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.
9:30 p.m. - Festive Musical Prelude
10:00 p.m. - Christmas Eucharist with Parish Choir & String Quartet
Christmas Day Holy Eucharist
Parishioners, friends, and neighbors of all ages are invited to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany at our Epiphany celebration on Sunday, January 5, 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, and hot cider around the new fire of Epiphany, which will be kindled outdoors immediately after the service.
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. In keeping with the tradition that their journey might have taken twelve days from the appearance of the star at Jesus’s birth, Epiphany is always the 6th of January, and marks the end of the Christmas season. In many churches, its observance is allowed to supplant the Second Sunday of Christmas (which can only fall on January 2, 3, 4, or 5 – too early!) or the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (which is always the first Sunday after the 6th – too late!). This year at St. Paul’s, we’re only cheating by a few hours, celebrating Epiphany in the evening on the 5th. At Sunday morning’s services we’ll keep the Second Sunday of Christmas so we don’t miss the Gospel story of the time that Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus spent as refugees in Egypt.
This year’s annual meeting will be preceded by a festive potluck dinner. The dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. Vestry members and other parish leaders will be "hosting" individual potluck tables, each with its own theme. Childcare will be provided for the dinner and the meeting. RSVP details coming soon!
The Annual Meeting of the parish will be held on January 26 at 6:30 p.m., preceded by a potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m., and followed by our usual Sunday Evening Prayer service at 7:30 p.m.
All parishioners are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting. The meeting will include our Vestry election, reports from the rector, wardens, and treasurer, and a look back at 2024 highlights.
Parishioners, friends, and neighbors of all ages are invited to our annual celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas on Wednesday, December 11, 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. Please bring a plate of festive Christmas cookies to share!
On Sunday, December 8, at 5:30 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 and hot chocolate on the front steps after the service!
Enrich your experience of Advent with a morning retreat, "Annunciation and the Prayers of Advent,” led by the Rev. Dr. Elly Brown and Vickie Gottlob on Saturday, December 7, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Chapel. Coffee and fellowship in the Parish Hall begins at 8:30 a.m.
Parishioners and friends of all ages are invited to make Advent wreaths during Common Hour following the 10 a.m. service on the First Sunday of Advent, December 1. All materials will be provided.
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 17, at 7:30 p.m., a small ensemble, featuring our Choral Scholars, sings music of the Renaissance and plainsong by candlelight, for the ancient office of Compline. Music of Robert Parsons, William Mundy and Palestrina. Join us for this peaceful, beautiful, candlelit service. Join us for this peaceful, beautiful, candlelit service.
St. Paul’s is joining forces with Child Health Partnership to collect 200 coats for children and their parents across the Greater Charlottesville area. Child Health Partnership is a local nonprofit whose mission is to provide at-home support to children and parents to promote the health and wellbeing of families facing challenges in our community.
To sign up to provide a coat for a particular individual or for a whole family, or to provide a financial contribution towards the effort, please contact Assistant Rector Caroline Carter at caroline.carter@spmcuva.org.
Join us in helping our neighbors stay warm this winter!
Parents with kids birth through high school are invited to a social mixer on Friday, November 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the home of William Taylor and Jacqueline Langholtz. Drinks and light bites will be provided. Contact the church office for more information: to office@spmcuva.org.
On Tuesday, November 5, 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.
Parishioners, newcomers, and friends in their 20s and 30s are invited to a social brunch—no host, no RSVP, no stress—at a local restaurant on Sunday, November 3. Meet in the parish hall during the Common Hour reception. For questions or to be added to our 20s & 30s email list, contact Assistant Rector Caroline Carter at caroline.carter@spmcuva.org.
On Friday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m., the St. Paul’s Parish Choir, conducted by Deke Polifka and accompanied by guest organist Edward Alan Moore, will present music of Maurice Duruflé: Requiem, Op. 9 for choir, organ and soloists; Prélude, adagio et choral varié sur le Veni Creator, Op. 4; Ubi caritas, Op. 10.
On Wednesday, October 30, immediately following our informal, all-ages 5:30 p.m. service in the chapel, all are invited for an outdoor (weather permitting) pumpkin-carving and pizza party. Bring your own pumpkin and something to carve it with (we'll have a few extra carving tools to share). Halloween costumes are encouraged! Activities for kids include a special Halloween Egg Hunt, a photo booth, and face painting. Parishioners, friends and neighbors are all welcome.
Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are encouraged to participate in IMPACT's Annual Assembly on Monday, October 28, from 6:30 - 8 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.
St. Paul's will host a choral evensong on Sunday, October 13, at 7:30 p.m. with Zephyrus Early Music Ensemble.
Parishioners, friends, neighbors, and pets of every description are invited to gather in the church on Wednesday, October 2, 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.
St. Paul's will host a choral evensong on Sunday, September 29, at 7:30 p.m. with the combined choirs of St. Paul’s and Christ Church, Charlottesville.
On Saturday, September 7, at 7 p.m., Nathan Laube, one of the world's foremost organists, will present a solo recital to celebrate the completion of the total restoration and expansion of our 1926 E. M. Skinner pipe organ, Op. 597, by the A. Thompson-Allen Co. of New Haven, Conn. Mr. Laube will play works by Widor, Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, Sowerby and Jongen.
Parishioners, friends, neighbors, and visitors are invited to this free concert and the festive reception that follows.
This year's Cville Pride will take place on Saturday, September 7, from noon to 7:30 p.m. at the Ting Pavilion. The Mission & Service Committee, with help from The University Fellowship (TUF) and the St. Paul’s Youth Group, is taking the lead on representing the parish. Parishioners are invited to help out or simply to stop by the St. Paul’s table as we celebrate and share with our neighbors the good news of inclusive, LGBTQ-affirming, Christian community. For more information, contact Assistant Rector Caroline Carter at caroline.carter@spmcuva.org.
Families with nursery-aged kids are invited to an informal gathering at a parishioner’s home on Saturday, September 7, at 10 a.m. There will be a toddler-friendly waffle bar with plenty of toppings, fruit salad, adult-friendly bites, and lots of coffee! Please contact Director of Children’s, Youth & Family Ministries Heather Annis for more info: heather.annis@spmcuva.org.
Shrine Mont 2024: August 30-September 1
Save the date for St. Paul’s annual parish weekend at Shrine Mont, the Diocese of Virginia’s spectacular mountain retreat center in Orkney Springs, Virginia. The weekend offers fun, fellowship, relaxation and renewal for families, undergraduates, elders, and everyone else—including newcomers—with activities for all ages, and plenty of non-activity for those who just need a break.
Parishioners, newcomers, visitors, and friends are warmly invited to St. Paul’s on Wednesday, August 28, 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 25, we will kick off our fall programming, including fellowship and Christian formation programs for all ages. The 7:30 p.m. evening worship service, preceded by the 6:45 p.m. dinner for undergraduate students, will also resume on the 25th.
Did you know that Shrine Mont, the Diocese of Virginia’s mountain retreat center, is also the home of an important collection of artworks by John Douglas Woodward? Woodward was one of the country’s best-known illustrators in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the uncle of Shrine Mont’s founder. He is also the subject of parishioner Sue Rainey’s new book, Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt: Artworks and Letters by John Douglas Woodward, 1878-1879, documenting Woodward’s travels in the Holy Land. Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are invited to a presentation and celebration with Sue right after the 10 a.m. service on Sunday, June 16. Refreshments will be served, and Shrine Mont staff will be on hand with books for sale and information about Shrine Mont’s role as steward and conservator of Woodward’s work.
The Building Centennial Campaign Committee invites all parishioners to a presentation and festive reception to share an update on the campaign’s progress to date and discuss the path forward to September 2027. Rachel Cornwell, one of our campaign consultants from The James Company, will be with us to share information on bequests and other deferred gifts. The reception will be held this Sunday, June 9, at 4 p.m. at Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge (250 Pantops Mountain Road). RSVP to the church office: office@spmcuva.org.
St. Paul's is offering a variety of small groups this summer, covering a wide range of topics and interests. These small groups provide a great opportunity to meet some kindred spirits for fun, fellowship, discussion, or reflection a few times between June and August. Learn more and sign up for one (or more!) of the groups here.
Join us on Sunday, June 2, for a potluck picnic on the front lawn after the 10 a.m. service where we will recognize our acolytes, high school seniors, and junior choir graduates. Fried chicken and drinks will be provided; other main dishes, sides, and desserts are potluck. Please bring a dish to share! Food contributions can be dropped off in the kitchen before the service.
At our 10 a.m. service on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, we will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the earliest community of resurrection believers. Wear red!
A reception (with strawberry shortcake!) will follow the service on the front lawn.
Parishioners, newcomers, and friends in their 20s and 30s are invited to a social brunch—no host, no RSVP, no stress—at a local restaurant following the 10 a.m. service and Common Hour on Sunday, May 12. Meet on the front steps right after Common Hour. For questions, suggestions, or to volunteer to help welcome newcomers or be added to our 20s and 30s list, contact Elliott Pryor at pryorelliott@gmail.com.
Members of the Building Committee and Centennial Campaign Committee will lead a St. Paul's building tour on Sunday, May 12, from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. The tour will focus on the existing church structure and the changes proposed in the Master Plan. All parishioners (newcomers and longtime members and everyone in between) are invited to use this opportunity to learn about plans for the building renovations and expansion. Advanced signups here are appreciated.
St. Paul’s will observe Ascension Day (May 9) with a special Thursday edition of our weekly Tuesday Eucharist in the Chapel at 12:15 p.m., including music featuring the Jane Rotch Memorial Chamber Organ. Bring a sandwich or bag lunch to eat in the courtyard immediately following the service.
