive?" and you nod, and he does. In an ECUSA congregation it would be rare as hens-teeth to find a congregation where anyone would object to your breaking a host and sharing it with your child, in the unlikely event of your child's being passed over. Just be aware that there are Anglican churches that for various reasons of doctrine or polity are separate from ECUSA and follow different practices in regard to communion.

My daughters' first food other than breastmilk was Holy Communion, given to them as a drop and a crumb on a silver spoon on the day of their baptism (they were two months old when baptized). Anglican churches in my jurisdiction aren't very tolerant of having children in church during the lessons and sermon, so we spent a while trying to find a church that was truly child-welcoming. We didn't find any in this city that truly accomodated children during the Ministry of the Word, but all but one welcomed them at the altar for communion. (At that one, they deliberately passed over my children who knelt with perfect form, hands outstretched with right hand enthroned on the left. The 18-month-old, convinced it was just a mistake, started shouting "My Bwead! My Bwead!", and when I took her out of the church, tried for ten desperate minutes of hysterical frustration to drag me back in so she could get "My Bwead!". She couldn't believe she was being denied what had been the highlight of her little weeks for her entire life: so no-one can convince me that "children don't get anything out of it"!)

The most reassuring course of action if you plan to go to an ECUSA church and take communion, is to phone the church office ahead of time and let the priest know; or speak to the priest on your way in. But if not, just go up to the sanctuary rail with everyone else, watch the person next to you, and do what they do.

[Naomi4Christ]

In our tradition, any adult that loves the lord is welcome to join us at the Lord's Table. Children usually have to wait until confirmation (around the age of 16, usually), but it is possible for the Bishop to give permission for children to receive. Anyone not receiving HC is welcome to receive a blessing.