INTRODUCTION TO
THE CARIBBEAN APOSTOLIC LITURGY
The Caribbean Apostolic Liturgy is a modified liturgy from the rites and ceremonies mirroring the Western Rite usage of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, the Liturgy of Saint Tikhon, which itself is an adaptation of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer of 1928 a.d. It is developed with respect to the original Orthodox Catholic Church Theological tradition for the sake of expressing what we know and acknowledge as our “West Indian Orthodox Catholic Christianity”. Our Western Rite liturgy is distinctly for our own expression of our proud heritage. It fully works off of the Trinitarian Theology, embracing the sacred Mysteries set by God and empowered by the All-Holy Ghost, working through His saints within the particular vineyard, the United Holy Caribbean Apostolic Church. As with all Orthodox Catholic Churches, we hold to the fact that “we pray as we believe”, and therefore even the consistent structure of the Liturgy is important to the worship and building up of the believers; we hold true however to the free and sovereign voice and presence of God doing as He wills, embracing the saying: “This service is subject to change due to the moving of the Holy Spirit.”
The liturgy of this Church is of a catholic nature due to its catholic and apostolic theology. The catholicity and apostolicity of the Caribbean Apostolic Liturgy should not be judged by its age, but by its truths, for the wisdom of God is timeless.
The Eucharist is given as a mysterious sacrifice. The bread, when blessed by God at His own particular time during the liturgy, no longer holds the mere existence and nature of bread made by earthly hands, but is truly indeed the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was broken for us and now abides in Heaven in a new and renewed and perfect body. The wine likewise, when blessed by God at His own particular time during the liturgy, no longer holds the mere existence and nature of wine made by earthly production and fermentation, but is truly indeed the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed upon cross for us and now is spread across the Mercy Seat in Heaven in a perfect way for the remission of our sins; it is bread and wine still, yet it has been blessed to take on the nature of the Body and Blood of Christ according to the Spirit by way of the Spirit. So now, just as the ark of the covenant was in reality fully gold and fully wood, just as Christ Jesus our Lord Himself was fully man and fully God, the bread and the wine, while fully bread and wine according to its physical touch and taste, fully becomes the Body and Blood of the Lord our God according to its spiritual existence. This is no slighting or lesser existence or knowledge, for the spiritual is just as much a truth and reality as the physical realm that we abide in, for it is the Spirit of God Himself that we partake of in this manner. It is a mystery, and we do not shy away from this.
When entering into the time honored apostolic tradition and sacrament of baptism, we enter it with the full intention of baptizing them not only into the Christian faith, but into the pastoral care of the Caribbean Patriarchate, but also the doctrines of this Church. We therefore baptize the believing candidate in water triple fold, be they male or female, young or old, according to the faith which we abide in, trusting God to bring about a newness of life, a newness of mind and newness of soul.
When entering into the time-honored apostolic tradition and sacrament of Holy Orders, the prayers to consecrate the Deacon, the Priests, the Bishops, and the Apostles are to be of the most theologically correct position of the Church. The Caribbean Patriarchate creates Clergy according to the leading and guidance of the All-Holy Ghost, passing on the historic apostolic succession of the grace of God and the gifts of the Faith once delivered unto the saints, coming down from Apostles such as Saints Peter, John, Thomas, Jude-Thaddeus, Paul, Bartholomew, Onesimus, Mar Addai, and through Saints Stachys, Linus, and others.
When entering into the time honored apostolic tradition and sacrament of Holy Confession, the believer confesses their sins to their leader, being purged of all sins and set free in Christ Jesus. The Priests forgive sins; and yet it is not the Priest himself by his own power and will, but by the will God the Father by the presence and power of the All-Holy Ghost working in and through him. This is according to the truth of the Scriptures and the Apostolic tradition of the Church.
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony still mirrors that of the Antiochian Liturgy, with some adjustments. Its Theology remains the same, being a marriage ceremony between a Christian man (naturally born male) and a Christian woman (naturally born female).
The Burial Rite mirrors that of the Antiochian Western Rite Liturgy, with adjustments.
The Coronation of Sovereigns and other political figures has been done by the Church for centuries. From the Old Testament act of the High Priest crowning the kings of Israel, to Prophets anointing kings, to the times of the bishops crowning monarchs and anointing political figures, the Lord's Church has always had a hand in the blessing of leaders to the glory of God the Father. From the Archbishops of Canterbury crowning the kings of England, to the Popes of Rome and his bishops anointing kings of Spain, Rome, and other nations, to the Popes of Alexandria crowing monarchs in Africa, the Church has developed the liturgical rites for the coronation of the leaders of said regions, thus charging them to serve Christ Jesus the King of kings with a godly calling mirroring the charge for one to serve God as a Deacon, Priest, or Bishop.
The Liturgical colors go according to each season. Green is worn during Ordinary time; Purple is worn during the Great and Holy Seasons of Lent and Advent; Black is worn during Holy Saturday of Holy Week, the Feast of All-Saints Day (also known as All-Hallows Eve), and for Funerals; Red is worn for the Feast days of the Apostles and the Commemoration of the Ecumenical Councils; White is worn for the Great and Holy Days that directly commemorate the Blessed Trinity such as Easter Sunday, Christmas Day, The Great and Holy Feast of Pentecost, etc.