Our Sunday worship is very traditional. In our worship there is much singing of hymns, many prayers (both by the congregation and the pastor), a sermon, and always Holy Communion.

Absolutely! Visitors are very precious to us at St Francis, because you have chosen to come and share worship of God with us. Nothing beings people together more closely than worship. 

Dress comfortably and conservatively. There is no dress code. Just dress respectfully – remembering that you are presenting yourself before God to offer up your praise and worship of His Godhood. 

Children are always welcome in our worship services. The only thing worse than having a child make some noise in worship is having NO CHILDREN to make noise in worship. If your child becomes noisy, feel free to carry them into one of the rooms outside of the Nave, and when they have calmed don, come on back in.

In truth, “Catholic” doesn’t refer to a specific denomination of Christians, but instead to the place where we look for our history, our tradition, our doctrine, our dogma, our understanding of theology, and our truth. Catholic Christians include many traditions including Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Eastern Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and many more. What we share in common is that historical continuity to the earliest Christian Church – the Church that Jesus Christ Himself ordained and established with His Apostles.

Holy Communion is a Sacrament that belongs to the Universal Church of Jesus Christ, not solely to the Anglican Catholic Church. We are blessed by God’s grace to have the authority to administer the Sacrament of Holy Communion. With that authority comes the responsibility of sharing the Sacrament with Christians who are prepared to sincerely receive the Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. Baptism in any of the “Catholic Churches” (Anglican, Roman, Orthodox) or most Protestant Churches (Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and others) who baptize with water “in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost” enters a person into the Family of Christ’s Church. This is the minimum preparation for receiving Holy Communion. In addition, our faith tells us that the Bread and Wine become for us the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This means that one who receives Holy Communion must hold in his or her heart the highest respect for the ultimate holiness of the Elements of Holy Communion. Anyone who has been Confirmed in a Church that is in Apostolic Succession (Anglican, Roman, or Orthodox) is truly prepared. Other visitors can speak to the Priest about receiving the Sacrament. If a person does not feel prepared to take Holy Communion for any reason, there is no shame in that. Come to the Altar Rail, kneel if you can, and cross your arms over your chest – the Priest will pray a blessing specifically for you.

Yes. Confession and Pardon is one of our seven Sacraments and is a very powerful way for Christians to seek forgiveness and peace in their lives. Confession is never intended to embarrass or shame anyone. In fact, Confession is a warm and personal relationship between the Christian who is confessing, the priest, and God. When anyone desires to experience the Sacrament of Confession, speak to the Priest and he will schedule a time to meet, and humbly help you through the process with encouragement and support. You don’t have to be a member to experience Confession. If you have questions, ask our Priest.

Our worship is very interactive – that is one of its most powerful effects upon the worshipper. We do not expect visitors to know how to when to stand, when to kneel, or when to sit until you have visited several weeks. Each person has a Pew Missal, a booklet that runs through the entire service helping you with what to say, when to stand, sit, kneel, etc. You can watch the other worshippers and follow them. It is always acceptable for you to watch and absorb the meaning of the service as a visitor. NO ONE IS WATCHING AND GRADING YOU! Everyone is happy that you have come to worship with us.

The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) has many, many parts to it that can be overwhelming to anyone who first tries to use it. The Priest and many of the congregation members are able to help you learn your way around the BCP, and how to use it to support and grow your faith. We use the 1928 edition of the BCP for our worship, Sacraments, and personal spiritual growth. We are excited to help you learn to grow from the BCP.