We are an Episcopal parish deeply committed to the beauty and profundity of the rituals, readings, prayers, and symbolic actions known as the “liturgy.” St. Paul’s has long been renowned for the care and solemn loveliness of its worship services. We engage all the senses; strive for beauty and dignity; and find an inner stillness and spirituality. We gather as God’s loved people; some in jeans, others others more dressed up. We fully use the treasures of the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer (1979) as well as the Book of Occasional Services and The Hymnal 1982. We are a parish in the Anglo Catholic tradition with members from many traditions.

At St. Paul’s, worship stands at the center of who we are and who we are becoming as Christian people. Worship is the primary means by which our hearts and minds find both unity and personal uniqueness. The core pattern of worship in the Episcopal Church's tradition is threefold. In the Holy Eucharist we are fed the bread of heaven and the cup of salvation so that we may become the Body of Christ for the life of the world. This is the Church’s primary act of worship on Sundays and other Feast Days. We also say the Daily Office (Morning and Evening Prayer), the daily prayer of the Church that includes readings and prayers. Finally, we engage in Personal Devotions, the private prayers of each person expressing his or her unique relationship with God. Some are drawn to intercession, others to contemplation or meditation, still others to adoration. Examples of preaching that you might encounter at St. Paul’s are available at the Sermons link.

During the week, many other intimate Eucharists, and Morning and Evening Prayer services are held at St. Paul’s, often in the smaller All Saints Chapel.

With different seasons we use different prayers and forms of liturgy; we change the type of wine, bread, vessels, vestments, and coordinate other apparent and subtle changes as well.

Many people put in numerous hours each week contributing to every aspect of the liturgy. These include the Liturgy Commission (a lay group that advises the Rector), sacristans, acolytes, eucharistic ministers, bread-bakers, and musicians. Our approach to worship is intentional, with each liturgical action examined for meaning and appropriateness.

A significant part of our worship is punctuation of the liturgy with periods of silence. Our brief, or sometimes lingering, moments of silence focus our attention on the present and what is taking place in the present, rather than a rush to the next thing. We listen, we engage, we reflect, we move on, we stay grounded. These moments of participatory silence are not dead space; they are very much alive.

We are a people, who by drenching ourselves in the treasures of the sacraments, draw together in fellowship to contemplate, to be sustained, renewed, and inspired, and to worship a loving God.

Holy Eucharist

“Eucharist” means thanksgiving. The Eucharist, or the Mass, is the event in which Christians become grounded each week in a fundamentally grateful approach to life. In the Holy Eucharist we come together, share a meal and experience our deepest selves in community with others and with a loving God in the person of Jesus. Through the Eucharist we gain strength for our lives and participate in the pattern of all Christian life-letting go and turning our lives over to God to be used in service to the world. Baptized Christians of all ages or denominations are welcome to participate in and receive communion at St. Paul’s. We celebrate the Eucharist on Sunday at 8:00 AM (with no music) and at 10:30 AM (with music, incense, and the traditional drama of the Mass). We also have several more intimate Eucharists during the week in All Saints Chapel (near the office).

Daily Office

The Daily Office is the Church’s daily act of prayer. Whether said in a group in a parish church or as an individual with morning coffee, the Office is our participation in the Church's daily praise of God. Different psalms, readings and prayers are appointed for each day. At St. Paul’s Church we encourage and train members to make use of some form of the Daily Office as part of their prayer life. The Office is offered in All Saints Chapel Tuesday through Saturday and also used at the beginning or end of meetings and educational events. You may find a guide for each day’s Office here.

Personal Devotions

God has a unique relationship with each of us. While that uniqueness is developed as part of a community, and shaped by our participation in the Eucharist and Office, Christians also need ways that are specific to their own individual and personal style to express their relationship with God. Personal devotions are a way to do this. Through personal devotions, a person can experiment with forms of prayer that deepen intimacy with God and further illuminate experience in the light of faith. Some will make use of contemplation or meditation; others will be attracted to intercession or praise; still others will be drawn to adoration or dialogue with God. At St. Paul’s we occasionally offer “schools of prayer” to introduce members to various forms of personal devotions and to help them explore these forms.