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The Episcopal Church in the United States of America has its origin in the
Anglican Church or Church of England, which formed during the Reformation in the
sixteenth century. After the American Revolution of the 1700s, the Anglicans in
America formed an independent church in the town of Philadelphia. Due to
sentiments following the Revolutionary War, the English refused to ordain the
first American bishop, Samuel Seabury. A small group of Anglicans existed in
Scotland and consented to consecrate Seabury. That church was called the
Scottish Episcopal Church and exists until this day. The term "episcopal" is from the Greek term As part of the Anglican tradition, we describe ourselves as the Via Media (or "the middle way"). We are a bridge between the Catholic tradition (dating from the Early Church) and Reformed Protestantism (the roots of which are traceable to the 14th century). In other words we inherited many gifts, such as customs and beliefs, from the Roman Catholic tradition. This is one reason many of our visitors state that our manner of worship is similar to the "Catholic Church." At the same time, we are beneficiaries of the Reformation – chiefly an emphasis on reading and interpreting the Bible, and empowering the laity to share in the ministries of the Church.
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