As you enter the narthex (foyer) of the church, you will be greeted at the door by greeters and feel a warm and friendly atmosphere. You will then receive from the ushers, the Book of Common Prayer, a hymnal and the Sunday bulletin with the Order of Service and the weekly notices and announcements. As you enter the nave of the church you will feel an atmosphere of reverence as we prepare for worship.

As you look around, the central focus is on the altar or holy table where the Blessed Sacrament is celebrated. On the altar are candles, symbolizing and reminding us that Jesus Christ is the “Light of the World” (John 8:12). On the credence tables to the back of the altar are flowers which are a common practice of beautifying the house of God. In many Episcopal Churches there are a lectern on one side where the Word is proclaimed and the Prayers of the People (Intercessions) are read while on the opposite side there is a pulpit where the Word of God is preached. However, at St. Michael’s, there is a pulpit/lectern where the scriptures are proclaimed and preached and the Intercessory Prayers are read.

At the end of the service, the Clergy will greet the people as they leave.

Episcopalians use the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and a Hymnal during their Sunday morning worship service. The form of service is called The Holy Eucharist, which means “Thanksgiving,” recalling Christ giving thanks when he instituted the last Supper on the night he was betrayed.

During worship service, there will be occasions to sit, stand and kneel. Normally we sit during the reading of the Old and New Testament readings (not including the Gospel), the Psalm, the Sermon, the Notices and Announcements and the Offertory Anthem sung by the choir. We stand during the singing of hymns, the Entrance rite (Salutation, Prayer of Intention, the canticle “Glory to God in the highest”), the reading of the Gospel, the affirmation of the Creed, the Prayers of the People and the Greeting of the Peace. We kneel for the Confession of Sin, the Eucharistic Prayer (standing is optional), the Prayer after Communion and the Blessing.

The principal service is the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion) at 9:15 a.m. on Sundays. It is a sung service with hymns and choir. You will realize that the biblical readings, psalm, Prayers of the People and the Eucharistic Prayer change each Sunday. There are other parts of the service that will reflect changes each Sunday. However, the pages in the Book of Common Prayer will be announced or are printed in the service bulletin.  

There are those who like to chat before entering the nave or worship area, while others prefer to kneel as a personal means of preparation for worship. Some people, on entering and leaving the church’s worship area either bow or genuflect (the bending of the right knee) as a matter of reverence to the reserved sacrament of Christ and the cross. At the end of the service some persons kneel for a private prayer before leaving while others may sit to listen to the organ postlude.  

In Episcopal Church worship, the clergy and lay ministers wear vestments to signify their particular ministries. At the Eucharist, the priest wears a white robe called an alb from his neck to his ankles. Over the alb, the priest wears a narrow and colored piece of fabric called a stole. Bishops and priests wear the stole over both shoulders while a deacon wears it over the left shoulder and tied on the right side. Bishops and priests also wear a circular, colored garment over the alb called a chasuble. The corresponding garment a deacon wears is called a dalmatic. In addition, bishops wear a pointed head dress called a miter (symbolic of the tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost).

The members of the choir at St. Michael’s wear a black gown called a cassock and over it a white garment called a surplice. The acolytes, lay readers and chalice bearers wear white gowns, similar to the priest, called albs. They also wear a rope around their waist called a cincture or girdle.

The chasuble, stole and other altar and pulpit paraments are usually made of rich, sometimes ornate fabric and are the displayed in the color according to the Seasons of the Church/Christian Liturgical Year. The colors are white/gold, green, red, purple and blue.

When you visit St. Michael’s for worship you will feel at home here. You will not be singled out in any way that will cause you embarrassment. However, we invite our guests to sign our guest book to record their visit to our church and to join us for Coffee Hour after the service. Should you have any questions or would like to know more about the Episcopal Church, please feel free to contact our priest at 618-632-6168 or email him at frtony@stmichaelsofallon.org

                         2006 -- St. Michael's Episcopal Church, O'Fallon, Illinois                            Last Updated: 07/19/2010

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