Our Anglican Relationships

1. The Church of England.

 

Our website makes clear that we are a part of the Church of England, called in ancient times Ecclesia Anglicana. In England the Church of England is still referred to often as "The Anglican Church", and so it is right to refer to us either as "St. Alban’s Church of England" or as "St. Alban’s Anglican Church" - or St. Mary’s, for the congregation on Cayman Brac.

 

Regrettably, there are some who have criticised us for not being truthful on this matter, citing the unfortunate fact that the Church of England has not provided St. Alban’s with the episcopal oversight (such as is customarily provided for Confirmations) that every Anglican church needs. We answer that the cause of this cannot be laid at our door, since we have always laid before the episcopal authorities of England their responsibility to do their part in the matter. It is evident  that out of the demands of pastoral care we have had to take extraordinary measures to make up for the time being this deficiency. The fact that St. Alban’s Anglican Church is a part of the Church of England rests upon secure constitutional and legal foundations, some of which may be found elsewhere in the website. A book entitled The Dependency Question - A Study of Church and State in the Cayman Islands by Nicholas JG Sykes, ISBN 976 8157 01 1 may also be found helpful in understanding the historical causes of the matter. St. Alban’s, as well as St. Mary’s, strongly upholds the Anglican Way of worship, order and manner of life, the standard of which is the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, together with the Ordinal and the Articles of Religion. Unhappily, several Anglican Churches within the Anglican Communion have departed from that standard.

 

2. The Church in Jamaica in the Province of the West Indies

 

We have excellent relationships on a personal level with members of the Church in Jamaica in the Province of the West Indies. However, that Church has departed from the standards of the Anglican Way with regard to worship, holy orders and manner of life, and no longer uses a Prayer Book that conforms to the standards of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, together with the Ordinal and the Articles of Religion. Moreover, for the last several years that Church has claimed an episcopal authority over the British territory of the Cayman Islands which the constitution and Public Law of the Cayman Islands do not permit to it, such episcopal authority being also forbidden by Article 37 of the Articles of Religion. Such claims, as well as the power to rename the Diocese of Jamaica the "Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands" are understood by us to be entirely void.

 

3. The Christian Episcopal Church

 

There is absolutely no constitutional or legal relationship with The Christian Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Missionary Church or any other Church which are like many Anglican Churches outside the Anglican Communion. Our extraordinary needs for episcopal pastoral care, however, led us to seek out godly Anglican Bishops who were prepared out of their own sense of pastoral care to come to our aid, when others failed to hear our cries. Several godly bishops heard our cry and came to our aid, confirmed our candidates, upheld our worship and provided exemplary standards in doctrine and morals. We will remain eternally grateful to them. God bless them.