Seasons of the Church Year

Advent | Christmas | Epiphany Season (the Season between Epiphany & Lent) | Lent | Holy Week & Easter | Easter Day & Eastertide | The Season after Pentecost (summer & autumn)

Click here for a list of individual Holy Days.

The Calendar of the Church
The Church Year consists of two cycles of feasts and holy days: one is dependent upon the movable date of the Sunday of the Resurrection or Easter Day; the other, upon the fixed date of December 25, the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity or Christmas Day. Easter Day is always the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or after March 21. It cannot occur before March 22 or after April 25.

The sequence of all Sundays of the Church Year depends upon the date of Easter Day. But the Sundays of Advent are always the four Sundays before Christmas Day, whether it occurs on a Sunday or a weekday. The date of Easter also determines the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, and the feast of the Ascension on a Thursday forty days after Easter Day.

Scroll down to see how Good Shepherd observes these seasons.


ADVENT

Advent is the season before Christmas. Advent begins the Liturgical Year, and it is always the four Sundays before Christmas Day.

Sundays in Advent
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist
9:45 AM Child Care & Sunday School
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist
11:00 AM Fellowship & Refreshments


CHRISTMAS: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Christmas Eve, December 24
5:00 PM Sung Family Eucharist with Children’s Procession
10:30 PM Christmas Concert
11:00 PM Midnight Mass

Christmas Day, December 25
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist
10:45 AM Bagels & Lox & Champagne Reception

Sundays in Christmastide
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist
9:45 AM Child Care
10:00 AM Christmas Lessons & Carols (1st Sunday) / Sung Eucharist (2nd Sunday)
11:00 AM Fellowship & Refreshments

Holy Name: January 1
10:00 AM Eucharist

Epiphany (if January 6 falls on a weekday)
6:00 PM Eucharist
6:45 Wine & Cheese Reception

Christmas & Epiphany Pageant & Twelfth Night Celebration
First/Second Saturday (as announced) after New Years’ Day


EPIPHANY SEASON
The Sundays and weekdays between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) are known as Epiphany Season.

Sundays in Epiphany Season
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist
9:45 AM Child Care & Sunday School
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist
11:00 AM Fellowship & Refreshments


LENT:

Lent is the season that the church observes before Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Lent is traditionally 40 days (there are a few ways to count those 40 days – try it!). It is a time of preparation for Baptism, and because of that it has traditionally been a time for penitence, prayer, fasting, and spiritual renewal.

During Lent, purple vestments are worn, the word “alleluia” is not used during worship services, songs of penitence (such as “Lord have mercy on us”) replace the standard songs of praise (“Glory to God in the highest”), and at Good Shepherd we use an alternate for of the Prayers of the People that is based on the Millennium Development Goals.

Throughout Lent the Outreach Committee collects money designated specifically for the poor in our Coin Jug – In addition to the regular offering to support all the work of the church, we ask that you bring in your loose change each week and put it in the Jug.

Ash Wednesday.  Said Mass with Litany of Penitence and Administration of Ashes is offered at 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM.

Sundays in Lent:
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist with the Great Litany
9:45 AM Sunday School & Child Care
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist with Millennium Goals Development Litany
11:00 AM Fellowship & Refreshments

Confession & Reconciliation is always available by appointment. Please contact Father Matt.


HOLY WEEK & EASTER:

The week before Easter Sunday is called Holy Week. It begins with Palm/Passion Sunday, and includes the great Easter Triduum (Three Days): Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Eve. Over this week, the church observes its most ancient rites of worship. At Good Shepherd, these are the most amazing and spiritual services of the entire year. We include wonderful fellowship and feasts into these days, and it is without doubt the highlight of the Christian Year.

Palm/Passion Sunday:
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist with the Blessing of Palms and Reading of the Synoptic (Matthew/Mark/Luke) Passion
9:45 AM Child Care
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist with the Blessing of Palms and Procession from the Memorial Garden and Reading of the Synoptic (Matthew/Mark/Luke) Passion
11:30 AM Fellowship & Refreshments

Maundy Thursday:
9:00 AM Morning Prayer
4:00 PM Bread Baking for Maundy Thursday & Preparation for the Evening
6:30 PM Agape Dinner (Mediterranean Potluck)
7:30 PM Maundy Thursday Liturgy with Washing of Feet, Lord’s Supper (with fresh baked bread & homemade wine), Reservation of the Sacrament, Washing of the Altar, Stripping & Veiling of the Sanctuary.

Good Friday (FAST DAY):
9:00 AM Morning Prayer
12:00 PM Stations of the Cross
6:30 PM Soup Potluck Dinner (no flesh meat – stocks are ok – no wine/beer – nothing fancy)
7:30 PM Sung Good Friday Liturgy: The Passion according to John, Solemn Collects, Showing of the Cross with music offerings, Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament (this service features far more music and singing than the 12:00 PM service)

Easter Eve (Saturday Night):
4:00 PM Pizza Dough and Ingredient Making
6:30 PM The Great Pizza Festival of Easter
7:30 PM The Great Vigil of Easter: Lighting of the Easter Fire, Exsultet, Prophecies, Easter Alleluia & Gospel, Baptism/Renewal of Baptismal Vows, The Great Thanksgiving
9:00 PM The Great Champagne and Desert Reception of Easter

Easter Sunday
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist
9:45 AM Child Care
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist
11:00 AM Easter Egg Hunt & Fellowship & Refreshments

Sundays in Eastertide
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist
9:45 AM Child Care & Sunday School
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist
11:00 AM Fellowship & Refreshments

Ascension Day: the 40th Day after Easter Sunday
9:00 AM Morning Prayer
6:00 PM Sung Eucharist
7:00 PM Steakfest!!

THE SEASON AFTER PENTECOST (June – November)
Pentecost & all Sundays after Pentecost
7:40 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 AM Said Eucharist
9:45 AM Child Care & Sunday School
10:00 AM Sung Eucharist
11:00 AM Fellowship & Refreshments (Hot Dog Season all summer)

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