Concepts: The Altar Guild and its work is a lot more than just housekeeping. The function is truly a spiritual one in that you prepare the altar and church for each worship service. At St. Paul, we share the sacrament of Holy Communion every Sunday as well as during special services through the church year. The Altar Guild is responsible for preparing the communion vessels for the service, along with the linens and paraments, ensuring the candles are filled with oil and the wax candles replaced as they burn down, and placing fresh flowers in the vases for service. After service, the Altar Guild cleans and puts everything away until it is time to prepare for the next service. Our Altar Guild has adopted the practice of taking on a group project to enhance some part of the chancel. In the past, projects have included replacing the Christmas Eve candles used during the service by the congregation, replacing the green parament cloths so that we have a matching set with similar designs and the same shade of green, providing peace candles for the congregation to distribute to our visitors, and our current projects which include replacing the albs used by the Deacon and the Acolyte, and replating or replacing our wine chalices for communion.   The Church Year & Its Colors: Advent - blue or purple Christmas - white Epiphany - white, then green Lent - purple, alternates white or red for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week Easter - white Pentecost Day & Week - red Holy Trinity & Week - white Sundays after Pentecost - green Note: Certain other festival days occur throughout these seasons. Their color appears in your liturgical calendar. Sometimes one will override another.   Terminology: Altar - the Communion Table, focal point of worship, represents God"s presence Apse - rounded wall behind the altar in traditional-shaped church buildings. Burse - colored " envelope" placed on top of chalice ensemble and used as a storage place for communion linens Chalice - communion cup Chalice Veil - colored "tent" for the chalice Chancel - clergy platform with pulpit, lectern, clergy chairs, etc. Ciborium - communion wafer cup with lid Corporal - whilte square linen upon which the chalice is set Credence - shelf or table for storage of offering plates, communion vessels, etc. Crossing - wher the 2 arms and center aisle meet in a cross-shaped building Cruet - wine container, also called flagon Fair Linen - long white "table cloth" of the altar Narthex - entrance vestibule Nave - where the people sit, the "navy" of the Church rows the Ship. Pall - hard white square placed onto paten and chalice Paschal Candle - large candle lighted at the Vigil of Easter and placed on the Gospel side of the altar during the 6 weeks of Easter. It is extinguished and placed at the Baptismal Font for the remainder of the year. It is lighted at baptisms and funerals. Paten - communion plate Predella - top step upon which the altar is placed Purificator - chalice "napkin" Sacristy - special room for Altar Guild work and storage of paraments, etc Sancturary - area within the altar railing, not the entire church as popularly misused Sanctuary Lamp - everburning lamp placed near the altar. Sometimes called the Presence Lamp. It was commanded by God to Aaron and his sons in the Old Testament to remind the Hebrews of God's constant presence with his people. "A pillar of fire by night". Sedilia - clergy chairs Transcepts - the 2 arms of the cross in a cross-shaped building   Return To Activities Main Page