I know now this is the standard. I didn't realize how great a request I was making the time i did it. Antiochian, not Russian, but still.

One of my husband's friends is an Armenian Orthodox priest. We recently attended a service at his church. Not knowing the requirements for communion, I chose not to go and remained in my seat. It was a good thing, too - I had forgotten about "fasting" because although I was raised Catholic and always fasted then, I have been attending Protestant services for 15 years.

I watched the women hand each other veils to cover their heads before taking communion. We are going to a Greek Orthodox service this Sunday (husband has to go to 2 Orthodox services for a grad-level class)and I have already decided just to stay in my seat again to minimize any issues. I am very sensitive to this as my husband had communion at a Roman Catholic service earlier this year and my brother was highly offended although the priest "opened up the communion."

This is interesting. In my parish, we cover from the time you walk in the door until you leave. Every woman in the church wears a veil whether or not she is Orthodox. I always feel very demure and womanly with my veil. :D

When I was a child, Roman Catholic women wore hats/head coverings to all services but this was suspended at some point. I have attended Greek Orthodox services (mainly for Easter/Christmas with a Greek friend) and don't remember all of the women wearing veils. I sat next to the wife of the Armenian Orthodox priest and she also only wore a veil to the communion. All of the female deacons were veiled for the entire service and in native Armenian costume. It was highly traditional.

The absolute worst was my cousins wedding. Big church affair followed by black tie reception at a classy country club. So whats not to like? I was a bridesmade and had to wear this hideous pink ruffled dress. OMG it was so awful.

I've been to a few Nuptial Masses, but I've just sat down. Usually there are a bunch of other non-baptized, non-Christian heathens there so it ain't no thang.

At my ex-boyfriend's cousin's wedding, they ran out of food during the cocktail hour and didn't really serve drinks. His mom was like, "check it, Munchkin. Your wedding won't be like this." :eek::eek::eek:

When I was 12, one of my cousins got married with a full Nuptial Mass. The church wasn't air-conditioned. The bride was 4 months pregnant and wore a full dress with long sleeves and a train. It was August in St. Louis. After the bride fainted twice, (delaying the ceremony by 20 minutes for recovery each time) the priest got a folding chair and she sat on a chair at the front of the altar for the rest of the mass.
I had on a light summer dress and I thought *I* would faint from the heat before that wedding was over. The reception was air-conditioned, at least.

Yeah, I don't even think anything of it when non-Catholics stay seated during regular weekly mass. No biggie. Although, I know plenty of divorced Catholics (no annulments either) who still take communion.

I've never seen the finger in front of the mouth thing either, in lieu of crossing arms or taking communion. IMO, staying seated is fine.

If I remember correctly from (sophomore?) religion class in Catholic high school, divorced Catholics may receive communion if they do not remarry. Divorcing is not the issue, remarrying when you are considered to be married (by the Church) is.

I've only seen the folded arms at Anglican churches, symbolizing that they didn't want wine with their wafer.

In my husband's Anglican parish, folded arms gets you a blessing - no wafer, no wine. :)

That's what I'm used to it meaning in Episcopal/Anglican churches (and in our Presbyterian church).

Wine in a Presbyterian Church?!?!??!?

Interesting. I've never heard the "reverently walk by" except for situations where both bread and wine are offered and you choose to receive bread and not wine. (You only have to get one or the other, but if both are offered, some people opt for both.)

In the Catholic parish where I grew up, the practice was as follows:

I want a Communion wafer = outstretched hands, or hands by your sides or folded in prayer, say "Amen" when the priest says "The body of Christ", and then open your mouth and stick out your tongue slightly (the priest or eucharistic minister then places the wafer on your tongue).
Just a blessing = folded arms
I don't want either = stay seated, although you may have to stand and step aside to let people farther down the pew to get out and get in line

The parish seldom offered wine. When they did, you would receive and swallow your wafer and then either queue for wine or "reverently walk by" and go back to your pew.

Non-Catholics (whether or not they belong to another Christian denomination) are ineligible to receive Communion, as is anyone conscious of having committed a mortal sin.

I've been to a Nuptial Mass once since I converted to Judaism. I just kept my butt in my chair and said a silent prayer for the couple's happiness.

LOL. What I meant was arms folded across the chest means receiving a blessing rather than receiving the elements.

That said, yes, you will find wine in many Presbyterian churches. (The requirement is that if wine is used, non-alcoholic grape juice must also be available for those who cannot or prefer not to drink wine.) You are not likely to find wafers, though. We tend to use loaves that are cut or torn into proper-sized pieces. ;)


Not quite. I believe that canon law provides that Orthodox Christians may receive communion in a Catholic church. (Whether Orthodox would be allowed by their own canons to receive is a different matter.) I think canon law also provides that other Christians may, under extraordinary circumstances (including, I think, the permission of the bishop), receive communion in a Catholic church if they are unable for some reason to have access to a minister of their own church and they share the Catholic understanding of the sacrament.

That said, there is a large Catholic church nearby that openly invites Protestants to receive communion. It threw us a bit the first time we were there (for a neighbor's son's First Communion). I'm told the bishop repeatedly told them to stop. I'm also told that since the parish is run by Franciscans not directly under the bishop's authority, they would smile and nod and keep on doing it.