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The sacrament of Holy Baptism

Offered several times during the year, on designated feast days. We conduct baptisms in the presence of the full congregation. While we normally practice infant baptism, we provide the same sacrament for adults who wish to belong to the Faith.

The rite of Confirmation

Is conducted by the Bishop during his annual visit, usually in the spring. In the presence of the Bishop, young and older adults affirm their Baptismal vows, stating those vows for themselves and becoming members of the Episcopal Church.

The service of Reception

This is also conducted by the Bishop during the service of Confirmation. Persons originally baptized and confirmed by a Bishop in traditions such as the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches are received into the Episcopal Church.

Holy Matrimony

Episcopal canon law requires that engaged couples go through a process of pre-marital counseling with one of the clergy, which means that in most cases plans should be made at least six months prior to the wedding date. If this is a second marriage, more time is required in order to receive the Bishop's permission for an Episcopal wedding.

We encourage you to address inquiries about Baptism, Confirmation, Reception, and Matrimony to the clergy. We require the education and preparation of the individuals for these rites, as we consider them to be significant transitions and not to be entered into lightly. Further information about preparation is found under Christian Education.

Christian Burial

The Rector and other clergy are always available on short notice as needed for funerals. However, it is critical for the family to discuss the details with the Rector prior to making other arrangements as there are particular guidelines to be followed in all Episcopal churches.

In the beginning: The earliest Christians were either Jews or God-fearing gentiles who worshiped in the synagogue; therefore, early worship followed the pattern of the synagogue liturgy, which it still does in Lutheran, Orthodox, Anglican, and Roman Catholic churches today (among others). Justin Martyr describes Christian worship in the second century as following this pattern. The word liturgy comes from a Greek word meaning “work of the people.” In the Eastern Church, the term is restricted to the Communion portion of the service. In the Western Church, the term refers to the entire order of worship and is generally used in churches where the congregation performs parts of the worship service by speaking or praying in unison.

The Christian worship service comes from the synagogue service. It consists of two parts, which we can see in the events of Nehemiah 8. In Nehemiah 8:1-9, the people gather to hear the Scriptures and expository sermons, and in Nehemiah 8:10-12, they participate in a meal.

The two parts of Christian worship are as follows:

The Synaxis (The Service of the Word)

The first part is modeled on the liturgy of the synagogue, and in ancient times as in the present, it is public. Synaxis comes from the same Greek word as synagogue; it means gathering together.  This part of the service consists of prayers, scripture readings, psalms, hymns, and the sermon. Because it is centered on the Word of God, it is often called the Service of the Word.
The Eucharist (The Service of Communion)
The second part of the service (which is occasionally omitted, especially if no clergy are present) is the Communion service; in ancient times it was called the Eucharist, the Greek word for thanksgiving. One could view it as an extension of the kiddush, or fellowship meal, that often follows synagogue services. This part of the service consists of hymns, prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, and the sharing of the bread and wine. Originally, this part of the service was secret; only baptized Christians could attend or participate. However, overheard acclamations (“this is my body, take, eat” ) led pagans to conclude that cannibalism and other untoward things were going on and that led to violent persecutions. As a result, this part of the service is open to the public as well. In modern churches, worshipers greet each other and announcements are made during the break between the Synaxis (the Service of the Word) and the Eucharist (the Service of Communion).
Eastern Christian liturgy has not changed much over the last thousand years. The service is elaborate and the clergy and the choir perform it in the presence of the congregation. The role of the congregation is in many cases limited to standing in awe and adoration. Western liturgy has always been characterized by simplicity. Over the centuries, the west was dominated by only two or three liturgical styles, which gradually conformed themselves to Roman practice. During the Protestant Reformation the liturgy was reformed to expand the role of the congregation and to make Communion more frequent. The idea of a preplanned worship service was rejected first by third wave of the Protestant Reformation, then by the Quakers and the Puritans. Most religious groups that originated in the United States during the nineteenth century can be characterized as ‘nonliturgical’ in the sense that the congregation has no formal, corporate role in worship other than to be the audience and to join in singing.

Various parts of Christendom call Communion by various terms. Anglicans and Orthodox still prefer the original name, Eucharist, though the Orthodox also call it the Divine Liturgy or just the Liturgy. Other groups call the service Communion, which is what is achieved, or the Last Supper, which is what it commemorates. The word Mass comes from the Latin word used by the priest to dismiss the people at the end of a Eucharistic service. It refers to an entire church service that includes a Eucharist. Although the term originated in the Roman Catholic Church, it is also used by some Anglicans, some Lutherans, and many English-speaking Orthodox.

Altar Linens

Altar linens are most often made of linen, because Jesus’ graveclothes were linen. Most altar linens are square. The proper way to fold altar linens after you’ve ironed them is in thirds lengthwise, then in thirds crosswise, so that you end up with a square. Don’t crease them with the iron! When you unfold them, the folds make nine squares. You should fold them so that if there is an embroidered symbol, it’s on top. (If your altar linens are real linen, you’ll get the best results if you iron the reverse side with a hot iron while they are damp, then the front side when they are dry. Pay attention to the edges so they remain straight.)
The following are altar linens: corporals, purificators, chalice palls, and chalice veils.

In general, set the altar up as follows: Place the fair linen on the altar over any paraments. Then place the corporal in the center on top of the fair linen. Place the chalice on the center of the corporal. Fold the purificator in thirds lengthwise and drape it over the chalice, side to side. Place the paten on top of the purificator. Place the chalice pall over the paten, then drape the chalice veil over the whole assembly.

Chalice Pall

The chalice pall is a square cloth, usually seven by seven inches, with a cardboard or plastic stiffener. It is called a pall because it has the same function as a funeral pall. It protects the bread and wine from insects.

Chalice Veil

The chalice veil is optional. It is a large square cloth, sometimes the color of the liturgical season and it sometimes has an embroidered or appliquéd symbol on it. It is draped over the whole assembly so that the symbol faces the congregation.

Corporal

The corporal is a square cloth that goes over the fair linen and under the chalice. The word “corporal” comes from the Latin word “corpus” meaning body.

Fair Linen

The fair linen is a rectangular piece of linen that goes on top of the paraments, covering the top of the altar and hanging down a bit on the sides.

Purificator

The purificator serves as a napkin to “purify” the celebrant’s lips and possibly the chalice after Communion.

Anthem

An ‘anthem’ is a hymn whose lyrics come from scripture. Historically, anthems were sung responsively.

Chalice

A chalice is a drinking cup with a bowl, a single stem, and a foot, as in the illustration on the right. The stem usually has a knob to make it easier to grasp. Chalices are generally made of silver, gold, or ceramics. The chalice can be used two ways in the Eucharist. Either everyone drinks from it, in which case it is called taking Communion from a common cup, or worshippers dip the bread into the cup, in which case it is called Communion by intinction. (Intinction is just a fancy word for dipping.) If the common cup is used, the server wipes the cup with a napkin and rotates it for each communicant. I am not aware of any documented cases of disease being spread by the common cup.

Ciborium

A ciborium looks like a chalice with a lid. It is used to store the bread for Communion.

Chant

To some people, the word ‘chant’ refers to mindless repetitions of the same words and phrases. But ‘chant’ is actually a technical term for a specific musical form—a simple melody in which you sing a number of words or syllables on the same note. Or you might say that a song is words set to music, but a chant is music set to words. The most well-known chant is the musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer, which is more elaborate than most chants. Chants were invented to encourage congregational singing, since they require less musical skill than songs. The advantage of chanting is that most any text can be chanted to any tune without modifying either the tune or the text, and that makes it an ideal way to put scripture to music.

Collect

A collect (pronounced CALL-ect) is a short prayer that summarizes a foregoing series of prayers or a worship service. A collect is usually one sentence long and consists of three parts: an invocation, a petition, and a doxology. The following is an example of a simple collect:
O God, who gave your only Son to die for our sins, give us grateful hearts to live worthily before you; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. AMEN.

Hymn

Technically, a hymn is a song in which the singers praise, worship, or thank God. However, many church songs that are called hymns today are not directed to God at all, but to the congregation (as a testimony), to newcomers (as an invitation), or the congregation even sings to itself (as self-congratulation).

Liturgy

The word liturgy, which is a Greek word, has several different meanings in common use. For many people, a liturgy is a pre-planned worship service with all the parts written out. People who say that they have a nonliturgical church have this meaning in mind. Orthodox Christians, however, use the word liturgy to refer to the Eucharistic part of the service, so if a Baptist tells an Orthodox Christian, “we have a nonliturgical worship service,” the Orthodox Christian might go away thinking that Baptists never have Communion. Technically, however, if you have a printed bulletin or a preset order of worship, that is a liturgy. The only Christians who have a truly nonliturgical worship are the Quakers. (They sit in silence and wait to see if anyone says anything, and it is possible for a complete Sunday service to pass in silence.) The literal meaning of the word is the work of the lay people. In other words, worship is something you do, not something you watch.
In the era of the New Testament, a liturgy was a public activity that arose out of civic duty. For this reason, when the New Testament uses the word liturgeia (λιτυργεια) in the original Greek, it is generally translated ministry or service, such as in Luke 1:23, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Philippians 2:17, as well as Hebrews 8:6 and 9:21.

Offering

Originally, members of the congregation produced the bread and wine for Communion and presented it to the celebrant in the middle of the worship service, right before the Eucharist. This presentation of the bread and wine is called the offering, because it parallels Jesus’ offering of His flesh and blood for our sin. In the United States, where churches are financed through donations rather than tax money and most of them are in a perpetual state of financial distress, it has become customary to collect donations at this point in the service. Therefore, the term offering has come to refer to the money.

Ordinary Time

The Season of Epiphany and the Season After Pentecost are called ordinary time in some churches, because historically, the Sundays in those seasons have no names, just ordinal numbers (the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, and so on.)

Paraments

Paraments are decorative cloths that cover various items in the chancel of the church, hanging down in front of them. A full set of paraments includes one for the altar, one for the pulpit, one for the lectern, and a bookmark for the Bible. They are usually the color of the season and often have an appropriate embroidered or appliquéd symbol.

Paten

A paten is the small circular plate that holds the Communion bread. It is used with a chalice and is made of the same material as the chalice.

Procession

Until quite recently, there were no accurate timepieces, so worship services did not have a precise starting time. After the people gathered, the clergy and other ministers would enter the church in a procession to begin the service. This custom is still continued in most churches today, though in some churches it only survives in the wedding service. The first person in the procession is usually the crucifer, followed by other acolytes who light the candles and carry service books, then the choir, followed by lay ministers and then the clergy, with the highest ranking clergy last.

Pyx (or Pyxis)

A pyx (or pyxis) is a storage container for Communion wafers, which is often stored in a tabernacle. There is another type of pyx that is used to hold the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service.

Readings

Most churches are faithful to 1 Timothy 4:13 and incorporate the public reading of Holy Scripture in the worship service. Traditionally, there are up to four Bible readings during the Synaxis (the Service of the Word), which are taken from the Sunday lectionary:

The Old Testament Reading

The Old Testament Reading is taken from any part of the Old Testament except from the Psalms.

The Psalm

The Psalm is either an excerpt from a psalm or an entire psalm. Normally, the congregation participates in the psalm reading, either by reading it responsively or in unison, or by chanting it.

The Epistle Reading

The epistle reading is taken from any book in the New Testament other than a gospel. That is, for the purpose of the lectionary, readings from Acts and Revelation are considered epistle readings—with the exception that Orthodox Christians never take readings from Revelation.

The Gospel Reading

The gospel reading is an excerpt from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, just as you would suspect. Pews were invented by Roman Catholicism during the late middle ages for the comfort of the worshipers. Therefore, many congregations continue to stand during the gospel reading to show respect.

Tabernacle

In many churches, the celebrant consecrates enough bread during Communion to serve not just the people who are present at the service, but also the sick who are unable to attend. The extra consecrated host is stored in an ornamental box called a tabernacle until it can be used. Because the bread is already consecrated, a lay eucharistic minister can administer it to the sick during sick visits.
In England, about the 16th century, there was a problem with people burglarizing churches to steal the consecrated host. They attempted to work magic with it and, of course, their faith wasn’t edified when it didn’t work. To stop these burglaries, Parliament passed a law requiring Anglican priests and any assisting clergy or lay eucharistic ministers to consume all the Communion elements in plain view of the congregation. That is why some Anglican churches, even outside England, do not have tabernacles even today.

The Verger

A verger is a committed lay minister within the Church who assists the clergy in the conduct of public worship, especially in the marshalling of processions. Vergers can be full-time or part-time, paid or volunteer. Their duties can be purely ceremonial or include other responsibilities, such as parish administration, leadership of the worship committee or sexton.

A brief history of Vergers

The office of verger has its roots in the earliest days of the Church's history. It shares certain similarities with the former minor orders of porter and acolyte. Generally speaking, vergers were responsible for the order and upkeep of the house of worship, including preparations for the liturgy, the conduct of the laity, and grave-digging. Although there is no definitive historical survey of the office of verger, evidence from Rochester, Lincoln, Exeter, and Salisbury Cathedrals indicates the existence of vergers as far back as the 16th century. A familiar sight in English cathedrals, vergers have maintained the buildings and furnishings of the Church for many centuries. The Church of England Guild of Vergers (CEGV) was formed in 1932 as a fellowship of vergers within the Anglican Communion.

Concerning Vestments and Virges

Verger paraphernalia can be as varied as the duties of the incumbent. The basic vestment of a verger is a black cassock. In some places, especially cathedrals, the cassock may be of another color. And in some parishes the cassock is not worn at all. Over the cassock (or street clothes), when performing a ceremonial function, the verger wears a gown. One type of gown is sleeveless and resembles a bishop's chimere; the other is cut more fully and resembles a master's academic gown. There are no hard and fast rules about the shape and adornment of a verger's gown. The virge is the staff that a verger carries in procession. The name comes from the Latin "virga" which simply means a rod or staff; hence, a verger is one who carries a staff. The virge can trace its history back to the ceremonial maces carried before civic and ecclesiastical dignitaries. The Maces of State used in the House of Lords and the House of Commons of the British Parliament are examples of another modern use of the medieval symbols. Originally a weapon used to clear the way for processions (and control unruly choristers!); its use is now principally honorific. Again, the size and shape of a virge varies from place to place; but one end has a cross or other Christian symbol mounted on it. A longer variation of the virge is called the "beadle", originally used to lead academic processions.
The office's title comes from the ceremonial rod which a verger carries, a virge (or mace). In former times, a verger might have needed to use this to keep back an overenthusiastic crowd of peasants from a clergyman or to discipline unruly choristers. In addition to the virge a verger's regalia includes a gown and sometimes a bonnett. Vergers also appear in the academic processions of many old universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Yale as these institutions were originally founded by the church. The office of verger has, for the most part, disappeared in the Roman Catholic tradition and only today exists in many provinces of the Anglican Communion particularly in The Church of England.