August 11, 2026
Rector’s Letter Concerning Children’s Communion
Dear Members of the St. Joseph Anglican Church,
For some time, I have been considering the theological debate concerning children’s communion (sometimes called paedocommunion) and the case for and against it. Rather than changing parish policy without duly informing the Vestry, this letter’s original draft and its presentation at the Vestry Meeting on August 9, 2026 constituted my formal announcement that we will permit and encourage, but not require, children’s communion at St. Joseph Anglican Church. This letter has been lightly revised to make it more appropriate for wider circulation.
Rubric and Canons
Historically, in accordance with the rubrics of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer’s direction on page 299 “there shall none be admitted to the Holy Communion, until such times as he be confirmed, or be ready and desirous to be confirmed,” St. Joseph has upheld the practice of not administering Holy Communion to unconfirmed children. Our previous jurisdiction did not allow children’s communion prior to confirmation, and so we upheld that teaching while we were in that jurisdiction. I felt it was not appropriate to hastily change our practices after a major decision to move denominational affiliations into the REC. Recent events and long-standing considerations have led me to change this policy.
The REC Constitution and Canons says, “The control of the worship and the spiritual jurisdiction of the Parish are vested in the Rector, subject to the Rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer, the Canons of the Church, and the godly counsel of the Bishop” (Canon 19.1.a). The REC as a whole has differing opinions about the question of children’s communion, some for and some against it. The Diocesan Customary of the Diocese of Mid-America (REC) authorizes parishes (under the purview of the Rector) to set the policy, with the following guidelines: “1. That the reception of communion by young children should normally be in the context of their participation with their parents and other family members in the liturgy of the Church; 2. That pastoral sensitivity is always required: in not forcing the sacrament on an unwilling child, in not rejecting a baptized child who is reaching out for communion with God in Christ, and in respecting the position of the parents in this regard. 4. That the practice of some parishes which customarily give first communion only to those who have been confirmed is seen to be acceptable practice, provided that children already admitted to the Holy Communion in another parish or jurisdiction should not be denied the sacrament. (Section III: Sacraments and Rites of the Church; subsection Paedo-communion) As our Diocesan Customary, this document has canonical force to answer the rubric on p. 299 in the BCP, meaning we have authorization from the REC-DMA to follow or not follow that rubric. However, per item 4, although we are allowed to uphold Confirmation within the church as the standard for reception of Holy Communion, we are nonetheless asked to be hospitable towards REC and other children’s communion practicing Christians. Thus, in any case, children’s communion cannot be regarded as strictly forbidden within the REC; we can, as a custom, require member parents to practice withholding Holy Communion from children until confirmation, but are discouraged from doing so with guests.
Counsel I Have Received
I should note, as a matter of clarity, that my consideration of and inclination towards children’s communion did not actually begin with us joining the REC as a parish but during my time as Senior Warden at a previous parish, while in the same jurisdiction in which St. Joseph was initially founded. My priest in the jurisdiction to which we formerly belonged before we came to St. Joseph was and still is strongly in favor of children’s communion, but complies with his jurisdiction’s teaching on the matter. He gave me a book entitled Feed My Lambs: Why the Lord’s Supper Should Be Restored to Covenant Children by Tim Gallant, which provides a strong biblical basis for children’s communion.
While this is not an argument per se, I should say that children’s communion clearly is the more widely held position in the Reformed Episcopal Church today. I have consulted a number of bishops, priests, and deacons on the matter, at the General Council, at the local clergy retreat, and in other contexts, and have found from spiritual leaders I deeply trust and rely upon a strong affirmation of this practice as biblical and spiritually edifying.
The Biblical Case Against Children’s Communion
Those who disaffirm children’s communion (as I myself have until relatively recently, albeit with doubts) have both historical grounds to do so in Anglicanism as well as a biblical basis. They cite (as I have cited) 1 Corinthians 11:28-30: “But 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 damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” One may contend that children are not of an age to suitably examine themselves, and so may be in peril of partaking unworthily. The serious nature Paul gives should not be missed: “many sleep” means “many have died.” Holy Communion is a great responsibility. Speaking of pastoral authority, Hebrews 13:17 reads, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Many clergy (and parents) feel that withholding communion from children until confirmation is how to best care for their souls. This is a respectable and God-honoring position, and those parents who hold it should not be pressured to commune their children (nor should clergy who hold this position be viewed with a critical spirit).
The Biblical Case For Children’s Communion
However, I have come to regard the biblical case for Children’s Communion as stronger than against it. That same passage, where Paul warns against consuming unworthily, also warns against Holy Communion creating division in the Body of Christ: 1 Corinthians 11:16-18 “But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.” Children are not excommunicated, nor are they obviously guilty of commitment to some manner of life deemed sinful; why should they be divided from the Lord’s Table? Consider: Scripture also connects Baptism to repentance (Acts 2:38), and yet the scriptural arguments for Infant Baptism are stronger than those against it. As with adult baptism, where an adult has become a Christian outside of a Christian household, an adult capable of adult-level sins are the ones who must take Paul’s admonition seriously. There is no biblical indication that children cannot repent, nor any indication that they are formally disallowed from the Lord’s Table. Paul instructs children to obey their parents “as in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1); there is no discourse here or elsewhere of children preparing to take communion when one “comes of age.”
In fact, children do often understand the idea of apologizing to God and those whom they have hurt. When a child apologizes to God and then is turned away from the Lord’s Table, we discourage them from practicing repentance at its fullest. Jesus mandates that we allow children to come to Him (Matthew 19:14), and we as Anglicans believe that in the Lord’s Supper Christ is truly present, in a spiritual manner, in the elements. Does it not then disobey Christ’s order to let children come to Him, if we withhold Holy Communion from them?
Furthermore, the Bread of Life discourse in John 6 associates Christ with the manna from heaven when the Israelites were in the desert after leaving Egypt. This manna fed the tribe and prevented them from starving. The nation of Israel processing through the Red Sea with Moses leading them is figured in Scripture as an analog for Baptism (1 Corinthians 10:2), and supports infant baptism because, of course, the Israelites did not wait until the children were of age to decide if they wanted to flee death at the hands of Pharoah’s army. Likewise they did not wait until the children were of age to prevent them from starving in the wilderness. They fed them the manna. In John 6:35, Jesus Christ said, “I am the Bread of Life,” and teaches that He is the true bread from heaven which the manna prefigured. Children in the Old Covenant ate of the bread from Heaven; on what basis do we deny them the Bread from Heaven in the New Covenant? In this same chapter, Christ feeds the five thousand with the five small loaves and two fish, which were supplied by a young boy (John 6:9). There is no indication that children were told to abstain from the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, but were included. The Supper of the Lamb is extended to the whole flock of Christ’s sheep, including those lambs, whom we must be like to enter into the Kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3).
Notably, children’s communion was a practice in the early church, as seen in Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian of Carthage, the Apostolic Constitutions, and Augustine all attest to the practice of communing children.
Rector’s Teaching
As Rector, therefore, I permit and encourage, but do not require, parents to bring their children to the Lord’s Table, provided that they have explained to their children the importance of asking God for forgiveness for their sins. As adult Christians may abstain from Holy Communion for reasons of conscience, so parents may decide that children are not in a suitable state for partaking. Likewise, I support parents who hold the conviction that children should wait until they are confirmed to partake; they certainly have the rubric on 299, historical Anglican practice, and the biblical justification given above for waiting.
But as in John 10:10 Christ teaches, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,” I encourage parents to consider inviting their baptized children into the abundant sacramental life. Parents may help children with intinction if they are too small to manage the cup; infant children unable to respond to the Lord’s Supper as “desirous of partaking” (BCP 299) should not be communed. Lay Readers and those helping to prepare the elements taking a count should, therefore, count any children older than infancy for informing the consecrating celebrant (priest or bishop) as to how many communion wafers should be set out. Accordingly, the new directions in the bulletin shall read:
All Christians baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the blessed Trinity, who are striving to live a penitential and faithful life in the Lord, are welcomed to the Lord’s Supper.
At the discretion of their parents, baptized children who desire to partake of the Lord’s Supper and understand the basic concept of apologizing to God and accepting His forgiveness are welcome to the Lord’s Supper.
Any who do not partake of Holy Communion, whether due to parental preference or matters of conscience, may come forward with arms crossed for a blessing.
I believe that this practice more fully implements the biblical place of children born into the Covenant of Christ as witnessed in the early Church, and that God is honored in doing so. We must, however, discuss this matter with sensitivity and fairness with any who visit and have a different view. Whether we commune or do not commune children, we must do all things to the glory of God
Blessings to you in Christ,
Rev. Dr. Anthony G. Cirilla