Get-to-Know-Us

Q: What is All Saints Day? A: This Sunday we celebrate All Saints Day, one of the seven great feasts of the church. As Laurie+ wrote for the inside of this Sunday’s bulletin: The New Testament uses the word “saint” to describe the entire membership of the Christian community. Therefore, today we celebrate not only […]

Q: What is Investiture? A: Investiture is the short name for the service in which a previously consecrated bishop assumes a new role as bishop of a diocese. The upcoming investiture of Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe will be livestreamed for all, and St. Francis’ will host a livestream party. Join us beginning at 9:30am on

Q: What is a Pilgrimage Class? A: Pilgrimage means to go on a journey with a spiritual focus that leads to an encounter with God. When someone chooses to join a new faith community (or recommit to one), it is often because they are on a journey to more fully encounter and be in relationship with

Q: What is a Pet Blessing? What is a Patronal Feast? A: St. Francis of Assisi is the protector of animals and patron saint of creation and many Episcopal parishes celebrate by blessing the pets in our lives on his feast day. Well-behaved, leashed or contained pets are welcome in worship here at St. Francis’

Q: What is the Forum Video Archive? A: During the 9:15am time slot on Sunday mornings, we offer opportunities for Formation, many of them in the format of Forum. With a series of technological upgrades made possible by generous parishioners–and then, admittedly, a further series of corrections and adaptations to make it all work properly–we

Q: What is Stewardship? A: The Episcopal Dictionary of the Church says that stewardship is “our personal response to God’s generosity in the way we share our resources of time, talent, and money. Stewardship reflects our commitment to making God’s love known through the realities of human life and our use of all that God

Q: What is Flexible Formation? A: In our recent Get to Know Us about Godly Play, we said that Formation is “lifelong growth in the knowledge, service, and love of God as followers of Christ…informed by Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.” Basically, it’s the comprehensive impact on your development of every experience you have with the

Q: Why do we have a new-ish bulletin format with two different bulletins? A: As stewards of God’s earth and our parish’s resources, we’re saving 16,000 sheets of paper, all the related ink and a large amount of staff time. The video below of Laurie+ during last week’s 10:30am worship service explains our rationale and

Q: What is anointing? A: Anointing is the “sacramental use of oil as an outward sign of God’s active presence for healing, initiation, or ordination. Anointing with oil by smearing or pouring may accompany prayers for healing (unction) and the laying on of hands in the rite for Ministration to the Sick (BCP, p. 453)”

Q: What is the difference between “mass” and “worship”? Where do these words come from? A: If someone asks you whether you can have breakfast with them on Sunday morning, you might say, “I can’t, on Sundays I go to mass” or “…I go to worship.” Is one more correct than the other? The answer