A Catechism for Confirmation Candidates
New Every Morning Anglican Fellowship
After the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
With Questions Suitable for a Discernment Meeting
For use by Priests in the preparation of Confirmation Candidates,
whether young persons or adults received into the Faith from outside.
© 2026 · The Reverend P. A. Ternahan, M.A. Hum., Editor
The Continuing Anglican Tradition of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
For use in the Continuing Anglican tradition of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Preface for the Priest
This catechism is designed as an instrument of formation for confirmation candidates in the Continuing Anglican Tradition of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. It aims at something beyond what most modern confirmation preparation achieves: not merely acquaintance with the faith, but the capacity to give an account of it — to explain, in their own words, what Anglicanism is and why it matters, what the 1928 Book of Common Prayer contains and why it is used rather than later revisions, what the Continuing Anglican Tradition of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer is and how it came to exist, and what is expected of a fully communicant member of the Body of Christ.
The questions are arranged in seven parts, moving from the foundations of the Christian faith through the sacraments, the Anglican tradition, and the specific identity of the APCK, to the Christian life and vocation. A candidate who can answer all one hundred questions with understanding — not merely by rote — is well prepared for the bishop's examination at a discernment meeting and, more importantly, for a lifetime of informed, committed Anglican discipleship.
These questions are not meant as a checklist to be memorised and then forgotten but as the skeleton of a living understanding to be put on, worn in, and carried through a life. The best confirmation preparation uses these questions as starting points for conversation — between priest and candidate, between candidate and the BCP itself, between the candidate's own experience and the tradition of the Church. The questions suggest further reading, particularly in the BCP (which every candidate should possess and use), in the Thirty-Nine Articles, and in the documents of the Continuing Anglican movement listed in the archive's Bibliography.
A note on adult candidates: adult candidates coming from outside the Anglican tradition often need more context than those raised in it. For such candidates the sections on the Anglican tradition (Part V) and the APCK specifically (Part VI) deserve particular attention. Many adult enquirers come from evangelical or broadly Protestant backgrounds and have never encountered the Catholic Anglican synthesis — the combination of scriptural authority, sacramental life, apostolic order, and liturgical prayer — that the 1928 BCP embodies. Meeting that synthesis for the first time can be a profound experience; the priest's task is to help the candidate receive it whole rather than as a series of disconnected practices.
Contents
Part I — The Christian Faith — Questions 1–20
Part II — The Moral Life — Questions 21–32
Part III — Prayer and the Scriptures — Questions 33–44
Part IV — The Sacraments — Questions 45–58
Part V — The Anglican Tradition — Questions 59–77
Part VI — The Anglican Province of Christ the King — Questions 78–83
Part VII — The Christian Life and Formation — Questions 84–93
Part I — The Christian Faith
The foundation of the faith: what we believe about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit
1. What is the Christian faith?
The Christian faith is belief in one God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, rose again the third day, ascended into heaven, and shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
For the Priest: This is the Apostles' Creed — the fundamental statement of Christian belief, repeated at Morning and Evening Prayer in the 1928 BCP.
2. What is the Apostles' Creed?
The Apostles' Creed is the ancient baptismal confession of the Church, expressing the faith into which we were baptised. It summarises the Christian faith in three articles: belief in God the Father who created all things; in Jesus Christ the Son who redeemed us; and in the Holy Ghost who sanctifies us. It is used at Morning and Evening Prayer and at Baptism.
For the Priest: The BCP Catechism (p. 577) begins with the Creed.
3. What is the Nicene Creed?
The Nicene Creed is the more complete statement of Christian faith issued by the Council of Nicaea (325) and completed at Constantinople (381). It affirms that the Son is of one substance with the Father — a direct refutation of the Arian heresy — and that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son. It is used at Holy Communion.
For the Priest: The Nicene Creed distinguishes Catholic orthodoxy from Arianism; its use at the Eucharist connects each celebration with the universal Church.
4. Who is Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was made man. He is truly God and truly man — two natures in one Person — conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried; he rose again on the third day and ascended into heaven, where he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father; from thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
For the Priest: The Definition of Chalcedon (451): two natures, one Person. This is the irreducible centre of Christological orthodoxy.
5. What is the Holy Trinity?
The Holy Trinity is the one God in three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The three Persons are co-equal, co-eternal, and of one substance. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God; yet they are not three Gods but one God. This mystery is expressed in the Athanasian Creed (Quicunque Vult), which the 1928 BCP provides for use on Trinity Sunday and other occasions.
For the Priest: Trinity Sunday is the only feast in the Calendar that honours a doctrine rather than an event.
6. Why do we call God 'Father'?
We call God 'Father' because he is the Creator of all things, who made us and all the world; and because through Jesus Christ we have been adopted as his children. The Lord's Prayer, which Christ himself gave us, opens with the words Our Father — teaching us that prayer is the conversation of a child with a loving Father, not a subject addressing a remote sovereign.
7. What do you believe about the Virgin Birth?
I believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. This is affirmed in both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds and is a necessary article of the Catholic faith. The Virgin Birth signifies that the Incarnation was a divine act, not a human achievement; that the Son of God entered our nature from outside it; and that in Mary, the new Eve, humanity's 'Yes' to God was first spoken.
8. What do you believe about the Resurrection?
I believe that Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead on the third day, bodily, in the same flesh in which he was crucified. The Resurrection is not a symbol or a metaphor but a historical event — the foundation of the entire Christian faith. As St. Paul writes, if Christ be not risen, your faith is vain. The risen Christ showed himself to his disciples, ate with them, and was touched by Thomas; forty days later he ascended bodily into heaven.
For the Priest: Easter is the Principal Feast of the Christian Year — the Feast of feasts.
9. What do you believe about the Ascension?
I believe that forty days after his Resurrection, Jesus Christ ascended bodily into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead. The Ascension is not the end of Christ's presence but the beginning of his universal reign; he is now the great High Priest who ever liveth to make intercession for us.
For the Priest: Ascension Day is a Principal Feast — always a Thursday, forty days after Easter.
10. What do you believe about the Second Coming?
I believe that Jesus Christ shall come again in his glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and the dead — the living and the dead — at the Last Day. This is the teaching of both Creeds, and the Advent season is devoted to its contemplation. The Church lives between the two Advents: the first coming in humility, the second coming in glory.
11. What is the work of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Ghost is the third Person of the Holy Trinity, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son. His work is to sanctify us — to make us holy — and to unite us to Christ. He inspired the holy Scriptures, guides the Church into all truth, gives gifts to the body of Christ, moves us to prayer and repentance, and dwells in the hearts of those who are baptised. The Whitsunday season celebrates the giving of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost.
12. What does it mean to say that the Holy Ghost inspired the Scriptures?
It means that the authors of the holy Scriptures wrote under the guidance and direction of the Holy Ghost, so that the Bible contains all things necessary to salvation. As St. Paul writes, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. The Anglican tradition holds that the Scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation and that nothing contrary to Scripture may be required as an article of faith.
For the Priest: Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles: Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation.
13. What is the Church?
The Church is the Body of Christ — one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. It is one, because there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; holy, because it is consecrated to God and indwelt by the Holy Ghost; catholic, meaning universal, embracing all times and places; and apostolic, because its faith and ministry are derived from the Apostles through an unbroken succession. The Church is not a voluntary association of like-minded people but the extension of the Incarnation — Christ present in the world through his Body.
14. What is the communion of saints?
The communion of saints is the fellowship of all faithful people — those now living on earth, those who have died in the faith and rest in Paradise, and those already perfected in glory. We are bound together by our common baptism, our common faith, and our common participation in the Body of Christ. When we pray, we pray as members of this great company; and when we celebrate the Eucharist, we join our praise with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.
15. What do you mean when you say you believe in the forgiveness of sins?
I mean that God, for Christ's sake, truly forgives those who repent and believe. Forgiveness is not earned but given — it is the free act of divine mercy, grounded in Christ's atoning sacrifice on the Cross. In Holy Baptism we receive the forgiveness of all past sins; in Holy Absolution the priest, as the minister of Christ's Church, pronounces the forgiveness of those who have confessed and are truly penitent. The daily General Confession at Morning and Evening Prayer is the Church's regular exercise of this gift.
16. What do you believe about eternal life?
I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. At the Last Day all the dead shall be raised, and we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Those who have died in faith and repentance shall enter into the full joy of the Lord; those who have rejected God shall be separated from him. The Christian hope is not the immortality of a disembodied soul but the resurrection of the whole person — body and soul together — into the life of the Age to Come.
For the Priest: The Burial Office of the 1928 BCP expresses this hope most fully.
17. What is meant by the Atonement?
The Atonement is the reconciliation of God and mankind effected by Jesus Christ through his life, death, and resurrection. Christ took upon himself our sins, bore the penalty we deserved, and by his death made the perfect satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. As the 1928 BCP Prayer of Consecration declares, he made there by his one oblation of himself once offered a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. Through faith and baptism we are united to Christ and receive the benefits of his atoning work.
18. What is sin?
Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. Original sin is the corruption of human nature inherited from Adam — the tendency to self-will, pride, and turning away from God that we bring with us into the world. Actual sin is any thought, word, or deed by which we transgress God's law. The General Confession acknowledges both dimensions: we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep; we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and we have left undone those things which we ought to have done.
19. What is grace?
Grace is the free, undeserved favour of God toward sinful humanity, by which he calls us, justifies us, and sanctifies us. Prevenient grace goes before us — it is the grace that moves us to desire God before we seek him. Justifying grace makes us righteous in God's sight through faith in Christ. Sanctifying grace gradually conforms us to the image of Christ through a lifetime of prayer, sacrament, and obedience. As the Collect for Easter Day states, God's special grace prevents us — that is, goes before us — and puts good desires into our minds.
20. What is salvation?
Salvation is the deliverance of human beings from sin and its consequences — guilt, death, and separation from God — and their restoration to full communion with God in eternal life. It is effected entirely by God's grace through Jesus Christ and received by faith. The Anglican tradition holds that we are justified by faith alone — that is, that no human work or merit earns our acceptance before God — but that genuine faith is always accompanied by the works of love and obedience that faith naturally produces.
For the Priest: Article XI: Of the Justification of Man.
Part II — The Moral Life
The Ten Commandments, the two great precepts, and the Christian duty of love
21. What is your duty toward God?
My duty toward God is to believe in him, to fear him, to love him with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul, and with all my strength; to worship him, to give him thanks, to put my whole trust in him, to call upon him, to honour his holy Name and his Word, and to serve him truly all the days of my life.
For the Priest: This is taken directly from the BCP Catechism, p. 579.
22. What is your duty toward your neighbour?
My duty toward my neighbour is to love him as myself; to do to all men as I would they should do unto me; to love, honour, and succour my father and mother; to honour and obey the civil authority; to hurt nobody by word or deed; to be true and just in all my dealings; to bear no malice nor hatred in my heart; to keep my body in temperance, soberness, and chastity; not to covet nor desire other men's goods, but to learn and labour truly to get mine own living, and to do my duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me.
For the Priest: BCP Catechism, p. 580.
23. What are the Ten Commandments?
The Ten Commandments are the moral law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, summarising our duty to God (the first four) and our duty to our neighbour (the last six). They are: I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. III. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. IV. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. V. Honour thy father and thy mother. VI. Thou shalt not kill. VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery. VIII. Thou shalt not steal. IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness. X. Thou shalt not covet.
For the Priest: The Commandments are recited at Holy Communion in the 1928 BCP and form the second part of the Catechism.
24. What are the two great commandments?
Our Lord Jesus Christ, when asked which is the greatest commandment, answered: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. The Ten Commandments are the detailed application of these two principles: the first four concern love of God; the last six concern love of neighbour.
For the Priest: Matthew 22:37-40; the summary of the Law at Holy Communion (BCP p. 69).
25. What does the Fourth Commandment require of us?
The Fourth Commandment requires us to keep one day in seven holy — a day of rest, worship, and refreshment. In the Christian dispensation this day is the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, the day of the Resurrection. The obligation is positive as well as negative: not only to abstain from servile work but actively to attend the worship of God, to receive the sacraments, to give thanks, and to allow others the rest they are owed. The Catechism states that our duty on the Lord's Day is to keep holy the day of the Lord's rest.
For the Priest: The Third Commandment in the BCP numbering. The 1928 BCP uses the traditional Anglican division of the Commandments.
26. What does the Church teach about the sanctity of human life?
The Church teaches that every human life is sacred from conception to natural death, because every human being is made in the image of God and redeemed by the blood of Christ. The Sixth Commandment — Thou shalt not kill — forbids not only murder but all wilful hurt, hatred, and contempt of persons. The Anglican tradition affirms that life is a gift of God, to be received, cherished, and returned to him in its proper season.
27. What does the Church teach about marriage?
The Church teaches that marriage is a holy estate instituted by God in the time of man's innocency, and signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church. It is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, for their mutual comfort, for the procreation and godly upbringing of children, and as a remedy against sin. The solemnization of Matrimony is a sacramental rite of the Church, with the couple as the ministers of the sacrament to each other, the priest as the Church's witness.
For the Priest: The BCP Form of Solemnization of Matrimony, p. 300.
28. What is the Christian understanding of vocation?
Vocation — from the Latin vocare, to call — is the recognition that God calls every person to a particular way of life and service. The primary vocation of every baptised person is to be a member of the Body of Christ and to exercise the royal priesthood. Within that, God calls some to holy orders, some to marriage, some to the religious life, and all to serve him faithfully in the state of life to which they are called. The BCP Catechism closes with the petition to do my duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me.
29. What does it mean to be a member of the royal priesthood?
In his First Epistle, St. Peter addresses all the baptised as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation — applying to the whole Church the titles given to Israel at Sinai. Every baptised person shares in Christ's threefold office as Prophet, Priest, and King. As priests, the baptised offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, intercede for the world, and present their whole lives as a living sacrifice. Holy Orders — the ordained ministry — is a particular participation in and ministry to this royal priesthood; it does not replace but rather serves and focuses it.
For the Priest: 1 Peter 2:9; the basis for the 'priesthood of all believers' — which in Catholic Anglicanism is never individualist but always corporate and sacramental.
30. What is the place of conscience in the Christian life?
Conscience is the faculty by which we discern right from wrong — it is the voice of God's law written on the heart. The Christian is bound to form his conscience carefully, by the study of Scripture, the teaching of the Church, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit; and then to follow it faithfully. The Anglican tradition holds that the authority of Scripture, tradition, and reason work together to inform the conscience — no one of the three alone is sufficient.
For the Priest: Article XX: Of the Authority of the Church.
31. What is the Christian attitude toward the poor?
The Christian attitude toward the poor is grounded in the teaching and example of Christ, who identified himself with the least of his brethren. The two great works of mercy — corporal and spiritual — are the Church's ongoing expression of this solidarity. The parable of Dives and Lazarus in the Gospel for the First Sunday after Trinity is the Church Year's most searching statement of this obligation: There was a great gulf fixed — not created at death but by the daily choice to notice or to ignore.
For the Priest: The BCP provides prayers for the poor, homeless, and neglected in its Additional Prayers.
32. What is the purpose of fasting and self-discipline?
Fasting and self-discipline train the will, mortify the desires of the flesh, and free the soul for prayer and contemplation. The Lenten season is the Church's annual school of such discipline. Christ himself fasted forty days in the wilderness, and the BCP Collect for Lent 1 grounds our fasting in his: who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights — grant that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions. Fasting is never an end in itself but a means to greater love of God and neighbour.
Part III — Prayer and the Scriptures
The Lord's Prayer, the Daily Office, and the place of Scripture in Anglican life
33. What is prayer?
Prayer is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God. It includes adoration — the praise of God for what he is; confession — the acknowledgement of sin and the prayer for forgiveness; thanksgiving — gratitude for God's mercies; and supplication — petition for our own needs and intercession for others. The Church's prayer is both personal and corporate: Christians pray alone in their closets and together in the Divine Office and the Eucharist.
34. What is the Lord's Prayer?
The Lord's Prayer is the prayer that Jesus Christ gave to his disciples when they asked him, Lord, teach us to pray. It begins with the address Our Father, which art in heaven — establishing the character of prayer as filial, confident, and communal. It contains seven petitions: for the hallowing of God's Name; for the coming of his Kingdom; for the doing of his will on earth as in heaven; for daily bread; for forgiveness, as we forgive others; for deliverance from temptation; and for deliverance from evil. The Lord's Prayer is used at Morning and Evening Prayer and at Holy Communion.
For the Priest: BCP Catechism, p. 580-582.
35. What is the Daily Office?
The Daily Office is the pattern of daily prayer appointed in the 1928 BCP — Morning Prayer (Matins) and Evening Prayer (Evensong) — to be said every day by clergy and regularly by the faithful. It consists of psalms, Scripture readings, canticles, the Creed, prayers, and collects appointed for each day of the week and season of the year. The Daily Office is the primary means by which the 1928 BCP forms the faithful: those who pray it consistently will have read through most of the Bible and the entire Psalter in the course of a year.
For the Priest: The obligation of the Daily Office is one of the marks of Anglican clerical life; laypeople are strongly encouraged to join in.
36. What is the Psalter?
The Psalter is the Book of Psalms — 150 poems and prayers of the Old Testament, covering the full range of human experience before God: praise, lament, penitence, gratitude, anger, trust, and delight. In the Anglican tradition the Psalter is divided into sixty portions for recitation morning and evening throughout the month, so that the whole Psalter is read through each month. The psalms are the Church's prayer book within the prayer book — they have formed the prayer of the People of God for three thousand years.
For the Priest: Gladstone's Psalter Companion and the Archive's Concordance to the Psalter provide devotional aids to the Psalter.
37. What is the place of Holy Scripture in Anglican worship and life?
Holy Scripture is, in the phrase of Article VI, the rule and ultimate standard of faith — it contains all things necessary to salvation. In the 1928 BCP, Scripture pervades the entire liturgy: the Psalter, the canticles, the lessons, the collects, the catechism, and the baptismal and eucharistic rites are all drawn from or directly formed by Scripture. The Anglican tradition reads Scripture in the context of the Church's living tradition, with reason as the instrument of interpretation — the three-legged stool of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.
For the Priest: Article VI: Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation.
38. What are the canticles?
The canticles are the great scriptural songs used at Morning and Evening Prayer. At Morning Prayer the principal canticles are the Te Deum laudamus (We praise thee, O God) and the Benedictus (Blessed be the Lord God of Israel), with the Benedicite (O all ye Works of the Lord) as an alternative. At Evening Prayer the canticles are the Magnificat (My soul doth magnify the Lord) and the Nunc Dimittis (Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace). These are among the oldest liturgical texts of the Christian Church.
39. What is a collect?
A collect is a short, precisely structured prayer — traditionally consisting of an address to God, a relative clause stating a reason for the petition, the petition itself, the purpose for which it is asked, and the concluding doxology through Jesus Christ our Lord. The collects of the 1928 BCP, many of which go back to the Sarum Rite and the earliest prayer books of Cranmer, are masterpieces of liturgical prayer — dense, lapidary, and theologically exact. There is a proper collect for every Sunday and feast of the Christian Year.
40. What is the Christian Year?
The Christian Year is the annual cycle of seasons and feasts by which the Church re-presents the saving acts of God in Christ. It begins with Advent — the season of preparation for the Nativity; moves through Christmas and Epiphany; through the pre-Lenten Gesimas, Lent, and Holy Week; through Easter, Ascension, and Whitsunday; through Trinity Sunday; and then through the long season of Sundays after Trinity in which the moral and spiritual teaching of the faith is unfolded. The Christian Year is the primary catechetical instrument of the traditional Church.
For the Priest: The Harmony of Collects, Epistles, and Gospels (after Melville Scott) in the archive shows how each Sunday's three propers form a single doctrinal and devotional whole.
41. Why does the Church observe fasting days?
The Church observes fasting days — particularly Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the Fridays of Lent — to unite the faithful in penitential discipline, to mark the serious events of the Christian Year, and to free the soul from bodily preoccupations for deeper prayer. The BCP provides a Table of Fasts and a Commination service for Ash Wednesday. The Anglican practice is moderate — not the extreme asceticism of the Desert Fathers, but a regular and thoughtful discipline of the body in the service of the soul.
42. What is Lectio Divina?
Lectio Divina — Sacred Reading — is the ancient practice of slow, prayerful reading of the Scriptures, listening for the voice of God in the sacred text. The Anglican tradition received this practice through the monastic Office and Cranmer's vision of a clergy and people formed by daily Scripture reading. The BCP's provision of daily lessons at Morning and Evening Prayer is its institutionalised form: we do not read the Bible quickly for information but slowly and repeatedly for formation.
43. What is intercession?
Intercession is prayer on behalf of others — bringing before God the needs of the Church, the world, the sick, the dying, the poor, and all who stand in need of his mercy. The Litany of the 1928 BCP is the Church's great intercession, covering every dimension of human need. The intercessory prayers at Morning and Evening Prayer, and the Prayer for the whole state of Christ's Church at Holy Communion, give the congregation regular exercise in this priestly act. As members of the royal priesthood, all the baptised are called to intercede.
For the Priest: The Subject Index to the Prayers of the 1928 BCP in the archive organises the BCP's prayers by pastoral category for use in intercessions.
44. What is the examination of conscience?
The examination of conscience is the daily spiritual practice of reviewing one's thoughts, words, and actions in the light of God's commandments and of one's baptismal calling. It is the preparation for the General Confession at Morning and Evening Prayer, and for the more particular confession of sins before a confessor. The 1928 BCP's Exhortation at Holy Communion calls the communicant to examine himself — his sins against God and neighbour — before approaching the altar.
Part IV — The Sacraments
Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and the other sacramental rites of the Church
45. What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof. The BCP Catechism identifies two sacraments ordained by Christ as necessary to salvation: Holy Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. The Church also recognises five other rites — Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Unction — which the Anglican tradition has sometimes called sacramental rites, though it does not number them among the two great Gospel sacraments.
For the Priest: BCP Catechism, p. 581; Article XXV: Of the Sacraments.
46. What is Holy Baptism?
Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which we are born again of water and the Holy Ghost, made members of Christ's Body the Church, children of God, and inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven. Its outward sign is water — the candidate is baptised in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Its inward grace is the forgiveness of sins and incorporation into the Body of Christ. Baptism is unrepeatable — it makes us what we are for ever.
For the Priest: BCP Catechism, p. 582; the Ministration of Holy Baptism, p. 267.
47. What is Confirmation?
Confirmation is the rite in which those who were baptised in infancy ratify and confirm their baptismal promises for themselves, and receive the strengthening gift of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of the bishop's hands. It is the completion of Baptism — the candidate now takes upon himself the full responsibilities of Christian discipleship. In the 1928 BCP, Confirmation is also the gate of admission to Holy Communion: No person shall be admitted to the holy Communion, until such time as he be confirmed, or be ready and desirous to be confirmed.
For the Priest: The Order of Confirmation, BCP p. 296.
48. What promises will you make at your Confirmation?
At Confirmation I will renew the promises made at my Baptism: to renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh; to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith; and to keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life. I will do this in my own person, confirming what was promised on my behalf at my Baptism.
49. What is Holy Communion?
Holy Communion — the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, the Mass — is the sacrament in which we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, truly present under the forms of bread and wine, in remembrance of his death and sacrifice on the Cross, and as the pledge of his coming again. The Prayer of Consecration in the 1928 BCP declares that Christ made there by his one oblation of himself once offered a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. At the Eucharist we do not re-sacrifice Christ but plead before the Father that one perfect sacrifice.
For the Priest: The Holy Communion service, BCP p. 67.
50. What happens at the consecration of the bread and wine?
At the consecration, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. The Anglican tradition affirms the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist — that after the prayer of consecration the elements are not bare signs but the true Body and Blood of our Lord. The 1928 BCP does not define the precise manner of this presence, rejecting both a crudely materialist interpretation and a purely symbolic one. The classic Anglican formula is that Christ is truly and really present — but the manner of that presence is a mystery of faith, not a matter for philosophical definition.
For the Priest: The 1928 BCP removes the Black Rubric of 1662 which denied Real Presence; the Anglican Catholic tradition affirms it.
51. What is the duty of a communicant before receiving Holy Communion?
Before receiving Holy Communion, a communicant should examine himself — considering his sins against God and his neighbour, making restitution and reconciliation where needed, and approaching the altar with contrition, faith, and love. The BCP Exhortation calls the communicant to come to the holy Table with a penitent heart and lively faith. Those who have fallen into grave sin should make their confession to a priest before communicating. The Prayer of Humble Access — We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord — gives voice to the proper spirit of the communicant.
52. What is Confession and Absolution?
Confession is the acknowledgement of specific sins to a priest, who, as the minister of Christ's forgiveness, pronounces absolution. In the Anglican tradition, private auricular confession is not mandatory — it is permitted to all and required of none — but it is commended to those whose consciences are burdened and who need the assurance of absolution. The priest does not forgive by his own authority but as the instrument of God's forgiveness: the BCP form of absolution reads, by his authority committed to me, I absolve thee from all thy sins.
For the Priest: The formula in the Visitation of the Sick: I absolve thee, BCP p. 313.
53. What is Holy Orders?
Holy Orders is the sacramental rite by which men are ordained to the three orders of the historic ministry — deacons, priests, and bishops. The bishop lays hands upon the ordinand and prays for the gift of the Holy Ghost; the Church thereby confers the authority to preach, celebrate the sacraments, and govern the flock of Christ. The Anglican Church maintains the historic threefold ministry descended without break from the Apostles — the apostolic succession.
For the Priest: The Ordinal: The Form of Making Deacons (p. 529), Ordering Priests (p. 537), Consecrating Bishops (p. 555).
54. What is Holy Matrimony?
Holy Matrimony is the sacramental rite in which a man and a woman are joined in the covenant of lifelong fidelity and love. The BCP declares it a holy estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocency, and signifying the mystical union betwixt Christ and his Church. The couple are the ministers of this sacrament to each other; the priest is the Church's witness. Marriage is indissoluble in principle — what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
For the Priest: The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony, BCP p. 300.
55. What is the Unction of the Sick?
The Unction of the Sick — Holy Unction or Anointing — is the anointing of the sick with consecrated oil, accompanied by prayer, for healing of body and soul. It is grounded in the Epistle of St. James: Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. In the Anglican tradition it is included in the Visitation of the Sick and is administered by a priest.
56. What is the significance of the laying on of hands?
The laying on of hands is the ancient gesture of blessing, commissioning, and transmission of authority and grace. It is used in Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, and Unction. In each case it signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit through the physical action of the minister: the grace of God is conveyed through the body, in accordance with the Incarnation — God's way of working through matter.
57. How often should a Christian receive Holy Communion?
The APCK Canons (Canon 11.06c) require reception of Holy Communion at least three times a year, specifically at Christmastide, Eastertide, and Whitsuntide — all three seasons are named and canonical. The 1928 BCP (p. 75) similarly requires three times per year. The communicant who receives only at Easter is not in canonical compliance. The Anglican Catholic tradition encourages much more frequent reception — weekly at least, and daily if possible. The Eucharist is the principal act of Sunday worship and the food of the Christian life; to be present at the liturgy and not receive is like attending a family meal and not eating.
For the Priest: APCK Canon 11.06(c); BCP p. 75. Note the canonical precision: all three seasons (Christmas, Easter, Whitsunday) are required, not Easter alone.
58. What is the significance of fasting before Holy Communion?
The traditional practice of fasting from midnight before receiving Holy Communion — or at minimum for three hours before — expresses the honour due to the Body and Blood of Christ. It prepares the body and the spirit to receive the Lord worthily, giving priority to the heavenly food over earthly nourishment. Many Anglican Catholic priests and parishes maintain this discipline. It is not a canonical requirement of the 1928 BCP but a laudable devotional practice.
Part V — The Anglican Tradition
The history of Anglicanism, the Book of Common Prayer, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the Reformation
59. What is Anglicanism?
Anglicanism is the form of Catholic Christianity that grew from the Church of England at the Reformation — retaining the historic faith, orders, and sacraments of the undivided Church while reforming abuses and recovering the centrality of Scripture and the vernacular liturgy. Anglicanism is not a new denomination but the continuation of the ancient British Church, which traces its origins to the first or second century, through the Reformation. Its distinctive instruments are the Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal, and the Thirty-Nine Articles.
60. What is the Church of England's claim to catholicity?
The Church of England claims to be a true part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church — not a new creation of the sixteenth century but the same Church of England that existed before the Reformation, now purged of the particular corruptions that had entered it. It retained the historic episcopate in apostolic succession, the three orders of deacon, priest, and bishop, the creeds, the sacraments, and the Scripture. The Reformers did not see themselves as founding a new church but as reforming and purifying the ancient one.
61. Who was Thomas Cranmer?
Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556) was Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII and Edward VI and the primary author of the Book of Common Prayer. A scholar of immense learning and liturgical genius, he created in the first two Prayer Books (1549 and 1552) a vernacular liturgy that drew on the Sarum Rite, the Eastern liturgies, the Lutheran reformers, and above all the cadences of the English Bible. He was burned at the stake under Queen Mary in 1556, thrusting his right hand first into the flames because it had signed a recantation he later disowned. He is commemorated in the Anglican calendar on 21 March.
For the Priest: The meditation on Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley is in the archive.
62. What is the Book of Common Prayer?
The Book of Common Prayer is the liturgical and devotional foundation of Anglicanism — the book of services, prayers, and rites that shapes the worship, the formation, and the piety of the Anglican Church. The 1662 English BCP and the 1928 American BCP are the two most authoritative editions. The BCP contains the Daily Office, the Eucharist, the Catechism, the Ordinal, and the rites for Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Burial, and all the other occasions of Christian life. Archbishop Cranmer described the BCP as holding up a light in the Church of England, such as was never seen before.
For the Priest: The APCK uses the 1928 American BCP.
63. Why does the APCK use the 1928 BCP rather than the 1979 revision?
The APCK uses the 1928 BCP because it embodies the classical Anglican theological tradition — a balanced Catholic orthodoxy expressed in the cadences of Cranmer's English — which the 1979 revision substantially altered. The 1928 BCP maintains the ancient language of reverence (thou and thee in prayer), the traditional Christology and atonement theology, the classical structure of Holy Communion, and the Elizabethan settlement's careful balance of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. The decision to retain the 1928 BCP was among the foundational acts of the Affirmation of St. Louis in 1977.
64. What are the Thirty-Nine Articles?
The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are the doctrinal standards of the Church of England, finalised in 1571 under Queen Elizabeth I. They define the Anglican position on the major theological controversies of the Reformation — Scripture and tradition, justification by faith, the sacraments, the ministry, church and state — against both Roman error and Protestant excess. They are not a complete systematic theology but a series of boundaries, marking out what Anglican doctrine is not. The 1928 BCP includes them at the back of the volume.
65. What is the meaning of the Anglican formulary 'Scripture, Tradition, and Reason'?
Anglican theological method holds that Christian truth is known through three interrelated sources: Holy Scripture, as the ultimate rule of faith; Tradition, the Church's continuous teaching and practice from the Apostles forward; and Reason, the God-given faculty for interpreting and applying both. Richard Hooker's Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1594–1597) is the classical exposition of this method. The three are not equal — Scripture has primacy — but each has its proper role, and none is adequate alone.
66. Who was Richard Hooker?
Richard Hooker (c.1554–1600) was the great theologian of classical Anglicanism, whose Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity defined the Anglican via media — the middle way between Roman Catholicism and Calvinist Protestantism. He argued that the Church of England was a true part of the Catholic Church, that its episcopal government was apostolic, and that reason had a legitimate role in theological argument alongside Scripture and tradition. He is commemorated in the Anglican calendar and is the subject of a meditation in the archive alongside Lancelot Andrewes.
67. Who was Lancelot Andrewes?
Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626) was Bishop of Winchester and one of the great figures of the Caroline period — a scholar, preacher, and man of prayer whose Preces Privatae (Private Prayers) are among the finest devotional writings in the English language. He was a principal translator of the King James Bible and a staunch defender of the Church's Catholic inheritance against both Roman and Puritan attack. T.S. Eliot edited his sermons and credited him with a decisive influence on his own conversion to Anglican Christianity.
For the Priest: The meditation on Hooker and Andrewes is in the archive.
68. What was the Oxford Movement?
The Oxford Movement was a renewal movement within the Church of England in the 1830s–1840s, led by John Keble, John Henry Newman, Edward Bouverie Pusey, and their associates. Beginning with Keble's Assize Sermon of 1833, they published the Tracts for the Times — ninety tracts arguing for the Catholic inheritance of the Church of England, the importance of apostolic succession, the real presence in the Eucharist, and the necessity of sacramental life. The Oxford Movement is the direct ancestor of the Anglo-Catholic tradition in which the APCK stands.
For the Priest: Meditations on Keble and Pusey are in the archive.
69. What is the via media?
The via media — the middle way — is the classical Anglican description of its position between Rome and Geneva: neither accepting the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Roman additions to the faith, nor embracing the rejection of episcopacy, the sacraments, and tradition characteristic of the more radical Protestant bodies. The via media is not a compromise between two extremes but a positive claim: that the Church of England had retained what was truly Catholic while reforming what was truly corrupt.
70. What is apostolic succession?
Apostolic succession is the unbroken chain of episcopal consecration from the Apostles to the present day, by which the authority and grace of the apostolic ministry are transmitted. Each bishop receives his orders by the laying on of hands of bishops who themselves received their orders in the same way, traceable without break to the Apostles. The Anglican Church has always maintained that it possesses valid apostolic succession — a claim disputed by Rome but affirmed by Catholic Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox.
For the Priest: The Apostolic Succession Chart in the archive traces the APCK's line from the Apostles through Seabury and Denver to the present bishops.
71. What is the significance of Samuel Seabury?
Samuel Seabury (1729–1796) was the first Anglican bishop in America, consecrated in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 14 November 1784 by three bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Because he could not in good conscience swear the oaths required by the Church of England to the British Crown after American independence, the Scottish bishops — who had themselves refused those oaths after 1688 — consecrated him. Through Seabury, the apostolic succession entered the American Church, and through that succession the APCK holds its orders today.
72. What were the events of 1977–1978 that led to the founding of the APCK?
At the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Minneapolis in 1976, sweeping changes were adopted: the ordination of women to the priesthood and the replacement of the 1928 BCP with the 1979 revision. In September 1977 concerned clergy and laity gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, and issued the Affirmation of St. Louis — a declaration of adherence to the traditional faith, orders, and worship of classical Anglicanism. On 28 January 1978, in Denver, Colorado, four men were consecrated bishops, carrying the apostolic succession forward outside the Episcopal Church. From this the Diocese, and later Province, of Christ the King was formed.
For the Priest: The feast of the Preservation of the American Episcopate is observed by the APCK on 28 January.
73. What is the Affirmation of St. Louis?
The Affirmation of St. Louis (1977) is the founding doctrinal statement of the Continuing Anglican movement. It affirms adherence to the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God; the Catholic Creeds; the seven Ecumenical Councils; the historic episcopate in apostolic succession; the 1928 BCP; the Ordinal; and the traditional teaching on marriage and sexuality. It explicitly rejects the ordination of women to the priesthood or episcopate and the 1979 revision of the BCP as departures from the Catholic faith and order.
74. What is the Anglican Province of Christ the King?
The Anglican Province of Christ the King (APCK) is the Continuing Anglican body that traces its direct origin to the Denver consecrations of 28 January 1978, when Archbishop Robert Sherwood Morse was consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of Christ the King. The Diocese became a Province in 1991 with Archbishop Morse as its first Archbishop. The APCK maintains the 1928 BCP, the historic orders in apostolic succession, and the classical Anglican theological tradition expressed in the Affirmation of St. Louis. It is currently led by Archbishop Blair W. Schultz, the fifth Archbishop of the Province.
75. Who may receive Holy Communion in the APCK?
Holy Communion may be received by those who are baptised, confirmed (or ready and desirous to be confirmed), and in good standing with the Church — that is, not under any impediment of unrepented grave sin. Communicants from other bodies in full communion with the APCK may also receive. The practice of open communion — offering the Eucharist to any who present themselves regardless of baptism or confirmation — is contrary to the discipline of the 1928 BCP and the practice of the APCK.
For the Priest: BCP rubric, p. 75: No person shall be admitted to the holy Communion, until such time as he be confirmed.
76. What distinguishes the APCK from other bodies calling themselves Anglican?
The APCK is distinguished by three things: its unbroken apostolic succession in orders, traced through the Denver consecrations of 1978; its use of the 1928 BCP as its sole liturgical standard; and its adherence to the Affirmation of St. Louis as its doctrinal foundation. It does not ordain women to any order of the historic ministry. It is in full communion with the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) and the United Episcopal Church of North America (UECNA), the other principal bodies sharing the Denver succession.
77. What is the People's Anglican Missal, and what is its status in the APCK?
The People's Anglican Missal (PAM) is an altar book and hand missal published by the Frank Gavin Liturgical Foundation. It provides the full eucharistic liturgy in Anglo-Catholic form — the Canon in the traditional Western order, the additional proper ceremonies, the complete cycle of saints' collects and propers, and the ceremonial directions of the Anglo-Catholic tradition. Its doctrinal basis is the 1928 BCP. In the Continuing Anglican tradition, both the 1928 BCP and the Anglican Missal are authorised for use at the discretion of the congregation. Neither is merely supplementary to the other — a parish may celebrate the Eucharist according to the 1928 BCP, or according to the Anglican Missal, as its worship life and tradition require. The canonical standard of the Province is the 1928 BCP; the Anglican Missal represents the fuller ceremonial expression of the same faith within the APCK's authorised latitude.
For the Priest: This is an important point of APCK policy: the Province does not require all parishes to use identical ceremonial. Candidates should know that their parish's practice — whether according to the BCP alone or the Missal — is fully authorised, and that the priest is expected to be competent in both.
Part VI — The Anglican Province of Christ the King
The APCK's specific identity, its succession, and its place in the Continuing Anglican movement
78. Who are the current bishops of the APCK?
The current Archbishop of the Province is the Most Reverend Blair W. Schultz, the fifth Archbishop, elected on the Feast of St. Basil, 14 June 2023. The Diocese of the Western States is served by the Right Reverend Donald M. Ashman, who was consecrated Suffragan Bishop on 15 August 2012 and elected Diocesan Bishop on 22 April 2016. Bishop Ashman also serves as Provost of Saint Joseph of Arimathea College. Candidates being prepared within the Diocese of the Western States are under his episcopal authority and licence. The full current list of bishops is available on the APCK website (anglicanpck.org).
For the Priest: Candidates should be able to name their diocesan bishop (Rt. Rev. Donald M. Ashman, Diocese of the Western States) and the Archbishop (Most Rev. Blair W. Schultz).
79. What is the seminary of the APCK?
The APCK's seminary is St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological College in Berkeley, California, founded by Archbishop Morse in 1979. It provides theological education for candidates for holy orders in the Continuing Anglican tradition, with a curriculum grounded in the 1928 BCP, classical Anglican theology, and the pastoral tradition of the Church. The Provost is the Right Reverend Donald M. Ashman, Bishop of the Diocese of the Western States, who teaches Ecclesiastical Latin, Theology, and Biblical Greek.
For the Priest: St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological College, Berkeley, CA; founded 1979; Provost: Rt. Rev. D. M. Ashman.
80. What is the American Church Union?
The American Church Union (ACU) is the Anglo-Catholic organisation within the APCK tradition — the successor to the older American Church Union which was one of the bodies that helped organise the St. Louis Congress of 1977. It publishes books and materials for the APCK tradition, including Bishop Hansen's History of the APCK.
81. What is the relationship between the APCK, the ACC, and the UECNA?
The Continuing Anglican Tradition of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC), and the United Episcopal Church of North America (UECNA) are the three principal bodies that trace their episcopal succession to the Denver consecrations of 28 January 1978. They separated organisationally in 1979 following disagreements about church governance, but they maintain full communion with each other and recognise each other's orders and sacraments as valid.
82. What does it mean to be 'confirmed' in the APCK?
To be confirmed in the APCK means to ratify in one's own person the baptismal promises made at one's Baptism; to receive the strengthening gift of the Holy Ghost through the bishop's laying on of hands; and to be admitted to full communicant membership of the Church, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails — including the regular reception of Holy Communion, the duty of prayer and worship, financial support of the Church, and the exercise of one's gifts in its service.
83. What are the obligations of a confirmed member of the APCK?
A confirmed member of the APCK is obliged to: attend Holy Communion on Sundays and Principal Feasts; say or join in the Daily Office; keep the regular practice of private prayer and self-examination; receive Holy Communion at least three times per year; support the Church through their time, talent, and treasure; observe the fasts of the Church; and live according to the teaching of the BCP in all the duties of the Christian life.
Part VII — The Christian Life and Formation
Vocation, the priesthood of all believers, and the life of ongoing formation
84. What is Christian formation?
Christian formation is the lifelong process by which a person is shaped into the likeness of Christ — in knowledge, character, prayer, and action. It takes place through the regular rhythm of worship (particularly the Daily Office and the Eucharist), through the study of Scripture and the Church's teaching, through the sacraments and their discipline, through service to others, and through the community of the Church. The 1928 BCP is the primary instrument of formation in the Anglican tradition: those who pray it daily for years are gradually formed in its image.
85. What is the priesthood of all believers?
The priesthood of all believers is the teaching of Scripture — and a foundational principle of Catholic Anglican theology — that all the baptised share in Christ's priestly office. They are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, called to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. This does not abolish the ordained ministry but grounds and contextualises it: the priest is ordained to serve, focus, and enable the priesthood of the whole Body, not to replace it.
For the Priest: 1 Peter 2:9; Article XXVI.
86. How does a Christian grow in faith?
A Christian grows in faith through the means of grace — prayer, Scripture, sacrament, and fellowship. The regular pattern of the Daily Office, Sunday Eucharist, and the seasons of the Christian Year provides the structural framework; personal prayer, Bible reading, examination of conscience, and acts of charity and service fill it out. Growth is not automatic but requires intention, discipline, and the willingness to be formed by what is greater than ourselves — ultimately by the God who seeks us before we seek him.
87. What is the role of the parish in Christian formation?
The parish is the community of the Body of Christ in a particular place — the primary arena in which Christian formation happens. Through its worship, its preaching, its sacramental life, its fellowship, and its service, the parish forms its members into the likeness of Christ. A healthy parish is a catechetical community: every aspect of its life — the liturgy, the calendar, the music, the pastoral care, the social concern — teaches the faith and forms the faithful.
88. What is the role of suffering in the Christian life?
The Christian tradition teaches that suffering, when accepted in faith and united to the sufferings of Christ, is a powerful instrument of sanctification. The Cross is not an unfortunate accident in the history of salvation but its very heart; and the disciple is not above his Master. The BCP provides rich resources for those who suffer — the Visitation of the Sick, the prayers in the Additional Prayers, and the whole penitential and paschal rhythm of the Christian Year. Suffering does not have the last word; the Resurrection does.
89. What does it mean to give an account of the hope that is in you?
St. Peter exhorts Christians to be always ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. This is the basis of the catechetical tradition — the preparation to speak clearly and confidently about what we believe and why. A confirmation candidate who has studied this catechism should be able to give an intelligent account of the Christian faith, the Anglican tradition, and the specific character of the APCK to any enquirer.
For the Priest: 1 Peter 3:15 — the classical text for apologetics and catechetics.
90. What is stewardship?
Christian stewardship is the recognition that everything we have — time, talent, and treasure — is a gift from God, held in trust, and to be used in his service. The tithe — the giving of a tenth of one's income to God and his Church — is the ancient biblical standard; where it cannot be met immediately it should be the direction of travel. The stewardship of time includes the daily discipline of prayer and the weekly discipline of Sunday worship. The stewardship of talent means placing one's gifts at the service of the Body of Christ.
91. What is meant by the 'cure of souls'?
The cure of souls — cura animarum — is the pastoral responsibility of the priest for the spiritual wellbeing of his flock. It includes preaching, the administration of the sacraments, the visiting of the sick and dying, the instruction of the young and the enquirer, and the ongoing formation of the congregation. The priest who has the cure of souls is not a manager or a programme director but a shepherd — one who knows his sheep by name, goes before them, and lays down his life for them.
92. What are the Works of Mercy?
The Works of Mercy are the traditional corporal and spiritual acts of charity enjoined upon all Christians. The seven corporal works are: to feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; harbour the homeless; visit the sick; visit the imprisoned; bury the dead. The seven spiritual works are: to instruct the ignorant; counsel the doubtful; admonish sinners; bear wrongs patiently; forgive offences willingly; comfort the afflicted; pray for the living and the dead. These are the concrete expressions of the royal priesthood in daily life.
93. What is your hope as you present yourself for Confirmation?
My hope is to be strengthened by the Holy Ghost to fulfil the vows of my Baptism; to live the Christian life fully and faithfully as a member of the Body of Christ; to receive the sacraments regularly; to pray daily; to serve God in the state of life to which he has called me; to hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints; and at the last to be numbered among those who have fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith — and to receive the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give at that day.
For the Priest: 2 Timothy 4:7-8; the candidate's final answer at the discernment interview.