The Book of Common Prayer is our primary source of worship in the Episcopal Church. It includes prayers for public and private prayer, it also includes a variety of prayers and information that can be helpful as we seek God. As he entered the Episcopal Church, a seminary classmate of mine bought a Book of Common Prayer and began reading at the beginning. He hoped to understand the church and its beliefs more fully. He found it odd that the Catechism is in the back instead of toward the beginning.
The Book of Common Prayer includes this description:“This catechism is primarily intended for use by parish priests, deacons, and lay catechists to give an outline for instruction. It is a commentary on the creeds but is not meant to be a complete statement of belief and practices; rather, it is a point of departure for the teacher and cast in the traditional question-and-answer form for ease of reference.”
The catechism is not just a book for scholars, but a practical resource used routinely in confirmation classes. It's worth our attention with some regularity. I, for one, turn to it periodically to confirm my understanding of various aspects of our faith. It's a tool I use to represent the church's teaching more perfectly, not simply to present my personal understanding or belief. For your convenience, I’ll include a link to the online version of the catechism here, which you can also find on page 845 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Blessings,
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