The Bishop is coming!

October 27, 2017 Uncategorized

On Sunday, Nov. 5, the Rt. Rev. James Magness, Assisting Bishop of Southern Virginia will be with us at the 10:30 a.m. service. He will preach and preside as we celebrate All Saints Day together and he will confirm and receive our newest members.

A bishop’s visitation is an important event in the life of a parish family. It recalls us to the reality that the basic unit of the church is the diocese, and that all presbyters (priests) serve as liturgical representatives of the bishop. The bishop’s visit always includes the Eucharist. The loose offering at the service will be designated for the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund, which is used for a variety of charitable, educational or medical needs of laity and clergy.

Please hold in your prayers those from St. Andrew’s who are preparing for confirmation or reception on Nov. 5:
Jamey Bacon
Emmeline Batcha
Jacob Batcha
Parker Bigley
Sarah Charlock
Matthew Deller
Devin Ellis
Mary Paige Fisher
Elizabeth Harrell
Cassandra Jones
Roman Klinger
Anna Norville
Susan Sale
Leonard Sulzberger

The Laying on of Hands at Confirmation

The main symbol of confirmation for the laity is the laying on of hands by a bishop. For a priest to be consecrated as bishop, it requires the laying on of hands by three bishops. Up until 1783, there was no Episcopal bishop in the United States. In that year, Samuel Seabury went to England to be consecrated as a bishop. Since we had just recently defeated the English in our American Revolution, Seabury would not swear allegiance to the king, who was the head of the Church of England, which at the time was required of anyone wishing to be consecrated as a bishop. Finally in 1784, Seabury went to Scotland to be consecrated. Now we had one!

In 1787, when the atmosphere in England had become more welcoming toward Americans, William White and Samuel Provoost were consecrated in England as our second and third bishops. Now we had three! William White would become the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

The Bishop’s Chair

At the 10:30 service on November 5, there will be a rather large chair positioned in the center of the chancel with a kneeler placed in front of it. At other times it may be found within the sanctuary up against the wall. It is easy to tell that it is the bishop’s chair because it has a mitre, the liturgical headgear of the bishop, carved into it. This special seat is a sign and a symbol of the unity and authority that comes from the particular way Episcopalians have of organizing themselves.

The word “Episcopal” means “bishop.” Bishops are the head of a geographical region known as a diocese. In these dioceses are many parishes that a bishop oversees. He or she does this mainly through other clergy we called priests and deacons who serve the parishes.

In Latin, the bishop’s seat is called the cathedra. This is where we get the word cathedral; literally, the place where the bishop is seated. Since bishops get out a lot, regularly visiting parishes, this is why we keep a seat for them. This is a reminder not only of the authority of the bishop, but of the bishop’s prayers and presence with us. The chair, then, serves as a reminder for us to pray for our bishops as well.