Our worship is based on the traditions that came down to us through the ages. We celebrate the Holy Eucharist on Sunday mornings with a sung Mass supported by our small, professional choir. We celebrate low Masses on major feast days. Evening Prayer is available on Wednesdays as well.
We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the King James version of the Bible in all our services. Although the poetic language of our liturgy dates to the sixteenth century, many elements of our service derive from the first century and earlier; some of the prayers and all the Psalms go back thousands of years. In order to help us focus better on these words of Sunday worship, our choir leads us as we chant the liturgical elements—both the regularly repeated portions such as the Gloria, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Agnus Dei and the parts that change from week to week, typically portions of the Psalms that coincide with the other Scripture readings. Many Plainsong and Gregorian chants we use are from the ninth and tenth centuries.
The Christian calendar informs our liturgy, with each season focusing on a portion of the Life of Christ and His Church. In the four weeks before Christmas, we celebrate Advent: the first and second coming of Jesus Christ into the world. During the 12 days of Christmas, we commemorate his birth as a son of Mary and Joseph. The six Sundays of Epiphany remind us of the many ways in which God has revealed himself to the world. In the penitential season of Lent, we remind ourselves of the sacrifices necessary to follow Jesus as he set his face steadfastly toward Jerusalem and the Cross. Holy Week is filled with special services such as the Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services in which we follow Jesus as he enters Jerusalem as a king, prepares his followers for his coming death, and then sacrifices himself on the cross for sins of the world. Easter is the glorious season of celebration of his Resurrection and the defeat of all our enemies. Instead of just one Sunday of celebration, we commemorate that great event for seven Sundays. At Pentecost, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. We follow the growth of the Church and concentrate on our own growth throughout the long season of Trinity. As the year wears on, we yearn for the return of the King, which we celebrate at Advent: the end and the beginning of the Christian year.