RT Article
T1 ‘Sacrament of (Be)longing’: Analysis of Finnish Lutheran and Orthodox Christian Eucharistic Practices amid Absence and Estrangement
JF Exchange
VO 51
IS 1
SP 39
OP 60
A1 Ahonen, Talvikki
A1 Mikkola, Sini
A1 Kallatsa, Laura
A1 Metso, Pekka
LA English
PB Brill
YR 2022
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1806816326
AB This article addresses eucharistic and communal transformations of two local Finnish churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) and the Orthodox Church of Finland (OCF), amid the COVID-19 pandemic and precautions. We analyze how eucharistic practices have transformed in the ELCF and the OCF and the ways these transformations are reflected in the experiences of both parishioners and pastors. The data consist of four questionnaires (N = 739) collected from Lutheran and Orthodox believers and Lutheran vicars during the pandemic. Our results indicate that the significance of belonging was emphasized during the time of social distancing. While among those in the ELCF, experiences of belonging were manifested in terms of Eucharist, among those in the OCF, belonging was most often reflected in relation to liturgical community. The differences in eucharistic theologies of the OCF and the ELCF have perhaps become more visible in exceptional circumstances.
K1 Communion
K1 Community
K1 Ecclesiology
K1 Eucharist
K1 Covid-19
K1 Orthodox Church of Finland
K1 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
DO 10.1163/1572543X-20221618