Church of Nortend

Church of Nortend Ecclesia Erbonica
St. Peter's Cathedral in Lendert-with-Cadell is the seat of the Bishop of Lendert.
Religion	Christian
Theology	Catholic and Reformed
Polity	Episcopal
Governour	King Alexander II
Primate	Cardinal Sebastian Williams, Lord Archbishop of Lendert
Liturgy	Nortish Rite
Members	10 million
Part of a series on the Church of Nortend
Liturgy	Nortish Rite
Theology	Akeepian Frympellite
Structure Places Sulthey Cathedral Abbey Lendert Cathedral Priory Chepingstow Cathedral Minster Polton Cathedral Minster Allord Abbey University of Aldesey Nortish religious houses Churchmen Archbishop of Sulthey Archbishop of Limmes Archbishop of Rhise
Art and Music	Church music Illuminated manuscripts Architecture
Part of a series on the Government of Great Nortend
The Crown	Alexander II
Ministry Privy Council Great Council Departments Treasury Exchequery Chancery Board of Almonry Church of Nortend Clerk's Office Board of Constabularies Board of Education Board of Health Board of Information Foreign Office War Office Royal Army Navy Royal Trade Office Board of Agriculture Board of Highways Board of Mails Board of Railways Board of Works

The Church of Nortend, in Latin the Ecclesia Erbonica, is the state church of Great Nortend. It is established under the Proclamation of Manfarham, the Statute of Limmes and the Statute of Supremacy whereby Alexander I and subsequent monarchs rejected claims of foreign authority and jurisdiction over the Church in Nortend, and set into motion the Edmundian Reforms. The Church of Nortend claims to be the only full expression of the „One Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church” within Great Nortend. maintaining apostolic succession in both sees and orders. Therefore, spiritual power is vested in the sixteen ordinary bishops suffragan and abbots territorial, and above them, the Archbishop of Lendert as Metropolitan and Primate of Erbonia. Nonetheless, the Sovereign of Great Nortend is accorded a temporary authority over the Church as Governour of the Church, with power to appoint members of the hierarchy.

History

Main article: History of the Church of Nortend

Middle Ages

A typical late 12th century manor church. St Renwick's, in Culton, Southannering.

At the beginning of the 8th century, the Ethlorekoz natives of Great Nortend and the later migrant Arlethians practised heathen religions.

The abbot and bishop St. Laurence (of Sulthey) is believed to have brought Christianity to Great Nortend in the 8th century. Laurence arrived on the shores of Nortend in AD 744 during the reign of King Egbert on a mission ordered by Pope Zachary I and initially focussed his evangelisation on the ruling houses and especially Egbert, who is said to have been baptised in clinico in 753. After a period of instability, the young Murish Christian prince Hartmold de Mure took the Nortish throne in 756. He had been baptised in 750, at the age of 30. During his reign, and the subsequent reigns of Æthelfrey, Erwin and Edmund the Good, the people across the Kingdom were converted and Christianity became the dominant religion.

The first known church in Great Nortend was founded by Laurence at Sulthey in 749, the year which is now generally considered the beginning of the Nortish Church. Two years afterwards in 751, Laurence founded a community of Benedictine monks at the cathedral, making it the first monastery in Great Nortend. This church, dedicated to „Saint le Cross” and now known as Sulthey Cathedral Priory, remains the cathedral for the see of Sulthey. Laurence served at Sulthey for over thirty years as the first Archbishop and Abbot of Sulthey.

The Church in Nortend flourished in the Middle Ages, in a frenzy of religious piety. Gothic architecture was introduced during the late 12th century, supplanting the existing vernacular Nortish architecture which had dominated in the densely forested North above Golder's Line by wooden construction, and below by stone construction. By the 13th century, nearly every manor had at least one church and, across the country, numerous monasteries, colleges and chapels were founded. Within Lendert-with-Cadell alone, forty-two parishes had been established by the time the rebuilt Lendert Abbey was completed in 1272.

Break with Rome

Through the 16th century, the Church faced increasing conflict with the King over the exercise of temporal power by the Pope. Thomas de Akeep, who was Provost of Sulthey, preached against „ultramontanism” and avowed the temporal primacy of the King. He published the „Declaration of Sulthey” in 1530 containing four articles against the authority of the Pope. Though the Declaration did not necessarily amount to heresy, the anti-Papal articles offended Clement VII than in 1534 he refused to permit the appointment of Thomas de Akeep to the See of Chepingstow, to hold political office as the Lord High Chancellour.

Clement's refusal resulted in the wide promulgation of the „Declaration” in print, despite it being thitherto a relatively obscure pamphlet, leading to the growth of stronger tensions throughout the Kingdom and calls for reform of the Church. Over the next few decades, various reformist parties within the Church developed, which advocated for more and more extreme reformation along Protestant lines. Nonetheless, both William IV and his son George I remained loyal to the Pope and resisted popular reform, being occupied with other matters.

From 1545 to 1563, Erbonian prelates attended the Council of Trent but there was no effective changes which satisfied the growing opposition to the Papacy or stemmed the growing attacks on „popish doctrines”. The accession of the young and reform-minded Alexander I in 1566 led to the beginning of the real Reform of the Church in Nortend. Spurred on by his ministers and the controversy resulting from some actions of the Pope, the Proclamation of Manfarham was issued by the newly crowned Alexander in the January of 1567, which rejected the errors of Council of Trent and approved of the Declaration of Sulthey. This was compounded by the Statute of Supremacy in 1569, which asserted the supremacy of the King within his Realm, denied the continued authority of the Bishop of Rome and ipso facto established the independence of the Nortish Church. The King and Archbishop of Lendert, Richard de Cainmare, were formally excommunicated by the Pope on St. Lucy's Day, 1569.

Pius V had restricted the title of „Cardinal” to the cardinals of Rome in 1567. This had been seen as an offensive assertion of Papal and Roman supremacy by the Nortish Church, which had used the title for various priests holding certain benefices associated with the Crown. Soon after the Statute of Supremacy was enacted, Alexander I reinstated the title of „cardinal” for those former cardinals who recognised his supremacy, reversing the 1567 decree as his first formal act of supremacy. The cardinalate, and its royal associations, soon became a by-word for loyalty to the King and rejection of Rome.

Nonetheless, the Statute of Supremacy was opposed by many of the clergy and monastics who remained loyal to Rome, although public dissent was quickly quelled by the arrest and deposition of the Bishop of Limmes and the Bishop of Staithway, and the imprisonment of several more high-ranking churchmen in 1570. Meanwhile, the Statute was criticised by a more reformist party for failing to articulate the crucial doctrines of the Reformation. In 1572, Cainmare issued Injunctions to forbid preaching any new doctrines without authority, and the „Short Homilies” to be read at the main Sunday mass, „explicating the Statute lately enacted touching the Church of Christ in this Realm”. Shortly after, the Statute for the Obedience of Clerks was passed by Parliament which required beneficed clerks to take an Oath undertaking not to preach any doctrines without authority.

The Injunctions presaged the Convocation of 1573 which produced the Canons General of 1573. Inter alia, these demanded that beneficed clerks and curates renounce the Pope on pain of deprivation ex officio et beneficio. Under the canons, it is believed over 500 clerks were deprived for refusing to take the prescribed Oath recognising the supremacy of the King and renouncing the authority of the Pope. Matters escalated with the trial and execution of the Six Heretics, six clergymen who allegedly plotted with the Pope to invade Great Nortend and restore the Church in 1575.

Reformation of the Church

The increasingly Luther-influenced Cardinal Henry Frympell was consecrated Archbishop of Lendert in 1590. Though he had a moderate theology, Cardinal Frympell advocated strongly for a translation of the Bible into English. The „Douay-Rheims Bible” and „King James's Bible” had been published in English a few years prior to the Proclamation of Manfarham, and were seen as strong bases for a Nortish revision. After several draught versions, Frympell's translation of the Old and New Testments (including the so-called „Apocrypha”) was approved in 1599. It drew heavily from the King James's Bible and the older Great Bible and Douay-Rheims for the Apocrypha and Psalms. The Aldesey was authorised to print the new edition and copies were disseminated to every church and school, leading to its widespread adoption.

Cardinal Frympell also spearheaded the major reform of theology and doctrine in his second year as Primate. While several „reformed” confessions and catechisms had been produced within the Church since the Declaration of Sulthey by the reformist parties, there had been little official change of position by the newly independent Church on many of the contentious doctrines of the wider Reformation and Counter-Reformation.

The Bible translated into the „understanded tongue”, momentum within the Church turned to reform of doctrine and liturgy. After Cardinal Frympell's death in 1702, the even more strongly reformed Cardinal George Miers was appointed Archbishop of Lendert. Before he could be installed, William I unexpectedly died at the age of 44 and the young 22-year-old Edmund VI acceded to the throne, crowned by the Bishop of Rhise, Cardinal August Lewencort. Cardinal Miers finally was installed in 1704, as one of the first acts of Edmund's reign. However, with the powerful „broad-church” influences of William and especially Frympell gone, Edmund needed to satisfy both ends of his church.

A „Commission for the Reform of the Divine Service”, headed by Sir Charles de Henfott, 7th Bart., presented its draughts for new liturgical books in English to Edmund the next year in 1705. However, it immediately proved much more controversial than Frympell's well-received Bible translation, involving severe pruning of the existing Latin services. It satisfied neither party—the so-called Frympellites argued that it remained too mediaeval and monastic, not suitable for Lutheran-style public prayer and worship. On the other hand, the so-called Akeepians, who now also rejected the Bishop of Rome's ordinary jurisdiction over anywhere but his own see, were in favour of only very minor reforms to the services and the retention of Latin wheresoever possible.

Owing to his young age, a compromise was brokered by Edmund between the two camps with assistance from the 13th Duke of Cardenbridge who was seen, despite his opposition to the papacy, to be otherwise theologically neutral. Under the proposal, the offices would be only conservatively simplified and reordered to make them more practical for public and private worship. In a concession to the Frympellites, and an increasingly large faction of the Akeepians, the use of Latin in the liturgy was suppressed except in cathedrals, chapters and chapels in favour of a translation into English. However, the authoritative and official documents and texts of the Church remained in Latin. The canon Quia solliciti, issued by Edmund in 1711, formally authorised and prescribed inter alia the new books for all public and corporate worship.

Conformity and Non-Conformity

The „Olnish Matter” was a controversy over the marriage of Queen Mary to the Earl of Scode.

The dominant „small-l” Lutheranism in the Church of Nortend in the early 18th century soon began to be threatened by the increasing trade and improved diplomatic relations with the Exponential Empire and its Occidentes Province (now the Aurora Confederacy) which begat a small but growing „Catholic” renaissance at Court and throughout high society.

In 1731, Augustus I of Aquitayne arrived in Great Nortend seeking support for Aquitaynian independence from the Exponential Empire. He quickly arranged a marriage with Anne-Louise, 28, the youngest daughter of William I with the blessing of Edmund VI, who was desirous of counteracting the growing popish influence with support from another Lutheran realm.

After the death of Edmund VI in 1736, however, relations with the Exponential Empire improved dramatically. Immediately after his passing, Cardinal Archibald Lofthouse, then Lord Bishop of Rockingham, sensationally declared his allegiance to the Roman Church, revealing a underground network of papism hidden, albeit scattered under the pretence of Lutheranism. Mary's accession to the throne was seen as untimely by the notionally dominant Frympellites, who were highly concerned she would lack the authority to counteract this growing Catholic feeling. Thus, she was pressured by her Parliament into declaring the suspension of the initiation of any novices to religious establishments in 1737 and appointing more Frympellite bishops and clergy by passing the Abjuration Act in 1738.

Unfortunately for the Frympellites, Mary announced in 1740 her intention to marry Charles de Oln, the 5th Earl of Scode, of the House of Oln in Albeinland. Charles was of an Akeepian and Catholic leaning churchmanship. The marriage was vigorously opposed by the Frympellites. In Parliament, two factions developed known as the „Scodeliers” and the „Droughers”, which supported and wished to „draw asunder” (whence „drougher”) the marriage respectively. In the end, the Droughers were unable to stop the marriage, and Mary wed the Earl of Scode in 1742 at the age of 27.

This apparent act of alliance with the Roman Catholic Exponential Empire, along with the almost next-day restoration of friendly ties with the Exponential Empire immediately drew costernation around the region. Notably, Mary disowned her aunt Anna-Louise after the latter condemned the marriage as a betrayal of Mary's late father, Edmund VI. Nonetheless, nothing could repair the damage wrought to the Frympellites, especially after the islands of St. Parth and Hastica were returned to Great Nortend. Thenceforth, following this ,,Akeepian Settlement”, the Akeepian faction grew to dominate the Church.

Hierarchy

The Sovereign is recognised as the „Governour of the Church Mundane”, being the „highest power under God in his Dominion” with „authority over all persons in all matters temporal”. As such, he is the „Vicar of Christ” in matters temporal. It is necessary for the heir to be a confirmed member of the Church of Nortend, and in practice, all members of the Royal Family are members of the Church.

Ministers

The Church of Nortend distinguishes between five orders of clerks, that of the bishop, priest, deacon and clerk. Of the five, only the first three are conferred by the sacrament of holy orders and are known as clerks in holy orders. Bishops may only be consecrated by at least one other consecrated bishops (but in practice three), whereas a priest or deacon may be ordained by any single bishop. Once ordained, it is not possible to relinquish the clerical state. Clerks in holy orders are not permitted to be married or to marry.

The clerk (and knave) subsumes the historical minor orders. The senior-most clerk is the subdeacon, which merged with the former order of subdeacon in 1672. The subdeacon is a layman and is usually also the parish clerk. Lesser clerks include the acollets, crucifers, thurifers, cerofers and taperers, as well as the quiristers. Organists are also usually admitted as clerks. University undergraduates and graduates rank as academical clerks, a status which is normally conferred during matriculation. As a clerk is not in holy orders, he can relinquish this status by abandonment or by deed. Clerks are entitled to wear cassocks, surplices and square caps in the quire. Boys who serve as clerks are known as knaves (e.g. most commonly in the terms altar knave, ship knave or quire knave who are boys who act as acollets, carry the incense boat, and sing in quire).

Apart from orders, the Church of Nortend also confers dignities to persons within its hierarchy. These include the dignities of cardinal, archbishop, bishop suffragan, bishop coadjutor, archdeacon, dean and rector. The cardinalate is a personal dignity conferred upon either a bishop or a priest who is particularly distinguished by royal favour. Every cardinal has a titular church in Lendert-with-Cadell to which he is incardinated to.

Structure

Map of the dioceses of the Church of Nortend.

The Church of Nortend consists of a single province headed by the Lord Archbishop of Sulthey. This should not be confused with civil provinces of which there are three. The Province of Sulthey is divided into thirteen dioceses or sees, headed by a bishop, including the See of Sulthey. A diocese may have additional titular bishops with nominal sees. These bishops perform auxiliary roles where a diocese is particular large or populous, or for historical reasons when the diocese otherwise cannot be served by a single bishop.

See	Cathedral	Founded	Ordinary	Coadjutor
Sulthey	Sulthey Abbey	749	Lord Archbishop of Sulthey, Cardinal Dr. Sebastian Williams	Bishop of Frews, Cardinal Dr. Alfred Harris
Chepingstow	Chepingstow Cathedral	801	Lord Bishop of Chepingstow, Cardinal Dr. William Laseby, Lord High Chancellour	Bishop of Aldesey, Dr. Lochlan Riddel
Mast	Mast Cathedral	823	Lord Bishop of Mast, Cardinal Dr. Edmund Widow-Goddering
Keys	Keys Cathedral	830	Lord Bishop of Keys, Dr. Joseph Everard
Staithway	Staithway Abbey	832	Lord Bishop of Staithway, Dr. James Hotham
Rhise	Rhise Cathedral	932	Lord Bishop of Rhise, Cardinal Dr. Nigel Molstham	Bishop of Hoole, Dr Stannon Hacker
Echester	Echester Abbey	976	Lord Bishop of Echester, Cardinal Dr. David Coke
Lanchester	Lanchester Cathedral	1001	Lord Bishop of Lanchester, Dr. Phillip Michael	Bishop of Laveshot, Dr. Quentin Rhoming-Cecils
Tow	Tow Cathedral	1045	Lord Bishop of Tow, Cardinal Dr. Peter Wylde, Lord High Almoner	Bishop of Saint Cleaves, Dr. Charles Franfield-Hamilton
Rhighton	Rhighton Cathedral	1077	Lord Bishop of Rhighton, Cardinal Dr. Crispin de Asper
Corring	Rockleham Cathedral	1122	Lord Bishop of Corring, Dr. Simon Bickersleigh
Lendert and Cadell	St. Peter's Cathedral	1284	Lord Bishop of Lendert, Cardinal Dr. Ralph de Goulgh	Bishop of Cadell, Dr. Walter Fitzcolling
Scode	Scode Abbey	1298	Lord Bishop of Scode, Dr. Luke Mainthompson

Each diocese is split further into archdeaconries, deaneries and parishes, administered by an archdeacon, a dean and a rector respectively. A parish is usually conterminous with a feudal manor, which are not to be confused with baronies, whilst a deanery is coterminous with a hundred.

Parishes

Each parish benefice is held by a rector appointed by the bishop on nomination by the parish patron, usually the yeoman lord of the manor. The rector is charged with the cure of souls in the parish, and is entitled to the parochial tithes. The benefice can also be appropriated by religious foundations in which case a vicar is appointed to hold the cure of souls. The corporation as rector is entitled to the tithes, but a portion thereof is given to the vicar.

Every parish has a vestry, which has duties both ecclesiastial and civil. The vestry, comprising all parishioners on the rolls, is run day-to-day by the select vestry. Two or more lay churchwardens are elected by the vestry annually. Many parishes, in addition to the parson, have a deacon. Many wealthy parishes have private chapels within the parish church with their own chaplain, usually established to say prayers for the dead and their families. Larger parishes may also have chapels-of-ease with their own chaplain, deacon, chapelry clerk and other officers.

The other officers of a parish are the parish clerk (acts as subdeacon and responsible for the parish registers and administration), the verger (responsible for keeping the sacred vessels, moveable furnishings and vestments and keeping order in the church) and the sexton (responsible for the keys to the church building, ringing the bells, and the physical upkeep of the church’s fixed furnishings and of the churchyard).

Membership

According to the Telling Poll of 2020, 94·9 per cent of the population are members of the Church of Nortend, amounting to around 9·5 million people. A member is required to attend divine service in the parish in which he lives except with the permission of his parson. Members of the church are frequently excommunicated by General Commination in simple form. However, excommunications in solemn form are very rare, and only occur as a sentence in the ecclesiastical courts.

Church attendance is high, and more than two thirds of parishioners attend church at least once a week, although not all attend the same services. Double attendance on Sundays is common. Baptism is routinely conferred on newborns. Almost all members of the Church are confirmed by the age of 21, as it is considered a rite of passage and along with taking the Oath of Liegance is necessary to become a full Nortish subject.

Beliefs and Practices

The doctrine of the Church of Nortend was and is based on the traditional doctrines of the Roman Church and the Eastern Church, with some influence from Luther. The official doctrines of the Church was declared in 1801 by Catherine of Hall in the 42 articles of the Catechism promulgated by Erbonia Ecclesiastica to settle for once and all the disputes between the Akeepians and Frympellites. Inter alia, it confirms the authority of the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, the belief in the virgin birth, the two natures of Christ, the Holy Trinity, the two sacraments of the Gospel and five sacraments of the Church, the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament, the continuous rightening by grace through faith with works, predestination, the effiacy of prayer for the dead and the bidding of saints, and the temporal supremacy of the Crown. The Catechism is read through daily at Mattins and Vespers when there are no proper middle lessons of the temporal or sanctoral cycle.

A summary of the general beliefs and practices are that :—

• Members are baptised members of the Church of Christ.
• The Scriptures are the Word of God, and are faithfully set forth in Cardinal Frympell’s translation.
• Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation, although not always easily understood.
• The three Creeds—the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian—are true and authoritative.
• There are two sacraments of the Gospel—Baptism and Eucharist—and five other sacraments—Confirmation, Absolution, Unction, Matrimony and Orders—ordained by the Church of Christ.
• In the Eucharist, Christ is really and substantially present such that the substances of bread and wine occur while being the substance of Body and Blood of Christ in ghostly form.
• The Eucharist is a sacrifice of our bodies, praise and thanksgiving to God, and a shewing forth of and entrance into the one true oblation and sacrifice of Christ once offered on the Cross.
• Rightening or justification is by grace through faith with works.
• Apostolic succession and orders are necessary in the Church, and for good order churchmen must remain chaste and unmarried.
• No foreign prince or power has jurisdiction over the Church of Nortend.
• The Books of Hours, Masses and Offices form the practical rule as to belief and worship.

Sacraments

The Church of Nortend recognises the two Sacraments of the Gospel, being Baptism and Communion, being an outward sign, ordained by God, of inward grace. It also recognises the ecclesial sacraments of Confirmation, Absolution, Unction, Matrimony, Orders and Consecration.

Holy Baptism, also known as „christening”, is the sacrament of faith in God, generally necessary unto salvation. It is the token whereby the inward graces of the washing away of sins and rebirth to everlasting life are conferred through the immersion or pouring with water by a minister while saying the words, „A. B., I christen thee; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.” This is followed by the giving of the Chrisom, the white christening robe, with the prayer, „Receive this token of thine Innocency, which by God's grace in this holy Sacrament is given unto thee, that thou shalt ever give thyself to innocency of living unto thy life's end. Amen.” Infant baptism is predominantly practised. Baptism may not be performed by laymen.

Holy Communion is the sacrament of fellowship in God, through the reception of Christ. The Church of Nortend teaches the objective ghostly substantial presence of the body and blood of Christ within the elements of bread and wine but rejects a fleshy or carnal presence or any form of transubstantiation. The nature as to how this occurs is considered a mystery. However, the substance of Christ and the fellowship it communicates are only received by a person through faith, even though he should carnally eat and drink and swallow the consecrated elements. The words of administration are, „The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, keep thy body and soul unto everlasting life. Amen.” and „The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee, keep thy body and soul unto everlasting life. Amen.”

Main article: Confirmation in the Church of Nortend

Confirmation certifies acceptance of a baptised Christian's confirmation of his faith, strengthens him spiritually by sending down upon him the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Ghost, and commissions him as confessor of the faith, by the token of the laying on of hands. This is done by the bishop, or more usually, by the dean as the bishop’s deputy, saying the words, „I lay my hand upon thee; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.” This is followed by the prayer, “Receive this token of the Cross, that thou shalt ever confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully fight under his banner against sin, the world and the devil, and continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end. Amen.”

Absolution certifies the reconciliation of a penitent with God, and the forgiveness of sins and loosing of fetters. Both public and private absolutions are used in the Church, including through private confession, whereafter a priest directly shrives a penitent, saying, „I absolve thee from all thy sins; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

Unction effects spiritual and bodily healing by anoiling (anointing) the sick to strengthen the spirit against suffering, illness, death, temptation and the Devil, and to strengthen his body from infirmities and illness, if conducive to salvation.

Matrimony joins a man and woman together. Marriage is viewed as a natural estate instituted by God, and not specifically Christian, albeit that it signifies for Christians the union between Christ and the Church, and is considered to be effected by consent and fully confirmed by the giving and receiving of a ring or some other subsequent deed, such as sealing or consummation. While marriage may be effected by such simple consent, without formal solemnisation in church, a marriage cannot be recognised by the Church or civil authorities, and is illegal. The Church allows and may decree a divorce a vinculo matrimonii for serious cases which strike at the heart of the marital bond, such as adultery, desertion and cruelty, and which allows remarriage by one spouse to another during the life of the other spouse. Separation a mensa et thoro is more commonly ordered, however, although this does not allow remarriage during the life of the spouses.

Ordination is the sacrament of ministry whereby a layman may be publicly dedicated to the spread of the Gospel and ordained to Holy Orders, successively to the deaconhood, priesthood or bishophood.

Fasting

Fasting is a discipline of the Church practised on all Fridays, vigils and the fasten tides of Lent, and to a lesser extent, Advent, which serve as preparation for the high tides of Christmastide and Eastertide respectively. Fasting is formally described as the eating of only one meal after Vespers, with smaller collations allowed during the day. In practice, this is only a trivial matter of renaming “breakfast” to “collation”. Instead, fasting in its modern form principally involves the observance of meagre days, or so-called “fish days”, by abstaining from the eating of flesh meat and animal-derived foods (fish is not considered meat). This includes eggs and dairy products during Lent only. Fasts are not observed on Sundays and festivals, except on the Fridays of Lent and Advent.

Canon law also requires that people wishing to receive holy Communion fast from waking before Mattins in the morning. No food may be taken except for a „mass collation” which is a collation eaten at least one hour before receiving. A traditional mass collation consists of bread with mushrumps, as well as stewed fruit.

Social teachings

See also: Nationalist conservatism

The Church of Nortend has a close relationship with the Crown and State thanks to its privileged position as the established state church. This results in both state control of the Church, as well as Church influence on the State, for the mutual good and salvation of the people. The relationship since the 19th century has emphasised the national element of the Church of Nortend as being the only church and part of the universal Church Catholick especially suitable for Nortchmen. The Church’s domains lie mainly in the moral and to an extent, social, order of the nation, and since the 1950s, its social teachings have been required to be taught in all schools.

In 1956, the Bishops approved four new homilies, authorised to be read in Church which form the basis of the modern understanding of the Church’s teachings.

On Abortion and Eugenics

In the Homily on Abortion and Eugenics, the Church reiterated its teaching on abortion, contraception, eugenics, suicide and euthanasia. In short, the Church condemns most abortions; however, it draws the traditional distinction between a „quickened” foetus, a „formed” foetus and an „unformed” foetus, classifying the destruction of the first to be a felonious homicide and grave sin and the destruction of the second to be a misdemeanour, whilst the destruction of the latter is only a trespass and less blameworthy, as stated in Bothage’s Case. It also sets out circumstances wherein abortion is not necessarily sinful, which are generally limited to situations where the abortion is a side effect of medical treatment for the mother or when the foetus is known to be monstrous or so deformed as to be presumed abortive. The Church also condemns contraception, especially outside of marriage.

The Church has a generally positive view on eugenics which have been praised as „worthy means” to promote public health. However, this is limited to pre-conception forms of eugenics, where incentives are offered to those who have a heightened risk of bearing children afflicted by genetic diseases, either owing to hereditary transmission or by environmental factors such as age, radiation exposure or cancers, to abstain from procreation. The Church approves in the homily the voluntary sterilisation of such persons, and if married, allowing for their continued marital relations. Post-conception eugenics is straitly condemned, except in the limited case of a known monstrous foetus, saying that „for every formed human body, whether malformed or well formed, hath a human soul capable of the salvation won by the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus”.

Voluntary euthanasia and suicide are straitly condemned by the Church as being contrary to natural divine law and damaging to social consciences, while noting that suicides commited by those non compos mentis are not at all to be condemned.

On Carnal Relations and Whoredom

In the Homily on Carnal Relations and Whoredom, the Church discussed the „moral contraventions of the decadent order”, being sodomy, adultery, fornication, prostitution, and bestiality. The Church opposes the legalisation of the aforementioned practices and in short, all of them are condemned in the strongest terms, and only heterosexual vaginal carnal relations between a married wife and husband are allowed and countenanced by the Church.

The Church upholds the faithful marriage between man and woman to be the only basis for carnal relationships. However, in relation to homosexuality, it states that owing to „the damage wrought by popular misunderstanding”, it is necessarily to clarify that „loyal friendships” between men after the example of David and Jonathan are not to be condemned.

On Family and the Commonship

In the Homily on Family and the Commonship, the Church discusses the nature of the family and the social order of the community. It emphasises the importance of the links of affinity and consanguinity, the the necessity of ensuring that the natural family is preserved with its natural hierarchy. Furthermore, the Church teaches against divorce, stating that marriage cannot be put asunder by any man, albeit that the Church is able to dissolve the bonds and vows of matrimony in limited cases.

The Church also enjoins the state of the wider commonship, and obedience to the social order therein as befitting a member of society. Obedience to lawful authority is enjoined, and wilful rebellion against lawful orders condemned. The social classes are implicitly referred to as being necessary for an ordered society. Anti-social or asocial activity is thus condemned, such as hiding away or lack of neighbourliness or comradeship between equals. Here, charity and almsgiving to the poor is also promoted, as against selfishness and niggardliness, symptoms of social disorder.

On Right and Punishment

In the Homily on Right and Punishment, the Church mainly discusses the importance of natural „divine right” as the foundation of the natural law as well as supporting the use of capital punishment by lawful authority. The Church teaches that by divine grace, the monarch is set over his people to rule as the vicar of God, to dispense justice and to ordain laws for the benefit of the people and the world. Thus, capital punishment is acceptable for the punishment of heinous and wicked crimes.

The Homily also somewhat discusses natural right in the context of man’s duties to himself, others and the environment, enjoining diligent and steady work, and consideration of the needs of others and for God’s creation. This section of the Homily has been said to lend support to environmental movements in Great Nortend, and perhaps sparked some of the provisions in law against uncontrolled development and mechanisation.

Churchmanship

Churchmanship is broadly split between the „High Church” and the „Low Church”, also known in historical terms as the „Akeepians” and the „Frympellites”.

Divine Service

Main article: Nortish Rite

The Church of Nortend is a liturgical church with a liturgy, or divine service, according to the Nortish Rite which replaced the former Roman uses of Sulthey, Chepingstow and Limmes. This mainly consists of the mass and four daily hours or offices, which are set out in the Nortish books of divine service. The use of these books was commanded by Edward VI in 1711 by the canon Quia solliciti. The service books are used with the Holy Bible translated by Cardinal Frympell. In their full form, they consist of the following separate books — the Ordinal, the Psalter, the Antiphoner, the Hymner, the Collectar, the Kyrial, the Gradual, the Troper, the Lectionary, the Processional, the Manual and the Pontifical. Usually these are bound together in a Book of Hours and a Book of Offices.

Hours

Main article: Book of Hours

The daily cycle of hours is the basis of the divine service, reflecting the ancient custom of prayer and worship throughout the day. The hours of Mattins and Vespers are chaunted daily in the morning and evening in every parish church. The hours each include psalms, a hymn, a reading or lessons, and various prayers.

Mass

A high mass celebrated in Great Nortend.

Main article: Book of Masses

The mass is the main service at the which the Holy Eucharist is confected and distributed to the people. It is divided into the antecommunion, in which scripture is read, and the communion proper, when the elements are consecrated.

At least one mass must be celebrated monthly in all parish churches, and in many churches they are celebrated daily or even multiple times a day. Nonetheless, the common custom is for the people to receive communion only four times a year, at Michaelmas, Christmas, Easter and Whitsun. At other times, only the celebrating priest receives communion.

Language

One of the changes sought by Cardinal Frympell was to replace Latin in divine service with an „understanded” tongue, i. e. English. Since to the introduction of Henfott’s reformed liturgy in 1711, services are normally chaunted through in a semi-archaic poetic form of English. However, the English texts of the Book of Masses and Book of Masses are only authorised translations of authoritative Latin texts approved by the Crown and Parliament. The Latin liturgy may be used freely at the discretion of the Minister or according to local custom or rule.

The Pater noster

Father our, which art in Heaven,

hallowed be Thy Name;

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy Will be done, in Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us to Day our daily Bread,

and forgive us our Trespasses,

as we forgive them that trespass against us;

and lead us not into Temptation,

but deliver us from Evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory,

world without end. Amen.

The Ave Maria

Hail Mary, that art much graced,

the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst Women,

and blessed is the Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus. Amen.

The Credo in Deum

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of Heaven and Earth,

and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,

which was conceived through the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into Hell;

The third Day he rose again from the Dead;

He ascended into Heaven,

and sitteth on the right Hand of God the Father Almighty;

From thence he shall come to judge the Quick and the Dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost,

the Holy Catholick Church,

the Commonship of Saints,

the Forgiveness of Sins,

the Resurrection of the Body,

and the Life everlasting. Amen.

Calendar

Main article: Nortish Rite § Calendar

The Church of Nortend follows the Gregorian calendar, having been introduced in 1582 prior to the Great Schism in 1614. The liturgy is structured around the ecclesiastical Calendar, which is an interlaced set of cycles of varying lengths. The fixed cycle begins on Michaelmas every year and specifies the dates of the immovable feasts such as Christmas, Epiphany, Candlemas, St. John’s Day, and Martinmas. The moveable Paschal cycle changes annually based on the computation of Easter, setting the dates for Lent, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Whitsun, inter alia. Liturgical days are parted into double festivals, semidouble festivals, simple festivals, fairs and fasts through the calendar cycles. The weekly cycle also affects the calendar, as the propers change depending on what day of the week it is.

Traditions

Music

The title page of the first edition of the Book of Chaunts.

Both choral and congregational music play a large part in Nortish divine service. Most public offices and all high masses are sung, or “chaunted” , usually accompanied by a pipe or reed organ. Texts are chaunted in monophonic plainsong, often harmonised by the choir, or in polyphonic figured song by the choir. In the office, psalms are communally chaunted antiphonally. Furthermore, hymns are sung after the psalmody and after the final responsory. In addition to traditional Gregorian hymns translated into English and sometimes harmonised, there are a large number of “new” hymns which are published in various hymnals. These are from various sources, including international Roman, Lutheran and Anglican sources.

The prescribed plainsong melodies are provided in the Book of Chaunts. Plainsong in the Nortish tradition is performed in a mensural style, in contrast to the equal style promoted by the Roman Solesmes school. It is only rarely sung without accompaniment. The organ and choral harmony provided in a typical Nortish service means that plainsong melodies tend to take on a “fuller” sound, more reminiscent of four-part hymns than Gregorian plainsong.

Books

There is a strong tradition of hand engrossed liturgical manuscripts in the Church of Nortend. After the advent of the printing press, the mediaeval tradition of scribing manuscripts on parchment or paper declined for ordinary use. However, expensive illuminated manuscripts, of liturgical books, continued to be created for the use of the nobility and Royal courts as a mark of prestige. Similarly, hand engrossed parchment, sometimes illuminated, is still used for deeds, statutes, charters, writs and other formal legal documents. All of these documents, as well as fully noted Books of Masses and Offices, used on solemn feasts and special occasions, continue to be produced by monastic houses around the country.

Architecture

Erbonian church architecture is predominantly Gothic, although many churches have an older Arlethic origin. An important difference with Roman church architecture is the focus on division of the church interior. Generally, there is a strict division between the nave and the chancel, the former being the preserve of the laity and the latter the preserve of the clergy.

In parochial churches, the nave and chancel are separated by a rood screen, its name deriving from the large rood hung over the screen. This screen has a single central doorway, and is usually of light open tracery. On the other hand, in collegiate churches, including cathedral, monastic and religious churches, the pulpit screen is constructed with two transverse walls supporting the pulpit platform overhead. The pulpit screen is usually constructed of stone.

Clerical dress

See also: Liturgical clerical dress and Nortish dress codes

A deacon in his clerical dress.

Ordained ministres in the Church of Nortend are required to wear the prescribed clerical dress at most times outside of the liturgy (the vestments for which are prescribed in the liturgical books). This is very strictly enforced, and clergymen are often brought before the ecclesiastical courts for this trangression. Per the canon In nova tempora, non-liturgical clerical dress is divided into house dress, undress and full dress.

House dress

House dress is worn in informal or casual situations, such as at home or in the country or when doing menial labour. It consists of a suit or coat and trousers of dark, sombre colour worn a matching dark neck-height waistcoast. A starched clerical collar is still worn, but without bands. The coat is similar to a short frock coat and is usually designed to button up to the neck, and has a V-shaped collar cutout.

No gown is worn, and secular hats are worn. When impractical, the clerical collar, jacket and even waistcoat may be dispensed with in favour of a shirt with soft open collar. The trousers may also be replaced with knees or short trousers where appropriate, such as when in the country or in hot climates.

Undress

Undress is worn at semi-formal or formal non-liturgical situations. It is the ordinary „on duty” street dress of ordained ministres. It consists of the short frock, trousers, the gown and a hat. The short frock, or apron cassock, is a knee-length single-breasted frock worn with the cincture. A frock coat may also be worn over the short frock when thought wise.

Starched standing collars with starched bands are always worn. The gown is only worn when in and around the church and when academic dress is worn. The gown worn is the undress gown, which is normally black. The traditional hat worn is the liturgical soft cap. When the gown is not worn, however, a brimmed round hat or top hat is more often worn. A cape may also be worn in such cases. Some archdeacons, cardinals and bishops wear wigs daily, but this is nowadays very uncommon.

Evening undress is much the same, but silk is used for piping, buttons, the cincture, lining and cuffs rather than wool. Silk stockings and evening shoes are also usually worn, although patent leather is forbidden. A silken cape may also be worn, unless the gown is worn.

Full dress

Full dress is worn at non-liturgical state, ecclesiastical and legal occasions. It consists of the short frock worn with breeches. The gown worn is the full dress gown with hood. Most doctors wear scarlet gowns with coloured facings. Certain dignitaries wear a long train on their gowns. The soft cap is worn. Wigs are always worn by those entitled to them.

Devotions

There are several popular devotions practised in by members of the Church of Nortend. The most common perhaps is the bidding of beads. Beads are often used in Great Nortend for the purpose of personal prayer in lieu of praying the hours. A typical strand of beads consists of ten small beads with a cross attached at one end and a large bead at the other. To bid one’s beads, one begins on the cross, saying In nomine with the Signum crucis, followed by the Pater noster, Ave Maria, Domine labia mea (or Converte nos), Deus adjutorium meum, and then the Gloria Patri and Alleluia or Laus tibi. Then on each of the small beads one says the Pater noster, followed by the Ave Maria and then the Gloria Patri. On the final large bead, one says the Kyrie eleison, the Pater noster, the Apostle’s Creed, the Dignare Domine, the Confiteor, and then the Litany. The bidding is completed with a Blessing and the Signum crucis again.