Word & Table

We answer a listener's question about Vestries. What are they? Where do they come from? What do they do? What don't they do? To support our show, go to wordandtablepodcast.com and click on the '$' symbol. We are coming up on our first full year of broadcasting and hosting and licensing costs are looming. Your support will ensure there is another year of Word & Table! Music: "Ave Verum Cor...

Some announcements about the next year of Word & Table and how you can support the show going forward. In short: We are moving to a bi-weekly schedule for the time being. We want to ask for your help for us to cover this next year's costs. Donate at wordandtablepodcast.com Click on the '$' link for an online gift.

Fr. Stephen and Alex introduce the next Church Doctor: Justin Martyr, an early church philosopher whose writings are "the mother load" for helping us understand early church life and thought . Music: "Corde Natus ex Parentis" by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publications.

Fr. Stephen gives an introduction and summary of the Book of Hebrews, what makes it different from the other epistles in the New Testament, and what it has to say about the often overlooked virtue of hope. Music: "De Profundis Clamavi" from More Sublime Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publications. Donate to the show.

We discuss how an important early church manual on ritual and practice got lost and was found again and what its contents reveal about how the early church handled the Eucharist, charity to the poor, and how long to keep visitors in their homes. Email us your questions! Support the show Music: "Creator of the Stars at Night" by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publ...

We discuss all things regarding ordination: how ministers come to be ordained, the rite itself, the meaning behind bishops' clothes, and why deacons, priests, and bishops exist in a religion that is also a priesthood of all believers. Email us your questions! Music: "Ave Verum Corpus" from Sublime Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publications.

After 37 episodes, Father Stephen and Alex finally get around to talking about Anglicanism. How is it different from Roman Catholicism? How is it different from other Protestant traditions? And what about that mad king who wanted a divorce? Music: Canticle (English) from More Sublime Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publications.

Father Stephen and Alex do their level best to explain the Trinity and find a suitable metaphor that isn't heretical. They also explain why the Trinity isn't an optional doctrine for Christians and what it shows us about God. Email the show. Music: Kyrie Eleison and Agnus Dei (Missa Simplex) from Sublime Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publications.

What is the rite of Confirmation and why has there been such a struggle to define it? Why is there a gap between baptism and Confirmation? What's actually happening in the prayer for confirmation? Music: O Filie et Filae by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant. Copyright GIA Publications.

Father Stephen and Alex talk about the final gospel: its surprising historical veracity, how it fits in with the Synoptic Gospels and why it has a special place in the church year. Email the show Music: "Adoro Te Devote" by Richard Proulx & The Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant . Copyright GIA Publications.

Fr. Stephen and Alex dive into another Church Father, the famous martyr Ignatius of Antioch, and how his letters give us a valuable window into the world of the earliest churches. Email the show. Music: Jesu Dulcis Memoria by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant. Copyright GIA Publications,.

Father Stephen breaks down the Gospel of Matthew, its themes, its Jewish audience, and what it has to say about Jesus's identity.

We take on the third gospel and its indispensable contributions to the story of Christ: the birth narrative, its Greek context, and the elevated place of women. We also discuss the merits of reading the Bible in sequence. Music: "Born Today" from More Sublime Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publications Email the show

We break down the pieces of priestly dress and where they come from as well as the age-old question of why the bishop wears such a funny hat. Music: "Salve Regina" by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from More Sublime Chant . Copyright GIA Publications. Pictures of priestly dress are here (scroll down to the slideshow)

In which we explore the Daily Office: its roots and the meaning behind its practice. It's a tale that involves sleepy monks, how the liturgy can be like a garage full of odds and ends, and the difference between the Office and personal devotions. Email us Music: "Agnus Dei" and "Veni Creator Spiritus" by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant . Copyright GI...

Father Stephen talks about the life of Saint Athanasius and how he articulated and defended doctrines that the Church holds today. Email the show Music: Creator Alme Siderum by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant . Copyright GIA Publications.

Alex and Stephen revisit the subject of the Church and go deeper into the meaning of some of the words used to describe it: one, holy, catholic, apostolic, and the bride of Christ. Email us! Music: Gloria in Excelsis, Missa de Angelis by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant . Copyright GIA Publications.

Who were the Church Fathers? Why were they important to the church and why are they important to us today? What is a "Doctor of the Church?" Music: "Memorial Acclamation" and "Agnus Dei" Missa Simplex from Sublime Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers. Copyright GIA Publications. Email the show Leave us a review

Father Stephen and Alex are back to talk about Easter and the hope of the resurrection. He is risen! Music:"Veni Creator Spiritus" and "O Filie et Filae" from Sublime Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers.

Father Stephen is on sabbatical until after Easter. In the interim, we've got some exciting new content to share with you.

Why does the Anglican Church baptize infants? We explain what infant baptism means, and doesn't mean in light of scripture and tradition. Music: "Salve Mater Misericordiae" by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant. Copyright GIA Publications. Email the show at wordtablepodcast@gmail.com

Father Stephen explains how to read the Gospel of Mark, including the history, structure, and themes of the book. We also talk over why the Cross is so challenging for people of all backgrounds to accept. Music: "Glory to God" and "Ubi Caritas et Amor" by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant. Copyright GIA Publications.

Why do we reverence the saints? What is a healthy understanding of how the saints fit into our worship? Music: "Litany of the Saints" by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant Copyright GIA Publications. Email the podcast at wordtablepodcast@gmail.com

Fr. Stephen explains the Anglican view of salvation and how we can know that we are saved by knowing Jesus. Music: Litany of the Saints and Alma Redemptoris Mater by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant and More Sublime Chant . Copyright GIA Publications

Father Stephen defines what a church council is meant to do and goes over some of the major issues the great ecumenical church councils dealt with in the first few centuries of the church's life. Music: Phillippians Chant by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from More Sublime Chant . Copyright GIA Publications