Livestream Prayer and Worship Services Are Available While We Are Physically Distancing
Facebook users can watch on Facebook Live on our St. Augustine's page #here or for those of you who are not on Facebook, you can click the link below which will take you directly to the livestream. Livestream Links for Home Worship will be posted here approximately 15 minutes prior to the service.
The Daily Office (Links for these services will become active right at scheduled time)
Morning Prayer, 9:00 AM, August 7 http://www.facebook.com/staugustinesanglican/videos/341612306866199
Evening Prayer, 6:00PM, August 6 http://www.facebook.com/staugustinesanglican/videos/595247858052088
Compline 8:45 PM, August 5 http://www.facebook.com/staugustinesanglican/videos/2633945906847453
August 2 Sunday Worship Livestream Service (will go live at 9:45 am)
http://www.facebook.com/staugustinesanglican/videos/300286331059780
Click here for the August 2 bulletin
Click here to watch this week's Children's Focus with the Penner family
We ask for your patience as we are learning this new method of worship delivery... there may be a few kinks as we go!
May His peace and loving presence be with you and yours,
The St. Augustine's Team.
A note about ‘Spiritual Eucharist’ services
What is “spiritual communion?’
Spiritual communion is an ancient practice of the church which takes place during exceptional circumstances when individuals or communities desire to receive the Holy Eucharist but are unable to do so through no fault of their own. This would include the persecuted, prisoners, the gravely sick, and all who are denied access to the sacrament.
The book of common prayer on p, 584 states ‘But if a man, either by reason of extremity of sickness, or for want of warning in due time to the Curate, or by any other just impediment, do not receive the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood: he shall be instructed that if he do truly repent him of his sins, and stedfastly believe that Jesus Christ hath suffered death upon the Cross for him, and shed his Blood for his redemption, earnestly remembering the benefits he hath thereby, and giving him hearty thanks therefor; he doth eat and drink the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ profitably to his soul’s health, although he do not receive the Sacrament with his mouth. \
Is it allowed in these circumstances?
Recently, clergy from the Anglican Diocese of Calgary received a letter from our Archbishop, Greg Kerr-Wilson, in which he discusses the use of Spiritual Communion in online services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other important things, he says “I am, therefore, writing to say that those priests who wish to offer this form of ministry certainly have permission to do so.”
What do I need to do?
Simply be present for our services (either the livestream or the video recorded version, later), prayerfully participate, and when we come to that part of the service where you would normally come to the altar and physically receive communion, instead, simply join the celebrant in the short prayer which is printed in your service bulletin. It is that simple.
Our Services:
St. Augustine’s holds four regularly scheduled church services every week, each of them quite distinct.
On Thursday mornings at 9:30 we celebrate Holy Communion in the chapel. This is a spoken service, with prayers and readings taken from the Book of Common Prayer. Thomas Cranmer, who compiled the BCP in the 16th century, would be delighted at how faithfully we follow his liturgy.
At the Saturday Service we strive to be both informal and liturgical. The service begins at 5pm every Saturday, and we guarantee the service will be done within the hour. If you’re not in a hurry though, remain afterwards for coffee and refreshments and good conversation. We alternate weekly between a Service of Holy Communion and a Service of the Word, with lots of singing led by our band, “The Confessions.” The service is offered for nine months of the year, from September through May.
There is a lovely meditative quality to the 8:00 am Sunday service. Like Thursday morning, this is a spoken service taken from the BCP, but we use the same readings as the 10:00 am service, from the Revised Common Lectionary.
The 10:00 am Sunday service is a Choral Eucharist and our largest gathering, with a great variety of music and liturgies and preaching. We sing four congregational hymns, three led by the organ and choir, and one by our worship band, “The Confessions.” We offer a well-run Sunday School and nursery. After the service there is a friendly and well-attended coffee hour.