Pastoral Communion Set
This traveling pastoral communion set includes a trio of items that comes in a leather box with a metal lock and four metal “feet” to indicate the base of the box.
Inside the box, are a silver chalice, pyx, and paten. These items are held in place with wooden pieces that are covered in a well-used red satin fabric. The paten is protected behind a piece of satin fabric and held in place with a metal latch.
THE THREE ITEMS (using descriptions from Britannica.com):
– Chalice – a cup used in the celebration of the Christian Eucharist. Both the statement of St. Paul about “the cup of blessing which we bless” (1 Corinthians 10:16) and the accounts of the institution of the Eucharist in the first three Gospels indicate that special rites of consecration attended the use of the chalice from the beginning. It was not until the recognition of Christianity by the Roman Empire in the 4th century that silver and gold became the usual materials for the chalice.
– Pyx – a vessel containing the consecrated bread used in the service of Holy Communion.
– Paten – a plate usually made of precious metal and used to carry the bread at the Eucharist.
PURPOSE OF A PASTORAL VISIT
It was (and still in many churches today) the duty of a pastor not only to teach the congregation in public, but privately. For those who were elderly and could not get to church, the pastor would visit them at home. A pastor also visited the sick and those who were dying for prayer, a blessing, and communion.
