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St. Mychal the Martyr Parish Community is
part of a national church organization called the OCCA (Orthodox Catholic
Church of America). Its uniqueness among other Christian main-line
churches can best be defined by St. Mychal’s motto: Welcoming all people
equally. Its
commonality with other churches is best defined by its Creed and its
rituals.
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Our
Uniqueness
: The OCCA welcomes
all people, of all manners and walks of life, equally at its front
door, at its altar and into its ministries:
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Welcoming All People
Equally At Our Front Door: All
persons are welcome to come and worship with the St. Mychal community
regardless of sexual orientation, gender, marital status, or religious
affiliation. A person’s
sexual orientation - GLBT, heterosexual or other - has no bearing on
their giftedness as a child of God or on their status as co-equal in
this parish family. Women
and men are believed to be equal in all capacities of ministry.
A person’s marital status does not limit the individual in
any way towards full participation.
The religious affiliation that a person brings to our front
door is celebrated as part of the rich tradition that will help us
further develop into the type of Church Christ calls us to be.
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Welcoming All People Equally At
Our Altar:
All persons are welcome to
participate as fully as they may feel comfortable in our worship and
in our communion. Our Eucharist is open to all those who are Baptized into the
faith life of Christ and who believe that Christ is present in the
mystery of Communion.
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Welcoming All People Equally Into
Its Ministries:
For the OCCA all ministries,
both lay and ordained, are open to all persons regardless of gender,
orientation, or marital status. We
celebrate the diversity of God’s creation and welcome women and men,
gay and straight, married and celibate, into all lay ministries and
into the ordained ministries of Deacon, Priest, and Bishop.
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Our
Commonality:
The OCCA is a
liturgical, sacramental church that bases its theology on the Nicene
Creed and the “Golden Rule” of Jesus.
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We Are A Liturgical Church: Our
Sunday worship, and all our prayer services, are based on ancient
ceremonies that have been adapted for our modern times.
We celebrate our traditions and make use of ritual action and
common prayers that assist us in our worship of Almighty God and our
unity as a parish family.
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We Are A Sacramental Church:
We believe that sacraments have
been handed down to us from tradition for our assistance in this life.
We celebrate regularly the traditional Sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation and Eucharist (the Lord’s
Supper) – sacraments that initiate us into the Life of Christ and
sustain us for ministry; the Sacraments of Reconciliation (Confession)
and the Anointing of the Sick – sacraments that offer healing and
renewal; and the Sacraments of Ordination and Matrimony/Holy Union –
sacraments that bring us into special ministry and witness. We also believe that many other “sacramental” experiences
are possible in the faith experience.
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Our Belief System Is Based On
The Nicene Creed:
When asked: “What do you
believe?” we best respond by inviting the person to listen to the
words of our Creed and understand that all of our doctrines (beliefs)
surface from there. We
accept God as Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer (Father, Son and Holy
Spirit). We believe in
the need for church to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic owning its
mission to accept all people, to be a witness of faith, to reach out
to the world and to respect the traditions of our ancestors.
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Our Moral Code Is Dictated By
The “Golden Rule” Of Jesus:
When asked by the Pharisees: “Which
is the greatest commandment?” Jesus responded: “Love God with all
your heart, mind and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Our moral code is based on this rule. Our parishioners are
challenged to live lives that reflect our love of God above all things
and our love of neighbor as equal to our love of self. In
conclusion the OCCA strives to be a church that is willing to grow and
is open to challenges. Please
feel free to ask questions and to invite us to become a better church
community to serve you and to help you find God!
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