Church of the Ascension

Frequently Asked Questions
Practice
ANSWERS
  1. KNEELING AND SITTING AND STANDING, OH MY!
    The Book of Common Prayer is often confusing with regard to the posture one assumes during the course of our worship. The three positions routinely used are sitting standing, and kneeling. If one is wondering when to do what, the general rule is that one sits for listening to the lessons and sermon; one stands to sing or pray, and one kneels to pray. These, however, are only suggestions. If you are uncomfortable standing or kneeling, by all means, please remain seated. The whole purpose of posture in worship is to aid you in your devotions. Furthermore, if you find that you become out of sync with the rest of the congregation, please don't fret. ...they will catch on soon enough!
    [Back to top]
  2. THE ALMS BOX
    There is a small box at the back of the church by the organ. This box has "Alms" printed on its face. This box is used to collect money designated solely for the poor and needy, and has been a fixture in Anglican churches for many years. The money placed in this box is collected am deposited in the discretionary fund of Father Hancock. Accordingly, Father Hancock uses these funds when situations of great need or hardship arise. Traditionally, people often place money in the Alms Box in celebration of their birthday or anniversary.
    [Back to top]
  3. THE RINGING OF THE BELL
    In the Western Church, the ringing of the church bell accompanies a series of prayers referred to as the Angelus. This devotion is traditionally repeated three times during the day (early morning, noon and evening) and includes the saying of three Ave Marias with versicles and a collect. The bell is rung three times for each Ave and nine times for the collect. The Angelus and the accompanying ringing of the bell is conducted as a memorial of the Incarnation. During the season of Easter, the Regina Coeli is substituted for the Angelus and the bell rings in a different pattern in accordance with this different prayer. The morning Angelus accompanied by the ringing of the bell first appears in the 14th century. The devotion did not come into general use until the 1ih century. In Italy, the evening Angelus bell is commonly referred to as the Ave Maria.
    [Back to top]
  4. WHAT IS THE "BLESSED SACRAMENT"?
    The term, "Blessed Sacrament" is used to refer to the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and is applied both to the service itself and, more especially, to the consecrated elements of bread and wine.
    [Back to top]
  5. WHY DO THE MINISTERS OF WORSHIP WEAR FUNNY CLOTHES?
    The distinctive (or some say "funny") clothes worn by the clergy and other worship leaders when performing liturgical services of the Church are most often referred to as vestments. Vestments did not derive from the special clothes worn by the Aaronic priesthood, but rather originated in the ordinary secular costume of the world of antiquity in which the early Church grew up. During the first centuries, a better kind of dress was probably set aside for sacred functions, but that which was worn in worship reflected the secular dress of the day. Between the 4th and 9th centuries, the style of dress had changed in the world, but the church retained the former style, specifically, long tunics and mantles. By the 10th century, the principal liturgical vestments and their use had been established in the west, while further minor additions and alterations were made between the 10th and 13th centuries. Since the 13th century, the style has changed little but there has been some variance in form and material, the general tendency being towards reducing their size for the sake of convenience. In the Middle Ages the several Eucharistic vestments were endowed with symbolic meaning, being variously interpreted as signifying the Passion of Christ or the priestly virtues. Until 1969 special prayers were provided for recitation while they were put on.
    [Back to top]
  6. WHY DO WE HAVE A SPECIAL ALTAR DEDICATED TO MARY?
    Mary, the mother of Jesus holds a special place in the life- of the church. She is accounted pre-eminent among the saints. Mary figures prominently in the birth stories in the Bible. While she is mentioned several times during Christ's public ministry, she remains mainly in the background. She does reappear prominently, however, as she appears at the foot of the Cross. She is also present in the Upper Room at Jerusalem where she witnessed the growth of the early church (Acts 1:14). The development of Marian doctrine received considerable emphasis at the Council of Ephesus (431AD) which upheld the title theotokos, or God-bearer. In the West she was especially associated with the Church. Indeed, Saint Ambrose held her to be a type of the Church, in that in giving birth to Christ, she also brought forth Christians who were formed in her womb with her. Because of her elevated status among the saints of the Church, a special altar has been set aside to commemorate and celebrate her obedience to God and her sacrificial life.
    [Back to top]
Jump to:
Powered by ODFaq v2.1.0