Questions

Hello!

I am looking into the Anglican denomination, and I have some questions if anybody wouldn't mind answering them.

To make a long story short:
I became a Christian in Afganistan, was invited to and visited an Episcopalian church for two months - loved it and felt right at home.
I was then stationed in Germany and am visiting a Protestant church on home.. have a few issues with some things happening in the Episcopalian Church and am looking into/learning about Anglicanism.

Do Anglicans recognize Mary like Catholics do?
Do Anglicans practice confession? In general, what is the difference between Catholics and Anglicans?
Do Anglicans make the sign of the cross?

In Anglican churches, do they usually have ministries for children/youth?

I have found conflicting things online.. and so I thought I would ask people who actually attend Anglican services.

We recognize Mary as Mother of God or Theotokos (God-bearer). Some Anglicans believe in the Immaculate Conception. Some believe in her Assumption into heaven. Officially, there is a lot of freedom when it comes to Mary. A lot of us believe the things that one finds in the Early Church about Mary, so practices like the "Hail Mary" prayer can be part of personal devotion. Some of the newer Catholic ideas like "Mediatrix of All Graces" or "Co-Redemptrix" aren't really a part of Anglicanism. We honor her and the Saints, but not usually to the Catholic level. Some Anglicans don't really think about her much at all. There's a lot of variety. You might not encounter much of this in Sunday worship.

We do have Confession, but not every church or priest offers private confession. We have a corporate confession of sin and absolution as part of our Sunday liturgy. We believe that this is sufficient (an area where we differ with Rome). Some parishes do offer private Confession also. Both are acceptable. We don't necessarily think in terms of being in a "state of mortal sin" or a "state of grace," like Catholics do. Well some Anglicans might, but that's not really our usual mindset.

We do make the sign of the cross, although when & where might vary by local custom. Usually we do at the end of prayers, at the name of the Trinity, at the Consecration of the Eucharist, during the Absolution of sins, during a Blessing, and maybe a few other times. A lot of people make the Sign after they receive Communion, also. But there's no pressure. Often, converts from Evangelical churches aren't comfortable with it, and that's totally understandable (having been one myself!).

Every Episcopal church that I've attended has a great youth program. As long as they have the staff, they usually try to make that a priority!