The Order for the Communion of the Sick

If any member of the Church, through sickness or infirmity, is unable to come to the House of God, and yet desires to receive the Communion, it may be administered to him privately; in which case, timely notice thereof must be given to the Minister. At least one other person should communicate with the sick.

All things necessary being ready, the Minister shall say,

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dearly Beloved in the Lord; Forasmuch as in the providence of God you are not able to receive the Holy Communion in the Church, and your heart nevertheless longs for the enjoyment of this blessing and grace, be encouraged and comforted by the words of the Lord Jesus: Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them.

That you may not partake unworthily of this holy Sacrament, consider well, and lay rightly to heart, the exhortation and warning of the Apostle Paul: Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup; for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

Hear also how St. John encourages those who are truly penitent, saying: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And again it is written: If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The Minister shall say,

Let us confess our sin.

Then the Minister and those present may kneel and all shall confess their sin. The Confession may be said by all at one time, or the Minister may lead in saying it, taking care so to pause that the others may repeat the words after him.

Confession of Sin

Almighty and most merciful God our heavenly Father; We humble ourselves before thee, Under a deep sense of our unworthiness and guilt. We have grievously sinned against thee, In thought, in word, and in deed. We have come short of thy glory, We have broken thy commandments, And turned aside every one of us from the way of life. Yet now, O most merciful Father, Hear us when we call upon thee with penitent hearts; And for the sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ, Have mercy upon us. Pardon our sins; Take away our guilt; And grant us thy peace. Purify us, by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, From all inward uncleanness; And make us able and willing to serve thee in newness of life, to the glory of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then the Minister shall rise, and pronounce to those assembled, still kneeling, this Assurance of Pardon.

Assurance of Pardon

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of thy great mercy hast promised forgiveness of sins to all them that with hearty repentance and due faith turn unto thee; have mercy upon us; pardon and deliver us from all our sins; confirm and strengthen us in all goodness; and bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Minister may then read the Epistle and the Gospel for the Day, or the following Epistle and Gospel.

The Epistle. 1 John 5:13-15

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

The Gospel. John 6:47-51

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

If the elements have already been consecrated in the Church, the Minister shall read the Words of Institution; and administer the Bread and the Cup, first to those who communicate with the sick, and then to the sick person.

The Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat, this is my Body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also, he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my Blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

The Minister, giving the Bread, shall say,

The Minister, giving the Cup, shall say,

If the elements have not been consecrated, the Minister shall consecrate them, making use of the following order:

Eucharistic Prayer

Let us pray.

It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Everlasting God, for that thou of thy great goodness didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death for our redemption; Who the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread; (Here the Minister shall take bread into his hands) and when he had given thanks, he brake it, (Here the Minister shall break the bread) and said, Take, eat; this is my Body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner, also, he took the cup (Here the Minister shall take the cup into his hands) when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my Blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Wherefore having in remembrance his holy life, his suffering and death, we thy servants do set forth this memorial which he has commanded us to make; and we beseech thee, O most merciful Father, to send thy Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these elements of bread and wine, that the bread which we break may be to us the Communion of the Body of Christ, and the cup of blessing which we bless the Communion of the Blood of Christ. We beseech thee to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, together with the consecration of ourselves unto thee and to thy holy service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer may be said by all who are present.

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy Name, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The Communion

The Communion shall then take place. The Minister may first receive the sacrament in both kinds. Then he shall administer the same to those who communicate with the sick, and then to the sick person.

The Minister, giving the Bread, shall say,

The Minister, giving the Cup, shall say,

When all have communicated the Minister shall say,

Let us pray.

Almighty God, we thank thee for thy great mercy given to us in this Sacrament, whereby we are made partakers of Christ and all his benefits. So enrich us by thy Holy Spirit that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal body, and all our days may be spent in thy love and service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here other prayers may be said.

Benediction

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.

In case of extreme necessity it will suffice if the Order for the Communion of the Sick consist of: 

1. "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." 

2. The Eucharistic Prayer. (The Minister shall say, "Let us pray. It is very meet, right," etc.) 

3. The Communication. 

4. The Benediction.