[AnAmericanMother]

Good morning!

Can you explain for me the tradition/belief/custom of receiving in one kind only? Even very high Anglicans receive in both kinds. It is optional at our new parish, the split seems to be just about 50/50 between those who take the cup and those who don't.

[Desdemona]

Can you explain for me the tradition/belief/custom of receiving in one kind only?

Well, there is a custom of something called intinction, which is where the priest dips the Host into the Precious Blood and then places it on the tongue of the Communicant. This fell out of favor with "communion in the hand" which was an abuse in the begining. I don't know the whole history of it, honestly.

[lrslattery]

Can you explain for me the tradition/belief/custom of receiving in one kind only? Even very high Anglicans receive in both kinds. It is optional at our new parish, the split seems to be just about 50/50 between those who take the cup and those who don't.

There were many reasons in the very early Church for administering Holy Communion under one species alone even though it was also given under both species.

There was the primary reason of safeguarding the Precious Blood from spilling or other irreverence, not to mention the inconvenience and delay in administering the Sacramental species, the problem with reserving the precious Blood, hygience, etc. The Church at the Council of Trent determined and taught, for these and other reasons and to dispel many heretical ideas that by reason of the hypostatic union and of the indivisibility of His glorified humanity, Christ is really present and is received whole and entire, body and blood, soul and Divinity, under either species.

There is considerable information about this. If one is interested, I might suggest this from the Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04175a.htm