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I was raised going to church on Sundays, but I have always just "went with the flow", never truly understood what was going on. It's embarrassing, really. I understand sermons, gospel readings, etc. But there are some things that I'm confused about, but at the same time I would prefer to refraim from discussing in person with clergy. To participate in Communion, must I first confess my sins? This is confusing to me, as as far as I know, my church doesn't have a confessional booth nor any regular schedule for confession, yet as I understand, it's a nonetheless Anglican practice. Additionally, what does a Bishop do, exactly? What is the difference between a Reverend, Priest, Dean, Vicar, Minister, etc.? What makes a cathedral different from a regular church?
If you are an adult, start going to a adult education class after or before services. Most Anglican churches have Sunday School for school aged kids; then a youth group for teens and an adult group. Depending on the church, they may also have a young adult class. Start going. You'll be suprised at what you can pick up.
Then again, talking to your pastor is the best way to get started. Don't be embarrased. He'll think much more highly of you if you take the initiative to learn more about your faith.
You need to be Baptized with Water , then you need to have your Baptism confirmed where you need to repent and turn away of sin to Jesus in your prayers, and you need to confess the Apostle Creed and have ordinances , then the confirmation the Bishop has a laying on of hands ......... Then you could receive the communion to Jesus and be in covenant with Jesus righteousness.......... Jesus demands Repentance and faith and love of God through the Spirit along with the churches methods for unity
You need to be Baptized with Water , then you need to have your Baptism confirmed where you need to repent and turn away of sin to Jesus in your prayers, and you need to confess the Apostle Creed and have ordinances , then the confirmation the Bishop has a laying on of hands ......... Then you could receive the communion to Jesus and be in covenant with Jesus righteousness.......... Jesus demands Repentance and faith and love of God through the Spirit along with the churches methods for unity
Good grief. That's not what the OP poster asked. I can't stand it when someone is so driven by an agenda that he doesn't pay attention to the question that was asked.
Back to the OP.
The Anglican Sunday service follows a liturgy, one that has stood for centuries. Here's the basic format (Others in the tradition, please correct and amend. I am not near my BCP).
Liturgy of the Word.
This includes opening prayers, a collect, and readings from the Old Testament, a Psalm, one of the Epistles, and the New Testament. These readings take place according to a calendar used throughout the Anglican communion, which is a three-year cycle. In addition, the readings typically share the same essential theme. Then the priest bases his sermon on the readings at hand to add depth and further understanding for the congregation.
Then there is the recitation, Nicene Creed, the Prayers of the People, and the corporate Confession of Sin (Which answers your question, although there is a separate rite for individual confession).
After the Confession of Sin, it is typically the midpoint of the service, when announcements are made, etc.
The second half of the service is the Eucharist, at the end of which the congregation is dismissed.
Now there are variations on this. Some parishes do the Eucharist every week (Mine does), while some do it once a month. If that is the case, then the parish will perform Morning Prayer. And, in the event of Baptism, there is a special rite that is shoehorned into the middle.
And, of course, there are special observances such as Easter, Ash Wednesday, and All Saints which have their own rites.
One other thing. There is currently in the American church two eucharistic rites in the Book of Common Prayer -- Rite I and Rite II. Rite I is much more formal and stately in language, while Rite II is more contemporary. I tend to enjoy Rite I, amazingly enough, because the liturgy is so majestic.
On to the other questions: In the American offshoot, clergy are priests. In the British body of the Anglican church, clergy are vicars. Don't ask me why. Clergy who have attended seminary but have not been formally ordained are deacons.
What makes a cathedral isn't the size of the church, but that it's the seat of the Bishop, the leader of the diocese.
I was raised going to church on Sundays, but I have always just "went with the flow", never truly understood what was going on. It's embarrassing, really. I understand sermons, gospel readings, etc. But there are some things that I'm confused about, but at the same time I would prefer to refraim from discussing in person with clergy. To participate in Communion, must I first confess my sins? This is confusing to me, as as far as I know, my church doesn't have a confessional booth nor any regular schedule for confession, yet as I understand, it's a nonetheless Anglican practice. Additionally, what does a Bishop do, exactly? What is the difference between a Reverend, Priest, Dean, Vicar, Minister, etc.? What makes a cathedral different from a regular church?
The poster here has many questions that more appropriately should be answered by church leadership - a priest or a member of the elders/vestry. There is a great deal of meaning and complexity in church organization and ideology and the reader would be doing himself a disservice by relying on Internet explanations that he really doesn't want to include in his personal philosophy. Push away from your keyboard, go out into the real world and ask questions of those who've known the answers for a considerable length of time.
If you want to play on the team you have to play by team rules.
If you don't want to play on the team, find a different team or play by yourself.
Knowledge is power. Ignorance is dangerous.
and that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
The poster here has many questions that more appropriately should be answered by church leadership - a priest or a member of the elders/vestry. There is a great deal of meaning and complexity in church organization and ideology and the reader would be doing himself a disservice by relying on Internet explanations that he really doesn't want to include in his personal philosophy. Push away from your keyboard, go out into the real world and ask questions of those who've known the answers for a considerable length of time.
If you want to play on the team you have to play by team rules.
If you don't want to play on the team, find a different team or play by yourself.
Knowledge is power. Ignorance is dangerous.
and that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
Actually, no. Any one of his questions are easily answered from the catechism of the Anglican Church. None of these are terribly mysterious at all. I mean, using your logic, nobody should pose a question on the Christianity forum at all.
Good grief. That's not what the OP poster asked. I can't stand it when someone is so driven by an agenda that he doesn't pay attention to the question that was asked.
Back to the OP.
The Anglican Sunday service follows a liturgy, one that has stood for centuries. Here's the basic format (Others in the tradition, please correct and amend. I am not near my BCP).
Liturgy of the Word.
This includes opening prayers, a collect, and readings from the Old Testament, a Psalm, one of the Epistles, and the New Testament. These readings take place according to a calendar used throughout the Anglican communion, which is a three-year cycle. In addition, the readings typically share the same essential theme. Then the priest bases his sermon on the readings at hand to add depth and further understanding for the congregation.
Then there is the recitation, Nicene Creed, the Prayers of the People, and the corporate Confession of Sin (Which answers your question, although there is a separate rite for individual confession).
After the Confession of Sin, it is typically the midpoint of the service, when announcements are made, etc.
The second half of the service is the Eucharist, at the end of which the congregation is dismissed.
Now there are variations on this. Some parishes do the Eucharist every week (Mine does), while some do it once a month. If that is the case, then the parish will perform Morning Prayer. And, in the event of Baptism, there is a special rite that is shoehorned into the middle.
And, of course, there are special observances such as Easter, Ash Wednesday, and All Saints which have their own rites.
One other thing. There is currently in the American church two eucharistic rites in the Book of Common Prayer -- Rite I and Rite II. Rite I is much more formal and stately in language, while Rite II is more contemporary. I tend to enjoy Rite I, amazingly enough, because the liturgy is so majestic.
On to the other questions: In the American offshoot, clergy are priests. In the British body of the Anglican church, clergy are vicars. Don't ask me why. Clergy who have attended seminary but have not been formally ordained are deacons.
What makes a cathedral isn't the size of the church, but that it's the seat of the Bishop, the leader of the diocese.
My church is Low Anglican, so the schedule on Sundays is a bit different. Would certain excluded High Anglican practices still be possible at my church upon request?
A question I meant to ask in the beginning of the thread: I hope this question won't force this thread into sectarian arguing, but could Catholics help me understand this? The blood of Jesus is shed for us in the Holy Eucharist and 1 John 1:7 says "the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin", why is it considered sacrilege for those in a state of mortal sin to participate in Communion? I'm assuming this is a key difference between Anglo- and Roman Catholic teachings, but I'm not certain.
I'm extremely sorry if I sounded rude in my last post. That was not my intention. I find it very hard to find information on Anglican theology, especially High Anglican. I don't even know if gravity of sin is part of Anglican theology. I'm interested in the differences between Anglo-Catholic and Roman Catholic beliefs, not criticising the Catholic church, which I respect in many ways.
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