Inquiring Hearts and Wandering Minds: Ask Anything You Want
Ask Anything You Want
July 7, 2019
Since it was the July 4th weekend and I figured a lot of folks would be out of town or watching the World Cup (USA, USA), this week was the opportunity to ask questions - any questions about anything in the Episcopal Church although I did not promise to know the right answer. We were a small group, but we had a lot of discussion about everything from the role of the Queen in the Church of England to why teenagers have curfews. It was a most interesting class!
What role does Queen Elizabeth play in the Church of England?
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| Queen Elizabeth and Archbishop Justin Welby |
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
Imagine trying to fit all that on a business card. This is the official title of Queen Elizabeth and the term "Defender of the Faith" comes with a lot of history and politics. It goes back to our friend Henry VIII when the Pope and he were actually on good terms. When Henry tried to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the Pope took away the title, but Henry kept right on using it. Then with the Act of Supremacy, Henry was formally named Supreme Head of the Church of England. All monarchs since Henry have retained the title, Defender of the Faith, in one form or another.
So today, Queen Elizabeth II is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. She chooses the Archbishop of Canterbury with the advice of the Prime Minister. The Archbishop is Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, Archbishop of the Province of Canterbury, Primate of the Church of England, and Spiritual Leader of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. He is Primus Inter Pares (First Among Equals) of the Anglican Bishops throughout the world. He does not hold authority over other members of the Anglican Communion but rather serves as the senior bishop.
You can read all about the Anglican Communion at www.anglicancommunion.org.
Do Episcopalians have Confession?
YES! That's the short answer. On page 446 of the BCP, we have The Reconciliation of a Penitent and confession is one of the parts of the liturgy along with counseling, absolution, penance, and thanksgiving.
Reconciliation of a Penitent is one of the seven sacraments of the Church (extra credit if you can name the other six without looking). The Catechism (yes we have that too and more extra credit if you know where you can find it) defines the sacraments as "outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace." It is never required but is always available when there are those things which separate us from God that we just cannot seem to move beyond. The liturgy usually takes place at the altar rail and, no, you won't usually find a confessional booth in an Episcopal Church (including St. Matthias).
You will usually go a priest or a bishop for Reconciliation of a Pertinent. However, if you just can't find a priest and you really need to confess, a layperson or deacon can hear your confession, they just can't pronounce absolution. Whoever you go to, the sanctity of the confessional is a moral absolute - in other words, what is said in the confessional absolutely stays in the confessional. This is different from pastoral counseling which falls under the rules of confidentiality. If you want to know more about the difference between sanctity of the confessional and pastoral confidentiality, corner me at the coffee pot and I can definitely explain it better.
Our Inquiring Minds will gather once again on Sunday, July 21 when we will talk about some of the differences between us Episcopalians and all our friends of the Protestant denominations like baptism and the communion and all that stuff about "the day you were saved?"
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