Easter

Please join others at St. Stephen’s Church on Easter Day, a day of resurrection and hope. We hope you will find your spirits lifted by the beauty of the flowers, the sound of the music, the smiles on faces, and most of all by the timeless proclamation that love casts out fear and life is stronger than death.

Whoever you are, and whatever journey has led you here, know that you are welcome at St. Stephen’s Church. This parish offers a range of services to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. They begin on Saturday evening with the Great Vigil and First Eucharist of Easter, and continue on Easter Day. In addition to these services, there will be festive receptions, an Easter egg hunt, and a parish supper.  The schedule is below, and additional information about each service follows.

Please note that there is no Sunday morning formation period on Easter Day.

All services that take place in the church are livestreamed. Child care is available during services with an asterisk.

Easter Eve, Saturday, April 19
7:30 p.m., The Great Vigil & First Eucharist of Easter service begins outside the Three Chopt Road entrance +
Music: Sanctuary, our Compline choir, will sing.

Easter Day, Sunday, April 20
7:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite One+
Music: Congregational Hymns

9 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two (two services: one in Palmer Hall, one in the church+*), followed by reception
Music: St. Stephen’s Choristers will sing at the 9 a.m. service in Palmer Hall. In the main church, St. Stephen’s Choir will sing with brass, timpani, and organ.
Children are welcome at all services. The Palmer Hall service is a Communion service especially suited for families with young children; parents and grandparents attend the service with their young ones, and young people have leadership roles in the service.   

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.

11:15 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two, followed by reception+*
Music: St. Stephen’s Choir will sing with brass, timpani, and organ.

5:30 p.m., Celtic Evensong and Communion +*
Music: Instrumentalists, cantor, and congregational singing

6:30 p.m., Sunday Community Supper

8 p.m., Compline +
The service is sung by Sanctuary, our mixed a cappella choir

Other things to know:

  • Parking: Free parking is available in our parking lot at Somerset and Grove, and on streets around the church. On Easter Day, additional parking will be available at St. Catherine’s School on Grove Avenue across from the church; please do not park in spaces marked “Resident.”
  • Child care: Child care for children age 4 and under will be available in our nursery during the 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. services.
  • Everyone is welcome at St. Stephen’s Church! You do not need to be a member to attend any of our worship services or other offerings.
  • Easter Day services are especially well-attended. Please make sure your entire family or group is here before being seated; ushers will remind you that seat-saving is not permitted.
  • Gluten-free Communion wafers are available at all services.
  • Exterior entrances to the church are accessible to those with mobility limitations; accessible seating is available in the church.
  • Overflow seating will be available with a video feed; those in overflow areas will be ushered into the church to receive Communion.