Sundays

Regular Season Sunday Schedule
September to May

7:45 am Holy Eucharist Rite I, spoken

9:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II, with music

11:15 am Choral Matins (sung Morning Prayer), with music

Differences in the Sunday Morning Worship Serivces

By Peter Vanderveen 

As we return to our academic year schedule, there will be three liturgies each Sunday morning (7:45, 9:00, and 11:15), Each is a unique expression of devotion and the offering of our selves to God.

The 7:45 am liturgy, Holy Eucharist Rite I, is a simple iteration of our faith, characterized by the relative quiet of early morning. The more formal language lends an air of reverence to the celebration of God’s presence with us. Very little of the liturgy changes from week to week, and the exclusively spoken nature of the service allows it to be an intimate recitation of what lies at the heart of life.

The 9:00 am service, Holy Eucharist Rite II, is a joyful celebration, expressed in song and the dramatic movement of a festive liturgy. The Eucharist is our sacramental participation in God’s covenant and grace, made manifest in our own embracing of one another in peace and sharing one table as one people, where no distinctions divide us. We are invited to raise our voices, reach out to one another, and immerse ourselves in the uncommon love of God that “makes the whole creation new.”

We are introducing a new bulletin for this service, with a two-fold purpose.

First, we have removed significant portions of text from the body of the bulletin and printed them in an accompanying supplement. The reason for this is that the liturgy is intended to be an exercise of watching and listening, rather than reading (much like the theater -- if you go to a play do you engage with the actors in the production or do you bring the script simply to read along). Liturgies have many participants and actions that should be seen, and we’d like to encourage the congregation to be lifted out of the bulletin and into the personal drama of the service.

Second, we have added margin space on each page which will be used to add simple informative notes about the service. The Episcopal liturgy is a highly refined and very disciplined series of progressive expressions, and many people are not aware of the meaning and inner logic of what is being done and said. These notes will enable us to quietly provide this information and, hopefully, a richer experience of worship.

The 11:15 am service, Choral Matins, is a meditative service of Morning Prayer, led by the choir. In our age of noise and busyness, we also need spaces where we can settle, rest, reflect, and pray throughout the liturgy. This service provides us the opportunity to step out of the push of our own agendas and preoccupations and into an experience of beauty that offers space for thought, remembrance, and a deep appreciation of the holiness of life.

The Communion of the Saints

During our church year, we will be celebrating the Communion of the Saints by highlighting some of the saints (or “God’s faithful”) who have gone before us. On these specific saints’ feast days, the readings and the hymnody will celebrate the contributions these saints have made to the Christian life. As we honor our saints, we are reminded how we, too, participate in this great cloud of witnesses through our worship and mission in this life as well as the next. Please plan to be present for these festive days.

Sept. 25   Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

Oct. 16     Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley, Bishops and Martyrs, 1555 and Thomas Cranmer

Nov. 13    Martin, Bishop of Tours

Jan. 22    Ordination of Florence Li Tim-Oi, First woman priest in the Anglican Communion, 1944

Feb. 12    Martin Luther, Theologian, 1546

Mar. 18    Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386

May 13     Dame Julian of Norwich, 1417

Children’s Liturgy

You may have noticed by now that every Sunday a youth bulletin has been printed since Easter. This bulletin is geared towards children fifth grade and over. It explains how the liturgy is put together, what the liturgy means, and how we can participate in the liturgy more fully. During this school year, the younger children who attend children’s chapel during sermon time, will receive intentional instruction by the clergy as we walk more deeply through the Eucharistic liturgy. They will have the chance to ask questions about things like the Confession, the Nicene Creed, and the Eucharist at their level. Please plan to have your children ready to attend on these special days. (Oct. 2, Oct. 30, Dec. 4, Jan. 15, Feb. 5, Mar. 11, Apr. 22)

Book Cart

Children may borrow books, soft toys or pages to color from the Book Cart in the Narthex and return them after the service.

Children's Chapel

During the 9am service, Children's Chapel is offered for elementary age children. As the Gospel hymn is sung, children follow the crucifer to the Chapel next to the main worship space, where they gather for a children's homily and prayers. They return to the main service during the Peace.

Younger Children during Worship

Children age 3 (and potty trained) through Grade K attend Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level I (see Catechesis I section) from 9 to 11 am. On three Sundays of the year, they participate in the Children’s Liturgy during the 9 am service and then attend Catechesis at 10:15.

For the youngest ones (infant through two or three years old), child care is available each Sunday in the Nursery (see Nursery section) from 8:30 to 11:30 am The hours of Nursery care may be extended to begin at 7:30 am or end at 12:30 pm with advance notice to the caregivers or Barbara Billings.

Wednesdays

12:15 pm Holy Eucharist, Rite II