Trinity's Altar Guild bears the responsibility for the care and maintenance of the Altar or chancel area, its cloths or paraments and communion ware. The Altar Guild sets up for the Lord's Supper and coordinates teams of volunteers to clean the communion ware. To sign up for Trinity's Altar Guild email the church office or call 630.629.8765. Holy Communion Set Up Instructions
The Holy Communion tray is found in the top drawer inside a burgundy cloth. Onto the tray is placed a cloth, usually a thin see-through cloth or a Purificator, both found in the second drawer.
On the Holy Communion tray in photograph at left: Ciborium (upper left) for the hosts, Flagon (upper right) for the wine, Chalice (bottom center) with plastic lid over the top, then a Purificator cloth, then the Paten (plate on top). Two additional Purificators are placed to the left of the Chalice, and then a slotted spoon (to remove impurities from the Chalice). Over the entire tray is placed a veil (also found in the second drawer). Please note that, even though shown in the picture, no additional roll of hosts is needed on the tray. The pouring of all wine is the responsibility of the Elder or Elders on duty.
In addition, two trays of individual cups are to be set up and covered with the wooden tray top (on top of the cabinets in the Sacristy). The individual cups and trays are found in the third and fourth drawers.
General Altar Care
The Fair Linen, which covers the Altar, should be changed every three months or as soon as possible after spilling.Trinity has two Fair Linen cloths; one hangs in the Sacristy closet. This cloth is dry cleaned, as linen tends to shrink if washed.
Altar Terms
Chalice:This is a Middle English word from the Latin calix, meaning "cup." The chalice is the cup used to distribute the Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. Also known as the “Common Cup.” Ciborium:Medieval Latin word meaning “drinking cup.” Similar in shape to a chalice and covered with a lid, the ciborium contains the consecrated hosts used in Holy Communion. FairLinen:This is the long white cloth which covers the altar over the "superfrontal" (the cloth which carries the color of the day).It usually has five flat crosses embroidered on it to remind the worshiper of the five wounds that Christ received on our behalf.The fair linen symbolizes the burial cloth of Jesus.This altar cloth is always rolled after laundering rather than folded.Flagon:This is from a Latin word meaning "bottle" or "flask." A flagon is a large pouring vessel that contains wine for use during distribution of the Lord’s Supper. The Blood of Christ is poured from the flagon into a chalice. Paten:This is a Latin word for "dish." A paten is a round plate from which the Body of Christ is distributed. At Trinity, the consecrated hosts are kept in the Ciborium during distribution. Purificator: This is the napkin used to clean the Chalice during the Lord’s Supper. It is between 11-13 inches long, square, and made of linen soft enough to be absorbent for that purpose.
Trinity Lutheran Church & School - Roosevelt & Westmore-Meyers Roads - Lombard, IL 60148 church: 630.629.8765 - school: 630.627.5601 - trinitylombard.org - info@trinitylombard.org
