Some Anglicans would find many liturgical practices objectionable at a RC Church during Holy Week. Maundy Thursday...solemn translation of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, adoration of Blessed Sacrament. Good Friday...veneration of the Cross (in England was known as 'creeping to the Cross') genuflecting to or kissing the Cross as a sign of reverence. Mass of the Pre-Sanctified (Communion from the Reposed Sacrament). Paschal Vigil...Litany of Saints: 'Saint N...Pray for Us'.
Don't forget the prayers over the baptismal water, that God will sanctify it as a thing in of itself. The bishop actually talks to the water, telling it to be sanctified. It's even worse in "Traditionalist" churches, where they pray that God will bless the Paschal Candle and then speak directly to the candle, of bees, of wax, and of mysterious things - all in Latin, of course. The "Weird and Wonderful" Roman practices developed from A.D. 1000-1965 still stick in the minds of older faithful. It's fascinating, if eerily circus-like.
Well, it's looking like I'll probably have to sacrifice liturgy to worship in a church that my conscience can stand and where I wouldn't be a hypocrite, if I can find such. Next question: Could you all tell me which denominations you could worship in, if that's not too much to ask? You've all been very helpful!
dear me! There are so many denominations lol. I'm sure many I have never heard of. I think most mainstream protestant churches I could happily worship at What denominations are near you out of interest Celtic?
This topic reminded me of my aim I had a while back to go round all the different evangelical churches in Edinburgh, just to meet more Christians and experience how different denominations do things
In my village, the Methodists and United Reformed are a Local Ecumenical Partnership. On Maundy Thursday they'll be worshiping with us the Parish Church. We'll be having HC with washing of feet, stripping of the Altar to Ps 22 and optional prayer watch. On Good Friday we'll be worshipping with them at their Chapel. This will be a 'devotional' type service followed by a walk of witness around the village carrying a large plain wooden cross. We stop at various points along the way for prayers and hymns. We have a good Churches Together program in our Diocese and I'm quite happy to engage in ecumenical services. We host the local RC and Methodist Churches to Evensong two or three times a year and we make return visits for Vespers/Stations or Evening Worship. I went to Stations at the RC Church a couple of weeks ago and there were a few Methodists there also. I'm personally comfortable with these occasional forays.
Reminds me of many years ago when I attended the Parish Church in the village where I worked. The Rector used the English Missal and I remember him blowing across the Baptismal Waters in the form of a cross at the Paschal Vigil. On Good Friday he placed a huge crucifix in the Chancel and approached it barefoot up the nave, stopping three times to prostrate himself face down on the floor with outstretched arms.
Around here, a very rural area, we have mostly evangelical denominations -- Baptist, Pentecostal, Holiness, Church of Christ, and then the mainline denominations -- United Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and the Roman Catholic Church. That's about it.
Out of those, only Methodists are around here. Nearest Missouri Synod Lutheran church, about 60 miles, and they have closed communion. I can't see myself driving that far to watch everybody else take communion.
The mass of the eastern orthodox presents the same doctrinal problems of the roman mass: it is a sacrifice of propitiation for the sins of the living and the dead.
No malice intended, but as a Bishop, shouldn't you be presiding at your church/cathedral for Pascha? Jeff
I have mentioned this before, but since I believe you asked your question in good faith, I'll attempt to explain in more detail: I do not have a local congregation. I live in the boonies, and people around here have not been receptive to our brand of Christianity. Further, I am not really called to be a church planter, as that is not my gift or talent. Early on, I knew that my ministry was primarily as a facilitator -- my calling was to help others find and fulfill their calling; that was how I would spread the Gospel and expand our jurisdiction. In that way, I am a missionary bishop, and a counselor and pastor to other pastors, and now as an archbishop, to other bishops. I am primarily called to serve other clergy. In that capacity, I have done extensive travel. I have ordained clergy all across the country and around the world. However, in the last couple of years, I have developed a chronic illness which has made it necessary to curtail my travels. I have been visiting various churches around here with the hope of finding one in which I could feel at home and to have some fellowship with like-minded Christians. The nearest church in the jurisdiction of which I am a clergyman is 300 miles or so away. So, thus my questions in this thread. As I said, I miss liturgical worship, but that is hard to come by here -- my only choices are RC, LCMS, TEC, and the LCMS church is 60 miles away. There is an AMiA church 85 miles from here; I visited once and was warmly welcomed; I told them about my being an Associate Member of AMiA, and they were receptive to that. However, I can't make that drive every Sunday. The RC church is 30 miles; TEC has two churches about 25 miles away. I was actually a member of one of them years ago when I was considering ministry in TEC. However, the bishop in this diocese is very liberal, and my conscience will not allow me to be in communion or fellowship with someone who I believe has departed the faith. Also, since the national church has done the same thing by approving a non-celibate homosexual as a bishop and approving same-sex blessings, I cannot be in fellowship with it, either. Many others feel as I do, thus the existence of AMiA, ACNA, and others. So, here I am because of conscience and because of my health. And I am simply looking for a place to worship and fellowship with a group of like-minded Christians, and I don't care if it's only a small group, either. In fact, I have just found out about an ex-Catholic nun and her husband who live about 30 miles from here; they are now Anglicans. I have been invited to visit them. Maybe we can start a worship group, and maybe it would grow into a church. Anyway, it is difficult to be a Christian in isolation from other Christians. I still have my duties as clergy in my jurisdiction, but personal contact with others comes only a few times a year now. I, along with another archbishop, will be having an ordination for a candidate in early May; that will be the first in-personal contact that I will have had with anyone in our communion this year. I am very much looking forward to it; it will be a three-day event. So, that is a very long explanation in answer to your question.
Celtic1, I do appreciate your reply, my only context of reference is the EC, where as you know a Bishop's home church is their Cathedral and at Easter they would be celebrating the Eucharist and presiding at baptisms. What would the equivalent of an Archbishop be in the EC? Jeff
@ and vice versa? Really? I am a Catholic - and I have often been to Protestant church services worldwide. Yes, I was able to.