What to Expect in an Anglican Holy Communion Service at St. Paul’s (Los Altos)
Visiting an Anglican church for the first time? Wondering what Holy Communion looks like or how to follow along? In this video, we walk you through the shape and meaning of our worship service at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Los Altos, California—from the opening prayers to receiving Communion at the altar.
Whether you’re new to liturgical worship or just curious about Anglican tradition, this guide will help you feel confident and spiritually prepared. Our prayer is that this video helps you feel welcome, oriented, and ready to join us in reverent, joyful worship. 📍 Join us Sundays at 10:30 AM
You’ll learn:
- Why Anglicans worship the way we do
- How to use the Book of Common Prayer and bulletin
- What to expect during each part of the Communion liturgy
- When to sit, stand, kneel, and respond
- Who is invited to receive Holy Communion and how Anglican worship is rich in Scripture, centered on Christ, and rooted in centuries of Christian tradition.
Special Services of Holy Communion
Northside Holy Communion Using the 1662
On Trinity Sunday 2022, we paid tribute to our English spiritual heritage in the celebration of Communion using the historic 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
What is the 1662 Book of Common Prayer?
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is the traditional service book of the Church of England, and is central to its faith. Originally compiled in the sixteenth century by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, and revised in 1662, the Prayer Book remains at the heart of English worship, and is the official doctrinal standard of the Church of England, as well as of most other Churches in the worldwide Anglican tradition. The Prayer Book has been familiar to generations of men and women for their regular Sunday worship and to make holy the principal events of their lives, the births, the marriages and the deaths. It has been and continues to be loved for its wonderful language, dignified and memorable but always speaking to our human condition. Phrases from it have come into everyday use and have been quoted in literature. ‘Till death us do part’, ‘read, mark, learn and inwardly digest’, ‘peace in our time’. After the King James Bible, the Book of Common Prayer is the most frequently cited book in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, and is one of the guiding influences on our language and the basis of religious expression in this nation.
Holy Communion Using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
The 1928 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the American edition of the Anglican liturgy, shaped by the 1662 English BCP, the 1764 Scottish Communion Office, and distinctively American concerns. It includes prayers for the President instead of the monarch and adopts the more sacramental language of the Scottish rite in its Communion service. This blend of English, Scottish, and American elements makes the 1928 BCP a uniquely American expression of the historic Anglican tradition.
Holy Communion Using the 1549 Book of Common Prayer
The Supper (Holy Communion/Mass) according to the First Book of Common Prayer (1549) For the Feast of St. George. Although a formal break with the Papacy came about during the time of Henry VIII, the Church of England continued to use liturgies in Latin throughout his reign, just as it always had. However, once Henry died and the young Edward VI attained the throne in 1547, the stage was set for some very significant changes in the religious life of the country. And so a consultation of bishops met and produced the first Book of Common Prayer. This Book of Common Prayer was not created in a vacuum, but derives from several sources. First and foremost was the Sarum Rite, or the Latin liturgy developed in Salisbury in the thirteenth century, and widely used in England.
Resources on Eucharistic Presence
Understanding how different Christian traditions interpret the Eucharist (or Lord’s Supper) is a task that requires understanding the Biblical context, historical context, and the whole timeline of the Christian Church. Learn more about Anglican views on the Eucharist and the theology behind the 1928 Prayer Book by visiting this resource page.
