One Holy Catholic and Apostolic
“Catholic?! I thought we were Anglicans!” This is a question that I hear and am asked from time-to-time. Both the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds (which may be found on page 188 and 189 of the Book of Alternative Services ) affirm our faith in the “holy catholic church.” This affirmation is an important aspect of our Christian faith, and yet understood by so few. The question of “what do we mean by catholic ?” often comes up in the context of baptismal preparation classes in which we examine the content of the Creed. As many will know, I was recently ordained to the priesthood. The invitation to that event can be found elsewhere on this site, but in brief, it cited my ordination to the “sacred order of priests in Christ’s Holy Catholic Church .” As a result, I had a number of individuals pose the question again: “Catholic Church? It thought you were going to be an Anglican priest!” This whole thing has made me think about how we in the Church often use terms that generate confusion, rather...
