When a priest acts as deacon at mass, should he or she wear their stole across the chest or hanging down? I have recently seen both ways used.

Your answers: According to Anglican Services of 1953, the person acting as deacon at mass correctly “wears the stole over the left shoulder only”, i.e. diagonally across the chest, including when that person is in priest’s orders.

Similarly, such a person should wear a dalmatic (if anything) rather than a chasuble, unless on certain days a folded purple chasuble is substituted.

Finn Jarvis
Cambridge

It is improper for a priest to act as deacon at mass. All priests involved in the mass should exercise their priestly ministry and concelebrate. The deacon’s duties are shared between the concelebrants. This may have been what was happening when the questioner saw a “deacon” wearing a stole “hanging down”.

(The Revd) Ian Randall
Fakenham, Norfolk

Your question: Does a vicar have the right to refuse holy communion to a regular member of the congregation on Christmas Day because the person is the only one who has waited after the family service for the advertised communion? I ask this epecially as this is a day of obligation to anyone in ministry.

D. L.

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