Why I Come to S. Stephen's Church
by Phoebe Pettingell
Before moving to Providence from the Midwest, a year ago, I indulged in that modern form of “church shopping” by browsing the diocese of Rhode Island’s web sites for Episcopal parishes. I was immediately attracted to S. Stephen’s mission statement, with its description of “a diverse congregation of Christians…united in the worship of God…affirming the centrality of the Eucharist…witness[ing] to the historicity of the catholic faith within the Episcopal Church.” On my first Sunday here, I immediately felt at home because clearly the congregation was absorbed in worship. In many parishes I have visited (and sometimes belonged to) people appear to be enduring the service as a kind of duty before getting on to the really important stuff—usually coffee hour. At S. Stephen’s, you can tell at once this is a prayerful community, richly diverse, spanning generations, and alive in prayer.
Furthermore, Anglo Catholic worship stimulates all our senses. The Tudor language of the Book of Common Prayer reminds us of the origins of the Church of England in the Renaissance, just as many of the mass settings our choir sings evoke that period. However, the choreography of this liturgy extends even further back in time, connecting us with the Church throughout its history, the Temple in Jerusalem, and the ritual theater of the Ancient Greeks (which was also religious rite). In the Mass, past, present and future come together in one point—Christ coming to His people in the Sacrament. The music and bells and chants, the saints and angels portrayed in the windows and behind our altar, the gracious gestures of the rite which invite us to prayer and welcome us into Christ’s presence, the odors of incense and candles, carry worshipers out of ourselves to that moment where we are reminded, “Do this in remembrance of me.” We come forward and take the host on our tongues, bound together by Christ who gives Himself to us so that we can be empowered to be His hands and heart in this world so that all people might know God’s love and care for creation.
The Eucharistic rite in all Episcopal churches points to the same thing. However, in the Catholic tradition, we have preserved the richness that makes all its complex symbolism accessible to the heart opened in worship. For the last twelve years, my work with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music in the Episcopal Church has taken me to hundreds of churches and rites. Many of them were glorious opportunities for worship, yet I always find myself, sooner or later, returning to the tradition S. Stephen’s upholds.
S. Stephen’s has become the focal point of my new life in Providence. You are a warm and welcoming parish in so many ways, more than you probably realize. The fact that you are so clearly a worshiping congregation, focused on God rather than your own agendas, will continue to attract those who are looking for a home where one can grow closer to God.
Reprinted fromthe November/December 2005 issue of The S. Stephen
