Worshiping the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

The worship at St. Alban’s is liturgical and sacramental. This means that our principal Sunday service is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist according to the prescribed form and ritual laid down chiefly in the Book of Common Prayer (1928) and supplemented in the Anglican Missal. There is a bulletin and Mass booklet that will help guide you along. If you’re unaccustomed to liturgical worship, it may be disorienting at first. Standing, sitting, kneeling, prayers in sacral English—it can be a lot to take in. But if you stick with it, we’re convinced you’ll come to see its beauty as well as its power in forming holy habits.

We use the King James Version in our services and we sing hymns from a hymnal, sticking to the time-tested and trustworthy. The preaching is biblical, because we acknowledge the Bible for what it is: the Word of God imbued with divine authority. In all of our worship we seek to “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).

The word “Catholic” is often understood in opposition to the word “Protestant.” However, in the early Church, the word “Catholic” stood in opposition to the word “heretic.” Those who held the “Catholic” or universal faith stood in opposition to those who rejected some essential aspect of the faith. We Anglicans are Catholic Christians because we hold to the Catholic faith.

In the sixteenth century, the English Reformers witnessed to (in Latin, protestari, from which we get the word “Protestant”) the Catholic faith in the face of certain false beliefs and practices that had crept into the medieval Church. The English Church reformed itself to more closely adhere to the faith and practice of the ancient Catholic Church. Anglicans can thus be understood as Reformed Catholics.

We affirm the doctrines of the universal Church taught in two ancient creeds: the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. We adhere to the doctrinal definitions of the seven ecumenical councils of the Church of the first millennium. We observe the seven sacraments of baptism, confirmation, eucharist, confession, marriage, holy orders, and anointing of the sick. We have maintained the historic threefold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons as well as the apostolic succession. This is all a part of our Catholic patrimony. However, we’re not a part of the Roman Catholic Church. We don’t believe that being under the jurisdiction of the Pope of Rome is a necessary condition for being Catholic.

Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and (as announced) on major Feast Days from the Book of Common Prayer. Christians who have been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, who believe Christ is truly present in the consecrated bread and wine at the altar, and who are living in repentance and faith are welcome to receive Holy Communion.

We don’t have a dress code. Parishioners tend to dress business casual, in slacks or jeans, or more formal attire. Some of our women wear head coverings.

It can be difficult to know what to say and when to stand, sit, and kneel in a liturgical service. We have Mass booklets in the pews that make the service easier to follow. The general pattern is standing to praise God, kneeling to pray, and sitting to receive instruction. But don’t worry if you make a mistake—everyone else will be too engrossed in the service to notice.

There is a separate room where you can take your child if necessary, but there is currently no nursery or children’s ministry. We are hoping to get something up and running soon.