Learn more about
the Episcopal Church
What Episcopalians Believe
The faith taught by the Episcopal Church, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, is simply the Christian faith. The Episcopal Church has no dogma and no confession of faith, except the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed which are shared by many Christian churches.
Our Anglican tradition teaches that our faith should be supported by the “three-legged stool” of scripture, tradition, and reason. This means that in shaping our relationship with God, we depend on three things: the Bible; the 2,000 year-old global tradition of Christianity; and our human reason. Our beliefs must respond and be balanced in all three.
This means that we share a foundation of faith: God made and has always loved humanity. As part of this love, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became fully human, died on the cross, and destroyed the power of death by his resurrection. From God, through Christ, we are offered a new transformed life through the Holy Spirit. We live out this faith by following our baptismal vows to seek and serve Christ in all people, respect the dignity of every human being, strive for God’s justice and peace, and share the Good News of God’s love.
It also means that on other issues, we often agree to disagree. The Anglican Church has a long history – back to its very beginning – of being a church where diverse views are expected and respected, and where what we have in common is our commitment to Jesus Christ and our worship together. That is why the central book of our church (besides, of course, the Bible) is not a book of doctrine or dogma, but a book of prayer: the Book of Common Prayer.
You can learn more about what Anglicans believe here. Many of our parishioners are also happy to share their thoughts and beliefs on these big questions; there are many different angles of belief in the parish. Our clergy, too, are happy to speak about what they personally believe and what the Church proclaims.
How We Worship
For Episcopalians, Sunday worship, particularly sharing Holy Communion together, is the most important part of our life together. Worship joins us together as the Body of Christ and empowers us to do God’s work in the world. The Episcopal Church is a liturgical church, which means our worship shares a liturgy—a form of worship with ceremony and rite—with other Episcopalians and Anglicans around the world. The symbols and ceremony of worship hold meaning that words can’t express.
And—we are a fun, family church who welcome all ages in a reverent and relaxed atmosphere. Liturgy means “the work of the people” so all participate in the service by reading the prayers aloud together, kneeling and standing (in body or in spirit) at different times during the service, and by singing together. Lay people as well as clergy help lead the worship service in various roles.
The weekly service bulletin will lead you through the service. The prayers in it are taken from the Book of Common Prayer, the small red book in the pew racks. Those who are long-time Episcopalians may prefer to follow the service in the BCP, but most newcomers find the service bulletin easier. Hymns and songs are primarily from two standard Episcopalian worship sources - the " 1982 Blue Hymnal" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal" (page numbers are in the service bulletin). We frequently supplement these sources with music from outside our denominational and cultural traditions to include varied musical styles and genres.
You can learn more about Anglican & Episcopal services here, and see some quick answers about our own services at our FAQ page.
Episcopal & Anglican Resources
Prayer
The Venite App : A free app to help you pray the Daily Office from The Book of Common Prayer! This app, developed by a local Episcopal priest in his free time, helps you select and follow all the different parts of Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline.
The Book of Common Prayer : read The Book of Common Prayer on the web
Lectionary Page : find the the Bible passages assigned for each Sunday
Praying the Daily Office : another resource for praying the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer from The Book of Common Prayer; includes daily scripture readings.
Our Institutions
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts : This site includes information on our diocese and links to all the parishes in the diocese. You can sign up here to receive an e-mail newsletter direct from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
The Episcopal Church of the USA : This is the web site of our national church, with information on Episcopal dioceses, churches, organizations, programs, and activities across the United States.
The Anglican Communion : This is the site of the global Anglican Communion, of which our parish, our diocese, and the Episcopal Church are members. We are proud to be part of this body of Christians around the world.
What’s Happening around the Church
The Episcopal News Service : for the latest news on General Convention and other news from the Episcopal Church
Anglicans Online : A center for all things Episcopal/Anglican on the web. You can find thousands of links to resources on the Bible, Prayer Book, Christian education, music, theology, spirituality, prayer, and many other topics. It also includes an introduction to the basic beliefs and traditions of the Episcopal Church.