Welcome
to the Cathedral

The Episcopal Church is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which was established in England at the time of the Protestant Reformation. As the state church of England, Anglicanism developed with the intention that both Catholic and Protestant English subjects could worship together, in good faith. Anglicanism is often described as a via media, or middle way, between Catholicism and Protestantism. Its authority rests in retaining apostolic succession (meaning our bishops can trace their lineage back to the original twelve apostles of Christ), and placing a trifold emphasis on tradition, scripture, and reason. The Episcopal Church gained independence from the Church of England after the American Revolution and adopted a bicameral governing structure reflecting that of the newly created American constitutional republic. However, we remain a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

People who grew up in the Catholic Church will find many elements of worship in the Episcopal Church familiar. We share many of the same prayers, hymns, and traditions with the Catholic Church. Our governance by bishops is another similarity, although the Episcopal Church rejects the supremacy of the pope (see above). A common question revolves around what Episcopalians believe about saints and the Virgin Mary. While the Episcopal Church holds saints in the highest regard, Episcopalians are encouraged to pray with those we no longer see on earth, not to them. Similarly, we mark the importance of the Virgin Mary as the mother of God. This is especially important in the Cathedral of the Incarnation - where our beautiful stained glass tells the story of the incarnation! However, we do not hold Mary in any special theological position beyond being the Theotokos (mother of God) and do not believe that she is a co-redeemer of humanity.

You may belong to our wider Cathedral community before you make an active commitment to believe! Many people participate in the varied community groups offered by the Cathedral including yoga, community/outreach ministry service, dog park events, concerts, annual blessing of the animals, children's events and many others offered throughout the year. Others seek to explore the spiritual life of our community, through attending worship, adult education, prayer, and contemplation opportunities. More formal membership includes making an active commitment to Christ, offering time, talent and treasure to serve the community, and a formal recognition of membership in the cathedral that may also include making sacramental commitments like baptism or confirmation in the Episcopal Church.

Membership in the Episcopal Church is more easily defined. Here, we often speak in terms of sacramental gateways to membership, and those include baptism or confirmation (or reception if you have already been confirmed in another denomination). These “gateways” require a certain degree of preparation (or formation), and we are happy to help you figure out where you might be on this journey to “membership” in the Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact Fr. Dan Ade or Mo. Kate Salisbury

If you are coming to the Cathedral from another faith tradition and are interested in being formally received into the Episcopal Church, please contact Father Dan Ade, who handles much of our newcomer welcome.

Communion is celebrated at each of the Cathedral’s Sunday morning services, and regularly during the week. All baptized Christians are invited to receive communion.

Private confession is available for those who seek it, but it is not required. At each Eucharist, there is a “general confession” (aka corporate or communal confession) which acknowledges our sinful nature and asks God (through the intermediary of the priest) to absolve us of our sins. For those seeking a conversation with a priest regarding confession and whether or not they should take advantage of it, please speak with a clergy person before or after any of our services. As the old saying goes regarding confession in the Episcopal Church: “all can, none must, some should.”

You may park on the sides of any of the “ring roads” on the cathedral grounds. We do not have a formal parking lot near the cathedral building. There is a formal parking lot near the Mercer School, in the southwest corner of campus, where our Dean’s Forum and Fellowship in Faith programs are located.

There are bathrooms available in the cathedral church in the “Undercroft” - a fancy church word for a nicely appointed basement. You can access the undercroft by the elevator located in the vestibule, or by taking either set of stairs at the back of the cathedral. Once downstairs, you will see signs for the Women’s, Accessible, and Men’s Rooms.

We have three main services on Sunday: 8 am Traditional Mass, 9:15 Cathedral for Kids, and 11:15 Choral Mass. Eucharist is served at all three services. The 8 am service is “said,” or spoken and does not include singing. Our 9:15 service is indeed “kid friendly” in length and content, while our 11:15 mass is sung by our choirs and features various elements of liturgy that are known as “high church” Anglican. During the summer months, our 8 am service remains as is, but the 9:15 service moves outdoors under our big tent on the west lawn for our “Neighborhood Mass” where dogs are also welcome on a leash! While the choirs are on break for the summer, we suspend the 11:15 Choral Mass and instead offer a 10 am mass with congregational singing inside the cathedral. There’s something for everyone!

Yes! Our chapel, located at 252 Rushmore Avenue in Carle Place celebrates a Eucharist at 5 pm on Saturdays with a simple meal that follows the service. This is a great place to introduce yourselves to members of the cathedral congregation and to members of other Episcopal churches in our area. Plus, it is air conditioned - a real treat during our hot Long Island summers! You can email the Vicars of the Incarnation Chapel for more information about Incarnation Chapel: dade@incarnationgc.org or mkowalewski@incarnationgc.org

Yes! There is a fenced ministry space in the southwest corner of campus, behind the single storey brick building (The Mercer School), where dogs are welcome off leash. Dogs must remain leashed on all other parts of campus. Join us for our Neighborhood Mass under the tent behind the Cathedral at 9:15 am on Sundays from May to September, where dogs are welcome in the liturgy space under the tent!