Silver Chalice and Paten (Present View)

Silver Chalice and Paten (Present View)

The Church of the Beloved Disciple's silver chalice and paten, photographed in the present day, remain among the most significant surviving liturgical objects of the congregation. Designed by Fr. Leo Joseph around 1970, the hand-engraved silver vessels feature medallion portraits of Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Robert, and St. Clement, together with eucharistic and ornamental motifs that reflect the church's synthesis of Eastern and Western Christian artistic traditions. They served as the principal Eucharistic vessels of the Church of the Beloved Disciple, used by Bishop Robert Mary Clement in the celebration of the Eucharist, holy unions, ordinations, and the liturgical year. Preserved today as part of the church's archival legacy, the chalice and paten embody the community's commitment to apostolic continuity, sacramental worship, and an affirming ministry to LGBTQ Christians, remaining enduring witnesses to one of the earliest openly gay-affirming sacramental communities in the United States.

Church of the Beloved Disciple Archive, https://beloved-disciple.com

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