1. Attendance at the Eucharist

It is very important to be present at the Eucharist on all Sundays and also on special Feasts, Festivals and Holy Days.  From the very beginning the Apostles held the Eucharist every Sunday, the Lord’s own Service on the Lord’s own Day.  Not only was Sunday, the day on which Jesus rose again from the dead, a day of joy and worship; but Jesus himself, in giving them the Eucharist, had commanded them to celebrate it.  “Do this”, he said, “in remembrance of me”.  And the Church has faithfully obeyed him ever since.  So Jesus still says to us today, “Do this.  Take your part in the Eucharist”.  If anyone deliberately stays away from the Eucharist on a Sunday (unless they have a very good reason, such as being ill or looking after an ill person), what he or she is really doing is saying to Jesus, “No, I’m not going to do this, even though it is you who tell me to”. 

We should also make every effort to be present at the Eucharist on important Feasts, Festivals and Holy Days.  According to Church of England law (known as Canon Law), Holy Communion must be celebrated in every cathedral and parish church on Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days. (1) Excluding those that fall on a Sunday, these Feasts and Holy Days are as follows:

Principal Feasts

• Christmas Day (December 25th)
• The Epiphany (January 6th)
• The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (February 2nd)
• The Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25th)
• Ascension Day (the Thursday which falls 10 days before Pentecost)
• All Saints’ Day (November 1st)

Principal Holy Days

• Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent)
• Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter Day)
• Good Friday (Friday before Easter Day – the Eucharist is not celebrated on this day, but we should try to go to church to thank Jesus for all he suffered for us on the Cross)

Other important celebrations

There several other important days which are celebrated with great joy in the worldwide Church:

• Corpus Christi (Thanksgiving for the Blessed Sacrament – the Thursday after Trinity Sunday)
• St Peter and St Paul (June 29th)
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15th)

Note that in some churches, a few of the Feasts or Festivals are transferred to the nearest Sunday.