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Celebrating the Eucharist: A Practical Ceremonial Guide for Clergy and Other Liturgical Ministers
In this first new Eucharistic customary in nearly 20 years, Patrick Malloy, an Episcopal priest and liturgical scholar, presents a clear, illustrated guide for the presider and other leaders of the liturgy, contemporary in approach but based on ancient and classic principles of celebration.
The 1979 Book of Common Prayer, like its predecessors, is long on telling the Church what to say, and short on telling it what to do. This leaves those who "choreograph" Prayer Book liturgies with a complex task and a powerful influence over the faith of the Church. The author begins with a concise theology of the liturgy that underpins all of his specific directives in the book.
Contents Theological and liturgical principles; Liturgical ministry and liturgical ministers; Liturgical space; Vesture, vessels, and other liturgical objects; The liturgical year; The shape of the liturgy; The sung liturgy and singing during the liturgy; The order of the Eucharist (the "heart" of the book); and The celebration of Baptism during the Eucharist.
The 1979 Book of Common Prayer, like its predecessors, is long on telling the Church what to say, and short on telling it what to do. This leaves those who "choreograph" Prayer Book liturgies with a complex task and a powerful influence over the faith of the Church. The author begins with a concise theology of the liturgy that underpins all of his specific directives in the book.
Contents Theological and liturgical principles; Liturgical ministry and liturgical ministers; Liturgical space; Vesture, vessels, and other liturgical objects; The liturgical year; The shape of the liturgy; The sung liturgy and singing during the liturgy; The order of the Eucharist (the "heart" of the book); and The celebration of Baptism during the Eucharist.
- GenresTheologyChristianity
218 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 6, 2013
Good, handy rubrical guidelines for Episcopal liturgies. Ideas are theologically grounded and easier to follow than other books of the same nature.
Relies a little too much on the Roman rite instead of doing something that could enhance Episcopal/Anglican identity. Also makes a few assumptions about the presence and available of deacons at a liturgy. While a nice touch, they aren't that plentiful in all parts of the Episcopal church.
Relies a little too much on the Roman rite instead of doing something that could enhance Episcopal/Anglican identity. Also makes a few assumptions about the presence and available of deacons at a liturgy. While a nice touch, they aren't that plentiful in all parts of the Episcopal church.
December 15, 2025
What we do in the liturgy, not only what we say, expresses what we believe. What we believe finds expression not only in what we say in the liturgy, but in what we do. As we pray, so shall we believe, and as we believe, so shall we pray. The pageants of Germany's Third Reich could not have changed anyone who was not willing to be changed. But surely many of those were were initially resistant to the Nazis' program were gradually convinced to at least consider it by the compelling ritual displays of the Nazi identity. The rites made the message not only palatable but irresistible. The combination of a strong, meaning-laden ritual and a group of participants open to transformation gave birth to conversion.
from Chapter 1: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Patrick "Killjoy" Malloy, like most liturgists I've read or encountered, doesn't have both feet planted in reality. There's something about studying liturgy that makes one prone to stubbornness and intolerance. That Malloy, in the opening chapter, cites the "pageants of Germany's Third Reich" as an good example of successful liturgical endeavors is worrisome. This book is for the Episcopal Church, but then Malloy notes Principle 6 in his "Principals for Making Liturgical Decisions": "When neither the rubrics nor the canons dictate what to do and reason does not provide a solution, the Roman Rite is a good place to start." He proceeds, for much of the book, to continually use the Roman Rite to hammer liturgical practices into effect.
Personally, I wouldn't want to attend Malloy's services--he is too nit-picky. He advocates firing any lector who doesn't read with conviction, dismissing acolytes and eucharistic ministers whose lives outside the church do not reflect their responsibilities within the church. He even advocates that those undergoing the rite of Baptism should be "stripped naked, or nearly naked" and fully immersed (and complains that prudish Americans just don't understand how theologically sound his stance is). And here is Malloy on the quality of vessels used during Eucharist:
Simply because vessels are made for a liturgical purpose, they are not necessarily worthy of the liturgy. Mass-produced communionware can be ill-proportioned, gaudy, derivative, and unwieldy. Some glass Communion vessels are nothing but dining crystal with a cross etched into them. Everything used in the liturgy should be the finest available, and simply because they are featured in a catalog of religious goods does not make them fine.
And, seriously, I remember how often Jesus complained about the chintzy dinner-ware when he dined with others, or how Jesus had the disciples attend to the quality of the dinnerware when sending them to prepare a place for the Last Supper.
But, Attentive Reader, you notice I gave "Killjoy" Malloy four stars. Of course I did. Any attempt to solidify amorphous Episcopal practices will, inevitably, lead to controversy or disagreements. Malloy's focus on minutia and consequent subjective ranting awaken the ire of anyone serious about developing a sense of what is the best way to give thanks and praise onto the Lord. When I disagree, my choice is the result of wrestling with Malloy's take, a take soundly argued in the text. When I disagree, I must discern the scriptural and liturgical rationale which refutes Malloy and confirms my position.
For every decent idea, Malloy offers suggests practices which are odd or subjective. This book would best be read with a group of postulants in order to discuss what works and what is wonky within these chapters. After wrestling with Malloy, you'll never take liturgical practices for granted again.
from Chapter 1: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Patrick "Killjoy" Malloy, like most liturgists I've read or encountered, doesn't have both feet planted in reality. There's something about studying liturgy that makes one prone to stubbornness and intolerance. That Malloy, in the opening chapter, cites the "pageants of Germany's Third Reich" as an good example of successful liturgical endeavors is worrisome. This book is for the Episcopal Church, but then Malloy notes Principle 6 in his "Principals for Making Liturgical Decisions": "When neither the rubrics nor the canons dictate what to do and reason does not provide a solution, the Roman Rite is a good place to start." He proceeds, for much of the book, to continually use the Roman Rite to hammer liturgical practices into effect.
Personally, I wouldn't want to attend Malloy's services--he is too nit-picky. He advocates firing any lector who doesn't read with conviction, dismissing acolytes and eucharistic ministers whose lives outside the church do not reflect their responsibilities within the church. He even advocates that those undergoing the rite of Baptism should be "stripped naked, or nearly naked" and fully immersed (and complains that prudish Americans just don't understand how theologically sound his stance is). And here is Malloy on the quality of vessels used during Eucharist:
Simply because vessels are made for a liturgical purpose, they are not necessarily worthy of the liturgy. Mass-produced communionware can be ill-proportioned, gaudy, derivative, and unwieldy. Some glass Communion vessels are nothing but dining crystal with a cross etched into them. Everything used in the liturgy should be the finest available, and simply because they are featured in a catalog of religious goods does not make them fine.
And, seriously, I remember how often Jesus complained about the chintzy dinner-ware when he dined with others, or how Jesus had the disciples attend to the quality of the dinnerware when sending them to prepare a place for the Last Supper.
But, Attentive Reader, you notice I gave "Killjoy" Malloy four stars. Of course I did. Any attempt to solidify amorphous Episcopal practices will, inevitably, lead to controversy or disagreements. Malloy's focus on minutia and consequent subjective ranting awaken the ire of anyone serious about developing a sense of what is the best way to give thanks and praise onto the Lord. When I disagree, my choice is the result of wrestling with Malloy's take, a take soundly argued in the text. When I disagree, I must discern the scriptural and liturgical rationale which refutes Malloy and confirms my position.
For every decent idea, Malloy offers suggests practices which are odd or subjective. This book would best be read with a group of postulants in order to discuss what works and what is wonky within these chapters. After wrestling with Malloy, you'll never take liturgical practices for granted again.
February 12, 2024
I read this book for a class on the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and found it informative and helpful for my formation. While it is full of deeply meaningful theology surrounding the shape of the Eucharistic liturgy I do have some places that I differ from Malloy.
Malloy seems dedicated to minimizing the physically demonstrative acts of the Celebrant in the liturgy, from movements in the Sursum Corda to the solemn bow in the institution narrative. He even seems opposed to lifting or gesturing towards the bread and wine in the Eucharist, though he is resigned to their inclusion because, "...the Prayer book mandates the gesture and so the presider may not omit it."
It is a bit amusing that he begins the book saying that he was not interested in writing a customary, then proceeds to write a customary. What sets this book apart is that he includes his commentary on the custom and so exposes the purpose and intent behind the acts.
This commentary is what elevates my rating of the book from a three star to a four. In discussing and arguing the purpose and intent behind the acts we chose to do, and the elements we choose to include, Malloy encourages the reader to reflect more deeply on the purpose and intent behind their own choices. I found this very informative and formative to my learning and growth.
Malloy seems dedicated to minimizing the physically demonstrative acts of the Celebrant in the liturgy, from movements in the Sursum Corda to the solemn bow in the institution narrative. He even seems opposed to lifting or gesturing towards the bread and wine in the Eucharist, though he is resigned to their inclusion because, "...the Prayer book mandates the gesture and so the presider may not omit it."
It is a bit amusing that he begins the book saying that he was not interested in writing a customary, then proceeds to write a customary. What sets this book apart is that he includes his commentary on the custom and so exposes the purpose and intent behind the acts.
This commentary is what elevates my rating of the book from a three star to a four. In discussing and arguing the purpose and intent behind the acts we chose to do, and the elements we choose to include, Malloy encourages the reader to reflect more deeply on the purpose and intent behind their own choices. I found this very informative and formative to my learning and growth.
May 30, 2017
Figuring that a little brush-up on matters liturgical can't be all bad, even for retired clergy, I took our rector's recommendation on this one. It didn't take long to suspect that Patrick Malloy (aside from the Irish name) was a "Roman retread" like me! One obvious tip-off was his reference on p. 36 to the late Presiding Bishop Browning...whose first name was Edmund, not "Edward".
Nevertheless, I found this to be a very solid, fair, and rather complete appraisal of what the Book of Common Prayer sees as a Eucharist service which is "decent & in order". He really gets to the heart of the theology behind Eucharistic liturgy...not, as he says, just "expressing", but also "impressing" the meaning. This will be a very useful vademecum for seminarians preparing for ordination either as deacons or priests. It wouldn't even be a bad idea to have a copy of Malloy's book in the sacristy for members of the Altar Guild.
Nevertheless, I found this to be a very solid, fair, and rather complete appraisal of what the Book of Common Prayer sees as a Eucharist service which is "decent & in order". He really gets to the heart of the theology behind Eucharistic liturgy...not, as he says, just "expressing", but also "impressing" the meaning. This will be a very useful vademecum for seminarians preparing for ordination either as deacons or priests. It wouldn't even be a bad idea to have a copy of Malloy's book in the sacristy for members of the Altar Guild.
February 5, 2024
Did you know that the council of Nicia banned bowing during all 50 days of Eastertide?
This book is somewhere between a guidebook and a textbook and, while helpful in places, could have used a rewrite.
This book is somewhere between a guidebook and a textbook and, while helpful in places, could have used a rewrite.
March 14, 2023
This primer is a must read for anyone who loves liturgy, assists with liturgy, or wants to get more out of the worship experience. I am an older woman with 25 years experience as an acolyte and minister of the cup, but I am a newly ordained deacon and I need instruction and reminders and explanations on what we are doing and why we are doing it.
I love this book and recommended to my colleagues. There are profound and simple explanations on all aspects of worship; well done illustrations help with the instruction.
Here are some of the passages I noted:
Why do people choose to come to church? Because the church promises what nothing else dares to promise: an encounter with God. It is not that the church is the only place God is present. God is no more present in a church on Sunday morning than in any of those other places. The church has no monopoly on God. But what we do have is an articulated intention to find God and a shared willingness to surrender to God. God can be found anywhere and in any group, but the church is where people are explicitly looking and willing to find God.
Nowhere is the church's intention to seek a deeper knowledge of God—to "find and be found" by God (BCP 386)—more clearly articulated than in the liturgy.
While a preacher must do a thorough exegesis of each text to learn what it meant in its own time, the preacher's ultimate task is to explore how God is still doing now what God was doing then. Exegetical material is for the sermon's footnotes and seldom deserves a prominent place in the preached sermon. The sermon is not about the text. It is about the current presence and action of the God whose presence and action are attested to in the Scripture.
THE DEACON
The deacon has five principal roles in the Eucharist: to bid the people to act ("Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor"; "Let us go forth..."); to proclaim the Gospel; to bid the Prayers of the People; to prepare the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist; and to be the presider's primary assistant, especially at the Lord's Table. There is symmetry between these liturgical tasks and the deacon's tasks in the larger life of the community. The Examination in the rite for the ordination of a deacon calls this order "a special ministry of servanthood." It elaborates that the deacon is to "serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely." The deacon is instructed "to study the Holy Scriptures, to seek nourishment from them, and to model your life upon them."
Since deacons, in general, have "secular" employment to earn their livelihood, they are exhorted to be evangelists in their day-today life, making "Christ and his redemptive love known, by word and example," in daily lie a work, and at worship. From their knowledge gained through daily work the are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world" (BCP 543).
None of these directives is liturgical, but each has an echo in the liturgy: the one who is charged with a ministry of servanthood in the world is the primary servant in the liturgy, making sure the things that make a liturgy run smoothly are done, so that the assembly can concentrate on their work of celebration. The one charged with studing and embodying the Scriptures is the one who, in the assembly, proclaims the Gospel.
The one who in some sense straddles the distance between the church and the workplace and who is therefore charged to keep the church abreast of the concrete needs of he world is also the one in the liturgy who bids the congregation to pray for the word a its specific and concrete neediness during the Prayers of the People. What the deacon does in the liturgy both expresses what the deacon does in the greater life of the church, and ritually reinforces in the deacon the qualities of character that are demanded by diaconal ordination.
I love this book and recommended to my colleagues. There are profound and simple explanations on all aspects of worship; well done illustrations help with the instruction.
Here are some of the passages I noted:
Why do people choose to come to church? Because the church promises what nothing else dares to promise: an encounter with God. It is not that the church is the only place God is present. God is no more present in a church on Sunday morning than in any of those other places. The church has no monopoly on God. But what we do have is an articulated intention to find God and a shared willingness to surrender to God. God can be found anywhere and in any group, but the church is where people are explicitly looking and willing to find God.
Nowhere is the church's intention to seek a deeper knowledge of God—to "find and be found" by God (BCP 386)—more clearly articulated than in the liturgy.
While a preacher must do a thorough exegesis of each text to learn what it meant in its own time, the preacher's ultimate task is to explore how God is still doing now what God was doing then. Exegetical material is for the sermon's footnotes and seldom deserves a prominent place in the preached sermon. The sermon is not about the text. It is about the current presence and action of the God whose presence and action are attested to in the Scripture.
THE DEACON
The deacon has five principal roles in the Eucharist: to bid the people to act ("Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor"; "Let us go forth..."); to proclaim the Gospel; to bid the Prayers of the People; to prepare the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist; and to be the presider's primary assistant, especially at the Lord's Table. There is symmetry between these liturgical tasks and the deacon's tasks in the larger life of the community. The Examination in the rite for the ordination of a deacon calls this order "a special ministry of servanthood." It elaborates that the deacon is to "serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely." The deacon is instructed "to study the Holy Scriptures, to seek nourishment from them, and to model your life upon them."
Since deacons, in general, have "secular" employment to earn their livelihood, they are exhorted to be evangelists in their day-today life, making "Christ and his redemptive love known, by word and example," in daily lie a work, and at worship. From their knowledge gained through daily work the are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world" (BCP 543).
None of these directives is liturgical, but each has an echo in the liturgy: the one who is charged with a ministry of servanthood in the world is the primary servant in the liturgy, making sure the things that make a liturgy run smoothly are done, so that the assembly can concentrate on their work of celebration. The one charged with studing and embodying the Scriptures is the one who, in the assembly, proclaims the Gospel.
The one who in some sense straddles the distance between the church and the workplace and who is therefore charged to keep the church abreast of the concrete needs of he world is also the one in the liturgy who bids the congregation to pray for the word a its specific and concrete neediness during the Prayers of the People. What the deacon does in the liturgy both expresses what the deacon does in the greater life of the church, and ritually reinforces in the deacon the qualities of character that are demanded by diaconal ordination.
November 9, 2014
This is as an excellent introduction to the Episcopal/Anglican liturgy of the Eucharist. There is good discussion on the theological and historical significance of each part of the liturgy, as well as ample practical advice. I would recommend this book particularly to recently ordained priests who would like to deepen their understanding of the Sunday liturgy and who would appreciate guidance on liturgical decisions regarding vestments, postures and gestures to use during the Eucharist. There is a helpful chapter outlining some principles for making such liturgical decisions, and there are also helpful explanations on the origins and theological significance of each act in this rite. I have found the book very helpful in deciding how to preside at the Eucharist, so as to make informed decisions rather than simply following the liturgical tradition of my parish or mentor-Vicar. I can see myself consulting this book from time to time throughout my ministry.
January 20, 2016
A great guide to the actions and meaning of services in the Episcopal Church. Easy to read and understand, and great for any who have an active role in the services.
August 6, 2020
Great as a practical tool for celebrating the Eucharist. The diagrams and descriptions are helpful.
December 31, 2011
Absolutely excellent. One of the few books I will read more than once.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews