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1307 North Main Street 
P.O. Box 416 Mount Airy, Maryland 21771
301-829-0325
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| Holy
Baptism is a bath, metaphorically called "new birth" or "dying and
rising with Christ." We are washed and welcomed. Baptism is always
connected to learning what it means to be a Christian. Infants are washed
first and then learn; adults normally are taught first and then baptized.
One learns to be a Christian, and yet one can never learn the faith; it is
always given - like a surprise,
a birth, a resurrection from the dead. One is given the gift of
faith and the bath, and
yet that gift draws us to perpetual learning and to transformation.
Baptism is our birth into a lifelong journey to life in God with God.
Baptism of children and adults is celebrated in the context of public
worship on Sundays. There are
special baptismal feasts during the Liturgical year.
All Saints (1st Sunday after Nov. 1), Easter Vigil (Saturday
night before Easter Day), Pentecost (late May or early June), and The Baptism of
Our Lord, and The Bishop's Visitation. Candidates
for baptism or their parents (if young children) and their sponsors receive
preparation appropriate to their age and circumstances.
At least one parent presenting a child for baptism must be a baptized
Christian.
Baptism is the sacrament of initiation.
Through it, God adopts us as children and makes us members of Christ's
body. The candidate is baptized with water, anointed with oil, and
normally receives Holy Communion at the same service as the celebration of his
or her new identity as a fully initiated member of the Church.
No distinction is made between a baptized adult and a baptized
infant - they are both fully initiated Christians and they both have the right
to receive Holy Communion in the form of bread and wine.
It is as normal for infants and children to receive the extraordinary
food from God's table as it is for them to receive the ordinary food from
their own biological family's table.
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| Confirmation
is a rite in which the fully initiated makes a mature affirmation of faith
through the renewal of Baptismal vows and the sacramental laying on of hands by
the Bishop. Confirmation marks one
of the great moments in the lifelong process of ever-deepening commitment to
Christ. It in no way
"completes" or supplies something missing in baptism.
It takes place during the Bishop's Visitation at the same time of
baptism of an adult or in Regional Confirmations held in the spring.
Candidates for confirmation are expected to participate in an intensive
preparation process known as The Journey or other offerings specifically
oriented toward confirmation preparation. Confirmands
choose someone as their sponsor to walk with them on this journey and to present
them to the Bishop for confirmation. Persons
who have been baptized in other denominations or communions who have not had the
sacramental laying on of hands of a bishop and who now wish to live the
Christian life in the Episcopal Church, may be presented for confirmation.
Any person who has already been confirmed in another denomination may be
Received as a sign of welcome by our chief pastor, the Bishop.
Any Episcopalian, who has already been confirmed but may have lapsed from
active participation in the Body of Christ, may make a public reaffirmation of
faith in the presence of the Bishop.
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| Holy
Eucharist
is a holy meal of ordinary elements, a loaf of bread and a pitcher of wine,
which by God's grace become the holy food and drink of the gathered body of
Christ, the Church. We receive just
a taste, just a sip. To share in
this meal is to stand in continuity with Jesus who came eating and drinking, who
held meals with sinners, who spoke of the kingdom of God as a wedding feast, and
who interpreted his own death as a meal. For
the community, the meal is the very presence of Jesus himself.
The Eucharist is the sign of our unity in Christ (communion with Christ
and with one another). It is the
practice of Episcopalians to invite all baptized persons who recognize our
Lord's presence in the Eucharist to share Holy Communion with us.
Jesus Christ instituted this form of worship, commanded us to continue
it, and promised to communicate himself to us in it under the forms of ordinary
bread and wine. In the Eucharist
("Thanksgiving"), we receive and proclaim who we are - the Body of Christ
- so that we may go out into the world to be the Body of Christ.
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| Holy
Matrimony
is the celebration of the beginning of lifelong union of husband and wife.
In Christian marriage, two persons make solemn, public vows in the
presence of God and the whole Christian community.
Through the Church's prayer and God's blessing, they receive grace to
help them keep these sacred vows. It
is required that at least one of the persons to be a baptized Christian, that
the ceremony be attested to by at least two witnesses, and that it confirm to
the laws of the State of Maryland.
When a couple decides to be married they should contact a priest at least
ninety days before the contemplated date so that appropriate counseling
and planning sessions can be schedule. Premarital
counseling is required by canon law of this church and its object is to help the
couple understand more fully the meaning of the vows they make and the
importance of their continued life in Christian community.
The Episcopal
Church recognizes the tragic fact that marriages, like all living things, can
and do die. The remarriage of divorced persons is allows on the basis of
this recognition, and with the confidence that God forgives our past failures
and gives us the grace for new beginnings. If either member of the couple
has been previously married, it is necessary to obtain a ruling from the bishop
regarding the status of the marriage in the eyes of the Church. Since this
may take some time, couples in this situation are advised to consult with the
priest well in advance of the canonically required thirty-day period.
A Christian wedding is a service of the Church and a celebration of one
of her sacraments. The Book of
Common Prayer allows many options in the planning of a wedding liturgy, but
it is ultimately the responsibility of the priest who has been entrusted with
pastoral and liturgical oversight in the parish to plan the details with the
couple. Each couple will be
provided with the parish's specific guidelines concerning such things, such as
music, flowers, service leaflets, and fees.
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| Reconciliation
of the Penitent is a celebration of God's forgiveness. This sacrament provides the opportunity for a searchingly
honest appraisal of our lives. It
is a chance to say to God, "This is who I really am.
I know you already know. This
is my chance to admit to you that I know it."
And then to experience God's healing forgiveness.
Personal sins are specific, not general, and this sacrament allows us to
deal with them in a way that General Confession does not.
A Priest, acting under the authority conferred at ordination, hears the
confession and pronounces absolution in the name of the Church.
In some cases, some act of penitence may be required before absolution is
granted. The confession is made
according to one of two forms found in The Book of Common Prayer (p.
447-452), or in the penitent's own words.
The priest then assures the penitent of God's forgiveness and
absolution. Celebration of this
sacrament can be scheduled at any time by appointment.
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| Anointing
of the Sick is a sacrament action that imparts God's grace for the healing of
the whole person - body, mind and spirit. It
is normally offered to any member of the Body of Christ who is hospitalized or
at home because of significant illness or an accident, or who is about to
undergo surgery or other invasive treatment.
Public services of healing and anointing are offered during Lent.
Please call the Priest or Deacon if you wish to receive anointing.
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| Hospitalization
is often a stressful time. Any
member of the congregation who is hospitalized (or about to be) is asked to
notify the church office. If you
cannot do so, a nurse or a friend is usually glad to do it for you.
The clergy cannot depend on the hospital's own reporting system to keep
them accurately informed. Hospitals
rarely contact churches directly unless a specific crisis needs the immediate
services of a priest.
The Church surrounds her members with prayers and the healing grace of
the sacraments when they are ill. These
sacraments include: emergency
baptism, reconciliation (Confession and Absolution), anointing, and Holy
Communion. Lay Eucharistic
Ministers (LEMs) bring Holy Communion to those in the hospital or home bound who
wish to receive the Eucharist. Please
let the church know if you wish a visit.
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| Christian
Burial
is normally conducted from the Church. When death is imminent, or as soon as it
occurs, a member of the clergy should be notified at once. Special prayers are offered at the time of death and the family is
encouraged to begin the grieving process.
The Church is the proper setting for visitation and the services.
Funeral homes are usually very cooperative in arranging transportation of
the body to the Church and then to the gravesite. The remains are received in a closed casket, or ashes in the
case of cremation, through the main entrance of the Church by the priest.
Normally, a Eucharist of the Resurrection is celebrated.
Then a Commendation of the Departed is pronounced and the Committal is
made at the gravesite. Members of
the congregation may place their personal wishes for their own funerals
(particular readings, music request, etc.) on file in the parish office.
Such information can be of significant assistance to both survivors and
the priest when making arrangements for the funeral.
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