Alright... I use to be Roman Catholic but If feel that the church needs reforms. I feel women should be ordained. I believe Priest should get married. I believe gay people should be accepted in the Church. Those are the things why I'm leaving the church. However, I'm not fond of being 'Half Catholic and half protestant'. I believe in invoking the saints in prayer. I believe in the veneration of their relics. I believe Mary is a tool that helps me be closer to Gods love. That is the stuff I dont like about Anglicanism. I guess if i would be Anglican I would be Episcopalian (I live in the US). I've seen the Book of Common Prayer. It's fantastic. Honestly! Better than a Roman Missal! I'm scared of being protestant. I guess I'm too liberal for Roman Catholicism... I know in the Episcopal church there are liberals and very conservative people. Thats OK. I guess i'm too scare of letting go to my catholic roots. I hear many people say here they are Anglo Catholic. I dunno what that is! Maybe you should prayer for me.
Anglicanism generally has three sides... Evangelical (which emphasises the Protestant side of the Church), Broad Church (which emphasises both), or Anglo-Catholic (which emphasises the Catholic heritage of the Church). You can look up the movement for 'Affirming Catholicism' on Facebook, or on their website - they are all progressive Anglo-Catholics, like I. If you can find a close Episcopalian parish that is more 'Anglo-Catholic' then you can get your love for Mass, the Blessed Sacrament, Mother Mary and the Saints, etc. in that regard. Finding a progressive one would be tougher... otherwise attending a broad church parish may be a good alternative. My parish is Anglo-Catholic, and it is an open-door parish. Which means we get Evangelicals at our parish, as well as Anglo-Catholics, and have a spectrum from liberal to conservative. We just all begrudgingly get along by the Divine Service of the Mass. As I mentioned on another post here, I have an Anglican friend who is Anglo-Catholic, and he would never want to be a Protestant. He calls the 'other side' of the Church as 'dirty Protestants'. XD
Dear Lux Christi, I have enjoyed reading many of your posts here. I do have a question though; is "begrudgingly getting along" what we want to see in the Body of Christ, the Church? Just food for thought.
I am a baby Anglican having converted after the age of 50. As such, I am not well-suited to address OP's concerns about retaining those elements of Roman Catholic faith found attractive. However I would submit these thoughts: Angelica, you might weigh your displeasures. For example, is it more important to you to be free of a church that won't ordain women or allow its priests to marry or is it more important to you to avoid a church that doesn't venerate relics and invoke saints in prayer? In my experience, TEC is not dogmatic about personal religious practice. We sit in a big tent. If you wait to find the perfect church that agrees with you on every single point, you will be sitting by yourself in your own living room. It's the big points that matter. If not us, then who?
Of course not! I was being tongue-in-cheek. However, on a more serious note, not everyone is going to have the same opinion at the parish. We have one person who always complains that our Anglo-Catholic parish is 'too High Church.' Our parish also has a few gay people who are quite active in parish life, while there are others who disagree about gay people. We even have Evangelical Anglicans who for some unknown reason come for Mass... but they will leave at the mention of a Hail Mary. Everyone is different, but we all try to work together, and that is what is important. The Anglican Communion to me is all about balancing all churches so that regardless of politics or churchmanship, we can all still share the same Divine Worship together!
Thanks! The church is very open minded, and i love that. I also have more problems from the RCC that really concerns me. I think these will be my own private devotions. I've visited the local parish website, and from the looks of things I love it! They look very welcoming. They also state in their website that there are more ex catholics in their congregation. So as an ex catholic I'm sure I'm welcomed.
hi Angelica, i think you'll be quite happy in the TEC. in most cases, either the congregation is pretty "progressive" or at least the clergy is. this tends to be the case in more urban and established parishes i have found. this is also where most Anglo-catholi can be most easily found. As for learning what Anglo-Catholicism is, you can go to Project Canterbury and read some historical documents, especially Tracts for the Times.
This might help as a tract about Anglo-Catholicism: http://anglicanhistory.org/sspp/prestige1927.html And Anglicanism does have its own Liturgical Calendar with Saints. This resource is pretty good: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Alpha_list.htm OR the official one for the Episcopal Church, in pdf form: http://diobeth.typepad.com/files/holy-women-holy-men.pdf I am an Anglo-Catholic. So I am Catholic too... just not 'Roman' Catholic. Oh, and August 15th is the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (for other more evangelical-protestant Anglicans, it's just a day for Mary, but we won't tell them the real truth, lol). In Anglo-Catholicism, the Rosary and especially the Angelus have a special place in personal and communal devotion. Here is the Prayer for the Assumption, in contemporary or traditional English (according to the Episcopal Church of the USA), whichever you wish to pray. Some Collects (short prayers of devotion) are distinctly Anglican, and other Collects have been translated from more ancient Christian sources. O GOD, who have taken to yourself the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. OR O GOD, who hast taken to thyself the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of thine incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of thine eternal kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Here is an Episcopalian version of the Angelus, in contemporary English (I can grant you the traditional English if you request it). If you don't know already, you can pray this prayer once a day, or three times a day (morning, noon, and evening). The normal version features three Hail Mary's, but the short version only needs one. And the gestures are optional, lol. Some Episcopalian or Anglican parishes that appreciate the catholic side of the Christian Faith do the Angelus, and sometimes even ring the bells! My parish certainly rings the Angelus three times a day, as a symbol for peace and goodwill for all people. THE ANGELUS + The angel of the Lord brought tidings to Mary, And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. (Hail Mary...) Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done to me according to your Word. (Hail Mary...) *bow* And the Word was made flesh, *rise* And dwelt among us. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his + Cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read the Articles of Religion (in the back of your 1979 BCP), if you can't accept those, then don't be an Anglican.
I have read the articles of religions, and I'm sure NOT ALL ANGLICANS follow them. I'm sure the same person who wrote those articles would disapprove of female clergy and mostly what the Episcopal Church is doing and what is it today. Your just one person who has a different opinion, and if you tell me I can't be an Anglican then tough cookie cause I'm already in contact with my parish. It is stuff like this that divide people. I have surrounding myself with people who base their belief solely on what a rule book says, let me tell you that they are full of hypocrisy. (Excuse me if I have offended you).
That's what Anglicanism is, it doesn't matter if people reject it. How many Catholics are practicing birth control? Or who openly deny the "Real Presence"? The actions of a sector of the Church's population don't decide what the Church is. It's not my opinion, it's what Anglican officially teaches. The Episcopal Church has never rejected the teaching of the Articles of Religion (I can direct you to pertinent reading from General Convention).
Oh yes. As for it being bad to base their beliefs solely on what a rule book says, do you mean the Bible? We are Biblical Christians Angelica. I am not aware of there being any other kind.
Exactly, The actions of a sector of the Church's population don't decide what the Church is. To me, in my own personal opinion what some part of Catholicism OFFICIALLY teaches is incorrect. I know many catholic priest and officials who feel the same way, that it needs reforms. No one is perfect, and everyone follows their own beliefs to their own perspectives. One can be catholic and can disagree with what some part of Catholicism officially teaches, and I know many people do. There are some priest and clergy in the Episcopal church who believe the reincarnation of Christ is false and etc. That the stories in the bible are just myths and legends. I'm sure there are some priest and officials in the Episcopal church who are like John Shelby. They are strong practicing Anglicans, who go to church. Putting yourself in a close box doesn't help you a bit. Now, you have your own opinion, and I have mine. And I'm sure another Anglican and Episcopalian has another opinion completely distinctive then mine and yours. But that doesn't change the fact that they cant practice nor go to an Episcopal church. Now, I'm not saying thats what you stated. I'm sure there are Anglicans who are theist, who are Anglo catholic, who are Evangelical, who are liberal. who are conservative, who use contraceptives, who are homosexuals, who are this and that. That doesn't mean they CANT be or join the church. Not everyone in a religion, practice what that religion officially teaches them. Some do and some dont.
No I did not mean the bible. But there are some verses in the bible, that not everyone follows. That some ignore but when it comes to judging others they use verses in the bible to condemn other peoples actions. When there are other verses in the bible saying what your doing is wrong. I'm a sinner, you are to. But we should try to be the best we can and love Christ.
Angelica, acceptance of the Articles has never been compulsory for the laity in the TEC. Thats one of the historical differences between American Anglicanism and the Church of England. I do not fully accept the every one of the Articles in their plain sence but I'm as Anglican anyone on this forum. its like the sign says, if your interested in the Episcopal Church, "the Episcopal Church welcomes you".