Parishioners, newcomers, and friends in their 20s and 30s are invited to sit together and enjoy soup and conversation at the first Common Hour Sunday of our Lenten series on faith and science on Sunday, February 22. Afterwards we will head to Cou Cou Rachou for refreshments and pastries. For questions or to be added to the 20s & 30s email list, contact the Rev. Caroline Carter: caroline.carter@spmcuva.org.

On Ash Wednesday, February 18, worship services are scheduled for 7:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent with a special liturgy that invites the congregation into a season of reflective self-examination in preparation for Easter. At the 6:30 service, the parish choir will offer a beautiful setting of Miserere, my Maker by Bob Chilcott. This comes from Chilcott's larger work, St. John Passion, which will be sung on Palm Sunday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m. in a special choral worship service to begin Holy Week.

Parishioners, friends, and neighbors of all ages are invited to our Shrove Tuesday pancake supper on Tuesday, February 17, at 6 p.m. in the parish hall. Financial donations are also encouraged at the dinner, with all proceeds supporting Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. Please come hungry and give generously!

The Annual Meeting of the parish will be held on Sunday, February 1, immediately following the 10 a.m. service, followed by a social reception in the Parish Hall. All parishioners are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting. The meeting will include our Vestry election, reports from the rector, senior warden, and treasurer, and a look back at 2025 highlights.

With a major snowstorm in the forecast this weekend, we have cancelled Sunday's potluck dinner and rescheduled our Annual Parish Meeting to next Wednesday, January 28, following the 5:30 service, as part of our regular Thank God It's Wednesday activities, with dinner provided for all.

TGIW 2026 begins on January 14, and continues through April 29. One of the hallmarks of parish life at St. Paul’s is our intergenerational Wednesday service and community dinner every Wednesday during the spring and fall semesters. Everyone is welcome for a brief, child-friendly service of worship at 5:30—usually lay-led, often featuring student homilists—followed by a simple but hearty dinner for all in the parish hall.

Parishioners, friends, and neighbors of all ages are invited to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with us at our special Epiphany celebrations on Tuesday, January 6, at 12:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

At 12:15 p.m., we will offer a simple spoken eucharhist with the propers for Epiphany.

At 5:30 p.m., in addition to a brief, informal, family-friendly service in the style of our regular Wednesday evening prayers, you can expect royal visitors, King cake, hot cocoa, and cider around the Epiphany bonfire, which will be kindled outdoors immediately after the service. This year’s celebration will also include a special “blessing of chalk,” with pieces of chalk made available to take to observe the fun Epiphany custom of “Chalking the Door” at your homes.  

Epiphany recalls the revelation of Jesus’s divine glory to mysterious visitors from “the East,” those foreign travelers variously known as the wise men, the three kings, or the magi. During the season of Epiphany, we remember and celebrate the appearance of Christ as the “light of the world,” and the fulfillment of the prophecy, “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:3). We also remember that we are called to reflect that light in our lives, so that others might come to know the wonders of God’s love and transformative power of God’s grace. 

“Chalking the door” is a centuries-old way to celebrate and (literally) mark the occasion of Epiphany with God’s blessing upon our lives and homes. Each year, using blessed chalk, people mark the doorpost of their home with an inscription of the new year separated by C+M+B. For instance, in 2026, the inscription is 20+C+M+B+26. “C+M+B” stands for the Latin words Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which means “May Christ bless this house.” The letters also recall the names traditionally ascribed to the magi who visited Christ: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.

Christmas Day Holy Eucharist

9:30 p.m. - Festive Musical Prelude

10:00 p.m. - Christmas Eucharist with Parish Choir & String Quartet

Please join us at 4 p.m. for a family-friendly Christmas Eve service which includes our Christmas Pageant. This service is also accessible via Zoom.

Parishioners, friends, and neighbors of all ages are invited to our annual celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas on Wednesday, December 10, at 5:30 p.m. There will be caroling, storytelling, and if tradition holds, perhaps even a visit from St. Nicholas himself! The brief service will be followed by dinner for all in the parish hall, with potluck Christmas cookies and hot chocolate for dessert.

On Sunday, December 7, at 6:30 p.m. the Parish Choir and Junior Choir combine for a classic candlelit service of Advent Lessons & Carols. Readings, anthems, hymns, and prayers prepare the way for the joyful Christmas season. Stay for cookies on the front steps after the service!

Enrich your experience of Advent with a morning retreat on Saturday, December 6, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Chapel. We Episcopalians normally hear three or four readings from the Bible every Sunday, but what about the rest of the week? As Advent begins, you are invited to refresh or begin a spiritual practice of regular Bible reading. Join Vickie Gottlob in considering a variety of ways to engage with the scriptures personally and prayerfully. The morning will include time for individual reflection as well as discussion and practice in reading scripture together. Coffee, bagels, and fellowship in the parish hall begins at 8:30 a.m.

Parishioners, newcomers, and friends in their 20s and 30s are invited to a social brunch—no host, no RSVP, no stress—at Kardinal Hall on Sunday, November 30. Meet in the parish hall after Common Hour. For questions or to be added to our 20s & 30s email list, contact Assistant Rector Caroline Carter at caroline.carter@spmcuva.org.

Parishioners and friends of all ages are invited to keep a holy Advent at home by making Advent wreaths during Common Hour following the 10 a.m. service on the First Sunday of Advent, November 30. All materials will be provided. Doughnut wreath-making for kids is back by popular demand!

Celebrate Thanksgiving in worship at St. Paul's! Our 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day Holy Eucharist in the Chapel is brief and joyful, with traditional Thanksgiving hymns.

On Sunday, November 16, at 5:30 p.m., a chili cook-off featuring student hosts from The University Fellowship and celebrity judges from the parish and the Diocese of Virginia will precede a special service of Choral Compline at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome!

Choral Compline is a beautiful, contemplative, musical service led by a small ensemble featuring St. Paul's Choral Scholars. The service includes music of the Renaissance and plainsong by candlelight, as well as a brief homily.

Chili Cook-off – Parishioners are encouraged to bring a pot of their favorite chili for a chance to win honor, bragging rights, and the esteemed “golden ladle.” The University Fellowship will collect donations of any amount to support UVA’s Student Mutual Aid Fund, which is run by the Student Council and provides no-strings-attached grants for students in emergency situations.

On Tuesday, November 4, we will have a prayer service at 8 a.m. as well as our regular Tuesday Eucharist at 12:15 p.m., both of which will include special prayers for the nation as we remember the sacred responsibility of elected officials and voters to seek justice and peace for all people.

On Wednesday, October 29, immediately following our informal, family-friendly 5:30 p.m. service, kids of all ages are invited for our annual outdoor (weather permitting) pumpkin-carving and pizza party. Bring your own pumpkin (we'll bring the carving tools). Halloween costumes are encouraged! Activities for children include a pumpkin pinata and a Halloween-themed mini golf course. Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are all welcome.

Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are encouraged to participate in IMPACT's Annual Assembly on Monday, October 27, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Church of the Incarnation (1465 Incarnation Drive). St. Paul's is a founding member of IMPACT, a faith-based justice ministry coalition of more than two dozen local congregations with a proven track record of effecting positive change for the poor and marginalized in the Charlottesville area. We will gather with IMPACT's other member congregations to kick off the next year of doing justice together, drawing inspiration from testimonies and stories from neighbors yearning for a more just Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Director of Music & Organist Deke Polifka will present a solo organ recital showcasing the total restoration and expansion of the 1926 E. M. Skinner pipe organ, Op. 597, by the A. Thompson-Allen Co. of New Haven, CT. Parishioners, friends, neighbors, and visitors are invited to this free concert which features music by Widor, Whitlock, Bach, Howells, Portman and Spicer. A brief reception will follow the recital, preceding Evening Prayer at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel.

Parishioners, friends, neighbors, and pets of every description are invited to gather in the church on Wednesday, October 1, at 5:30 p.m. for a brief, beautiful, and potentially chaotic service of prayer, music, and pet blessings. Dinner for all will follow on the lawn outside the church. Blessings will be available for any live animal you care to bring, as well as for stuffed animals and photographs of absent pets.

On Sunday, September 28, guest organist Dr. Christopher Reynolds (Director of Music and Organist at St. Paul's, Richmond)* will present a 30-minute organ recital at 6 p.m., followed by Choral Evensong for the Feast of St. Michael & All Angels, sung by our Parish Choir.

Dr. Reynolds will play works by Dubois, Willan, Howells, Manz and Mendelssohn, showcasing our newly restored 1926 E. M. Skinner pipe organ. Evensong includes the St. Paul’s Service by Herbert Howells and Edward Bairstow’s haunting setting of Let all mortal flesh keep silence, as well as festive hymns and service music by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange and John Goss.

Choral Evensong, considered the crown jewel of the Anglican choral tradition, is a form of Evening Prayer that draws from the medieval Latin offices of Vespers and Compline. This service is unique to churches of the Anglican Communion and has remained unchanged for centuries. All are invited to this beautiful service of music and prayers.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the service.

* Christopher Reynolds is Director of Music and Organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Capitol Square in Richmond, VA, where he oversees an active music ministry in this historic parish. Prior to serving at St. Paul’s, he was the Associate Director of Music at Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Christopher studied with world renowned organist, Dr. Marilyn Mason, while earning a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance and Church Music from the University of Michigan. Prior studies were at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA, where he studied with Dr. Steven Cooksey and Dr. W. Dudley Oakes. Christopher holds the Choirmaster Certificate from the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and is also active with the Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM). Christopher is the former Dean of the Detroit and Richmond chapters of the AGO and was recently appointed the fourth artistic director of the Richmond Men’s Chorus.

Parishioners, newcomers, visitors, and friends are warmly invited to St. Paul’s on Wednesday, August 27, at 5:30 p.m. as we resume our Wednesday Evening Prayer service in the Chapel, followed by a Welcome Back Picnic. Help us celebrate as we begin our program year and welcome new and returning UVA students. The Primary, Junior, and Parish Choirs all resume rehearsals that day as well.

On Sunday, August 24, we will kick off our fall programming, including fellowship and Christian formation programs for all ages. The 6:30 p.m. evening worship service, followed by food and fellowship, will also resume on the 24th.