General Findings
Many people are quite familiar with the communion chalice, but most have no idea why it is important in the Christian faith as well as it’s meaning.
The communion cup is a more common name for the chalice. It is considered as one of the most famous sacred vessel known by the people. The communion cup is a sacred vessel that is used to hold the wine during a mass or service.
The Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Churches are among the denominations that make use of this sacred vessel.
Most of the time, this cup is usually made from gold or silver and decorated with several stones. Back in the day, the cup was a common symbol that was passed on from one member of the family to the other.
Moreover, these chalices were in the shape of a goblet which had two handles on either side. As time went by, however, this design changed and turned even if its main purpose remained the same.
The chalice as a vessel was treated with great reverence and often kept in a sacred place. Most of the time, when people hear of the word chalice or communion cup they automatically think ‘holy grail’ or the cup that Christ used in the Last Supper.
This came about when pilgrims back in the 6th and 7th century believed that there was a sect that still held the original cup that Christ used. However, this turned out to be unfounded.
It just goes to show how important the communion chalice is to the Christian faith and how far devotees will go for it.
Different Kinds of Communion Chalice
One of the most sacred and revered vessels in the Christian faith is the Communion chalice. You can find a whole variety of chalices that are suited for any kind of denomination or religion that might have a need for them.
Of course, the design as well as the style would be different for each denomination. For instance, for Western Christianity, the cups were made with a special node at the stem. This special node allowed for easier pick up by the user.
For the Catholic Church, prior to the Vatican II, all communion chalices were made to mimic a tulip design and were created with a slim design since only the priest was using them.
Today, however, all people who are to take communion can drink from the chalice or any form of cup to also partake of the blood of Christ.
On the other hand, in Eastern Christianity, which includes the Orthodox churches; the chalices were often decorated with icons and even the cross. All of the people that took the communion were also able to drink from the chalice itself.
As you can see, the chalice has had many facets and even today, variations of its looks are still present.
These cups are still seen as an important part of the sacrament and the faith. They are essentially used to symbolically hold the blood of Christ.
The sanctity is still being revered and in fact, in the Catholic Church, whenever the communion chalice is used, it is actually blessed first and anointed.
Tags: Communion Chalice, communion sets, communion supplies
Posted in Religion · March 13th, 2010 · Comments (0)
For most individuals, clergy stoles are a great help in identifying and distinguishing a member of the church or the position they occupy.
Take for example professional athletes; they wear various uniforms and garments as well. This assists in helping fans identify to which team they belong or what function they have in the game.
In a similar manner, the religious aspect of life also requires “uniforms” to help the people here identifiable from the rest of the crowd. Professionals in the religious field actually wear a vestment to help identify them and these are called clergy stoles.
Clergy Stoles to Classify Clergy
These stoles are shaped like a scarf and they are mostly worn by churches from the Christian denomination. However, there are also other churches that go ahead and make use of this shawl.
Most of the time, the stole is created using silk or cotton fabric, however, it can actually be made from any kind of cloth. When it comes to the shape, it can also be varied. However, the most common one has two ends that drop in the front and a triangular piece at the back.
As for the way they are worn, the center part is to be placed at the back, close to the neck. The front part is usually left hanging. This also contains a design or an insignia in it.
Most often, the designs or symbols in the clergy stoles represent the denomination or religion of the clergy member wearing it.
You can visit several places if you are looking to buy some clergy stoles. There are two main options that you can take, either to go online or visit your nearest Christian shop.
Buying from a local shop is advantageous since you get to check out the item for yourself, however, it can be tiring since you would need to jump from one store to another to find the right one.
Moreover, there is the problem of having a limited selection since you won’t be the only one looking to buy one. You would need to go ahead and visit several stores if you cannot find the right design you need or simply you might need to wait while the store orders it for you.
However, if you buy the stole from an online store, you can make things much simpler because you can stay at home and compare the prices without much effort.
You can easily look for sites that sell items you need for your church. All you have to do to find them is use search engines like Yahoo! or Google. Once you have the results, you can pick the top two or three websites and then check out what they are offering.
You can easily get quotes and then compare the prices. Once you have picked the most reasonable one, you can order your clergy stoles and simply wait for them to arrive. It’s that easy.
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Tags: church robes, clergy stoles, pastor robes
Posted in Religion · March 12th, 2010 · Comments (0)