Holy Week & Easter Schedule

Palm Sunday
Holy Eucharist & Liturgy of the Palms
16 March ~ 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Weekday Holy Eucharist
7:30 a.m. Monday & Tuesday

7:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
in the Chapel of the Carpenter

Maundy Thursday
Lamb Feast& Holy Eucharist
20 March ~ 6:30 p.m.

followed by the stripping of
the altar and prayer in the garden of repose

Liturgy of Good Friday
21 March ~ 6:30 p.m. ~
in the Chapel of the Carpenter

Liturgy of Holy Saturday
22 March ~ Noon
in the Chapel of the Carpenter

Easter Sunday
23 March
9 a.m. ~ Festival Holy Eucharist
10 a.m. ~ Easter Egg Hunt & Reception
11 a.m. ~ Festival Holy Eucharist
12:15 p.m ~ Reception

Holy Baptism

This is how all Christians are initiated into the life of the Church and into the Body of Christ. Through Baptism we share in Christ's death and in his resurrection from the dead. Holy Baptism informs us about our Covenant with God. Baptism is meant to be a public act in which the congregation welcomes the newly baptized into the community as all present make or re-affirm the vows of the Baptismal Covenant. The church sets aside certain days as especially appropriate for Holy Baptism: Easter, Pentecost, All Saints' Day, and the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. Baptism, however, is not limited to those days. Should anyone desire additional information about Baptism, please contact the Parish Office or the clergy.

Feasts of the Church

The Church Year is filled with feasts and observances on days other than Sundays. Special services are held on Ash Wednesday as Lent begins. Holy Week, the week preceding Easter, begins with the Liturgy of the Palms on Palm Sunday. During Holy Week itself, in addition to daily Eucharist, there are liturgies on Maundy Thursday with stripping of the altar and a procession to the Chapel. There, the Blessed Sacrament will be in repose in a beautiful garden-like setting where parishioners will keep vigil well into the night. On Good Friday an ecumenical service (sponsored by the Georgetown Clergy Association) is held in one of the Georgetown churches at noon. The traditional liturgy from The Book of Common Prayer provides the basis for a service at 6:30 p.m. held in our own Chapel of the Carpenter.

The Blessing of the Animals

On the first Sunday of October, Saint John's welcomes the larger community and their "variously-footed" friends to our front lawn. Representation at this event spans a wide gamut: members of Saint John's, those who may just be walking by, cats, dogs, birds, the occasional horse, fish, and a wide array of other examples of the life preserved by Noah and his family on the ark. This is held near the Feast of Saint Francis, who gloried in God as experienced in "all creatures of our God and King."

Christmas Pageant

The Church School children participate in the Christmas Pageant at the 4:00 p.m. service on Christmas Eve in the church. A rehearsal for this pageant is held the Saturday or Sunday before Christmas Eve, and another one just before the service itself. The Christmas pageant is one of the true wonders of Christmas at Saint John's.