Our faith is rooted in the teaching of the apostles and the living tradition of the Church through the centuries. We affirm the faith expressed in the Seven Ecumenical Councils, which continue to guide the Church in confessing the mystery of the Triune God and the saving work of Jesus Christ. As Anglicans, our faith is also shaped by the three-fold pattern of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason — Scripture as the witness to God’s revelation, Tradition as the wisdom passed down through the apostolic faith, and Reason as the means by which we engage faithfully with the world around us.
The Christian life is a sacramental life. We believe that God’s grace comes to us through ordinary, visible things — water, bread, wine, oil, and human relationship — which become instruments of divine grace. Rooted in the apostolic and catholic tradition of the Church, we embrace the seven sacraments as signs of God’s grace that accompany believers throughout life’s journey.
These seven sacraments are:
- Holy Baptism — new birth into the life of Christ and entry into the Church.
- Confirmation — the strengthening of the baptized through the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Eucharist — the sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood, the center of our worship and spiritual nourishment.
- Reconciliation (Confession) — forgiveness and restoration through God’s mercy.
- Holy Matrimony — covenantal love that reflects the faithfulness of Christ and the Church.
- Holy Orders — the setting apart of bishops, priests, and deacons for ministry.
- Anointing of the Sick — healing, comfort, and grace in times of illness and suffering.
The Anglican tradition has always recognized Baptism and the Eucharist as the two principal Gospel sacraments. Inspired by the spirit of the Oxford Movement and its recovery of the Church’s fuller sacramental heritage, we also treasure the other five sacraments as genuine means of grace. Together, these seven sacraments walk with believers through every stage of life — from birth to vocation, from reconciliation to healing, to communion with Christ.
The sacraments remind us that God meets us not only in moments of spiritual reflection, but in the stuff of ordinary life. Through them, the whole of life is drawn, little by little, into the grace of God.