Palm Sunday Worship | April 2
Holy Eucharist Rite I | 8:15 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II with Children’s Chapel | 10:30 a.m.
Contemplative Evening Prayer | 5:30 p.m.
Palm Sunday begins our observance of Holy Week, as we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem with the distribution of blessed palm leaves and a joyful procession into the church. The mood shifts quickly when we turn to a reading of the Passion, where we remember the final moments of Jesus’ life and his death on the cross. The dramatic shift from joy to sadness on Palm Sunday serves as a frame and foundation for the rest of Holy Week. *Please note: there will be no Children’s Formation, Rector’s Forum, or Youth Gathering on Palm Sunday. The nursery will be available for the morning services only.
Maundy Thursday Worship with Foot-washing and Concurrent Children’s Service
Thursday, April 6 | 5:30 p.m.
On Maundy Thursday, we enter the Holy Triduum with Jesus and his disciples on the night before his death, through our remembrance of the Last Supper and the ritual of foot-washing (optional, but encouraged). The name ‘Maundy Thursday’ comes from the Latin mandatum, or mandate, and is used for this holy night because this is the night Jesus gave a mandate to his disciples: to love one another as he loved them. Our sisters and brothers in Christ at Mt. Calvary Baptist church will be invited to join us for this special service. Children will begin the service with their adults, and then be led to the Children’s Chapel for a concurrent Children’s Maundy Thursday service including foot washing, simulation of the Last Supper, and stripping of the Children’s altar. Special crafts and a pizza dinner will be provided. Nursery care will be available from 5:15–7:45 p.m, for children ages birth through 3 years old.
Agapé Meal | Parish Hall
Thursday, April 6 | 6:30 p.m.
After we receive Holy Communion in the church, we will move into the Parish Hall for a simple Agapé meal, or “Love feast.” This quiet, contemplative meal is an ancient Christian practice of fellowship and community. During the meal, there will be a reading of the 17th chapter of John’s Gospel before the congregation processes back into the church for the Stripping of the Altar.
Maundy Thursday Stripping of the Altar
Thursday, April 6 | 7:30 p.m.
During this brief but powerful reminder of Jesus’ humiliation before his death, the clergy will remove all decorative and other items from the chancel area and wash the bare altar. At the end, we will all leave the church in silence as we move into Good Friday.
Good Friday Worship
Friday, April 7 | 12:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
In this service, we enter into the mystery of God’s love revealed on the hard wood of the cross, “a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.” Join us as we remember what Jesus suffered for us, and experience the feelings of sorrow and regret that arise for our share in the brokenness of the world. It is a day of intense sorrow, but it is a sorrow that holds tightly to Christian hope. Nursery care will be provided at the 5:30 p.m. service. There will not be Children’s Chapel at either service.
Good Friday Children’s Stations of the Cross
Friday, April 7 | 4:00 p.m., St. Paul’s, Ivy Grounds
On Good Friday, we continue the tradition of recounting each step of Jesus’ final journey to the cross. Children and their adults are invited to join us as we enter into the mystery of God’s love revealed on the hard wood of the cross through our intergenerational of Stations of the Cross. We’ll process through the church grounds as we recount each step of Jesus’ final journey to the cross. If you are interested in learning more, please email Audi Barlow, Director of Children and Youth Formation.
Holy Saturday Worship
Saturday, April 8 | 10:30 a.m., St. Paul’s, Ivy Graveyard
Experience the “in-between time” of Holy Saturday morning, a threshold day of waiting, when all is still and death seems to have had the last word. We will gather in the graveyard to remember loved ones who have died in the Christian hope. This service will be a time for quiet prayer, where, in the midst of the budding flowers of Spring, we will hope to catch a glimpse of resurrection life to come. Nursery care will not be provided for this service.
The Great Vigil of Easter
Saturday, April 8 | 8:00 p.m.
This dramatic service of extraordinary depth and beauty leads us through the profound shift from the darkness of Good Friday and Holy Saturday and into the beauty and light of the resurrection of our Lord on Easter. It begins in the darkened church, and consists of four parts: The Service of Light (kindling of new fire outside the church, lighting the Paschal candle); The Service of Lessons (the telling of the story of our salvation history); Baptisms, Confirmations and Receptions into The Episcopal Church (on occasion); and the very first Eucharist of Easter. After the service, join us for a cake and bubbly reception in the Parish Hall. Please note: this service lasts about 2 hours. Incense will be present, and nursery care will not be provided.
Easter Sunday, April 9
On Easter morning, we will continue our celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord and the Christian hope it brings to the world with three services and one Easter egg hunt!
Traditional Easter Service (Rite I) | 7:30 a.m.
This Rite I service with traditional language will feature Easter hymnody from our organ.
Family Service with Choir and Brass (Rite II) | 9:00 a.m.
This joyful and boisterous service will feature music from our choir, organ, and a brass ensemble, as well as an Easter children’s homily. An Easter egg hunt on the lawn will follow. Nursery care will be provided.
Easter Sunday Children’s Easter Egg Hunt | 10:00 a.m., St. Paul’s, Ivy Lawn
Bring your baskets to the 9:00 a.m. service and stay for our beloved Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn!
Traditional Easter Service with Choir and Brass (Rite II) | 11:00 a.m.
Our final service on Easter morning will again feature special music from the choir, organ, and a brass ensemble. Nursery care will be provided. No children’s chapel at this service, and no Youth Gathering this evening.
To learn more about experiencing Lent, Holy Week and Easter at St. Paul’s, Ivy click here.
Please note: Our Church Office will be closed Monday through Friday, April 10–14
Please note that the church office will be closed the week following Easter Sunday. In case of a pastoral emergency, please call the church office at 434-979-6354 and you will be directed to the clergy on call. We look forward to seeing you in church again on Sunday, April 16.