Upcoming Events
January 13 ~ "Last Chance Mass" for First Sunday after Epiphany, 5 pm
January 20 ~ "Last Chance Mass" for Second Sunday after Epiphany, 5 pm
January 27 ~ "Last Chance Mass" for Third Sunday after Epiphany, 5 pm
January 13 ~ "Last Chance Mass" for First Sunday after Epiphany, 5 pm
January 20 ~ "Last Chance Mass" for Second Sunday after Epiphany, 5 pm
January 27 ~ "Last Chance Mass" for Third Sunday after Epiphany, 5 pm
Our Worship:
We are blessed at St. Raphael's Anglican Mission to use the traditional Book of Common Prayer (1928) and such other worship supplements as are consistent with the same.
This worship has been described as:
~ Evangelical: proclaiming the saving doctrines of the gospel.
~ Reformed: returned to ancient and scriptural simplicity of worship.
~ Orthodox: consistent with the right teaching of the seven councils of christendom.
~ Catholic: according to the whole counsel of scripture everywhere known in the creeds, and true to the doctrine, and discipline established by bishops "rightly dividing the word of truth" all the way back to the Apostles.
The Divine Service (or Liturgy) begins with an abbreviated Evening Prayer and is followed by a short Litany, preparing the people of God in heart and mind for the right reception of Holy Communion. Then follows the Order for Holy Communion (or Mass) which includes a sermon. The whole worship service lasts about an hour. Before or after the liturgy or by appointment, the priest is available for counsel, Holy Confession, or anointing with oil for healing of mind, body and soul.
This is all quite abbreviated from older times, when regularly on the Lord's Day in the United Church of England (Wales) and Ireland, and in the Scottish Episcopal Church the full Morning Prayer, Litany, and Holy Communion would all be prayed and celebrated. This would include a recitation of the whole of the Ten Commandments, a robust Sermon or learned Homily, and a lengthy Exhortation before the reception of Holy Communion. Without doubt, these were adapted here and there (with the permission of the Bishop) for local custom and needs. And this did, in turn, lead to a reduction of the length of the service all around and the number of celebrations of Holy Communion.
St. Raphael's Anglican Mission has adapted these liturgical patterns for its own local needs, while pointing backwards towards the older ideal. This penitential emphasis in the Litany paves the way for healing through the sacraments. This emphasis should be recognizable to those from an Evangelical Lutheran background, where once the penitential service was a requirement on Saturday night before receiving communion on Sunday morning. It is consistent with the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions where Holy Confession on Saturday night is still a standard. It also reminds us of the Anglican Church of Ireland, which directed by church law that before a communion Sunday, the bell would be tolled Saturday evening so that the people might resort to the church to make confession if necessary, before receiving communion.
This is all quite abbreviated from older times, when regularly on the Lord's Day in the United Church of England (Wales) and Ireland, and in the Scottish Episcopal Church the full Morning Prayer, Litany, and Holy Communion would all be prayed and celebrated. This would include a recitation of the whole of the Ten Commandments, a robust Sermon or learned Homily, and a lengthy Exhortation before the reception of Holy Communion. Without doubt, these were adapted here and there (with the permission of the Bishop) for local custom and needs. And this did, in turn, lead to a reduction of the length of the service all around and the number of celebrations of Holy Communion.
St. Raphael's Anglican Mission has adapted these liturgical patterns for its own local needs, while pointing backwards towards the older ideal. This penitential emphasis in the Litany paves the way for healing through the sacraments. This emphasis should be recognizable to those from an Evangelical Lutheran background, where once the penitential service was a requirement on Saturday night before receiving communion on Sunday morning. It is consistent with the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions where Holy Confession on Saturday night is still a standard. It also reminds us of the Anglican Church of Ireland, which directed by church law that before a communion Sunday, the bell would be tolled Saturday evening so that the people might resort to the church to make confession if necessary, before receiving communion.