The tradition and ritualism that defines the Anglo-Catholic church has two sides: It is beautiful in the complexity of the mystery it expresses in the language, music, ritual, and traditions but that can also make it feel inaccessible to some (think Game of Thrones without the sex, violence and dragons). Allow me to lay it out for you and you can decide if the experience is something you’d find rewarding, or frivolous.

Language. In Canada, our church continues to use the Book of Common Prayer, which was replaced by the rest of the Anglican Church of Canada by a more contemporary version. Essentially unchanged for four and half centuries, it contains all the beauty and depth of expression of Shakespeare, but is (a little) more accessible.

Music. A traditional church uses the traditional music of the liturgy, much of which is the pinnacle of choral music of the West. It takes a pretty hard heart not to be moved to contemplate the divine while listening to Allegri’s Miserere Mei, Deus during Ash Wednesday, sung by two choirs.

Ritual. There is kneeling, sitting, standing, bowing, genuflecting, the sign of the cross, and some skipping of pages in the prayer book, which neophytes can all find a bit inaccessible. But it helps to know that no one is judging, and in fact, will often point out where we are in the service. To me, the habitual repetition of the prayer and movements are like a transcendent dance (similar to these guys) that better allows me to contemplate the divine.

Traditions. The rituals of the Anglo-Catholic church can permeate one’s entire life, allowing one to continually approach the holy spirit, in all of the events and conditions of life: The significant, such as the wedding to celebrate the spiritual union of two people, and the baptism to celebrate the mystery creation in a new life, and the insignificant, such as Monday morning prayer, or abstaining from meat during Lent.