LITURGY and Sacraments
At various times from Saturday evening through Sunday evening,
and sometimes on a different day and time, we go to our church homes.
As the God's people gathered there on the Day of the Lord, we celebrate the Lord's supper
to receive the body of Christ that we may be the body of Christ.
and sometimes on a different day and time, we go to our church homes.
As the God's people gathered there on the Day of the Lord, we celebrate the Lord's supper
to receive the body of Christ that we may be the body of Christ.
Sundays
Gathering on Sundays in our communities, we hold that celebrating the Eucharist and that we all children of God are inseparable. It is precisely this combination that makes us who we are. Old Catholics, in fact, share this practice with many other Christians. It's no wonder because it goes back to the first group of the friends of Jesus. On the day of light, day one, the day that is also "the eighth day," the first of the Lord's future, Jesus Christ binds us together in a unique way, and gives us a share in his new life. We share that life together, anticipating the reign of God and its righteousness, joy and peace. The celebration of the Sunday liturgy makes us church. This is so important that our organization and our buildings often bear the name 'church' in a derivative sense.
The Eucharist
In this celebration, Jesus himself is our host. Whether you call this service holy communion, Mass, divine liturgy or something else, Jesus is our High Priest and unites people into a family of brothers and sisters who belong together, not by family bonds, but by their baptism. He opens this new life to us through his lifelong surrender to the Father, culminating in the sacrifice he once made on the cross. We usually use the biblical word "Eucharist" for this service, which means "thanksgiving." The celebration has been called "a feast with consequences" because it sets the pattern for the Christian way of life, out of gratitude for all that God gives us in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. And in this we share equally with each other. In the celebration of the Eucharist, the local bishop presides, or someone he or she has appointed for this purpose; that is often the pastor: the priest who bears responsibility for the parish. We hear stories from holy Scripture, we pray, we share bread and wine, we bless the gifts offered from our financial resources or in-kind for a local food bank. And we sing old and newer songs from the treasure of the church of the ages to our heart's content. The whole liturgy is an interplay, an organic dialogue of pastor, choir and assembly. This reflects our faith in God, who does not impose dictates on us, but invites us to respond and interact.
Daily Prayer
Many Old Catholics begin and/or end each day with a form of meditation or prayer, to find peace and direction, to name who and what is close to their hearts. Jews and Christians have been doing this for thousands of years. The liturgical form of daily prayer is an important part of our living tradition. In the daily morning prayer (lauds) and evening prayer (vespers) that you can pray individually, in your family home, with friends or in the parish community, you connect with the worldwide praying community through the rhythm of time. Each prayer consists of a hymn, psalms, scripture reading and intercessions. There are also other brief prayers, for the course of the day. The most popular of these is the closure of the day before bedtime, night prayer (compline). All these celebrations are written in various church books, so that they can easily be celebrated. Sometimes, when there is no Eucharist in a church on Sunday, there is usually a service of scripture reading and prayer, a variant of morning prayer, but no less subdued, with more singing together and a reflection at the readings of the day.
The Church Year
Just as Sunday is the heartbeat of every week, so is the solemnity of Easter for the entire year. Christ is risen! His new life is our light and source of our hope. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. So it's a spring festival. Yet we do not celebrate spring, but that which springs forth also refers to: that God is calling out new life from the dead. Associated with Easter are Lent, a time of fasting and repentance, which begins with Ash Wednesday, and the joyful Easter season through Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter, the feast of the Spirit. They are also dedicated to the renewal of life and, like Easter Sunday, have a moving date. The second great feast is Christmas, on which we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This celebration does have a fixed date, December 25. Christmas is preceded by a time of anticipation at the coming of the Lord, Advent, and followed by the festive time of Epiphany, January 6, the revelation of the Lord to the nations. On these and other fixed-date festivals, the church also celebrates the Eucharist; they rank up there with Sunday.
The Calendar of Saints
These other fixed-date holidays include the days of remembrance of the saints who have gone before us are honored. Saints are people who make God recognizable in a special way in the midst of much unholiness and injustice. It is the calling of all people to grow in the holiness that God wants to bestow upon each through his Holy Spirit. The church is the community of called saints, on earth and in heaven. We celebrate their "birthday in heaven" or another day that recalls their lives and deaths. Mary, the mother of the Lord, is the first of the saints; her festivals on August 15 and other days are celebrated in the parishes, and sometimes moved to Sunday. Other important saints' days are the feasts of the apostles and martyrs of the early church, and of the saints who have an important significance for each particular local church. Not all saints are on the calendar; on All Saints' Day, November 1st, we celebrate our communion with the great multitude that no one can count; and on November 2nd, All Souls' Day, we pray for peace and light for all whom we personally miss.
With All People and All Ages Together
The church is made up of people of all times, but also of all kinds and ages. Infants, toddlers, children, young adults, married, partnered, single, divorced and remarried, widowed, straight, LGBTQA+ and elders all gather as one to celebrate our unity in the diversity of life. It is precisely in the celebration of all generations and all peoples in a parish that something of the catholicity of the church is evident.
Gathering on Sundays in our communities, we hold that celebrating the Eucharist and that we all children of God are inseparable. It is precisely this combination that makes us who we are. Old Catholics, in fact, share this practice with many other Christians. It's no wonder because it goes back to the first group of the friends of Jesus. On the day of light, day one, the day that is also "the eighth day," the first of the Lord's future, Jesus Christ binds us together in a unique way, and gives us a share in his new life. We share that life together, anticipating the reign of God and its righteousness, joy and peace. The celebration of the Sunday liturgy makes us church. This is so important that our organization and our buildings often bear the name 'church' in a derivative sense.
The Eucharist
In this celebration, Jesus himself is our host. Whether you call this service holy communion, Mass, divine liturgy or something else, Jesus is our High Priest and unites people into a family of brothers and sisters who belong together, not by family bonds, but by their baptism. He opens this new life to us through his lifelong surrender to the Father, culminating in the sacrifice he once made on the cross. We usually use the biblical word "Eucharist" for this service, which means "thanksgiving." The celebration has been called "a feast with consequences" because it sets the pattern for the Christian way of life, out of gratitude for all that God gives us in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. And in this we share equally with each other. In the celebration of the Eucharist, the local bishop presides, or someone he or she has appointed for this purpose; that is often the pastor: the priest who bears responsibility for the parish. We hear stories from holy Scripture, we pray, we share bread and wine, we bless the gifts offered from our financial resources or in-kind for a local food bank. And we sing old and newer songs from the treasure of the church of the ages to our heart's content. The whole liturgy is an interplay, an organic dialogue of pastor, choir and assembly. This reflects our faith in God, who does not impose dictates on us, but invites us to respond and interact.
Daily Prayer
Many Old Catholics begin and/or end each day with a form of meditation or prayer, to find peace and direction, to name who and what is close to their hearts. Jews and Christians have been doing this for thousands of years. The liturgical form of daily prayer is an important part of our living tradition. In the daily morning prayer (lauds) and evening prayer (vespers) that you can pray individually, in your family home, with friends or in the parish community, you connect with the worldwide praying community through the rhythm of time. Each prayer consists of a hymn, psalms, scripture reading and intercessions. There are also other brief prayers, for the course of the day. The most popular of these is the closure of the day before bedtime, night prayer (compline). All these celebrations are written in various church books, so that they can easily be celebrated. Sometimes, when there is no Eucharist in a church on Sunday, there is usually a service of scripture reading and prayer, a variant of morning prayer, but no less subdued, with more singing together and a reflection at the readings of the day.
The Church Year
Just as Sunday is the heartbeat of every week, so is the solemnity of Easter for the entire year. Christ is risen! His new life is our light and source of our hope. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. So it's a spring festival. Yet we do not celebrate spring, but that which springs forth also refers to: that God is calling out new life from the dead. Associated with Easter are Lent, a time of fasting and repentance, which begins with Ash Wednesday, and the joyful Easter season through Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter, the feast of the Spirit. They are also dedicated to the renewal of life and, like Easter Sunday, have a moving date. The second great feast is Christmas, on which we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This celebration does have a fixed date, December 25. Christmas is preceded by a time of anticipation at the coming of the Lord, Advent, and followed by the festive time of Epiphany, January 6, the revelation of the Lord to the nations. On these and other fixed-date festivals, the church also celebrates the Eucharist; they rank up there with Sunday.
The Calendar of Saints
These other fixed-date holidays include the days of remembrance of the saints who have gone before us are honored. Saints are people who make God recognizable in a special way in the midst of much unholiness and injustice. It is the calling of all people to grow in the holiness that God wants to bestow upon each through his Holy Spirit. The church is the community of called saints, on earth and in heaven. We celebrate their "birthday in heaven" or another day that recalls their lives and deaths. Mary, the mother of the Lord, is the first of the saints; her festivals on August 15 and other days are celebrated in the parishes, and sometimes moved to Sunday. Other important saints' days are the feasts of the apostles and martyrs of the early church, and of the saints who have an important significance for each particular local church. Not all saints are on the calendar; on All Saints' Day, November 1st, we celebrate our communion with the great multitude that no one can count; and on November 2nd, All Souls' Day, we pray for peace and light for all whom we personally miss.
With All People and All Ages Together
The church is made up of people of all times, but also of all kinds and ages. Infants, toddlers, children, young adults, married, partnered, single, divorced and remarried, widowed, straight, LGBTQA+ and elders all gather as one to celebrate our unity in the diversity of life. It is precisely in the celebration of all generations and all peoples in a parish that something of the catholicity of the church is evident.
Sacraments
Life on earth is a gift from God, which we embrace with reverence and awe. Life is not property that we can easily dispose of at will, but always and in all circumstances a reason to be grateful: "Let all that has breath, praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6)
Sacraments are "sacred acts" which express for us as believers that all people are loved by God and called to shine their light in the world. Since the Middle Ages, the Church of the West has set the number of sacraments at seven: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage, and ordained ministry. We joyfully celebrate these sacred moments of encounter in our Old Catholic communities.
In addition to the seven sacraments that we traditionally know, as Old Catholics we understand there are other gestures, rituals or actions that are experienced as sacrament or sacramental, for example a synod. Roles of service, our sacred spaces, furnishings, icons or vessels are blessed because they serve the very essence and calling of the church. Travelers and pilgrims are often blessed and at home people daily bless and give thanks to God for the food they eat as well as for the gift of each other. In this way we honor life and give thanks to God on behalf of all creation for God's inexhaustible grace.
Sacraments are "sacred acts" which express for us as believers that all people are loved by God and called to shine their light in the world. Since the Middle Ages, the Church of the West has set the number of sacraments at seven: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage, and ordained ministry. We joyfully celebrate these sacred moments of encounter in our Old Catholic communities.
In addition to the seven sacraments that we traditionally know, as Old Catholics we understand there are other gestures, rituals or actions that are experienced as sacrament or sacramental, for example a synod. Roles of service, our sacred spaces, furnishings, icons or vessels are blessed because they serve the very essence and calling of the church. Travelers and pilgrims are often blessed and at home people daily bless and give thanks to God for the food they eat as well as for the gift of each other. In this way we honor life and give thanks to God on behalf of all creation for God's inexhaustible grace.