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THE CATHOLIC TRADITION
The
Anglican church
The Anglican church originated in
England but is now a worldwide communion of 38 provinces with 80 million
members.The Anglican church is both catholic
and reformed.
Catholic
…
It is catholic because it bases its
teachings on the early creeds, or statements of faith; because it gives a
central place to the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist, ordained by
Christ; and because its bishops trace their authority directly from Christ’s
apostles.
‘Catholic’ literally means universal; these
three features of Anglicanism have been regarded from the earliest centuries as
features that are, or should be, universally present in all branches of
Christ’s church.
…
and reformed
The Anglican church is reformed because
it believes that all its essential teachings must be and can be established by
the authority of the Bible. Though we embrace the traditions of the church, the
Bible is the ultimate authority for Anglican teaching, and it has a prominent place
in our worship.
Some parts of the Anglican church emphasise
its catholic nature, some its reformed or protestant nature. Anglicanism has a tolerance
and openness that accommodate a wide spectrum of emphases.
How
we worship …
Christ Church St Laurence stands in the
catholic tradition of Anglicanism. This tradition is also known as ‘Anglo-catholic’
or ‘high church’.
Our worship gives prominence to the sacraments, especially the eucharist, also know as the mass
or holy communion. Following Christ’s commandment on the night before his
death, we consecrate bread and wine to become his body and blood. In doing this
we unite ourselves to his sacrifice on the cross and to our fellow Christians,
who give continuing existence to the body of Christ in our world.
We pay the highest reverence to the body
and blood of Christ offered for us and given to us in the eucharist.
… and why
This reverence for the real presence of
Christ explains the most recognisable features of worship at Christ Church St
Laurence—the rich ceremony and beautiful music of our principal services. The singing
of the choir, the scent of incense, the paintings and statues that decorate the
church: all these, and more, are symbols for us of God’s presence in this holy
place and within us. They also communicate that presence through our senses.
Our style of worship seeks to fulfil
the command of the Psalms: ‘O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness’. The beauty
is dedicated to the glory of God; it is not an end in itself. Many of our
services are quite simple, but no less reverent in spirit. These include
morning and evening prayer, which are said in the church every day and include
extensive readings from the Bible.
‘God
so loved the world’: catholicism in ordinary life
Catholic Anglicanism reveres especially
the wonder and mercy of Christ’s incarnation, the fact that God chose to be
born as a human being. On the evidence of that act, we believe that God’s love
is directed towards every human being, without exception. We do our best to
re-enact God’s love in our own lives. We seek to find Christ in the stranger
and the persecuted, and to share the love of God with them.
In pursuit of that aim, we act generously
to the marginalised and homeless, many of whom find their way to us in central
Sydney. We welcome to our worship and into our parish community, without
judgement, everyone who wishes to join us. Our inclusiveness is another way of expressing
the ideal of the catholic: we aim to be a church for all.
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