On July 1st, on the 4th Sunday after Pentecost our Rector, priest Igor Tarasov served the Divine Liturgy at St. George’s Church.
After the Gospel lesson Fr. Igor lectured on the Divine Liturgy and was telling about the rites of the Communion of the faithful. He pointed out that today’s custom to receive Communion under both species and from the chalice on the spoon developed some time around 10th century AD. In the early Church people received Communion right from the altar and took the Body of Christ by hands and then received the Blood of Christ drinking from the chalice. Nowadays this is done only by clergy in the sanctuary while lay people receive Communion in the nave and from the priest holding the chalice and distributing the Body and Blood of Christ with the spoon.
This Sunday we had some more people attending our temple due to the absence of Sunday Liturgy at the Holy Annunciation Church in Flushing.
After the Liturgy Fr. Igor and parishioners enjoyed our common trapeza prepared by our good cooks.