The Anglican Communion —
The Episcopal Church
Trinity Cathedral is part of the Episcopal Church.
We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.
We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.
We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.
We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.
Cornerstones of Our Faith
The “Three Legged Stool”
In the Episcopal Church, Scripture, Tradition, and Reason are considered equal cornerstones of faith. Episcopalians believe that these three sources of authority, which are described metaphorically as a three-legged stool, must be interpreted in light of each other to create a balanced approach. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way.
Scripture is the normative source for God’s revelation and the source for all Christian teaching and reflection. Tradition passes down from generation to generation the church’s ongoing experience of God’s presence and activity. Reason is understood to include the human capacity to discern the truth in both rational and intuitive ways. It is not limited to logic as such. It takes into account and includes experience. Each of the three sources of authority must be perceived and interpreted in light of the other two.
Scripture
Holy Scripture is the Word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Scripture is God’s gift to us, offering wisdom and revelation that connects our story to God’s story.
The Old Testament recounts the story of God’s love for the world from Creation until the time of Jesus. The New Testament contains Jesus’ teachings, the accounts of his life as told by his followers, and the beginnings of the early Christian church. It is through the study of Holy Scripture where we find the grounding of our faith.
As Episcopalians, we study scripture in the context of history, and seek to interpret God’s Word for meaning today. We have a willingness to live with diverse and changing interpretations of Scripture, rather than attributing Scripture with infallible certainty and binding prescriptions for all time and circumstance.
Tradition
Tradition is our connection to what has come before; it is the gift of continuity. From the early church to the civil rights movement, the dynamic tradition of the church helps us see God’s dream for us today.
As an Episcopal church, we are primarily formed in faith through liturgies based upon the Book of Common Prayer and supplemented by contemporary authorized texts that help us rediscover an expansive vocabulary for God and the people of God.
We are formed by regular prayer: through weekly worship and daily prayer. We express our gratitude to God through compassion, generosity, love of neighbor, and praise.
Our faith is shaped by the historic creeds (Nicene and Apostles); we express our beliefs by praying the creeds each week and through alternative prayers that illuminate what they teach.
The Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist ground our identity and connect us to God. We recall our baptism through Confirmation, Blessing of Marriage, Reconciliation of a Penitent (confession), Ministration to the Sick and Ordination.
Reason
God has given us the gift of reason to help us claim the freedom God envisions for us; because Scripture is not simply a rule-book, we require reason to discern how to live faithfully.
Reason interprets scripture and tradition and allows itself to be corrected and enlarged by them. Reason is considered in Anglican thought to be more than calculation and logic, and it draws upon the entirety of human understanding and experience. Reason makes it possible to evaluate and determine what is good to be done in a particular situation.
What We Care About
Community
We celebrate God’s gift of diversity, and we believe that we know God through it. We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to radical inclusion, breaking down divisions so that we can see the face of God in one another.
We grieve the brokenness of the world and are committed to the work of reconciliation, especially that of racial reconciliation and full LGBTQ inclusion.
Community
Learn about Trinity’s commitment to diversity and ways we gather in fellowship.
Justice
We proclaim, in word and action, the life-changing love and liberating justice of God. Through the active work of Peace, Justice, and Mercy ministries and the reflective work of prayer, worship, and study, Trinity lives its faith through actions grounded in integrity and impact. Through the faithful work of peace and justice, the church works to proclaim God’s Good News as we celebrate God’s profound love for all creation.
Justice
Explore Trinity’s justice programs including racial reconciliation, creation care, and more.
Outreach
Trinity Cathedral is an active and lively congregation serving downtown Cleveland, northeast Ohio and the people and churches of the Diocese of Ohio.
As a cathedral in downtown Cleveland, we have a vocation to be a part of making Cleveland a place where the dignity of all people is celebrated and respected.
Outreach
Explore Trinity’s hunger ministries and community outreach programs.
Diocese —
Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
Trinity Cathedral is a spirit-filled expression of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, and through it, acts as a resource for the flourishing and dynamic ministry of The Episcopal Church.
The Diocese of Ohio consists of the 48 counties of northern Ohio, an area approximately 170 miles wide by 95 miles deep, encompassing roughly 15,000 square miles and a group of more than 80 congregations in the northern half of Ohio. Our bishop is the Rt. Rev. Anne B. Jolly, the 12th bishop of the diocese.
Through our shared ministry, the churches of the Diocese of Ohio gather for worship, major events, youth and children’s ministry, adult Christian formation, service to the community, and leadership development. The cathedral serves as a symbol of unity and a space where many of these major events take place.
Grounded in a historic yet dynamic faith, the Diocese of Ohio exists to worship, serve, celebrate, and model the phrase that guides us: God loves you. No Exceptions.®
The diocese was founded in 1818 as the first diocese outside the 13 original colonies. Trinity is the cathedral of the diocese, meaning it belongs to all the members of Diocese of Ohio churches. The diocese has its offices at Trinity Commons.
