Hello St. Paul’s, This weekend marks the beginning of our long green season and effectively the beginning of summer. In several recent years, we have enjoyed Summer Socials, informal gatherings at the homes of parishioners, every few weeks during this season. This year we are taking a slightly different approach, gearing our special summer gatherings … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, This Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost. It’s a big deal: we think of Pentecost as the birthday of the Church (not just St. Paul’s but the entire Christian church); it’s one of the five occasions in the year recommended for baptism; and it marks the end of the Easter season and the … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, From time to time someone makes a comment that makes me realize that they think we have a lot of clergy on staff. When you see all those robed individuals in the procession on Sunday, it’s easy to assume that they are all on staff, and you probably wonder about all the … READ MORE…
Dear St. Paul’s family, Here’s another in our occasional series of “Words of our Worship”. This one is about Laying the Table. When we lay the table for a dinner party we are careful to include the right forks, knives, condiments, place mats and dishes. The same goes for setting the altar for the sacrament … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, The history and identity of our church, the Episcopal Church, is complicated. Like most Christian denominations we are the product of a historic split; our name, Episcopal, is used by several denominations; and as part of the Anglican Communion we are part of a particular ethnic tradition. I want to say a … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, By now we are well into Holy Week, the center of our year and our faith. We have celebrated the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and we have meditated deeply on the mystery of his Passion, as recounted by St. Mark. Now we turn to the Triduum, the three holiest days. … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, Last week, Kathleen Burgess and I attended the annual Episcopal Parish Network conference in Houston. This is always a conference filled with good content, and it has tracks for rectors/deans, associate clergy, and lay professionals, so between us, Kathleen and I covered a good proportion of the offerings. About 500 lay and … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, You might have noticed that we seem to be hosting more events, of various kinds, than we used to. This is not an accident! Here are some reasons for our event ministry: Several years ago we started to dream of expanding our availability and usefulness to the community. During the pandemic lockdown, … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, It seems that most people enjoy the quizzes we see on social media, so this week I invite you to test your knowledge of our great Anglican treasure, the Book of Common Prayer, by going on a short scavenger hunt with me through our Prayer Book. I have twelve questions for you. … READ MORE…
Hello St. Paul’s, Yesterday we entered the holy season of Lent. You may have noticed that Lent begins on a different date every year: this is because its starting day (Ash Wednesday) is calculated backwards from Easter Day, and Easter is always on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the spring equinox. … READ MORE…