ABOUT ST. PAUL'S PARISH 

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St. Paul’s is a secular religious community with a Benedictine vision.  Although in many external ways it appears to be a typical small suburban parish, in several significant ways it is  different from a conventional program-centered Episcopal congregation.

St. Paul's parish mission is evangelization, that is, the life-long process of helping people grow into their God-given ministry.
St. Paul's does this by being a Catholic religious community centered in the Eucharist, providing educational and spiritual development and ongoing support so that people, through their unique ministries, can in turn reach out to others.

Historic Catholicism
St. Paul’s is an integral part of the historic sacramental Universal Church.  Anglicanism affirms the full faith of the undivided Catholic Church, neither added to nor subtracted from.  At St. Paul’s this Catholicism is the criterion for both faith and practice.  The faith of the historic undivided Catholic Church is universal also in the sense that it is for all people.  St. Paul’s is committed to serving God’s people in the world beyond the Church. 

Secular Religious Community
St. Paul’s differs in several significant ways from a conventional parish church. 

People normally come to a parish church in order to have their needs met by the staff.  In a religious community each member participates as a co-equal minister in the mission and ministry of the Church. 

Conventional parish life revolves around programs which are run by staff members and are designed to attract parishioners.  At St. Paul’s the leadership helps the parishioners themselves develop and run the programs which they need and want.  In a religious community programs come out of the community, rather than the community out of the programs as in a conventional parish. 

This has many implications for life at St. Paul’s, such as the manner in which decisions are made, the nature of liturgy, the role of the Rector, what is expected of lay leaders, and the mutual care members are expected to have for each other. 

The individuals who make up St. Paul’s community: 

value authenticity in all persons and things

want structured community life

are intentionally Catholic and Anglican

want worship with a transcendent sense

have traditional values

are theologically orthodox

value growth in persons and their lives

value loyalty

are intentional about Christian faith and life with a strong valuing of commitment

have a commitment to Christian stewardship and the tithe of time, talent, and treasure

Primacy of the Eucharist
Everything in the life of St. Paul's community comes out of the Eucharist. 

Gathering for the corporate celebration of the liturgy is the principal reason members of the community come to St. Paul’s, and those things which are not directly related to the community’s celebration of the Mass do not in practice produce a response from its members. 

At St. Paul’s there is the strong sense that week by week and day by day in the Liturgy of the Word we renew our identity as the Body of Christ here on earth today, and then in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Christ himself actually becomes physically present  among us, giving himself to us to strengthen us to go out into God’s world to minister as the Body of Christ to others. 

Spiritual Development
St. Paul's affirms the Church’s teaching that God has given each person unique talents and gifts and that in Baptism each person receives the vocation to Christian ministry. 

St. Paul’s tries to enable each member of the community to develop fully those gifts and that ministry so that he/she in turn can go out into the world to assist others in the development of their own God-given gifts and the fulfillment of their own God-given vocations. 

Anglican Vision
It has been said that St. Paul’s is “radically Anglican” (“radical” being used in its original sense of  “back to roots”). St. Paul’s community takes seriously and works to live out fully the Anglican vision of the Christian life as expressed in the Church’s historic theology, canons, liturgy, and the Baptismal Covenant. 

Among Christian churches Anglicanism in particular has historically placed a strong emphasis on full, committed participation in the life of the local church community (parish, seminary, monastery) because in Anglicanism it is community life which provides Christian formation (rather than education programs, which in the Anglican tradition are academically objective, not indoctrination). 

You can read more about Anglicanism at the Diocese of Chicago website.  For a fuller explanation, see Wondering about Anglicans?

Early Christian Pattern
St. Paul’s endorses the call of both world-wide Anglicanism and the 1979 Book of Common Prayer for a restoration of church life to Early Christian patterns.  Like the Early Church, St. Paul’s sees each member as a co-equal part of a community of committed adults with adult privileges and adult responsibilities.  Theological education and spiritual formation are seen as indispensible parts of adult life and ministry. 

Christian Growth
St. Paul’s affirms the Church’s teaching that the Christian life is a life-long process of dynamic growth, not a static state of being. 

At St. Paul’s there is no expectation or demand as to where a person begins this journey nor even where the person may be at any given time.  What is considered important is the commitment to and participation in a continuing process of growth in the Christian life and the person’s God-given vocation. 

Holy Week
In accordance with the teaching of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the center of the life of St. Paul’s is the annual celebration of Holy Week.  Celebrating together the Triduum – Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday – is the central priority in the church life of the members of the community. 

Parish Membership
A person becomes a part of St. Paul’s parish community simply by becoming regular in attendance and active in its worship and life. 

There is no further requirement or obligation, and everyone may participate fully in the work and ministry of the parish, except for those positions for which canon law specifically requires persons to be Confirmed Communicants in Good Standing of the Episcopal Church and canonically resident in the parish.  These positions include Eucharistic Ministers, Licensed Lay Homilists, delegates to Diocesan Convention, etc.) 

Canonical Membership
A baptised person may become an Episcopalian canonically resident in St. Paul’s Parish by: 

receipt of a canonical Letter of Transfer from another Anglican parish;

if already Confirmed in another branch of the Catholic Church, by being canonically Received by the Bishop; or

if Baptised but not Confirmed by a Catholic bishop, by receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

This specialized status is optional and may be sought by those who wish to actively and intentionally develop their spiritual lives.  The process involves completion of the two-year Adult Theology Class, a demonstrated commitment to weekly participation in the community life and worship of St. Paul’s Parish, the assumption of responsibility in some area of the parish’s ministry, and a commitment to living out the full three levels of the parish Rule of Life. 

The Rector will be pleased to provide more information for those who may be interested in this specialized canonical status. 

Rector
Father Thomas Fraser has been our Rector since 1974.  His specialty is liturgy.  Expect a Eucharist that is reverent, intentional, and focused on the presence of the Lord, without distraction.

Brief biography of Father Fraser.

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Learn about St. Paul, our patron.  He was not as shy as we are.