Priest serves communion using chopsticks to keep distance in mass

By: Ni帽a V. Guno - 4 years ago

Rev. Eileen Harrop decided to use chopsticks to keep her distance from parishioners while allowing them to receive Communion. Image: screengrab via YouTube/StMarysandStAndrewsGainfordandWinston

A priest in the United Kingdom has found a way to keep parishioners safe while they partake in the Holy Communion.

Church of England minister Eileen Harrop thought of using lo hei chopsticks during mass to observe physical distancing, the BBC reported on Aug. 10.

The Singaporean vicar serves in the villages of Gainford and Winston in England. She said in the report that churchgoers were 鈥渁nxious鈥� about taking Communion during the coronavirus pandemic.

Harrop saw that other churches used tongs, but the five-foot-tall minister needed something longer to maintain the 2-meter distance from others, as per Channel 黑料社 Asia yesterday, Aug. 16.

Lo hei chopsticks are 46 centimeters long and also have a significance for the Chinese, who use it for festive occasions.

The same chopsticks are used for 鈥渟pecial communion鈥� when family and friends reunite to be 鈥渋n good spirit,鈥� she told Channel 黑料社 Asia.

When she pitched the idea to team members in church, she immediately got their approval.

鈥淭hey did not hesitate. They thought 鈥� why not? It brings confidence to our congregation. It is the first time they鈥檙e coming back to church services after being locked down for four months,鈥� she said in the report.

Harrop has been surprised at the national and international attention her approach has received, considering that she works in a 鈥渟leepy rural area.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand it,鈥� she was quoted as saying. 鈥淏ut I think, if it鈥檚 something that takes people鈥檚 mind away from the fear of living in a pandemic, where it鈥檚 going to be scary and completely threatening and hopeless, if it can give people some inkling that there could be hope and interesting things and we鈥檙e going to be okay鈥� then I鈥檓 very glad.鈥� Ni帽a V. Guno/JB

Good Samaritan shields woman from gun-wielding driver