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The Eucharistic Fast
Have you ever heard of the Eucharistic fast? Unfortunately, in our modern world, it’s not only a discipline that has been too frequently laid aside, but forgotten entirely. According to the St. Augustine’s Prayer Book—a helpful devotional supplement to the Book of Common Prayer—the Eucharistic Fast is the abstention from food to prepare for the reception of Communion. Traditionally, this fast began Sunday at midnight and included all forms of food and water. However, this has been tweaked in modern times.
This brief post will attempt to explain the biblical and theological reasons for the Eucharistic fast, to survey he history of the practice, and to offer some modern adaptations to help us better practice the fast so that we can better prepare our bodies and souls to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Sacrament.
As far back as the book of Exodus, God’s people are called to self-preparation before approach God. At Mount Sinai, God through Moses gave the people of Israel a liturgy to prepare themselves:
“Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai” (Exod 19:10-11).
This careful preparation is transposed into the New Covenant around the Eucharistic meal per 1 Corinthians 11:27-29:
“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 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.”
Further, both Testaments are unified in their emphasis on fasting as a way of humbling ourselves before the Lord (Joel 2:12; Matt 6:16-18). It’s important for us to remember that when we attend the Eucharist, we are attending the Wedding Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:6-9). If one ought to carefully prepare to attend an earthly banquet, how much more should we prepare to attend a heavenly one? We can use this mode of preparation to express our reverence for the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Eucharistic fast is an ancient and venerable tradition. In its current form, the fast stretches all the way back to at least the fourth century. St. Augustine spoke of it in a letter to his friend Januarius saying:
“It has pleased the Holy Ghost that, in honor of so great a Sacrament, the Body of the Lord should enter the mouth of the Christian before any other food, for it is the custom observed throughout the world” (emphasis added).
This practice was retained in the medieval period as well. Even during and after the Reformation, many Anglicans continued to observe the Eucharistic fast. In his brilliant book The Worthy Communicant, Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) commends the Eucharistic fast as an ancient practice, prescribing it alongside a regimen of devotional activities for each day one receives Communion. These other devotional activities include giving God thanks to receive “the sacrament of Christ himself,” making a general confession of your sins in a way that makes you keenly aware of God’s mercy, make acts of general contrition[1], worship Jesus, throw away unholy and earthly thoughts to better focus on heaven, while watching the Communion liturgy “behold with the eyes of faith and of the spirit, that thou seest Christ’s body broken upon the cross, that thou sees him bleeding for thy sins,” etc.
While the fast is commended to Anglicans, it is not required in our Canon Law or by the Book of Common Prayer. As a result, it’s helpful to look how other churches handle the Eucharistic fast. In 1953, Pope Pius XII adjusted the rules for Roman Catholics regarding the Eucharistic fast in a way that relaxed many of the rules. For example, he allowed communicants to drink water before receiving Communion. He also laxed the fasts for those who were sick, traveling, or employed as physical laborers. In 1957, he adjusted the starting time of the fast from midnight to three hours before receiving Communion. In 1983, the Roman Church adjusted the length of the fast again, requiring at least one hour of abstaining from food before reception.
One of the great things about the Anglican tradition is that it is collaborative and highly pastoral. As a result, the Eucharistic fast may not be a “one size fits all,” uniform rule. However, we would encourage that at the very least, we fast for one hour before receiving Communion. For those who are able, the traditional fast might be a richer mode of preparing to receive the Eucharist.
But it’s important that we not perform the fast just to tick off boxes; instead, we should use the fast to help us develop discipline and reference. Fasting should be a kind of physical prayer and offering to God as a way of communicating our longing for him. Fasting should help us approach the Altar with greater reverence. The physical hunger we experience during the fast should remind us to hunger for the Bread of Life.
Some practical tips for keeping the Eucharistic fast:
Don’t bite off more than you can chew (pun intended): if you are elderly, sick, or a manual laborer, please don’t try to do too much. Consider making alternative sacrifices instead of abstaining from food.
Start small: If you’re new to fasting, try starting with just an hour before Communion and adding more time as you experience success in keeping your discipline.
Coffee counts: Yes…technically coffee does count as breaking the fast. But water is okay. This is why Anglicans enjoy a hearty coffee hour after the service.
Teach children gradually: If you have children, they can begin to learn to fast in ways that are age appropriate. Older children can probably begin participating in the fast, but it might be good to teach younger children incrementally or by engaging in an alternative sacrifice.
Remember, the Eucharistic fast is not about legalism, it’s about love. When done well, the fast encourages us to come to the Altar with joyful anticipation.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps 34:8a).
[1] The Act of Contrition according to the St. Augustine’s Prayer Book: “My God, I am very sorry that I have sinned against thee, who art so good. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake, and I will try to sin no more” (28).
Notes from the 2025 Synod of the Diocese of the Eastern United States of the Anglican Province of America
This past week July 29-31, the parishes of the Diocese of the Eastern United States of the Anglican Province of America gathered for synod in Greenville, South Carolina. The theme of this year’s gathering was missions.
The business portion of the synod began with Bishop Chad’s state of the diocese address. The APA is growing. The Diocese of the Eastern United States has grown by 2% since last year and the overall province has grown by 1%. The Bishop also pointed out that we are seeing a revival of interest in traditional and liturgical worship. Currently, the diocese has 29 persons enrolled in the formation process to prepare for ministry. He also enthusiastically informed us about the continued positive relations between the Anglican Joint Synod churches—the APA, Anglican Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church in America. Recently, the ACA has decided to merge with the ACC which is an exciting development. In keeping with the theme of missions, Bishop Chad urged us to remember that the Church’s mission to go into the world to preach the Gospel is a reflection of God’s very essence and character. Moving forward, missions churches are going to be an important part of the APA’s mission. To that end, Bishop challenged the diocese to resolve to establish a new mission in each deanery in the next three years.
Some other highlights of the business portion of our meeting included the appearance of retired Bishop Walter Grundorf who has been battling cancer. It was fantastic to see him and his wife, Mary. Archbishop Mark Haverland of the Anglican Catholic Church was also present and greeted the synod. We also met the 2026 diocesan budget through parish pledges.
You can watch the synod proceedings here:
Liturgically, it was a full week. Each day included Morning Prayer, Holy Communion, and Evening Prayer. The Synod Mass was at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Greenville. Bishop Chad’s cousin is the Pastor there. It was an amazing facility.
The Mass itself was phenomenal. Bishop Chad’s cousin processed with the Altar Party and said a few words about their youth and spiritual formation. You can watch the Mass here:
Liturgically, each of the St. Paul’s priests had roles in the various services throughout the week. Fr. Dennis was the reader at Solemn Evensong on Wednesday night, Fr. Wesley led a sung Matins on Thursday morning, and Fr. David was the emcee at the Synod Mass.
Overall, it was a wonderful time of fellowship, an efficient business meeting, and a beautiful time for worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ from across the diocese. Also, it is important that we give a special thanks to our synod lay delegates: Ken Sabel and David Smith. It was a pleasure to have them and it should be encouraging to the parish to know that they attended to the synod with great diligence and care.
To close, it would be good for everyone in the parish to pray the Collect for Missions (BCP 38) as frequently as possible:
O God, who hast made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the whole earth, and didst send thy blessed Son to preach peace to them that are far off and to them that are nigh; Grant that all men everywhere may seek after thee and find thee. Bring the nations into thy fold, pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten thy kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Summer Catechesis Night Schedule
The goal of Adult Catechesis is to equip Anglican worshippers with the necessary understanding of our faith, our shared practices, and our history. Catechesis is religious formation based on doctrine. As such, it should encompass many different areas: dogmatic theology, liturgical theology, moral theology, biblical theology, historical theology, and missiology. We will provide catechesis based on cycles, moving from one topic to another in order to provide comprehensive formation for our parishioners.
June 18-July 16: Biblical Theology - The Four Senses of Scripture and Lectio Divina
Week 1 (June 18): The Literal Sense of Scripture and Lectio
Week 2 (June 25): The Allegorical Sense of Scripture and Meditatio
July 2 - Break
July 9 - Break
Week 3 (July 16): The Tropological Sense of Scripture and Oratio
Week 4 (July 23): The Anagogical Sense of Scripture and Contemplatio
Cycle 5 (August 6-September 10): The Faith Delivered to the Saints - The Ante-Nicene Fathers and Early Heresies
Week 1 (August 6): The Episcopacy and St. Igantius of Antioch + St. Clement of Rome
August 13 - Break
Week 2 (August 20): Justin the Martyr vs. the Pagan World
Week 3 (August 27): Irenaeus vs. the Gnostics
Week 4 (September 3): Cyprian vs. the Novationists
Week 5 (September 10): Tertullian and the Fathers vs. Marcionism
2025 Clara Angelis Memorial Scholarship Application
The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial support for educational pursuits by members of St. Paul’s Anglican Church and their children.
To receive the reward, applicants must meet the following requirements:
Course of study at a college, university, or trade school that leads to career certification
Participation in community activities-B average in recent courses of study.
Pastoral Letter of Recommendation
The 2025 APA Clergy Retreat in Gloucester, Virginia
The First Session from the Clergy Retreat
The Second Session of the Clergy Retreat
Evensong at the Clergy Retreat
The Third Session of the Clergy Retreat.