Maitland Anglican Parish
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Frequently Asked Questions

 

Church services invariably have aspects about them that need explaining so that their symbolism can be understood and the service is made more relevant. The most common ones are described below. If you have any other questions about how to worship, please ask them via the Contact Us page. Father Chris will be happy to explain them and discuss any aspect of our faith with you.

 
Making the Sign of the Cross

Some Anglicans do and some don’t – will I or won’t I?

The History

The sign of the Cross is probably the most often used prayer of Christians and for many Anglicans the first prayer we learned as children – ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.’ Despite its simplicity, the sign of the Cross is an ancient prayer rich in meaning. References to it appear in writings dating back to AD 240, and it is believed that it was in use during the earliest days of Christianity.

The How

Initially the sign of the Cross was made with the thumb, usually on the forehead but sometimes on the lips and chest. This small sign of the Cross was in common use by the end of the fourth century and is still used today preceding the proclamation of the Gospel at the celebration of the Eucharist. In doing this we acknowledge our belief in the Word of God, our commitment to spread God’s Word in our daily lives, and our awareness of God’s presence in our hearts. In other words, we pray that we should understand it with our minds, speak it with our lips and believe it in our hearts. Likewise, the sign of the Cross made with the thumb occurs when receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick. It is also used for marking the forehead with ashes on Ash Wednesday. By the end of the middle ages, the Western Church had adopted the practice of making the large sign of the Cross with an open hand touching the left shoulder before the right. This is the form we continue to use today.

The Why

The sign of the Cross is primarily a blessing. We use it to call God’s blessing upon us. When we make the sign of the Cross upon ourselves, we are also expressing our belief in God and the Trinity. Through it, we remind ourselves of God’s love for us, of the sacrifice of Jesus made to give us eternal life and of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. The sign of the Cross also gives us a way to express our belief in Jesus’ death and our hope in the Resurrection. We embrace the cross of Jesus and express our willingness to take up our own cross, all the while bursting with joyful hope in the Resurrection.

So while making the sign of the Cross may sometimes seem like a routine action, it is not. It marks us as Christians and is a visible expression of our belief and hope in God.

The Where

Some Churches have a small dish or bowl of “Holy Water” (called a Stoup) near the entrance. For many, it is a practice when entering or leaving a Church to dip a finger in and make the sign of the Cross with water. This will remind you of your Baptism and Confirmation in which you were singed with the sign of the Cross.

The When

The sign of the Cross can be made at almost any time. It is usually made either in response to it being traced over us, in blessing by a priest, or at particularly significant points in worship or prayer. In contemporary liturgy there are nine points at which it is customary to make the sign of the Cross upon oneself. They are:

At a Eucharist

  • ·        At the words “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”
  • ·        At the words of the Absolution, after the general Confession.
  • ·        At the beginning of the Gospel Reading.*
  • ·        At the end of the Prayer for the Dead in the Intercessions.

During the Prayer of Consecration

  • ·        When the Consecrated Host is raised
  • ·        When the Chalice is raised.

At Holy Communion

  • ·        Before receiving the Host
  • ·        Before receiving the Chalice
  • ·        When the Priest pronounces the final blessing.

Other Times

It will be noticed that some of these occasions also occur frequently during Morning and Evening Prayer, in the Occasional Offices and in private prayer. It is equally appropriate to make the sign of the Cross at those times at the beginning of the Gospel canticles: Benedictus (Blessed be the Lord God of Israel), Magnificat (My soul doth magnify the Lord), and Nunc Dimittis (Lord now lettest Thy servant depart in Peace).

(*In addition, some follow the tradition of making the sign of the Cross at the end of the Gloria and the Creed, and also at the beginning of the Benedictus. The way of making the sign of the Cross at the beginning of the Gospel differs slightly from the usual way. It is made with the thumb of the right hand, and consists of three Crosses in one. A small Cross is traced on the forehead, and then on the ips before the hand is moved to the breast.)
 

Using Incense in Worship

Worship is enhanced when it appeals to all our senses – including the sense of smell. The aroma of burning beeswax, the bouquet of wine and the perfume of chrism (known in the early Church as ‘the Easter smell’) bring delight to all present and help the faithful engage in the liturgy.

The ‘smell’ in ‘bells and smells’ description of Catholic worship refers to the aroma of incense. Incense is a sweet smelling resin in the form of granules or powder that produces a fragrant smoke when burned.

The burning of incense was a feature of religious worship both for pagans and for Jews in the pre-Christian era. The early Christians however baulked at its use in their worship because it was associated with pagan sacrifice, though they did sometimes burn incense at Christian funerals where it was seen more as a protective measure. With the end of paganism in the fourth century, incense gradually became part of Christian worship.

The use of incense in worship appeals to the eye as well a the nose. The smoke of incense rising in the air symbolises our prayer ascending to God: ‘Let my prayer rise like incense before you’ (Psalm 141:)

Incense is used to emphasise the sacredness of a person or object. It is a symbol of prayer, an accompaniment to sacrifice, a means of purification, a sign of reverence and honour.

Today, incense is often used in liturgy.

At Mass, it may be used during the entrance procession, to incense the altar, to honour the Word of God at the proclamation of the Gospel, to reverence the gifts, altar, priest and people as part of the preparation of the gifts and at the showing of the consecrated bread and wine after the consecration.

At Easter, it is used as a mark of respect to accompany the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose after Mass on Holy Thursday. It is used at the Easter Vigil over the Paschal Candle and the Book of Gospels.

At funerals, incense is a sign of honour to the body of the deceased, which through Baptism became the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It is also used as a sign of the community’s prayers for the deceased rising to the Throne of God as a farewell.

At the communal celebration of Morning and Evening Prayer, incense may be used during the Gospel canticles or to precede or accompany the praying of the classic Psalm (Psalm 141).

The smell of incense is a tangible reminder of the presence of God in worship; it is God’s grace ‘olfactorally incarnate’.

 

Stations of the Cross

History
Since the peace of the Church under Constantine (313), many Christians have wished to walk where Christ walked in the week of his Passion in Jerusalem. For many centuries this was always an impossibility, and even in these days of mobility, there are still many of us who might never reach the Holy Land as a Pilgrim.
 
Some churches in the Middle Ages had chapels to commemorate an event from the Passion, and from these, since the fifteenth century, the Franciscans have developed a devotion, which we know as the ‘Stations of the Cross’. The word ‘Station’ comes from ‘statio’ meaning ‘standing still’ or ‘gathering in a place’.
 
In the seventeenth century ‘Stations’ were erected in Churches, at intervals around the walls. Originally they took the form of wooden Crosses, with an incident from the Passion fixed underneath. They are now almost universal in Churches of the Roman Communion and in many Anglican Churches.
 
There are fourteen ‘Stations’. Nine of them are ‘Gospel’ stations, recalling events from the Gospel texts. The additional five from early traditions (e.g. Veronica wiping the face of Jesus). Many modern examples of the Stations now include a ‘fifteenth’ Station depicting the Resurrection of Christ.
 
Used as a Devotional Aid
 
The Stations of the Cross may be used either as a private or a public devotion. Prayers are said at each Station, often accompanied by the reading of an appropriate Biblical text, with time for silence, during which a short meditation on the scene of the Passion is made. When it takes the public form of a Church service, (usually during Fridays in Lent) verses from the ancient hymn ‘Stabat Mater’ is sung between each Station.
Every Friday of the year, the Franciscans do the Way of the Cross in the Streets of ancient Jerusalem, finishing in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the body of Jesus was laid after his Crucifiction. So making the Way of the Cross is our personal ‘walk with Jesus’ on the way to the Cross, the great act of our redemption.
 
At St Mary’s
 
The Stations of the Cross in the Church of St Mary the Virgin at Maitland were installed and dedicated on Sunday, 8th December (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) by the Archdeacon of Maitland, the Venerable Peter Rushton. They were given by Miss Florrie Vitnall as a memorial to her sister, Edith May Vitnall. May was a tireless worker for the Parish and a faithful worshipper all her life. She was a regular participant in the Ecumenical Way of the Cross devotion at Lochinvar each year.
 
The Stations are very old, and were formerly in St Mark’s Anglican Church at Islington. They have been repaired and restored and make a colourful and deeply devotional addition to the beauty of the Church of St Mary the Virgin.
 
We trust that you will benefit greatly from this aid to devotion, and that, as you make your own ‘Way of the Cross’ from Station to Station, you will join in the mystery of the Passion and the death of Jesus. Mysteries cannot be solved. They can however, be known by the one who experiences them. They are known by entering them. We can know the mystery of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus by ‘entering’ it, and sharing our experience, feelings and hope with Jesus.
 
Praying by the Stations
 
‘Pray’ the Stations. Take your time. Bring your own little deaths and resurrections to Jesus and look with the eyes of faith into the eyes of Jesus who suffered for us. Listen to Him, and he will shed light on us, and in the agony of his suffering, he will shed upon us his great love.
The mystery of God’s province is that in love there is pain, in suffering there is joy, and that in giving we receive. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God, experiencing him as we grow through our lives, we find that his love is present every moment of our life and the chance to respond to Him is always there. Again and again, he leads us back to the Cross, the moment of his glory and the central mystery of our Faith.