We Episcopalians believe pretty much whatever we want; our Church has a long history of supporting matters of individual faith & belief. But, as a community, why are we Episcopalians? Do we differ from other Christian denominations? How are we the same? As a community, what do and don't we believe? Why do we believe? How do we believe? There is a guide; we can read how the bishops, the clergy and the laity of the Episcopal Church originally answered these questions. Right there in front of you in The Book of Common Prayer, on page 867, you'll find the Episcopal Church's Articles of Religion; the basis, or basics, of our communal belief system.

Both ambiguous enough to have provided plenty of discussion for theologians and compelling enough to have grounded the faith of millions; you can think of The Articles as the glue that binds we individuals together into our church community. Society may have changed over the past 200 years, but give yourself a refresher and give them a read, it may perhaps put into words why we as individuals have chosen to attend or be members of the Episcopal Church.

Quick history lesson: The Articles of Religion of the Church of England were originally presented by Thomas Cranmer (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 to 1556), who wanted to encompass as wide a spectrum of Christians as possible. Over the centuries, the Articles have been praised as a moderate, winsome, biblical, and inclusive statement of Reformation theology.

Begorra! Had it not been for a band of Irish marauders in the fifth century, March 17 might've been plain old Maewyn's Day; because Maewyn wouldn't have changed his name to Patrick, and he likely wouldn't have become a saint. Okay, so it wouldn't have been a 'Day' at all...

But as it happened, the 16-year-old Welsh lad was kidnapped by those Irish marauders, and during the six years young Maewyn spent in captive servitude as a shepherd in Ireland, he experienced a religious awakening. Escaping his captors he took a new name, Patrick, and then spent years studying in a monastery. He took on a new calling, too; converting his adopted country to Christianity.

Patrick certainly had the luck of the Irish: Not only did he break away from and evade his captors, but several times later in life he escaped from arrest from the pagan Druids (who didn't really appreciate his zestful missionary activities in their midst).

He was successful at that chosen mission, too; founding schools and churches and performing baptisms with a fervor: Ireland became a Christian country. The shamrock (clover to you and me) became his cleverest teaching tool. It's said that he used 'em to explain the Trinity: Three elements, parts of one entity. Oh, and let's not forget that he drove the snakes (those Druids) out of Ireland.

So, why is corned beef and cabbage traditional St. Patrick's Day fare, you ask..? Um, I have no idea.

As a symbol of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the familiar Episcopal Shield offers a brief Church history through its design...

Our Episcopal Church was born of the American Revolution; from which, Anglicans in the colonies found themselves estranged from the Church of England.

The shield's design consists of the large red-on-white Cross of St. George (symbolizing our roots in, and ties to, the Church of England) and the white-on-blue Cross of St. Andrew (symbolizing the Scottish Episcopal Church, on which we patterned our governance and who ordained our first Bishop (know his name?) in 1784; the first Anglican Bishop to serve outside the British Isles (thus beginning the world-wide Anglican Communion). The nine white crosslets reference the nine original dioceses of our Church, who met in Philadelphia in 1789 to ratify the Constitution, and later the Articles of Religion, of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

"Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

"I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer." - Proper Liturgy for Ash Wednesday, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 264.

The word "Lent" is simply derived from the Anglo-Saxon "lencten," meaning "springtime." Lent is the fourth of the six seasons of the church year and is the forty-day period beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). (The period is actually 46 days, but since Sundays are feast days, they are never included in the count.) Intended to be a period of preparation and penitence, you'll notice that services become more solemn; parishioners are dressing with more deference, flowers are removed from the sanctuary and lessons focus on major themes as we move toward Holy Week.