
Anglo-Catholic/Roman Catholic?
Those raised in the Roman Catholic tradition will find much that is familiar at Saviour. We celebrate Solemn High Mass every Sunday – replete with vestments, traditional ceremony, sacred music, incense, and the Sanctus bell – a liturgy that appeals to both the heart and the mind. Other occasional services, such as Stations of the Cross during Holy Week, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, will likewise be familiar to anyone raised as a Roman Catholic.
The Episcopal Church, and the Anglo-Catholic tradition within it, hold to most of the same doctrines as the Roman-Catholic Church, including the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Apostolic Succession, veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Sacraments: Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation (Confession), Confirmation, Marriage, and the Last Rites.
However the Episcopal Church – while respecting the Pope as the Bishop of Rome (and indeed, Pope John XXIII has been honored as a Saint within the Episcopal Church) – does not believe in Papal infallibility. And the Episcopal Church is more liberal on many social issues, including the Ordination of women priests (and bishops), as well as welcoming the Gay and Lesbian Community, including fully sanctioned church weddings.
Moreover, the Anglican Communion – of which the Episcopal Church in the United States is a part – does not regard itself as having left the Catholic Church, but rather as being the continuation of that church in England – which from its earliest days has had its own unique traditions and practices.
Those raised in the Roman Catholic tradition will find much that is familiar at Saviour. We celebrate Solemn High Mass every Sunday – replete with vestments, traditional ceremony, sacred music, incense, and the Sanctus bell – a liturgy that appeals to both the heart and the mind. Other occasional services, such as Stations of the Cross during Holy Week, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, will likewise be familiar to anyone raised as a Roman Catholic.
The Episcopal Church, and the Anglo-Catholic tradition within it, hold to most of the same doctrines as the Roman-Catholic Church, including the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Apostolic Succession, veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Sacraments: Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation (Confession), Confirmation, Marriage, and the Last Rites.
However the Episcopal Church – while respecting the Pope as the Bishop of Rome (and indeed, Pope John XXIII has been honored as a Saint within the Episcopal Church) – does not believe in Papal infallibility. And the Episcopal Church is more liberal on many social issues, including the Ordination of women priests (and bishops), as well as welcoming the Gay and Lesbian Community, including fully sanctioned church weddings.
Moreover, the Anglican Communion – of which the Episcopal Church in the United States is a part – does not regard itself as having left the Catholic Church, but rather as being the continuation of that church in England – which from its earliest days has had its own unique traditions and practices.