An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Salutation

A liturgical dialogue of mutual greeting: “The Lord be with you. And also with you.” The salutation calls the people back to attention and adds emphasis to important moments in the liturgy. This dialogue of greeting and response is based on Boaz's greeting to the reapers and their answer in Ru 2:4. At the Holy Eucharist, a salutation precedes the collect of the day at the beginning of the liturgy of the word (BCP, p. 357). A second salutation precedes the sursum corda at the beginning of the liturgy of the table (BCP, p. 361). A salutation also begins the thanksgiving over the water at Baptism (BCP, p. 306). It precedes the collect at Confirmation (BCP, p. 413), Burial (BCP, p. 493), and Ordination (BCP, p. 515), and begins the ministry of the word at Marriage (BCP, p. 425). A salutation precedes the Lord's Prayer at Morning Prayer (BCP, p. 97) and Evening Prayer (BCP, p. 121). A salutation is also included at the blessing of the palms on Palm Sunday (BCP, p. 271), in the Exsultet at the Easter Vigil (BCP, p. 286), and at the consecration of the font in the Consecration of a Church (BCP, p. 570).

Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.