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Spirituality is the act of living out faith.

If you are looking for a church that has morality but not moralism,
The Bible but not bibliolatry,
Law but not legalism,
Emotion but not emotionalism,
Piety but not pietism,
Tradition but not sentimentalism,
Then you’re probably in the right place.

Dennis Maynard (add permission)

 

Each faith community and each individual in our diocese lives out faith uniquely, but our style of Christian spirituality (with roots in Anglicanism and within the American experience) shares these commonalities: (this is paraphrased from St Paul, Seattle’s website which paraphrases Westerhoff–what permissions are needed???)

  • We emphasize the Incarnation–God’s entry into human life and history in Jesus Christ. Our spirituality affirms the goodness of life and the created world and believes that the extraordinary is to be found in the ordinary. (image of Christ)
  • Our prayers are shaped by Scripture. We pray to build and share our relationship with God. (photo of church in our diocese during liturgy)
  • The Book of Common Prayer outlines our communal prayers. Prayer connects us to God and to each other, and both surrounds and informs our lives. We experience union with God as happening over time, throughout our lives.   (photo of community in our diocese)
  • We see the world as sacramental; all that is in the world is capable of mediating the grace of God. (A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.) (can we use a photo of Eucharist and baptismal font in our diocese?)

For more information, see John Westerhoff’s A People Called Episcopalians: A Brief Introduction to our Peculiar Way of Life

2 thoughts on “Spirituality

  • August 31, 2022 at 9:47 am
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    My grandfather, Father John Pennell, was an ordained Episcopal Priest under the auspices of the Diocese of Olympia from 1927 through 1954, the year of his retirement. He then stayed at St.Andrews House on Hood Canal in 1954. As a little boy, I remember Bishop Bayne also having a small apartment at St. Andrews House, and I believe the cottage on the Canal is now known as Bayne Cottage. Father Pennell then substituted at various churches in the San Francisco region until 1960.

    I have a question. Would a deacon, serving a 6-month trial period (prior to being ordained as a priest) at an Episcopal Church in Seattle in 1974, wear vestments? Such as a collar?

    Thank you,
    Phil Pallette

    Reply
    • August 31, 2022 at 11:45 am
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      Hello Phil,
      A deacon would be able to wear vestments either as a transitional deacon (6 months before becoming ordained a priest), or vocational deacon (permanent deacon). They would be able to wear a collar as well. There was a time where the collars for transitional deacons had a vertical line thru it, like a bobby pin, denoting that they were a deacon and not a priest, but I believe that has gone away.
      Hope this helps. If you are looking for more information on your grandfather, you can contact out diocesan archivist for more information (archives@ecww.org)

      Reply

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