We had a glorious Holy Week and Easter at St. Mark's this year. Many thanks are due to many, many people. Please know that I am grateful to everyone for how they participated in the preparation and the execution of the liturgies. As there will always be, there were some little mistakes here and there in the various liturgies, and this is to be expected. We are only human, and ultimately such imperfections do not matter. What matters is that we strove to offer the very best we could in our worship of Almighty God.

It is not rare for visitors to St. Mark's to be super complimentary about our worship after the masses. However, this year I particularly noticed how visitor after visitor, whether tourist or local, was so moved by our worship. Many guests repeated the sentiment that they wished they had such beautiful worship back home, wherever home might be. More people seem to be hungering for the type of worship we do at St. Mark's. I am also reminded that we should not take our worship for granted. Many people would love to worship in a church like St. Mark's Sunday after Sunday, but there are no similar options where they live.

We are now enjoying Bright Week - the Octave of Easter - and this brightness of the resurrection continues for 50 days. It is often said that one cannot celebrate Easter without experiencing Good Friday - this is true. It is also true that we cannot stay at the foot of the cross and call ourselves Christian. We are an Easter people. The cross is an experience in which we are to "cross through" - ultimately the faith calls us into Easter justice and reconciliation. I always like to remind people that Easter is ten days longer than Lent, and that the Sundays in Lent are celebrations of Easter. Easter is the season for which all Christian faith strives. We cannot have Easter without Good Friday, but if Easter is not the goal, than we have nothing to actually believe. I invite you to continue the celebration of Easter, and even better, to make Easter your way of life all year round.

Father Paul Lillie +

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

Rector's Journal

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

The Rector's Journal

From the Rector: Easter Gratitude

Rector's Journal

Last Saturday morning I met with a cross section of lay leaders who devote many volunteer hours to our worship ministries. Our task was to evaluate what went well with Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, as well as what we might improve for the future. We also looked at the upcoming feasts.

When Holy Week arrives at the end of March, people are surprised at its arrival. This is true for non-Christians who associate Easter with April; true for nominal Christians who have not observed Lent; and even true for faithful Christians, who find they have less time to prepare.