I Go to the Orthodox Church

The main service on Sundays is The Divine Liturgy. This is also known as the celebration of the Eucharist. During this service we receive Holy Communion.

We sing hymns of praise to God and then there are readings from the New Testament. After the reading of the Gospel there is a sermon. After we have prayed for lots of people there is a solemn procession during which the bread and wine which are going to be used for Holy Communion are brought to the Holy Table.

After the singing of the Creed there are some long prayers in which we remember Christ's life on earth and that he died for us on the cross and rose from the dead. We remember Jesus' last meal with his disciples and that during it he blessed bread and wine saying: "Take! Eat! This is my Body which is broken for you, for the remission of sins" and "Drink of it all of you! This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins!" The Priest prays that God will send the Holy Spirit on the whole congregation and on the bread and wine which we have offered.

We receive Holy Communion as a great blessing from God. We believe that by the time we receive it, the bread and wine - though still looking and tasting the same - have become the body and blood of Christ. They are given to us on a spoon from the chalice - the special cup for Communion. We believe that God gives us Holy Communion so that we can share his life. We receive Holy Communion from the time that we are baptised.