Anglo-Catholic Spirituality

Tewkesbury Abbey is a modern Anglo-Catholic parish rooted in the retention of Catholic Christianity within the English Reformation. Anglo-Catholicism emerged, along with the Evangelical Movement, as a reforming tendency within the Church of England which, in the 18^th and 19^th century, had so absorbed the rationalism of its time that it had lost sight of the importance of a personal faith in Jesus, the sacraments and the centrality of awe and wonder in the spiritual life.

Christological:

Jesus, the Christ, has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves, and therefore he is at the centre of all we are and do.

Sacramental:

An emphasis on the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, Anointing (with oil for Healing), and Reconciliation (confession and absolution) as a part of the rhythm of a holy life.

Prayerful:

Holiness of life is seen as a process in which we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit in regular (daily, weekly and yearly) prayer. Anglo-Catholics make use of a variety of devotional practices that assist them in prayer (icons and statues, candles, etc).

Saints:

Anglo-Catholics believe in the reality of the Communion of Saints. We believe that we have seen holiness of life in the lives of many men, women and children in the history of the Church. We especially honour the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose life was full of grace and without whom Jesus could not become one with us so that we might become one with God.

Reverential:

Anglo-Catholics emphasise sharing the divine life in a deeply reverent style of worship. We are open to all styles of worship, but whatever that style may be the liturgy should lead the worshipper to a deeper experience of God. We enter into this adoration through listening to and singing beautiful music whether it be traditional or contemporary. We use gesture and embodied prayer (genuflection, bowing, crossing oneself) with the engagement of the senses (incense, holy water, bells, vestments) to help us enter into worship. As Anglo-Catholics, our ultimate worship experience is one in which we not only glimpse but enter into and taste something of the beauty and mystery of God.

Justice:

As all human beings are made in the image of God, Anglo-Catholics emphasize social justice out of a tradition that makes a liturgical connection between worshipping God in beauty and holiness and working to manifest justice and mercy in the world. For Anglo-Catholics beautiful liturgy leads us into a divine life which celebrates the dignity of human beings.