Church launches Persian Holy Communion service

The Church of England has launched a Persian language translation of Holy Communion to help growing numbers of Iranians in congregations who are learning English.
 
Authorised by the House of Bishops, the publication of the Farsi language service affirms the presence of Iranians in churches as a gift, and demonstrates commitment to welcoming them into the life of the Church of England.

The new liturgy is designed to be used alongside English language liturgy, with both languages printed side by side, enabling people to follow and participate in services.

At a special celebration service Wakefield Cathedral the Bishops of Loughborough, Bradford and Durham used the service wording for the first time.


From L-R: The Rt Revd Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Revd Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Loughborough, and the Revd Canon Tony Macpherson the Sub Dean and Canon Pastor. 

Members of congregations from churches across England, including British, Iranian and other nationality Christians, attended the service which included the singing of hymn verses in English and Farsi alternately and prayers in both languages.

The Bishop of Loughborough, Guli Francis-Dehqani, who came to the UK from Iran with her family when she was just 14-years-old following the 1979 revolution, presided at the service and conveyed messages from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

Her father was the late Bishop Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, the first Persian Bishop in Iran, who was forced into exile after an attempt on his life and the murder of his only son.

The Revd Canon Elaine Chegwin Hall, Vicar of St George’s Stockport, has been a part of the discussions in the Church of England, since 2015, which led to a Consultation on Ministry Among Iranians in the Northern Province. She attended the service at Wakefield Cathedral. She said afterwards: "Today we celebrated the presence of Persian Christians in the Church of England and all that they contribute to the ministry and mission of God. We were also there to give thanks for the new authorized liturgical translation of the Eucharist in Persian/Farsi which enables us to worship together more fully. It was a wonderful service full of joy and excitement and there were hundreds of Persian Anglican Christians in attendance along with clergy, Bishops and friends – I think we must have broken some kind of record, given the amount of time that was spent sharing the peace!"

The service is now available on the Church of England website for wider use. 

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