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Dear St. Paul's,
In children’s chapel on Sundays, and on Wednesdays at 5:30, it’s easy to find young volunteers to help light the candles. Sometimes the abundance of willing helpers leads to a negotiated settlement about who will light which candle, or who will have a turn next time, and sometimes a single candle gets lit with multiple small hands helping to guide the flame to the wick.
As a child, I liked lighting candles too. As an adult, I was slow to come around to understanding the point. In churches where people light candles as a sign of prayer, the practice struck me as superstitious; candlelight vigils in the aftermath of tragedy seemed somehow cheap. On the subject of candles, the light in my dark heart finally flickered to life when a friend described every burning candle as a protest against darkness. Since then, candles in church seem much more than tasteful adornment.
The same is true of flowers, which burst forth of their own mysterious volition as living signs of resurrection. The Easter lilies at St. Paul’s connect our wonder, celebration, and gratitude directly to our particular lives when we remember that they are given as memorials to loved ones who have died, and in thanksgiving for loved ones whose continuing companionship blesses us on our way. I hope many of you will join me in the parish’s spiritual practice of connecting our Easter worship to our personal prayers of remembrance and thanksgiving by responding to the invitation below to support the ministry of our Flower Guild and fill the Easter bulletin with names for prayer.
– Will
The Rev. William Peyton
| | Sunday, March 23, at St. Paul's | | |
8 a.m. – Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
9:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. – Nursery Care (infants through pre-K)
9:15 a.m. – Wee Singers Music Time (3-5-year-olds) (upstairs above the library)
10 a.m. – Holy Eucharist with Choir (also accessible via Zoom)
11:15 a.m. – Common Hour for Formation, Fellowship, and Service (details below)
6:30 p.m. – Sunday Supper for Undergraduates (parish hall)
7:30 p.m. – Evening Worship
| | Each Sunday in Lent, parishioners and friends of all ages are invited to come to the parish hall for a simple soup lunch. After lunch this Sunday: | | |
Adults are invited to a presentation by Director of Music & Organist Deke Polifka on Music as Affective Prayer: A Discussion of Musical Selections in Lent.
Children and youth are invited to lessons and activities on: What is servanthood? (grades K-5) and What is a creed? (grades 6-12).
More information about our Lenten Common Hour Series can be found here.
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Friday, March 21 - Sunday, March 23 – Middle School Retreat at Shrine Mont
Monday, March 24 - Friday, March 28, 8 a.m. – Weekday Virtual Morning Prayer
Monday, March 24 - Friday, March 28, 8 a.m. – Student-led Morning Prayer in the Chapel
Monday, March 24, 4 p.m. – Virtual Lectionary Discussion Group
Monday, March 24, 8 p.m. – Compline (chancel)
Tuesday, March 25, 12:15 p.m. – Holy Eucharist (chapel)
Wednesday, March 26, 4:15 p.m. – Junior Choir Rehearsal (grades 3-8)
Wednesday, March 26, 4:15 p.m. – Primary Choir Rehearsal (grades K-2)
Wednesday, March 26, 4:45 p.m. – Wee Singers Music Time (3-5-year-olds)
Wednesday, March 26, 5:30 p.m. – Evening Prayer, with homily by Hal Edmonson
Wednesday, March 26, 6 p.m. – Community Dinner, hosted by the Joyner family (parish hall)
Wednesday, March 26, 7 p.m. – Parish Choir Rehearsal (parish hall)
Thursday, March 27, 7:30 a.m. – Drop-in Bible Study (details below)
| | Thanksgiving and Memorial Gifts for Easter | | |
St. Paul’s is blessed by the ministry of our Flower Guild, parishioners who volunteer throughout the year to enhance our worship with beautiful floral arrangements. At Easter, the church is adorned with dozens of Easter lilies. Parishioners are encouraged to support the ministry of the Flower Guild by making thanksgiving and memorial gifts for Easter. The names of all who are remembered or honored will be printed in our Easter bulletins. Contact Office Manager Alice Fitch (alice.fitch@spmcuva.org or 434-295-2156) by noon on Monday, April 14, to contribute and add names to the Easter lily list.
| | Thank God It's Wednesday (TGIW) | | |
Painting Fun – Following the TGIW service next Wednesday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m., children & youth of all ages are invited to join University Fellowship students in the courtyard where we will be painting the picnic table and Adirondack chairs. Wear something you can get paint on, grab some dinner, and add some color and style to our outdoor seating!
| | Weekday Worship at St. Paul's | | |
Parishioners, newcomers, and visitors are always welcome at any of our services. Familiarity with the service is neither necessary nor expected. Come once, come once in a while, or come regularly.
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Lenten Morning Prayer in the Chapel – At 8 a.m. each weekday during Lent, all are invited to a brief service of Morning Prayer. The service is hosted by The University Fellowship and includes a short meditation guided by the daily reflections offered in St. Paul’s Lenten Meditation Booklet. A simple, free, here-or-to-go breakfast follows in the parish hall.
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Weekday Morning Prayer on Zoom – Morning Prayer is offered on Zoom Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. throughout the year. Participants have found in the Daily Office an expansion of their spiritual lives, a quiet grounding for each day, and a warm experience of prayerful community.
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Monday Compline – Every Monday at 8 p.m., the ancient office of Compline is sung in the choir stalls at the front of St. Paul’s. Compline is a brief, quiet, candlelit service of prayer, contemplation, and a few simple chants.
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Tuesday Eucharist – A simple midday Eucharist takes place in the Chapel every Tuesday at 12:15 with a small congregation representing a friendly mixture of regular Sunday parishioners and neighbors enjoying a prayerful lunch break.
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Wednesday Evening Prayer and Community Dinner – Every Wednesday at 5:30, a brief, informal, kid-friendly prayer service takes place in the Chapel, followed by dinner for all.
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Baptism with water in the name of the Triune God is the essential, universal sign of Christian identity in all times and places and denominations. This spring and summer, St. Paul’s offers baptism (for infants, children, and adults) at the Easter Vigil on the evening of Saturday, April 19; at the Bishop’s visit on Sunday, April 27; and at our Pentecost celebration on Sunday, June 8.
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Confirmation (along with its close cousins Reception and Reaffirmation) is the mature public affirmation of faith and commitment to the responsibilities of baptism that Christians in our tradition make in the presence of a Bishop, receiving the laying on of hands. On Sunday, April 27 at the 10 a.m. service, the Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris will administer this sacrament at St. Paul’s. Confirmation exploration and preparation for high-school students is available this spring primarily during Common Hour on Sundays; contact Heather Annis for more information. Adults are invited to explore confirmation over dinner on Wednesdays in Lent; contact the Rev. Will Peyton. Undergraduates are invited to participate with the Wednesday group, or to join a student-focused group on Sunday afternoons; contact the Rev. Peter Kang.
| | If you would like to explore the possibility of being confirmed or received, or if you have questions about baptism for yourself or for an infant or young child, please contact any of the clergy, or call or email the office to be put in touch (434-295-2156 or office@spmcuva.org). | | |
Building a More Just Charlottesville: Join Us for the Nehemiah Action – Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are invited to participate in IMPACT’s annual Nehemiah Action on Tuesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the MLK Performing Arts Center, Charlottesville High School. This powerful event unites local faith communities in advocating for social justice in the Charlottesville area.
St. Paul’s is a founding member of IMPACT, a coalition of over two dozen local congregations working for positive change for the poor and marginalized in our community.
At the Nehemiah Action, St. Paul’s parishioners will join hundreds of others from various local churches to seek commitments from county officials on solutions for funding affordable housing, reducing public transportation wait times, and staffing the women’s treatment center.
We hope to see 100 St. Paul’s parishioners attend this year as we demonstrate our commitment to a more just Charlottesville. Please consider inviting at least three others to join you at this important event. Your presence will show our collective dedication to a more equitable community. Together, we can make a difference!
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Lenten Dinner & Compline – Parishioners, newcomers, and friends in their 20s and 30s are invited to join the St. Paul’s 20s & 30s group next Monday, March 24, for a special Lenten evening. We will gather at 7 p.m. at Mellow Mushroom (on the Corner) for dinner, then walk over to St. Paul's for the Compline service at 8 p.m. Contact Assistant Rector Caroline Carter at caroline.carter@spmcuva.org for more information, or if you plan to attend.
| | Holding each other's joys, sorrows, and concerns before God in prayer is a spiritual practice that characterizes our life together at St. Paul's. In our worship services we pray each other's prayers together. Outside of our time together many parishioners make it part of their daily lives to pray the prayers of the parish community. You are invited to participate in your own way. | |
Thanks be to God
for all the blessings of our lives, and for the faith, fellowship, and ministries of this parish community.
for the birth last weekend of Sterling Ajay Cabot-Shah, son of Maya Cabot & Binit Shah, and brother of Frances & Avi.
for the faithful generosity of the 225 St. Paul's parishioners and friends who have made building centennial campaign pledges since the start of the campaign in September 2023, the 261 St. Paul’s parishioners and friends who have made 2025 annual stewardship pledges, and all who support our life and ministries.
Your prayers are requested
by members and friends of St. Paul’s for David, Pierce, Jim, Bob, Helen, John Ritchie, Marianne Story, Kathy & Brett Blizzard, C.W. & Bill, Emily Merkel, David Lee, Keith, N., Chuck, Sharon, Mo Lowdon, Margaret, Logan Strzepek, Lucy Everett, Helen Reynolds, Townson, Karl, Joe Piorkowski, E., Jean, the McCullough family, Whit Worman, Jimmy White, Audi, Matt & Rebecca Argon, Hunter, Virgil Corbin, Steve Pretzinger, Barbara & Paul Estes, Arlo, Clive & Wilma, M.C. & family, Paula, Fouad Fadil, Carrie, Grace, Sarah Donaldson, Kim, Katharine Scott, Joy, Lynne, Julia Welbon, Elizabeth, Hoy, Greg Alexander, Brant Hopper, Betsy, Jay, Catherine, Dianne Sprouse Mills, Ann, Leslie & her family, Lila, Aimee & Jeff, Neel, Holly & her family, Alise Martinez, Anne, Mary Brenda, John Gergen, Rhonda Corbin, Daniel Solomon, Mildred Robinson, Pope Francis, Ed Wright, Jean, Charlotte, Ken Moulton.
for St. Paul's in this season of Lent, that by self-examination and repentance, we may be renewed for joyful service to the Church and the world.
for middle schoolers on retreat at Shrine Mont this weekend including Charlotte Hoppe and Margaux Pivert; and for their chaperones Heather Annis and Barry Keith.
for neighbors who are homeless or struggling to pay rent, and for all our partners in IMPACT as we look forward to the Nehemiah Action on Tuesday, April 8.
for Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, and for all our neighbors, including students, staff, faculty, and administrators.
for peace throughout the world, and for all who are threatened, injured, and bereaved by violence.
for the Bishops of the Episcopal Church as they gather for the House of Bishops meeting this weekend.
for Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America, according to the Anglican Cycle of Prayer.
for the nation and the world, for an end to violence, hunger, injustice, and oppression.
We commend to God’s never-failing care
the faithful departed throughout the world, and all those known to God alone.
all those we love but see no more, including John Thomas Casteen III and Donna Hanna (Margaret Mohrmann's sister).
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