Frequently Asked Questions

Who can join our St. Alban's parish community?
Any Catholic or any person interested in becoming Catholic to follow our Lord Jesus Christ may be a member of our parish community.

Which diocese does St. Alban's Catholic Church belong to?
Our parish is a part of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter — a Catholic diocese with Anglican traditions. Pope Benedict XVI created the Ordinariates to allow former Anglican communities, clergy, and individuals to become fully Catholic, and also nourish and serve Catholics of all backgrounds "as a treasure to be shared" through our Ordinariate's Anglican patrimony of worship, prayer, music, and parish fellowship. We work closely with our host parish, the St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish, which is part of the Catholic Diocese of Rochester, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Irondequoit and the Rochester area.

Who is your bishop?
Bishop Steven J. Lopes is the bishop of our diocese, the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. He was nominated as bishop by the priests of the Ordinariate, then appointed by Pope Francis on Nov. 24, 2015 and finally ordained a bishop on Feb. 2, 2016. His cathedral is Our Lady of Walsingham Cathedral in Houston, Texas.

So the Ordinariate is Catholic?
Yes! The Ordinariate is entirely Catholic, and part of the Latin Church governed by the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis. All Ordinariate Catholics -- our bishop, priests, deacons, and lay people -- are Catholics in union with the pope, just the same as other diocesan Catholics. We have a form of the Mass called Divine Worship, which was promulgated by Pope Francis in 2015, and regrafts the English Church's liturgical tradition back into the Roman missal. Today Divine Worship is one of the three forms of the Roman Rite: the Ordinary form, the Extraordinary form (Latin Mass) and the Ordinariate form (Divine Worship). We also celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours drawn according to an Ordinariate form that reflects the rich heritage of the Books of Common Prayer.

Can I participate at St. Alban's and fulfill my Sunday and Holy Day obligations?
Yes! Any Catholic can participate in any form of Ordinariate Catholic worship and prayer. All Catholics fulfill the Catholic Church's precepts to attend Mass Sunday and Holy Days by attending a Mass at an Ordinariate community, just the same as they can by attending any other Catholic Mass or Divine Liturgy.

Can I receive Holy Eucharist at St. Alban's?
All properly prepared Catholic Christians (members of the Latin and Eastern Churches in communion with the Pope and Bishop of Rome) may receive the Holy Eucharist under the usual conditions of a minimum one hour fast, and having no unconfessed mortal sins on their souls. (Confession is held always before Mass, so please avail yourself of this beautiful sacrament of reconciliation with Jesus). If you are not able to receive the Holy Eucharist for these reasons, we invite you to come forward, kneel down at the communion rail, and place your arms across your chest, so the priest will know to give you a blessing. 

What is the mission of our St. Alban's parish and the Ordinariate? 
Our mission is to bring men and women into full and compete fellowship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We aim to help Catholics grow in their faith and introduce more men and women into the fullness of life in Jesus Christ found in his holy Catholic Church. We seek to show men and women "the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 96:9) found in following Jesus Christ as a faithful disciple. And we nourish them through the reverence and beauty of our worship, the study of Sacred Scripture, our distinctive Anglican tradition of music and chant, our charity for those in need, our fellowship together as church, and our mutual love and forbearance toward one another as followers of Jesus Christ in his one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. 

Who can be a "canonical" member of the Ordinariate? 
First, all of our parishioners — whether diocesan or Ordinariate Catholics — are full members of our parish community. Together with those who frequently join us, but as members of other parishes, we are a united parish family! To become a "canonical" member of the Ordinariate, however, means you officially put yourself under the care of the Ordinariate's bishop.

In general, any person who receives their sacraments of initiation, any Catholic with an Anglican/Episcopalian/Methodist/AME Church background, any protestant who has come into communion with the Catholic Church by the ministry of the Ordinariate, or any Catholic whose faith has been enriched and deepened by participation in the life of the Ordinariate, may become a member of the Ordinariate. It is a simple process. Please talk to our parish priest, Father Evan, if you're interested or have questions about taking this next step.