Ceremony

Question

What is the Episcopal Church?

Answer

The Episcopal Church is part of the larger Anglican Communion, with our “Mother Church” being the Church of England. We are ‘catholic’, that is, part of the larger, universal tradition of Christianity. If you are or were raised Roman Catholic, many of our liturgies and prayers – found in our central worship text, the *Book of Common Prayer* – will be familiar to you. We emphasize scripture, tradition, and reason as the three pillars of our faith. This tradition is especially important to us because it has been affirming of LGBTQ+ people since the 1970s. We ordain women and LGBTQ+ people as priests, deacons, and bishops, and encourage them to serve at all levels of lay leadership.

Question

What will the service be like?

Answer

Marriages in the Episcopal Church follow rubrics taken from the Book of Common Prayer. There will be hymns, scripture readings, a brief homily, Holy Communion, and lots of sitting and standing. And incense! We both love incense.

Question

Can I receive Holy Communion?

Answer

In the Episcopal Church, all baptized Christians may receive Communion at our churches - that means Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, and so on. Some traditions prohibit their members from receiving Communion in other denominations, and we understand and respect that. If you do not wish to receive, you’re encouraged to come to the altar anyway - cross your arms over your chest and the priest will give you a blessing instead.