PRISM – Parish Education Series

This is  a resource is available that is tailor–made to the needs of parishioners in the Church of Ireland. 

At General Synod in May 2008 ‘Celebrating Communion‘ was launched. This a parish–based adult religious education programme runs over 6 sessions and can be offered at any time of the liturgical year. Commissioned by the Liturgical Advisory Committee on the publication of the 2004 Book of Common Prayer, it aims to help people look in great detail at Holy Communion Two.  

‘Celebrating Communion’ is the first in the Prism series of parish–based liturgical educational resources. It sets out to encourage a thinking faith and a lived out understanding of what it is to be drawn by God’s grace into communion with each other and with God in Christ.

• It was written for all members of the community
  • Those training to administer the bread and wine during a service 
  • Those commissioned to bring Communion by Extension to the housebound.

It comprises 6 sessions, including Holy Communion for groups of up to 10 with each session lasting 90 minutes

The title of each session is based on the actual sections of the service:

1. Gathering of God’s People
2. Proclaiming and Receiving of God’s Word
3. Prayers of the People
4. Celebrating at the Lord’s Table
5. The Going Out as God’s People

The Leader’s Handbook contains everything required to run the programme and gives very clear guidelines and background information where needed. Each session is structured so as to look at each theme from the angle of everyday experience, scripture, and the relevant section in the Prayer Book, and ends with worship.

Participants are invited to commit themselves to 10–15 minutes in quiet prayer each day and read a psalm a day from the Book of Common Prayer.

There may be a range of outcomes from running this programme in a parish: the encouragement of a deeper spiritual understanding of Holy Communion Two, the development of a parish Liturgy Group and or the encouragement of the daily reading of Psalms from the Book of Common Prayer.

A Leader’s Handbook and 10 Participant’s Handbooks costs €25 or individually each book will cost €2.99 each. These are available from The Book Well in Belfast and The Resource Centre in Rathmines.

Revd Maria Jansson
Liturgical Advisory Officer, Cashel and Ossory

A Copy of Prism  – Celebrating Communion can can be downloaded here 

Prism Presentation at General Synod 2008