As we conclude the first three-part series of Faith Matters, exploring why we pray (and what prayer is), I would like to reiterate the purpose of this endeavour. Every person who reads this magazine has some kind of relationship with God and with the Anglican Church in the Diocese of

Several years ago, when I was a catechist in an Anglican parish, I had the privilege of working with an eight-year-old boy who wanted to be baptized. This was a common phenomenon in the parish where I worked. Congregants had come to the parish from other denominations, including some from

In my previous article, responding to the question “Why go to church?” I argued the following: The church provides a loving, caring, and like-minded community for the participant. There might not be a clear demarcation between the sacred and the profane, since the whole universe is God’s creation. Every human

By now, you, the reader, have come to understand that I enjoy eating meals with people. At this point in my life, it is the only way I can spend time with people without having to pick up a new hobby. It’s a great chance to meet people in an

The word Eucharist itself comes from the Greek word meaning “thanksgiving,” and I am so very thankful that I received knowledge of the meaning of the Eucharist when I was confirmed at age twelve. I understood that we do this in memory of Jesus dying on the cross for our

As our four authors, Amanda McKenzie, Ben Girgis, Edmund Laldin, and Kirsten Pinto-Gfroerer, continue this series titled “Faith Matters,” this issue focuses on why we celebrate the Eucharist. While theological discussion and historical outlines are a wonderful thing, the purpose of asking this question to our authors goes beyond traditional

Near the end of his Confessions, St. Augustine wrote, My love is my weight. I’m carried by it wherever I’m carried. Through your gift we catch fire and are carried upward; we go up in flames, and up we go. In our heart we ascend the ascending staircase, and we

In the post-modern and post-Christendom world, the archaic reasons to attend church are invalid and foreign to fellow pilgrims. People are going to churches to experience community, unity in the diversity of opinion and lifestyle, and to be nurtured and strengthened by God’s word, so that they may love others

Why do we go to church? That seems to be the question each September as the summer comes to an end, and we go back to a normal schedule. I think there are a lot of reasons to go to church; it’s a social place with lots of activities. The

While the Bible does not directly say “go to church,” it strongly encourages Christians to assemble together, as seen in Hebrews 10: 24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit