Amy Richter
The Rev. Dr. Amy Richter is an Episcopal priest, currently living in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. She is the author and editor of several books, including Common Prayer: Reflections on Episcopal Worship and Saving Words: 20 Redemptive Words Worth Rescuing, published by Cascade.
Long Island churches focus on being OF the community, not just IN the community
Bob Cottrell, the junior warden at St. James Episcopal Church in Long Beach, N.Y., in the Diocese of Long Island, already had a vision of what his parish might do to better serve the needs of the recovery community, which is quite large in Long Beach. But it certainly never involved sponsoring mental health talks […]
One Driver Sticks…, Lent 3 (B) – 2009
One driver sticks post-it notes all over the dashboard of her car to make sure she remembers each errand. Kitchen calendars fill up with family appointments. Many cell phones now include calendars so their owners can have instant access to appointments that are too numerous to remember. Chronic stress accompanies an increasing number of Americans […]
What Does Our Culture…, Proper 10 (B) – 2009
What does our culture, our society, tell us about dancing? Does it celebrate it? Does it embrace and expand upon it, helping it to infuse our movements through the world? Does it teach us to inhabit the expressive potential of our bodies, coordinated and rhythmic? Or does it narrow it, relegate it to the back […]
Days of Optional Observance
Days in the calendar of the church year for which a liturgical observance is allowed but not required (BCP, pp. 17-18). Sundays, principal feasts, and other holy days always take precedence over any optional days or festivals. Days of optional observance include the various commemorations in the calendar (that is, the “lesser feasts”), other commemorations-not […]
Merbecke or Marbeck, John
(c. 1510-c. 1585). English composer and theologian. He is best known as the composer of The booke of Common praier noted (1550) in which he set Prayer Book services to plainsong-like melodies in strict acknowledgment of Archbishop Cranmer's admonition, “for every syllable a note” (see The Hymnal 1982, S 67, S 90, S 113, S […]
Living the Good News, or Colorado Curriculum
A Christian education curriculum based on the common lectionary. It was begun in the Diocese of Colorado in 1976 as a six-week program. It is sometimes referred to as the “Colorado Curriculum.” Living the Good News emphasizes the heritage of the Episcopal Church, the sacraments, and the Prayer Book. The curriculum also emphasizes the liturgical […]
Anglicanism
This way of life is the system of doctrine, and approach to polity of Christians in communion with the See of Canterbury. The term derives from the word which, in a variety of forms, refers to the people of the British Isles, and especially the English. Anglicanism reflects the balance and compromise of the via […]
Flagon
A large vessel with handle and spout, shaped like a pitcher. It is used as a container for wine or water at the eucharist. It may be made of metal, pottery, or glass. The Prayer Book directs that only one chalice is to be on the altar during the Great Thanksgiving. This emphasizes the symbolism […]
Palm Sunday (The Sunday of the Passion)
The Sunday before Easter at which Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mt 21:1-11, Mk 11:1-11a, Lk 19:29-40) and Jesus’ Passion on the cross (Mt 26:36-27:66, Mk 14:32-15:47, Lk 22:39-23:56) are recalled. It is also known as the Sunday of the Passion. Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week. Red is the liturgical color […]
Missal Mass
” The use of a missal has never been required in the Anglican liturgical tradition. However, unofficial missals have been privately published. These missals combine liturgical texts from the Prayer Book with supplementary materials such as prayers, ceremonial directions, and scripture lessons for various occasions that may not be included in the Prayer Book. Although […]
Preface (Eucharistic)
Introductory section of the eucharistic prayer, including the salutation, the Sursum Corda and ending with the Sanctus. Eastern eucharistic liturgies typically have prefaces with a fixed text that recalls salvation history. This tradition is reflected in Eucharistic Prayer D, based on the liturgy of St. Basil, and Eucharistic Prayer C, both of which have a […]
Saint
A holy person, a faithful Christian, one who shares life in Christ. The term may also indicate one who has been formally canonized or recognized as a saint by church authority. In the NT, the term is applied to all faithful Christians (see Acts 9:32, 26:10). Paul addresses the saints or those called to be […]
Purification of Women (after childbirth)
The title given in the 1549 BCP to the rite commonly called the Churching of Women. It is derived from the Sarum rite. Its ultimate source is the Jewish rite of purification, and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lk 2:22-39). St. Augustine of Canterbury mentions the existence of this Christian rite. In the […]
Reconciliation of a Penitent
Sacramental rite in which those who repent may confess their sins to God in the presence of a priest and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution (BCP, p. 861). It is also called penance and confession. The church’s ministry of reconciliation is from God, “who reconciled us to himself through Christ, […]
Liturgical Movement, The
A movement of liturgical renewal and reform, rooted in new discoveries concerning the Christian liturgical tradition and new insights into the experience of common worship. The liturgical movement was encouraged by new developments and insights in the fields of biblical studies, patristic studies, and ecumenism during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The liturgical movement emphasized […]
Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The
Feast that celebrates Jesus’ radical change of appearance while in the presence of Peter, James, and John, on a high mountain (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36). The Gospel of Matthew records that “he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light.” At this moment […]
High Mass
This is a term used, mostly in Anglo-catholic parishes, to describe a celebration of the eucharist characterized by multiple ministers (a priest- or bishop-celebrant, deacon, “subdeacon,” acolytes, choir, and possibly others) and a rich ceremonial (incense, candles, processions, stylized movements and gestures), and a preference for singing rather than saying the various texts of the […]
Canon
The word is derived from the Greek kanon, a “measuring rod or rule.” It has several different meanings in the church. 1) [Scripture] The canon of scripture is the list of inspired books recognized by the church to constitute the Holy Scriptures. 2) [Church Law] Canons are the written rules that provide a code of […]
Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child
The BCP (p. 439) states that after the birth or adoption of a child, the parents and other family members should come to the church to be welcomed by the congregation and give thanks to God. It is desirable that this be done at a Sunday service. The BCP provides a form for A Thanksgiving […]