We left the Roman Catholic Church for Episcopal and haven't looked back. We always felt like we had to pick and choose what we would believe/follow in RC and it felt very ingenuous. Then, we tried an Episcopal Church and felt like we found home. A lot of the ritual is the same, but the guilt (or whatever you want to identify) wasn't the same.

Important: Several churched broke off from the Episcopal Church a few years back b/c they were homophobic. Those joined an organization out of Africa and are recognized as Anglican, such as Truro in Fairfax. This may not be what you are looking for if you are leaving RC.

My impression of catholics is that it is a religion on its own. Everyone else reading the same book are protestant

What a ridiculous statement!

The Catholic Church protected pedophiles for years! There were worldwide pedophilia rings, for Christ's sake! The church is made up of people who blindly follow ridiculous doctrine like sheeple - and then there are people like you who pick and choose. So you're basically a hypocrite, no?

You either believe in that mess, or you abandon it.

There is no in between, hon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah that makes it ok.

You know, this tired debate gets really old, especially when people resort to these silly, stale, junior high schoolyard retorts. My entire family is Catholic and no one is homophobic. We have gay family members and friends. The church is the people; we are not going to abandon our faith because the powers that be have it wrong.

Anonymous wrote:21:28 again, when I wrote homosexual priest, I meant "homosexual non-closeted" priest.

the episcopalian type. No such thing in the RC church

21:28 again, when I wrote homosexual priest, I meant "homosexual non-closeted" priest.

Anonymous wrote:I've read this phrase multiple times, not just on DCUM, but elsewhere as well. I'm a practicing Catholic and for the first time this weekend attended an Episcopal service while visiting friends in another city.

It was almost nothing like a typical Catholic Mass. It started with 20min of praise music led by the worship leader and his band, followed by multiple readings and a long sermon from a guy who introduced himself by first name as the "visiting leader" since their pastor was out of town. Communion, and then another 10min or so of praise music. Some of the church goers were sort of dancing to the music, raising their arms in the air while they sang.

People were chatting in back, and they were handing out cups of coffee and water as you arrived that you were welcome to take with you to your seat.

I'm not judging at all, I was just very surprised since based on things I've read I'd expected something much more ritual-based. Is this normal, and I'd just misunderstood, or is this unusual for an Episcopal church?

OP, I would bet money that you stumbled on a very holy spirit-focused Episcopal church, or an Episcopal breakaway called Anglican. (Wait, is betting a sin? Maybe I shouldn't bet? ) The last time I went to Church of the Apostles (in Fairfax), it was much as you describe the service you went to.

The US Episcopal Church's more holy spirit-based movement is often more Bible based/evangelical as well. Many churches that are one or the other or both have recently split from their dioceses and are calling themselves Anglican (a word that normally describes the Church of England and affiliated churches all over the world, for example in former British colonies, but even in parts of Latin America). The Anglican church is alive and growing in Northern Virginia: Truro, The Falls Church, and many recent church plants.

Worship style is one thing and theology is another. In the Episcopal and Anglican churches, the two don't always go together in ways that people expect. At Truro, as a Catholic you would find the liturgy very familiar, you might know some of the hymns, holy communion would seem very similar. Many of the congregants would be pro-life, similar to many Catholic churches. At Church of the Apostles, the theology might be similar, but they worship with a band and parishioners raise their arms during prayer and speak in tongues during the service.

In contrast, go to a more "liberal" Episcopal church in DC and you could find a woman priest, maybe a homosexual priest, a congregation with a great range of opinions on theology, people who fit the typical profile of a Democrat and are not conservative on social issues, and the church may even issue an invitation to unbelievers to take the bread and the wine at communion. All this would be done the context of a ritual/liturgy-based service and some of the most traditional organ-based music you could find in this city.

Like the PPs have said, there is a great range in what you will find. Many Episcopalians are proud of that, and believe that the range accurately reflects the diversity of God's church as a community of believers.

By the way, the Roman Catholic church is apparently accepting married priests defecting from both the Episcopal and Anglican church in the US. In some cases, entire parishes are converting.

I grew up in the Episcopal church, but my father is Catholic, so occasionally went to Mass, as well.

IIRC (and it's been a long time), the typical Episcopal service went:
Hymn/ Processional
Scripture reading
Gospel reading
Hymn
Sermon
Collection/ Peace of the Lord (when you turn to those around you and greet them with a hug or handshake and say "peace be with you")
Nicene Creed (statement of beliefs, recited all together)
Lord's Prayer
Communion
Hymn

All very formal and ritual, lots of candles and robes and dignity, occasional incense, beautiful music, classically arranged. My dad's Catholic church had a drumset and speakers. None of that in mom's church.

Looking back, I especially appreciated the intellectual approach. Sermons were never "praise the lord" or a random collection of bible verses, but rather a historical, cultural, philosophical, and theological exploration of a certain bit of scripture or a set of ideas.

You ought to attend a more traditional Episcopal church before you decide if it's for you. "Informal" is the LAST word I would use to describe my experiences.

Anonymous wrote:9:49, in some DC-area Episcopal churches you will see extraordinary racial, ethnic and economic diversity. Follow the Bishop and the EDOW and you will also see that the theology is not akin to Catholic theology. The EDOW came out strongly and publicly in support of gay marriage, for example, and gays and lesbians can marry at the National Cathedral. I find the Episcopal Church to be far more accepting and universal than you suggest.

+1000
This is why our family loves our Episcopal Parish. The congregation and the priests are diverse, accepting, loving and the theology has evolved away from the strict dogma and politics of the Catholic Church. Say what you will about how liberal your Catholic Parish is, but if you are gay you can't be married in it. And if you are strict practicing Catholic there is no room for conversations about contraception, divorce, or women holding leadership positions in the church. Spend a morning with Bishop Mariann Budde (or just google her) and you will get a sense of how incredibly different the Episcopal Church is from the Catholic Church. So to answer your question, the EDOW is NOT Catholic light, it is completely different in very fundamental ways.

9:49, in some DC-area Episcopal churches you will see extraordinary racial, ethnic and economic diversity. Follow the Bishop and the EDOW and you will also see that the theology is not akin to Catholic theology. The EDOW came out strongly and publicly in support of gay marriage, for example, and gays and lesbians can marry at the National Cathedral. I find the Episcopal Church to be far more accepting and universal than you suggest.

In fact, let me take that back. It wasn't the casual-ness. It was more the lack of ritual, the more "praise the Lord" aspect of the music, behavior and sermon.
Again, I'm not criticizing or judging. It was simply not at all what I was expecting considering how many times I've heard that Episcopal services are practically indistinguishable from Catholic. Other than the very brief Eucharistic portion of the service, this was not at all like any Catholic church I've attended.

I'm a cradle Episcopalian, but attended a Catholic college and have been to Catholic mass in several churches. Although there is variation in Episcopal church from "High" (more ritual, incense, latin, etc.) to "Low" (may not have any crucifix, etc) in general, in my experience, Episcopal masses actually tend to be more formal/ritualistic than Catholic masses. I've been to lots of Episcopal churches across the country and have never encountered the type of service you describe.

As an Episcopalian, I can follow the Catholic mass easily. It is very similar. Some differences: the end of the Lord's Prayer, when you kneel (and when you don't), whether you kneel to take communion, length of sermon. But all of these things vary from Episcopal church to Episcopal church.

To be honest, the biggest single difference I've noticed is the congregation. Episcopalians tend to be serious old-money WASP. The "diversity" in Episcopal churches tends to come from former Catholics and from people with origins in former English colonies around the world. Episcopalians tend to be The Establishment. I thought seriously about converting to Catholicism for this reason! Didn't agree with the many Catholic doctrines, but I do appreciate the universality of the church and its diversity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So....it was too....much fun?

OP here. Not fun, per se, but way more casual than what I had anticipated. Far more casual than even the most liberal of Catholic masses that i've been to - including the small, intimate daily masses at my Catholic graduate school.

In fact, let me take that back. It wasn't the casual-ness. It was more the lack of ritual, the more "praise the Lord" aspect of the music, behavior and sermon.
Again, I'm not criticizing or judging. It was simply not at all what I was expecting considering how many times I've heard that Episcopal services are practically indistinguishable from Catholic. Other than the very brief Eucharistic portion of the service, this was not at all like any Catholic church I've attended.

I grew up as a Roman Catholic, but DH and I started attending an Episcopal church after our marriage. Over the past 25 years we have attended Episcopal services in many churches throughout the US and around the world. I've never been to a service like the one you describe, OP; it sounds interesting, though not my cup of tea as I also love the ritual and beauty of the Episcopal liturgical tradition. Our children, now in their teens and early 20s have grown up in the Episcopal church, which has nurtured a solid faith in them. For this, I am deeply grateful to the Episcopal church, particularly our own parish, including the clergy, staff and laity. I am also grateful that our family is part of a church that believes in empowering women as leaders, welcomes and embraces those who seek to worship regardless of their sexual orientation, and protects its children, rather than those who have abused and harmed them.

To answer OP's question, your experience is NOT AT ALL like the typical Episcopal mass. Agree with PP that, if you are interested, you should check out a "high church" Episcopal church -- some in DC are All Souls Memorial Episcopal in Woodley Park and Church of the Epiphany on F Street downtown. According to my mother-in-law, these are more formal than current Catholic masses and more akin to the old style, pre-Vatican Catholic mass. I believe the theology is very similar between the Catholic and Episcopal churches, with the major exception being the authority of the Pope.

Oh yes, American Catholics are engaged in all of these practices.

If you think it makes you sound intelligent to pick out the fringe practices of a religion to insult the whole, it doesn't. Just FYI.