Holy Week and Easter
St. Stephen’s Church welcomes you to the services of Holy Week, beginning with the Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday), and continuing to Holy Saturday and Easter Day. In addition to the information below, a brochure with Holy Week and Easter services is available at Information Central, and can be downloaded here.
+Livestreamed *Child care available
Holy Week and Easter Vigil Livestreams
(Note: the following are not all the services being offered, but the offerings being livestreamed. The complete schedule is in the next section on this page.)
Maundy Thursday, April 2
Maundy Thursday service, 7:30 p.m.
Overnight vigil, 9 p.m.
Good Friday, April 3
The Liturgy for Good Friday, noon
Musical offering: Stations of the Cross, 5 p.m.
Holy Saturday, April 4
The Great Vigil and First Eucharist of Easter, 7:30 p.m.
Morning Prayer will be livestreamed in its usual location here. Easter Day services will be livestreamed on the “This Sunday” page here.
Holy Week
Holy Week and Easter Vigil livestreams will appear on this page.
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, March 29
7:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite One (note earlier-than-usual time)+*
9 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two in Palmer Hall and in the main church; all will gather outdoors at the Three Chopt Road entrance to begin the service together+*
There is no formation hour on Palm Sunday.
11:15 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two; meet outdoors at the Three Chopt Road entrance for the Liturgy of the Palms+*
5:30 p.m., Celtic Evensong and Communion+*
6:30 p.m., Sunday Community Supper in Large Fellowship Hall
8 p.m., Sung Compline+
Maundy Thursday, April 2
8:10 a.m., Morning Prayer and Communion from the reserved sacrament+
Livestreamed on the usual Morning Prayer livestream page
5:30 p.m., Agape Meal in the fellowship hall
7:30 p.m., Holy Eucharist and Stripping and Washing of the Altar+
9 p.m.-8 a.m., All-Night Vigil in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit+
Good Friday, April 3
8:10 a.m., Morning Prayer and Communion from the reserved sacrament+
Livestreamed on the usual Morning Prayer livestream page
Noon, The Liturgy for Good Friday+
Stations of the Cross following the Good Friday service; 1:30 p.m. guided; time for self-guided tours between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
5 p.m., Good Friday Musical Offering+
St. Stephen’s director of music, Robert McCormick, will play improvised organ meditations on the 14 traditional Stations of the Cross. Sonnets based on each station by British Anglican priest and poet Malcolm Guite will be read before each improvisation. One of Robert’s specialties is improvising at the organ, and we hope that this devotional event will be spiritually enriching for parishioners and friends of St. Stephen’s.
Easter
Easter Eve, beginning at dusk on Saturday, April 4
The Great Vigil of Easter
7:30 p.m., The Great Vigil & First Eucharist of Easter service begins outside the Three Chopt entrance +
Sanctuary, the Compline Choir
Easter Day, Sunday, April 5 The Resurrection of Our Lord
These services are livestreamed on the “This Sunday” page.
7:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite One with Hymns+
9 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two (two services: one in Palmer Hall, one in the church+*), followed by reception
St. Stephen’s Choir with brass, timpani, organ
After the 9 a.m. services, there will be an Easter Egg Hunt for children. We will wait to begin the hunt until both 9 a.m. services have concluded.
There is no formation hour on Easter Day.
11:15 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two, followed by reception+*
St. Stephen’s Choir with brass, timpani, organ
5:30 p.m., Celtic Evensong and Communion +*
6:30 p.m., Sunday Community Supper
8 p.m., Compline +
Sanctuary, the Compline Choir
Easter Monday, April 6
Parish office and café closed; no Morning Prayer or other offerings; food pantry moves to Tuesday, April 7