C a r o l e   a n d   D e b o r a h

The blessing of our covenant occurred the week marking the end of our sixth year together. It follows by one year our decision to join the church, confirm and reconfirm our belonging in the Anglican tradition, and become more active participants in the church community.

Our Liturgy contains some unique things, each with a specific meaning to us. First, we began by gathering as a community outside the church and then the clergy lead us in. Two priests participated: our "family" priest, who conducted sessions with us before the blessing, and the Rector. Community is a theme which is repeated next in the Proclamation. In the section, Declaration and Consent, we asked for God's blessing and the blessing of the church on our life together; the symbolism here is taken from the practice of Episcopalians of reaching for the communion bread and from the Gospel, Matthew 7:7-12. Here we also modified language from the liturgy of others to create less of an echo of marriage vows and yet to maintain the idea of consent. At the point of the Covenant we made public promises to one another. During the Prayers, we specifically included a request for God's favor on the leaders of the church and more references to community. We also used Rite One for the Communion to incorporate some of the old words into the liturgy and to reflect some of the more conservative, traditional things about us and our faith. At that moment, the Spirit was so strong and the feeling so warm and welcoming to all, that everyone participated, with us serving the bread and the clergy serving wine. At the end of the service, we led the community out of the church and onto the lawn. For us, this liturgy was truly a religious service and a celebration of sacrament.

Click here to read Carole and Deborah's liturgy. (.pdf)

updated 17 March 2003, webmaster