About Us - Trinity Anglican Church

Trinity - FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Practice

Positions

Together with the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, Traditional Anglican Churches, as well as many Evangelical and Protestant groups, we hold the same views on human sexuality and marriage as have been witnessed throughout human history as the norm and sanctified in Holy Scripture.

We hold that all sinful behavior is contrary to healthy human flourishing and that those who suffer from unhealthy impulses ought to seek remedies within the bounds of traditional Christian teaching. We teach all Christians to abstain from the "desires of the flesh which wage war against the soul". We all have struggles and burdens we have not chosen. It is the Christian vocation to bear our crosses manfully and faithfully.

Upholding Catholic Faith and Order we do not Ordain women to any liturgical office. However a woman of devout character and proved fitness may be set and consecrated a lay Deaconess. The duty of a Deaconess is to assist in the work of the Parish, Mission, or institution to which she may be appointed, under the direction of the Rector or Priest in charge.

Common Doctrinal Questions

Your worship has elements that look Catholic, like candles, and altar and robes. Are you Catholic?

When people think "Catholic" they usually mean Roman Catholic, as opposed to Protestant. Catholic is a term used to describe what has been universally believed and practiced throughout ancient Christianity. The Anglican position adopted after the Reformation was Catholic and Reformed. The church rejected Roman doctrines but retained elements of catholic faith and order that clearly had existed since the first and second centuries.

Do you worship Mary or follow the Pope of Rome?

No. Our roots are in the Church of England, which embraced that Protestant Reformation. We hold Mary in high esteem, as the early, undivided church did.

Do you pray to the saints?

Anglicans neither forbid or insist on this practice. From the earliest days of Christendom, when the first persecutions broke out under Nero (1st century), martyrs were examples of great faith. Early Christians believed their martyrdom granted them special intercessory authority. Because of this, the early Christians routinely asked for their intercessions. So, those who practice it are not praying to saints, but asking for their intercession, just as we would ask the intercession of any other believer. Although it has been abused in history, Anglicans neither insist on it nor forbid it outright, provided it does not lead to superstitious practice.

Do you believe and follow the scriptures?

Yes! Absolutely! The Bible we read in English is based on the work of the Church of England (the King James Bible) and their commitment to make scripture available to their people. Our prayer book, which structures our private and public worship, is infused with scripture from beginning to end. In fact, the average person will hear more scripture in a typical Anglican Sunday service than in any other church. Baptist or otherwise! We believe the Holy Bible is the Word of God and take it seriously!

If you follow the Bible, why do you wear robes, have candles and incense and do things like bow or make the sign of the cross?

Because it is Biblical! The word for "worship" in the New Testament literally means, "to bow or make obeisance," so it is Biblical to bow and reverence God. We wear special garments and offer incense because it most closely resembles how the earliest Christians worshiped and the heavenly worship described in the book of Revelation (chpt 4 and 7). We are literally worshiping according to the culture of heaven! Many of the prayers and acclamations we repeat are taken directly from scripture.

Why do you refer to the pastor as "father" when Jesus said, "call no man father?"

Jesus was using hyperbole to make the point that people should not regard rabbis more highly than they ought. He uses the same sort of speech when he says, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off!" I have yet to meet a single, one-handed Baptist! Using the term "father" stresses the familial aspect of the church as the family of God. We often use "father" and "pastor" interchangeably.

Why aren't you more modern? Why don't you provide modern music or follow current social norms?

We don't provide modern music because we have learned it orients the worshipper around their own emotional needs and wants. Traditional worship reorients the worshipper away from self and towards God in ways that are not immediately apparent, but are seen over time. This results in a deeper and more stable spirituality.
We are traditional because we do not believe our modern society is grounded in ways of being that are healthy for humans. In this sense we are skeptics of modernity and emphasize the first five centuries of Christianity as particularly authoritative, after the scriptures.
We realize that there is a a gulf between our worship and modern culture. We think that is good, as it provokes a genuine process of conversion that goes deeper than mere emotional excitement.

We're Anglican

What we Believe

What We Believe

Parish History

Our History

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Our affiliation

Founded in 1988, the first members of Trinity came from Redeemer Episcopal Church to retain essential elements of the Faith as they had received it. Today, Trinity Anglican Church continues as a vibrant witness in Rochester and the Seacoast area. We are a member parish of the Anglican Church in America, in the Diocese of the Northeast.

The Anglican Church in America, together with the Anglican Catholic Church, the Anglican Province of America, together represent those Anglican Churches which continue the traditional heritage and faith of the Anglican tradition.