Life Events
Liturgical milestones in the lives of families, including baptisms, weddings, and funerals, are important in the Episcopal Church. At St. MIchael and All Angels these milestones are vital outward expressions of our spiritual beliefs and an opportunity for the whole church to celebrate together.
Baptism
Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God. — The Book of Common Prayer, pg. 858
St. Michael and All Angels welcomes new members, both infants and adults, into the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. It is a public celebration where candidates (or Godparents on behalf of the candidates in the case of infants), make solemn vows to live as followers of Christ. After Baptism, a person, regardless of age, is considered a full member of the Church and is welcome to receive Holy Communion.
To schedule a Baptism please contact the Rev. R. Winston Arthur or the Church Office or fill the baptismal application below.
WEDDINGS
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is the sacred rite of marriage, in which two persons enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows. —The Book of Common Prayer, page 861
Marriage is a solemn and public covenant. In the Episcopal Church, it is required that at least one of the parties must be a baptized Christian, that the ceremony be attested by at least two witnesses, and that the marriage conform to the laws of the state and canons of the church. The ceremony is conducted according to the rites set forth in our Book of Common Prayer.
For more information on requirements and scheduling a wedding please contact the Rev. R. Winston Arthur or the Church Office.
Funerals
The liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy. It finds all meaning in the resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we too, shall be raised.
The liturgy, therefore, is characterized by joy, in the certainty that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
This joy, however, does not make human grief unchristian. The very love we have for each other in Christ brings deep sorrow when we are parted by death. Jesus himself wept at the grave of his friend. So, while we rejoice that one we love has entered into the nearer presence of our Lord, we sorrow in sympathy with those who mourn. —The Book of Common Prayer, page 507
St. Michael and All Angels conducts the traditional Episcopal Burial Office for funerals and memorial services. When a death occurs or is imminent, the parish clergy should be notified right away. The parish priest will want to join family and friends to offer comfort, guidance, and prayers and to consult on plans for the service and burial. Don’t hesitate to call the parish priest at any hour in such a situation.
Please contact the Church Office to schedule a burial or memorial service at St. Michael and All Angels and to have the Death Notification published to the congregation.