Welcome

We are Anglican

During the mid-1500s, King Henry VIII of England desired to divorce his wife Queen Katharine of Aragon because she was unable to birth him a son. Pope Clement VII refused the divorce prompting Henry to break with the Papacy and form the Church of England in which he was the Head. The Church of England vacillated back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism during the next two monarchs until Queen Elizabeth II established what is called the Elizabethan Compromise making the Church both Catholic and Reformed. As the British Empire expanded, so did the Church of England. Though the British Empire no longer exists, the churches founded by her remain and are given the name Anglican.

Anglican Churches exist in every continent of the world and make up the third largest Christian communion in the world. Anglican churches, though independent, are united around the Archbishop of Canterbury and are members of the Anglican Communion.

We are Episcopalian

After the Revolutionary War the Church of England in the colonies was in shambles. The faithful had to decide if they wanted to begin a new Anglican Church in the new nation or fade into history. Thankfully, they chose the latter. In 1785, The Episcopal Church was formed and three men were elected as her first bishops. Samuel Seabury, William White, and Samuel Provoost. The three traveled to England to receive episcopal orders but the English Parliament would not allow this unless they took an oath to the king. Seeing as the Americans just fought a war to be free from the Monarch, the bishops refused. There was a stalemate until the Church of Scotland decided to consecrate Samuel Seabury without an oath to Monarch. Not long after, the English Parliament changed their laws and White and Provoost were made bishops. Because it takes three bishops to make a new bishop, now The Episcopal Church could survive. The distinctly American church spread throughout the new nation and became one of the most important and influential Christian denominations in America.

The Episcopal Shield (to the left) is a visual representation of our history. The red cross is the Cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The X in the blue field is the Cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The nine smaller crosses represent the original nine diocese of the new church and he colors are in honor of our new country.

We are Christians

What does it mean to be an Anglican or an Episcopalian? It means that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Our beliefs are given expression succinctly and profoundly in The Nicene Creed.