Quick Questions

[BenjaminW]

As an infant, I was baptised in the Anglican Church. Later, when I was still very young my parents drifted away from religion, and I haven't been back many times over the past 18 or so years, in large part because I suffer from pretty bad social anxiety and agoraphobia.

Anyway, I'm moving back to Ottawa, with my brother, where I was born, after being away for about 17 years, to go (back) to university. I'm hoping to use this opportunity to try to overcome the extreme shut-inness I've been living for the past several years. I intend to go back to church, as, unlike most of the rest of my family, I still believe in God. (A fact that thoroughly annoys my brother. )

I looked at all the parish websites near where I'm moving to, and found several Anglican churches a similar distance from where I'm going to live. Among them, was the parish in which I was baptised as an infant, so I think that I the one I shall go to.

I have a few questions, first though.

1. Confirmation isn't required to receive the Eucharist, is it?
2. Many parishes have the Holy Eucharist on weekdays, at least one holds it every day. What is the difference between these and the Sunday service? I generally get the impression through media and such that church (in general, not Anglican in specific) is an "only on Sunday" thing, so these seem odd to me.
3. Many parishes have both a "Holy Eucharist" and a "Choral Eucharist". What is the difference?
4. Is there anything distasteful about attending several different parishes to see the difference between them?
5. One of the parishes, somewhat further away, is explicitly Anglo-Catholic and holds "Mass" instead of the "Eucharist". Would this be much different?

That's all I can think of at the moment. Any additional information that might help me would be appreciated. My unfortunate anxiety disorders give me a very irrational fear of talking to new people, going to new places and making mistakes in front of people, among other things. Any information to assuage my fear of making "mistakes" in particular (as silly as that might be) would be helpful.

Thank you kindly and God bless.

 

[RestoreTheRiver]

There's a story of an old English sea captain who went to church for the first time. His friends asked him what he did to avoid making mistakes. "i sat in the stern", he replied, "and rose and fell with the tide!"

While many people seem to like sitting toward the back, whether they're new or not, there's really no need to worry about making mistakes. The important thing is to worship God.

In any Anglican church of which I'm aware, you may receive the Eucharist if you are baptized in the Name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit. Confirmation is not a requirement to receive.

Sunday worship is always the primary worship in a parish. The daily Eucharists would be smaller, and sometimes less formal services.

An Anglo-Catholic church would, indeed, be more "high" church in its worship.

I pray that you do visit some parishes soon. And, no, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with looking around for the right one.

Michael

 

[mark46]

You might look at the websites of the churches for more information on services. You mentioned a church that has more than one service. Ours has four, with different worship formats at each. You mentioned one that emphasized the chorus. You may find that there are very large differences in types of service. There are many Anglican communities and many variations within each.

In any case, welcome, and feel free to go to more than one church.

I pray that you find a church where you feel at home, and where you can best grow in you spiritual walk.

As an infant, I was baptised in the Anglican Church. Later, when I was still very young my parents drifted away from religion, and I haven't been back many times over the past 18 or so years, in large part because I suffer from pretty bad social anxiety and agoraphobia.

Anyway, I'm moving back to Ottawa, with my brother, where I was born, after being away for about 17 years, to go (back) to university. I'm hoping to use this opportunity to try to overcome the extreme shut-inness I've been living for the past several years. I intend to go back to church, as, unlike most of the rest of my family, I still believe in God. (A fact that thoroughly annoys my brother. )

I looked at all the parish websites near where I'm moving to, and found several Anglican churches a similar distance from where I'm going to live. Among them, was the parish in which I was baptised as an infant, so I think that I the one I shall go to.

I have a few questions, first though.

1. Confirmation isn't required to receive the Eucharist, is it?
2. Many parishes have the Holy Eucharist on weekdays, at least one holds it every day. What is the difference between these and the Sunday service? I generally get the impression through media and such that church (in general, not Anglican in specific) is an "only on Sunday" thing, so these seem odd to me.
3. Many parishes have both a "Holy Eucharist" and a "Choral Eucharist". What is the difference?
4. Is there anything distasteful about attending several different parishes to see the difference between them?
5. One of the parishes, somewhat further away, is explicitly Anglo-Catholic and holds "Mass" instead of the "Eucharist". Would this be much different?

That's all I can think of at the moment. Any additional information that might help me would be appreciated. My unfortunate anxiety disorders give me a very irrational fear of talking to new people, going to new places and making mistakes in front of people, among other things. Any information to assuage my fear of making "mistakes" in particular (as silly as that might be) would be helpful.

Thank you kindly and God bless.

 

[pmcleanj]

Hi Benjamin! I bagan attending church when I was seventeen, with even less background in the church than you had. I can remember that feeling of uncertainty and fear of doing something wrong, even though that was decades ago. You'll be fine: people are pretty accepting and no-one worries too much about uniformity -- and not much has changed in the last seventeen years. Certainly not as much as changed in the previous seventeen!

1. Confirmation is not required to receive the Eucharist.
   
   
2. Anglican worship has always been an "every day" thing in theory, which is why we have "Morning Prayer" and "Evening Prayer". The rubrics suggest that those offices should be for weekdays and Communion for Sundays. But in practice the appeal of Morning Prayer was always the music, and weekday services usually don't have a choir. So in practice churches that hold any sort of weekday service usually hold Communion, since that is still meaningful even without music. And that's the main difference: the service is quicker and simpler. There's supposed to be a sermon at every eucharist, but on weekdays that often is skipped.
   
   
3. On Sundays, the "said Eucharist" is usually the 8 a.m. one, and it is much like a weekday Eucharist: no music, quick and simple, so that essential services workers can get on to their jobs and skiers can get on to the hill. On Sunday though they usually do not skip the sermon.
   
   
4. Congregations that make a point of being "Anglo-Catholic" usually follow exactly the same order of service as everyone else, but add in decorative practices that are seen as being more "catholic": more robes, more attention to symbols like the liturgical colours for church hangings; parishioners may kneel and cross themselves during some parts of the service; they may use incense, they may have holy-water fonts at the doors, they may have shrines with statues of saints and candles to be lit. Or not ... they need be only more "anglo-catholic" than the next church, and if the next church has a very plain worship style that may not take much.
   
   
5. So definitely visit several churches. That is not at all distasteful although church-hopping for ever and never fitting in to a parish is might be thought so -- it certainly would be less pleasant for you, than finding a church home!
   
   

 

[Cjwinnit]

Hi there

1. Confirmation isn't required to receive the Eucharist, is it?

Generally not. Baptism is though - you should be fine. Some (very few) parishes are a little picky but the vast majority nowadays just have baptism as a criteria.

2. Many parishes have the Holy Eucharist on weekdays, at least one holds it every day. What is the difference between these and the Sunday service? I generally get the impression through media and such that church (in general, not Anglican in specific) is an "only on Sunday" thing, so these seem odd to me.

The Sunday service will have a lot more families.

3. Many parishes have both a "Holy Eucharist" and a "Choral Eucharist". What is the difference?

I would guess the main difference is that one has a choir and the other might not. If it has a choir there's a chance that some of the words of the service are sung rather than spoken.

4. Is there anything distasteful about attending several different parishes to see the difference between them?

It depends on what your criteria are

 

[BenjaminW]

Thank you very much, all. It's the little things like this I always get hung up on. Social anxiety and agoraphobia tend to make me obsess over small things, and then be too frightened to get the answers to the questions that are bothering me.

 

[RestoreTheRiver]

I commend your faith and courage in seeking to go to church. God will go before you, and will be with you, step by step and moment by moment.

Michael