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.
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