Seeking Signs of Dormant Catholicity in Rural Anglican Parishes: An Enquiry Among Churchgoers in Wales

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Anglican Church occupies a unique position within the inherited church structure emerging from the nineteenth century. The distinctive claim of the Anglican Church is that it is both Catholic and Reformed, occupying a mid-position between the Catholic Church and the Reformed Churches. The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which traces of Catholic belief and practice can still be found in rural Anglican parishes in Wales. In a pilot project a modified form of the 21-item Anglo Catholic Orientation Scale proposed by Francis and Littler was completed by 75 churchgoers within five rural Anglican parishes in Wales. The data supported the internal consistency reliability of the revised instrument (α = .94) and demonstrated endorsement of a number of Catholic beliefs and practices, including praying for the dead (80%), priests using vestments, lighting votive candles (65%), and using holy oils (57%).