Everyone is welcome to come to an Anglican church during worship services, and most churches are open for prayer and meditation at times when no services are going on. No one should be afraid or reluctant to visit a church because he or she does not know what to expect there. This page contains information for anyone who may be thinking about coming to an Anglican church or attending a service.
The focal point of any Anglican church is the altar (or holy table), which is generally located at one end of the church building. It is at the altar that the Holy Eucharist is celebrated. The altar may be covered with a coloured cloth (called a "frontal") and may be surronded by candles and flowers; where this is done it shows the special reverence of the people for the physical symbol of God's presence. On or above the altar is a cross (usually bearing a figure of Christ crucified), which is a reminder that the Eucharist celebrated there is the one oblation (sacrifice) of Christ himself, offered once for all upon the cross. There may be a kind of booth on or behind the altar (called a "tabernacle") in which the Blessed Sacrament (the bread and wine consecrated at the Eucharist) is reserved.
In a prominent place, usually near the main entrance door, is the baptismal font. The placement of the font near the front door is a reminder that it is through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism that we enter the Church. Children and adult converts are, whenever possible, baptized in the presence of the whole congregation
Every church has a lectern from which Scripture is read and a pulpit from which sermons are preached (or, perhaps, an ambo to serve both purposes). Every service has at least one reading from Scripture. At the Eucharist, there are at least two such readings, one from the Epistles and one from the Gospel; at Morning and Evening Prayer, there are also two readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, in addition to at least one of the Psalms.
Around the walls of the church their may be a series of fourteen plaques (or "stations") commemorating the Way of the Cross, Jesus's Good Friday journey from the judgment hall of Pilate to Mount Calvary and to the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea. The Way of the Cross has been set up in churches since the Middle Ages, when the holy places in Jerusalem fell under Muslim control. On Fridays or during Lent there may be public processions along the Way of the Cross; but an individual may make the pilgrimage any time.
The public services of the Anglican Catholic Church are conducted according to the Book of Common Prayer. The first Book of Common Prayer was published in 1549; the American Prayer Book was last revised in 1928, and it is that version that is most commonly used (although the 1662 Canadian and 1954 South African books are also authorized for use).
The principal service on Sundays and holy days is the Holy Eucharist (also called the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, or Mass). Thus do we observe Jesus's own commandment to "do this in remembrance of me." The Prayer Book Communion service closely resembles the earliest recorded description of Christian worship (mid-second century), and is very similar to the service at Orthodox or Roman Catholic (as well as Lutheran, Methodist, and other) churches.
Other regular services include Morning and Evening Prayer and the Litany. The prayer book also provides forms for services on special occasions, such as baptism, confirmation, marriage, and funerals.
The worshippers at an Anglican service typically stand for praise (including the singing of hymns), kneel to pray, and sit for instruction (including Scripture readings and sermons). It is also customary to stand during the proclamation (reading) of the Gospel.
The Scripture readings during services are not random, but are chosen according to the day or season of the Church year. At public services, the Scriptures are usually read from the English translation of 1611 (sometimes called the "Authorized" or "King James" version).
In the Anglican Catholic Church, as throughout the whole Catholic and Orthodox world, there are three orders of ministers, bishops, priests, and deacons. Bishops are the chief pastors and have responsibility for large areas called "dioceses"; while deacons serve as assistants and work in charitable and educational work. The pastor of a parish church is almost always a priest. (Although some people are leery of the word "priest," it is actually just a short form of the New Testament Greek word "presbyter," meaning "elder.")
Only bishops and priests can celebrate the Holy Eucharist or confer blessings; deacons are ordained to assist with the Church's liturgical and charitable ministries. The Lord Jesus chose his Apostles and they were consecrated by the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; since that time, every bishop has been consecrated in an unbroken line of succession from the Apostles, and every priest and deacon has been ordained by such a bishop. These ordained ministers have always been exclusively male, a fact which in no way diminishes the many important forms of ministry committed to women.
During services, the ministers (both ordained and lay) wear special clothing, or "vestments." The vestments are derived from the dress clothes worn in ancient the Roman Empire, but have, over the centuries, acquired spritual significance and allegorical interpretation. The most distinctive vestments are those worn by the bishop or priest when he celebrates the Holy Eucharist: a white tunic (called an "alb"), bound at the waist with a rope (called a "cincture" or "girdle"); a long strip of coloured silk worn around the neck and crossed over the chest, with the ends hanging in front (called a "stole"); and, over all, a kind of circular poncho (called a "chasuble").
A deacon assisting at the Eucharist wears the alb and stole (but the stole is worn over the left shoulder and fastened at the waist under the right arm), and may also wear a kind of over-tunic (called a "dalmatic"). Others assisting at the service may wear albs without stoles, or they may wear a white gown (called a "surplice" or "cotta"). If a bishop is present, he may wear a high pointed hat (called a "mitre"). The colour of the vestments varies according to the day or season of the Church year.
It is customary for an Anglican church to have music at services. Most churches are equipped with organs, and most have a volunteer choir. Some churches have a more extensive music program, with additional instrumentalists, a cantor or schola cantorum to lead the responses, or even professional singers.
At a celebration of the Eucharist, the people's parts are sung to one of several musical settings. The most widely used is John Merbecke's musical notation composed in 1550 for the first Book of Common Prayer. One of the most popular settings is the Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena, composed by the Canadian Healey Willan in 1928. More elaborate plainchant settings, such as the Missa Marialis or Missa de Angelis are often used, especially during festal seasons. In many places, the musical setting varies according to the day or season of the Church year; for example, Merbecke's simple setting may be used in Advent and Lent, while Willan's is used on the ordinary Sundays after Epiphany and Trinity, and the elaborate plainchant settings on festivals like Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.
The hymnody of the Church is drawn from the Hymnal, 1940, or from the Canadian Book of Common Praise. These hymnals contain hymns, anthems, and liturgical settings from all eras of Church history.
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