Lent and Easter

Lent Begins:

Tuesday, February 21 - 11:30 am

Grace will offer its annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Luncheon, a tradition since 1913, on Tuesday February 19. This year the Luncheon will be held 11:30 am - 1:00 pm in the parish hall of the Church. The event honors the passing of the season of Epiphany into Lent.

Donations will be accepted at the door.

ASH WEDNESDAY

February 22

Lent – the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday – is a season of renewal. Each service includes Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes – ashes for penitence and sorrow, ashes of our mortality and our hope for renewal.

Lenten Programs:

The Gospel in Lent

Beginning Sunday, February 26 - 9:00 am

The Rev. Esme J. Culver and The Rev. Stephen V. Schneider

Our Sunday morning Bible Study during the season of Lent will focus on the Lenten Gospel lessons as taken from the gospels of Mark and John. Participants are encouraged to read the lessons in advance of the Sunday Bible study.

Breakfast with Benedict in Lent

Beginning Wednesday, February 29 - 7:00 am

Back by popular demand, this early morning opportunity for Morning Devotions, Lenten readings and Bible study according to the Rule of St. Benedict, will meet for four Wednesdays beginning on February 29th until March 21st.

This morning refreshment for body, mind and spirit will enliven your day and enrich your journey throughout Lent.

All are welcome. For questions or more details, please contact .

Wednesdays at Grace in Lent

The Four Arms of the Cross

Beginning Wednesday, February 29

The Rev. Stephen V. Schneider & The Rev. Esme J. Culver with guest speakers

6:00 pm Lenten Soup Supper
6:30 pm Evening Prayer
7:00 pm Program

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my sisters and brothers ye have done it unto me.

– Matthew 25:40b

At Grace we have seen our mission visually expressed by the four arms of the Jerusalem Cross, with each arm of the cross representing a pathway for our common mission. During each of four Wednesday evenings in Lent we will explore one of these arms of the cross:

· Arts & Culture – Peru
· Education & Formation – St. Perpetua
· Health & Healing – Trauma & Homelessness
· Justice & Compassion – The New Sanctuary Movement

Pre-Holy Week Quiet Day

Bishop’s Close, March 31^st 9:00-2:00pm

You are invited for a few hours to quiet mind and soul in preparation for entering into Holy Week and Easter in a deeply profound way. In the beautiful and peaceful setting of the nearby Bishop’s Close, we contemplate God’s desire for each of us as we walk with Christ to the Cross. We lay down our burdens and sacrifices there and find new strength, insight and intention in response to God’s call to each of us. Light morning refreshments and lunch will be provided. For further details or questions, please contact Mother Esme.

Holy Week

PALM SUNDAY - April 1

At 10:00 am the People gather the Courtyard for the Blessing of the Palms, followed by a procession around the church singing “Hosanna.” This Sunday is also Passion Sunday, and the service includes a solemn dramatic reading of The Passion according to Luke in many voices.

Maundy Thursday Agapé Meal

April 6 - 6:00 pm

The Grace Memorial Community is invited to share in a simple Middle Eastern-style dinner before attending The Maundy Thursday Liturgy. The Meal will begin at 6:00 pm, to allow individuals and families the opportunity to share a relaxed meal before the 7:30 pm service.

A donation of $5.00/adult and $2.00/child is suggested.

The Great Three Days

These “Great Three Days” – sometimes called the Paschal Triduum – are known in the calendar of the church as Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

MAUNDY THURSDAY - Thursday, April 6

On Maundy Thursday we are reminded of Jesus’ commandment: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” [John 13: 34] (The word maundy is derived from the Latin word, mandatum, meaning commandment.) In the act of the washing of feet, we are reminded of our call to love and serve one another as Jesus loved and served the first disciples. This 7:30 pm service includes the washing of feet and Holy Communion.

GOOD FRIDAY - Friday, April 7

At the Good Friday liturgy we experience the depth of God’s love demonstrated in the self-giving act of Jesus on the cross. The cross is a harsh symbol and we receive the reserved sacrament on this night at the foot of a large wooden cross. We are then brought into sudden darkness and that sense of absence which comes with death.

The Coventry Choir offers special music at the 7:30 pm Good Friday Liturgy, which includes devotion before the cross.

GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER

Saturday, April 7 - 8:00 pm

During the Great Vigil we follow the triumph of love as we go from darkness to the first light of Easter. The service begins in darkness with the kindling of the new fire and the lighting of the Paschal candle and moves into a retelling of our sacred history with a service of lessons. Holy Baptism precedes the first Eucharist of Easter.

This service, held at 8:00 pm, includes the use of incense.

Holy Saturday Labyrinth Walk

April 7 - 12:00 noon

The winding path of the labyrinth is sometimes called the “Road to Jerusalem,” a reference that is particularly appropriate as the Lenten Season nears its end. As a spiritual tool, the labyrinth offers walkers the opportunity for a metaphorical walk to Jerusalem. Here, in this sacred space, walkers may contemplate the Paschal Mystery, and its meaning for us today.

This year’s walk will begin at 12:00 noon.

EASTER SUNDAY

April 8 - 10:00 am

The Festive Choral Eucharist begins at 10:00 am on April 8. Children participate in the Flowering of the Cross at the beginning of this joy-filled service, with special music by the Coventry Choir and Bell Choir.

(An Easter egg hunt for children follows the service.)