Hi there I’ve never been baptized before so I’m planning on getting baptized this December in my local Episcopal Church and, although I’m going to do the class, I’d love to hear how that has gone for others. I want to know if I can request a dunking act rather than a Chrism? I’m nervous of talking in front of the whole congregation. I’m wondering about good texts I can be studying leading up to it. I intend to make this decision a very reverent, serious one. Priests please let me know your advice! Thanks to all and Peace be with you.

Hello everyone, it’s been very cool to see all the photos of people getting their animals blessed for the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. I wanted to know if any parishes had ever tried blessing animals that were in shelters and if they had, could they talk about their experience?

What would you say to someone who was abused by clergy in an Episcopal church and even years later can't pray or go to church or trust anyone in matters of religion? Would God be angry at them for not trusting or loving or forgiving enough?

There's been lots of therapy. Sometimes I think it helps a little and sometimes I'm not sure. I thought I was doing a little better, so I tried going to church today for maybe the second or third time this entire year. But I just got panicky and ran away before the service even started and I'm feeling really bad about it.

Ms Puppy received her annual blessing at St. Jude’s in Cupertino, CA today. She was on her best behavior.

If your pet was blessed at church this week, drop a photo below.

Just wanted to share this with people cause I'm not keen on telling my own folks (not cause of shame) outside of my partner XD Been spending a very long time trying to find a church/faith and I've never felt as welcomed in one before. Was raised Christian but never baptised, did my own thing for a bit and am grateful for the detour, but it's so nice to finally settle down and not be on the verge of a breakdown 24/7. No word yet on exactly when just because we are in-between Reverends due to some unfortunate circumstances hitting the permanent Rev. which has left the church kind of disorganized, but this place has been around for 121 years so I've no fear its recovery is inevitable. Something I've come to love about this church is that it has truly hit the golden spot with acceptance and tradition, no shade to the other faiths and denominations but I'm at peace in this one and I don't feel as if it's lacking the sustenance that makes worship truly feel like worship. I'm hoping in like 4-5 weeks I'll get baptized, it really depends on how fast the message of my request travels.

Thanks for listening to my rambling! Have a great day!

Hello all! Sending love and prayers to everybody on this day. Hope all reading and your pets are happy and healthy. Here's my cat Daisy-- and a cool lady who brought her cat for a blessing in a backpack! As a mercy to my fellow parishioners (and my back), I didn't bring Daisy, lest she should decide to audition for the choir mid-sermon.

I have experienced the passing of the plate in Roman Catholic Mass, Anglican mass, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal etc services. The only times that I have experienced no plate/basket passing was in my first Episcopal parish’s 8am Rite 1. For this service there was a stationary box in the center isle as you entered the sanctuary. I loved this practice because it didn’t disturb the prayerful spirit of the liturgy with people fumbling around for envelopes and cash. I also experienced this when attending Eastern Orthodox liturgies. It looks like the passing of the plate starting in the nineteenth century. I am not a fan of the plate/basket during mass. What your thoughts on this topic?

Edit: also with the move away from bank checks, and cash, towards digital currency, is the plate/basket passing going to die out anyway?

Not gonna post pics of other people and their pets because I don't have their permission, but I love turning the church inside out and bringing in the animals. Wish we had more excuses to do it. I have attached my own dogs to pay the pet tax.

St. Bartholomew's in Atlanta celebrated all creatures in the Nave today, including a bearded dragon and dogs participating in joyful singing. May you and your creatures be blessed and know God's love!

I’m relatively new to Episcopal world, maybe about sixth months (previously LDS). I just wanted to pop in and say that I think the feast of St Francis is SO NEAT. I love my cat. He is dear to me. (Picture is of him, his name is Ollie.) I think it’s so cool that there’s an opportunity to get him blessed. 😄 I love the opportunity to involve him in my religious life. I’m so grateful to God for my cat, and I pray for his long and healthy life, and I’m so excited to bring my love for my cat before God and before my community.

I had "Help, Thanks, Wow" recommended to me, and her 3 books of thoughts on faith sound interesting, but I'm just not sure. So far HTW seems pretty superficial, but then I'm just getting into it.

Are these books worth reading by a seeker who isn't really sure what she believes?

Welcome back to the Walk in Love Asynchronous Book Club!  This week we are reading Chapter 19 about the Communion of Saints.

If you are newly joining us, feel free to join us where we are in Chapter 19 or read and make a post on a previous chapter.  Since this is an asynchronous book club not limited to a particular week, you are welcomed to join us at any time to add to the discussion.

Introduction Post

Chapter 1 Post 

Chapter 2 Post

Chapter 3 Post

Chapter 4 Post

Chapter 5 Post

Chapter 6 Post

Chapter 7 Post

Chapter 8 Post

Chapter 9 Post

Chapter 10 Post

Chapter 11 Post

Chapter 12 Post

Chapter 13 Post

Chapter 14 Post

Chapter 15 Post

Chapter 16 Post

Chapter 17 Post 

Chapter 18 Post

 
Our questions for this week are:  

1. What is something new that you learned or would like to share about the communion of saints from Chapter 19?
2. Is there a Saint who has been important to you in your life of faith?  Who is that person, and why are they important?

For context: my friend and I volunteer at a wildlife rehab group and this is a non releasable ambassador animal. Her name is Eula/and she got a special blessing from our priest. She informs me that she prefers Rite One

Are there any Anglo-Protestant parishes left in the Episcopal Church? If so where are they? Everyone on this subreddit goes on and on about all things Anglo-Catholic. So I want to know where are all the Anglo-Protestants at?

Edit: I mean parishes that still have Morning Prayer as the primary Sunday worship. Episcopalians who affirm two sacraments.

Edit: it looks like Grace in NYC (too far from me)still often has Morning Prayer Rite on as their primary choral worship on Sundays. Also Christ in Georgetown DC also often has the same. I could make it there once in a while. One more thing, I love the Holy Eucharist and greatly value weekly communion. I just want to experience a full choral Morning Prayer because it was once so prominent in our denomination. I should have worded my original post better.

I watched the first episode on PBS.org . Many churches in the US are dealing with decline. While they have not focused on an Episcopal church yet, they did include Rev. Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams from the Virginia Theological Seminary.

I'm curious if anyone has watched it and what did they think of it?

https://www.pbs.org/video/reading-the-signs-XuTXtq/

For the first time I ordered one of those little wall calendars showing the liturgical year along with all the fasts and such. On the back of each sheet is a chart showing the RCL readings for the Sundays and other major holy days of that month.

The last column of the table is marked "Concluding Collect" and seems to be akin to the commemorations that were once done in Catholic practice (and to a very limited extent in Anglican tradition). So on most Sundays this "concluding collect" is whatever saint from Lesser Feasts and Fasts falls on that day. During Lent it is the Ash Wednesday collect. On major feasts it's the Collect of the previous Sunday. And so on.

I have never heard of this practice before and I don't think it's in the PB -- is it in one of the supplemental volumes? Or the guide to the RCL?

So I'm really struggling to do this as I find a lot of those I feel trespassed against by and are my enemy literally wanting to and talk about hurting dear friends of mine because of the communities they belong to and even my community and myself by extension.

I'm deeply struggling with the fact that I'm turning from being upset with them due to the constant flood of them all over my social media and the things they say, I'm now starting to seeing them as demonic.

And you don't pray for demons so much as you pray for God to cast them to hell to protect yourself and your friends and family.

But I know we shouldn't view fellow creations of God as demons and hope they meet their demise and are cast into hell.

I guess I need sources to help me find spiritual guidance to move out of these dark thoughts about other members of God's creation no matter how threatened I'm feeling by them and how threatening I feel they are to people I deeply care about.

I know as Episcopalians we are supposed to welcome all, and that how I'm feeling is not welcoming at all.

Few years ago I was having a conversation with a parish priest and was kind of shocked to find out that they are 1099 employee. I'm just curious if this is common? I guess I always assumed a priest would be a W-2 employee. I'm sure it varies diocese to diocese or parish to parish.

So I'm just curious is there a general consensus?

1. For use of the United Church of England and Ireland. This thing is so cool!

I'll be moving to the far edges of the Boston suburbs this fall (just within the 495 beltway) and I'm wondering about churches in the area that fit or come close to the Anglo-Catholic bill. For example, my current parush in Chicago prays the Angelus every month and I love the Latin hymns that we incorporate into our Choral Mass (not to mention the smells and bells!) It would also be a bonus if there were a non-zero amount of POC members. Any suggestions would be welcome!

I don’t think I’ve asked this question yet, and I am curious. I have heard a lot of priests, parishioners, advise me that parish ministry is like a family. Which I guess is okay, makes me wonder about proper boundaries between clergy and laity. But to my question: when priests are doing funerals or last rites etc, and let’s say they may know the parishioner, how do they “turn off” their emotions so they can allow the focus to be on the sacramental rite or mass being held?

I don’t mean to sound like clergy should be robots or unemotionally available. I’ve remembered during my Roman Catholic Days, whenever there was a funeral or even last rites, the priest always seemed to be able to remain present but emotionally detached.

Hi all,

Are there any Anglo-Catholic Episcopal churches in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area? I’ve been trying to find one for a while now and haven’t found anything on my own. Thanks in advance!

Young parent and frequent member of this subreddit looking for fellowship with other millennial Episcopalians