Doctrine
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St. David's is a 21st Century parish in a historic Anglo-Catholic tradition. What that means is this.
As was the earliest Christian Church, we are One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. We are liturgical in our worship, Sacramental in our theology, Apostolic in our authority and Traditional and Catholic in our belief. We adhere to the 3 traditional creeds of the Christian faith; The Apostles, the Nicaean and the Athanasian.
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We affirm the authority of Canonized Scripture and adhere to the principals of Scripture, Catholic Tradition and Reason.
Sacramentally, we believe that Our Lord Jesus instituted the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion and intended for them to be practiced and maintained for all time in the church. We also believe in the “real presence” of Christ in the bread and wine of the Holy Communion. In Anglican theology, a sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. In the Eucharist, the outward and visible sign is that of bread and wine, while the inward and spiritual grace is that of the Body and Blood of Christ. It is a “mystery of faith” how Christ is present in the elements of bread and wine, but we accept by His word and instruction that He is present in the elements representing His body and blood.
The classic Anglican aphorism with regard to the debate on the Eucharist is the poem by John Doan (1572-1631): “He was the Word that spake it; He took the bread and brake it; and what that Word did make it; I do believe and take it”
The additional sacraments of the Anglo-Catholic Church; Unction, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage and Ordination are likewise practiced by ministers ordained in Apostolic succession from the time of Jesus and the Apostles.
Our liturgy (translated “work of the people”) or worship service, is ancient in form dating back to the 1st century church. It features what St. Paul in Heb. 10:25 called: the fellowship (gathering together), breaking of the bread (Lord’s Supper), the reading of scriptures (Bible) and the Apostles teaching (the sermon).
What does it mean to be “Catholic?”
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The Greek word is “Katholikos” the Latin word is “Catholicos” mean the same thing: “Universal”. This is regarding the ecumenicalism of there being one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.
The Christians during the 2nd century, to distinguish themselves from the other Non-Christian sects like the Gnostics, referred to their Church as “Catholic” because these Christians shared in a common belief and practice, being the teachings of Christ handed down to the Apostles along with the practices, beliefs and traditions of the earliest church addressed by the Church Fathers and believed and practiced in unison by the entire Christian Church everywhere throughout the world. As stated by St. Vincent of Lerins: “Let us hold that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all, for that is truly and properly Catholic.”
By the 4th century, the heresy of Arianism had arisen in which the Christians that supported the traditional doctrines of the Church referred to themselves as “Orthodox” the word “Orthodoxy” comes from two Greek words “orthos” which means “straight or true” and “doxy” which means “belief or opinion”.
As Anglo-Catholics we practice and believe the ancient Orthodox-Catholic faith. The Roman Catholic Church is but one practicing catholic faith and are most often referred to as just “Catholics” today. We are not Roman Catholic but catholic in our belief and practice of the faith as defined by St. Athanasius in the 3rd century.
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For an extensive teaching on Anglicanism you may listen here to Bishop John-David Schofield's confirmation class while Rector of St. Columba's Inverness CA
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Also, listen hear to Archbishop Michael Ramsey's teaching on the "Anglican Tradition", presented at Nashotah House Seminary Fall 1979. These lectures were the basis for the later book by the same author, "The Anglican Spirit".
(The recordings are of poor quality but worthwhile listening.)
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