We Are Anglicans
The parish of Saint James', Caledon East, is part of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto and the world-wide Anglican Communion.
What is an Anglican?
The Anglican tradition traces its origins to the Reformation. Anglicanism, as we know it today, is based on principles established by sixteenth-century English reformers.
Core Values of the Christian Faith
In an effort to be true to the original core values of the Christian faith, Anglicans have tried to restore the worship practices of the earliest Church. That is why, in Anglican worship today, you see many customs and practices that have their origins in the celebrations of the earliest Christians.
Emphases: Sacraments, the Bible, and Social Ministry
Central to Anglican worship are two crucial emphases: the celebration of the sacraments and a high valuation of the Bible. Also, from the nineteenth century onward, Anglicans have been known as a people with a strong commitment to social ministry and social justice.
A People of the Prayer Book
Throughout their history, Anglicans have been a people of the prayer book. With over two-thirds of its content taken directly from scripture, the prayer book organizes worship in a coherent way. Even though various national churches in the twentieth century have written new forms of worship, Anglicans continue to place a high value on an ordered form of their faith as contained in the prayer books.
Organization
Anglicans govern themselves through Bishops, whose history can be traced back into the earliest moments of the Christian faith. Anglicans organize themselves into national churches, which are in fellowship with each other through mutual love and through their shared respect for the first Anglican Diocese, Canterbury, in England.
