I was at an OCA parish in St. Paul, MN this last weekend, and the priest as well as both deacons were all serving communion separately in their own "cups." I had not seen this before in any parish, but especially not in a small one. Is this normal or appropriate? I thought the idea of a common cup was theologically significant, but I always imagined multiple chalices at cathedral liturgies, I have just never been to one.
Not usually done within the Liturgy, but I do know one of the traditional roles of the Deacon is to distribute communion to the sick. Today this is usually done by Priests, at least here in the United States. I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with it because the deacon does distribute it to those who couldn't make it to Liturgy.
Also, the practice of multiple chalices is normative in larger parishes. Usually each chalice is pre-prepared with water & wine, and then a little bit from the main chalice is poured into the others, consecrating the entirety of the others. This would then be taken out for communion, usually by two Priest, or a Priest & a Bishop.
