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You’ve probably heard of All Saints' Day, and you know about Halloween, of course. But what about All Souls' Day, and All Hallows’ Eve, and All Faithful Departed? What’s the difference?
Well, November 1 is All Saints' Day, one of the principal feasts of the Episcopal Church, when the church remembers the saints, known and unknown. It is also one of the four holy days denoted as especially appropriate for baptisms. (The others are the First Sunday after Epiphany, the Easter Vigil,
Read moreIn the Episcopal Church, many elements of the liturgy are relatively stable from week to week–the Lord’s Prayer, for example, the Eucharist, the creed, the blessing, etc. But you’ll notice that every Sunday the readings change, and so do certain prayers. How are these selected?
Well, get ready for some complicated liturgical calculations.
One: The Lectionary
The first piece of the equation you need to know is the Lectionary.
The Episcopal Church
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Evensong in All Saints Chapel
Evensong is a version of Evening Prayer in which most of the service is chanted or sung. Evening Prayer, which is found in the Book of Common Prayer, is a service from the Daily Office (a daily liturgy) said in the late afternoon or early
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From time to time Trinity Church expands the language used in worship services to evoke images that invite worshippers to think of God in creative ways. Rather than refer to God as “He,” for example, Trinity might call God “She” or “Holy One of Blessing.”
This year, Trinity is using selections from
Read moreOrdinary Time is the part of the liturgical calendar that falls outside the major seasons such as Advent, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter. Ordinary time begins with the passing of the Day of Pentecost and continues until the First Sunday of Advent, and is the longest season of the church year.
While the term is used by the
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The Rev. Anita Schell preaches at Trinity Church during a special Evensong to commemorate the anniversary of women's ordination in 2014.
On July 29, 1974, the feast of Martha and Mary of Bethany, 11 women were ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1970, and again in 1973, the Episcopal Church
Read moreLiberating God, we thank you most heartily for the steadfast courage of your servant Pauli Murray, who fought long and well: Unshackle us from bonds of prejudice and fear so that we show forth your reconciling love and true freedom, which you revealed through your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. – Collect from
Read moreTrinity Sunday is the feast day celebrating the Trinity. A feast is an observance commemorating a person or thing (or God). Easter is feast day, for example, and many saints have feasts. On the church calendar, Trinity Sunday always comes on the first Sunday after the Day of Pentecost.
As any priest preaching this Sunday can tell you, the Trinity is difficult to explain. The collect and preface in The Book of
Read moreIn the liturgical calendar, Ascension Day takes place 40 days after Easter and marks the day that Jesus rose into heaven after his resurrection.
The ascension is mentioned briefly in Mark and Luke’s Gospels, and the event is described in the first chapter of the book of Acts:
When he had
Read moreAlthough many people are familiar with Easter Day, when the Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, you may not know that it always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21. This was determined in 325CE at the Council of Nicaea in attempt to have all Christians celebrate on the same day (with limited success, since Orthodox Christians use a different calendar). And you may not know that Easter season (Eastertide) lasts for 50 days.
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