St. James Episcopal Church
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        • 2016 Blessing of the Animals
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        • 2015 Fall Festival at St. James
        • Stop Hunger Now Photos
        • Faith Memorial 2015
        • Bishop's Visit 2015
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Holy Week and Easter Services
A description of each service is provided below the list of services.

Picture

Palm Sunday
April 10

The Liturgy of the Palms
Holy Eucharist Rite I
8:00 a.m.
​
The Liturgy of the Palms
Sung Holy Eucharist Rite II
with the St. James Adult Choir

10:30 a.m.
incense will be used
​

Holy Wednesday
April 13

Picture
Tenebrae
With the St. James Chant Choir
7:00 p.m.

Maundy Thursday
April 14

Picture

Proper Liturgy for Maundy Thursday

​Holy Eucharist Rite II
with the St. James Choir

The stripping of the Altar & The Vigil at the Altar of Repose
​7:00 p.m.

​incense will be used


Good Friday
April 15

Picture
The Proper Liturgy for Good Friday
Mass of the Pre-Sanctified
12:00 p.m.

The Stations of the Cross
with the St. Francis Community
in the Parish Life Center
​6:30 p.m.

Holy Saturday
April 16

Picture

The Great Vigil of Easter

Blessing of the Paschal Candle & Kindling of the New Fire
​Holy Baptism and Sung Holy Eucharist Rite II
8:00 p.m.
​Bring bells to ring!
incense will be used
If you are interested in Baptism for yourself or your child, please complete the Baptism Request Form below.
Baptism Request Form

Easter Sunday
April 17

Picture
Holy Eucharist Rite I
with Easter Hymns
​7:45 a.m.
​

Sung Holy Eucharist Rite II
With Brass & Adult Choir
9:00 a.m.
​
Children's Easter Egg Hunt
10:15 a.m.
​
Sung Holy Eucharist Rite II
With Brass & Adult Choir 

11:00 a.m.
incense will be used
​
Descriptions of Holy Week Services

Palm Sunday
​
The liturgy for the Sunday of the Passion, also known as Palm Sunday, is distinctive in that it begins in triumph and ends in tragedy. Palm Sunday both begins Holy Week and points to the Triduum, the great Three Days, which begin with Maundy Thursday and end with the Great Vigil of Easter. It is important to remember that the Holy Week liturgies are really one long liturgy in separate acts. You are invited to journey through Holy Week and experience the last days of Jesus' life by participating in all the Holy Week liturgies as fully as you are able.

Tenebrae at St James

Tenebrae is an ancient and lovely Holy Week service, in its simple form made up entirely of readings and chanted Psalms. The service is a time of solemn prayer and reflection on the Passion of Christ, in preparation for the Great Three Days (Triduum). The congregation participates either by chanting the Psalms along with the chant choir, or simply by praying as they listen to the Psalms and readings. The service begins and ends in silence, with additional silences interspersed throughout. During the course of the service, candles are extinguished and lights are dimmed, until at the end of the service, the church is dark. At the very end of the service, a sudden loud noise is heard, symbolizing the earthquake at Christ's crucifixion (Matthew 28:2). A single candle, representing the light of Christ, is returned to the altar, and the congregation leaves in silence. Join us to experience the spare and somber beauty of Tenebrae.

Maundy Thursday

The Agape Meal and Footwashing
(There will be no Agape Meal this year.)

 
The term "Agape Meal" comes from the Greek word άγαπη (agapē) which is most often translated as love, affectionate regard, goodwill, or benevolence. The agape meal has its roots in the first days of the Church when the earliest Christian communities shared a "love feast" of fellowship among members of the Church immediately before the Eucharist (Acts 2:46). The provisions for the banquet were contributed by the more wealthy individuals and were made common to all Christians, whether rich or poor, who chose to partake in the feast. Portions were also sent to the sick and absent members of the Church.
  
Tertullian (c. 197-213), one of the great fathers of the Church, describes the agape meal as follows:
 
"Our feast shows its motive by its name. It is called by the Greek word for love. Whatever is reckoned the cost, money spent in the name of piety is gain, since with that refreshment we benefit from the needy . . . We do not recline at the table before prayer to God is first tasted. We eat the amount that satisfies the hungry; we drink as much as is beneficial to the modest. We satisfy ourselves as those who remember that even during the night we must worship God; we converse as those who know that the Lord listens. After the washing of hands and lighting of lamps, each one who is able is called into the center to chant praise to God either from the holy scriptures or from his own talents... Prayer in like manner concludes the meal." (The Apology 39.16-18).
 
Over time, the Agape Meal and the Eucharist became separated in time and location. Due to this development and due to some of the continuing abuses in the Agape Meal cited by Paul in his epistle to the Church at Corinth (1 Cor. 11:17-34), the Agape Meal fell into disuse by the eighth century. However, with increased biblical and historical scholarship and the rise of the liturgical movement, the Agape Meal has enjoyed a recent revival in the Church, especially on Maundy Thursday.
 
The structure of the meal this evening follows what would have been a familiar structure to the early Church. In accordance with ancient Jewish tradition, the presider (host) gives a blessing over the wine and the bread, then over the rest of the food. Jesus probably used a similar blessing at the Last Supper when the scriptures tell us that he "gave thanks" over the bread and wine (Luke 22:17-19; Matthew 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-23). The people then would feast, and the feast would close with a prayer.
 
The foods chosen for the meal would have been foods that were readily available in Jesus' day, and would have been eaten regularly. While eating fish would have been more common on the coast and the inland seas, for an average family, meat would rarely have been eaten, except on festive occasions. (Luke 15:23-27). Rather, grains, lentils, and beans were a staple of the biblical diet (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9).

The Maundy Thursday Liturgy

Maundy Thursday takes us to the Upper Room where Jesus held his Last Supper with his followers and instituted Holy Communion. Our worship continues with the stripping of the altar.  After the stripping of the altar, the congregation may stay and pray, leaving in silence when ready.  The absence of a dismissal at the end of the liturgy indicates that the service is not over, but continues with the Good Friday liturgy.

Vigil at the Altar of Repose

Consecrated bread and wine will be placed on the Altar of Repose in the library, where you can visit for an hour (or any length of time) throughout the night in the sacramental presence of Christ, as the disciples tried to wait during Jesus' nightlong agony in the Garden.  You are invited to watch with Christ for one hour between the hours of 9:00 p.m. on Thursday and 11:00 a.m. on Friday.  

Good Friday Liturgy

This liturgy marks the second of the "Triduum Sacrum" - the Holy Three Days. On Good Friday, we commemorate the events immediately leading to and including the death of Jesus Christ as we read John's account of those events. We pray the solemn collects for the Church and for the world. We venerate the cross, "on which was hung the world's salvation". We confess our sins and receive communion from the Reserved Sacrament. We leave the service in silence, waiting for the next chapter of the story to unfold.

Stations of the Cross

We contemplate Jesus' last steps on his journey to Golgotha in the Stations of the Cross. As has been our tradition, this service will be bilingual, in Spanish and English, and all are invited to attend and experience this powerful, ancient form of meditation and prayer.


The Great Vigil of Easter

Saturday evening's liturgy marks the last of the "Triduum Sacrum" - the Holy Three Days. Three services make up this central observance of the heart of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. It is important to remember that the Holy Week liturgies are really one long liturgy in three separate acts. The Easter Vigil is the central and principal liturgy of the Christian Year. All that comes before it from Advent to Good Friday is in preparation for it. All that comes after it from Easter Day through the last day after Pentecost is celebrated in light of it. Before it we celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ which eventually leads to his death. After it we celebrate our new life in Christ which the resurrection makes possible. We will kindle the New Fire symbolizing Christ's victory over sin and death, and our victory over the same through him.




Location

Directions

Service Times

SUNDAY SCHEDULE  
​8:00 a.m. Rite I 
10:30 a.m. Rite II 

The Sunday services at St. James will not be livestreamed during the summer months.
Please join us in person!

​WEDNESDAYS
6:30 p.m. Celtic Eucharist 
Picture

Contact Us

301 Piney Mountain Road
Greenville, SC 29609
864.244.6358
​864.244.6359 (fax)
​admin@stjamesgreenville.org
  • Home
  • What We Believe
  • Welcome
    • Welcome Visitors >
      • St. James Online Visitor Card
    • Who We Are
    • The St. James Story
    • Leadership >
      • Ministry Staff
      • Office Staff
      • The Wardens, Vestry & Delegates
    • Baptism & Membership
  • Worship
    • What to Expect on Sunday
    • The Wednesday Celtic Evening Eucharist with Healing
    • Livestreamed Services
    • Serving in Worship
    • The Sacraments & Sacramental Rites >
      • Holy Baptism
      • The Holy Eucharist
      • Confirmation
      • The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage
      • The Burial of the Dead (Resurrection Liturgy)
      • Reconciliation of a Penitent (Confession)
      • Ministration to the Sick (Holy Unction)
      • Ministration at the Time of Death (Last Rites)
      • Holy Orders (Ordination)
    • Special Services >
      • Holy Week and Easter Services
    • Music >
      • From the Music Director & Organist
      • Advent Lessons & Carols
      • St. James Organ
      • Organ Specifications
      • St. James Choral Scholars
    • Stained Glass Windows
    • Altar Flower Registration
    • Sanctuary Lamp Registration
  • Formation
    • Prayer and Spirituality
    • St. James Day School >
      • 2020 Day School Parent Contact Info
      • From the Day School Director
      • Pay Day School Tuition
      • Camp Fun
      • Weather Conditions and Closings
    • EYC: Episcopal Youth Community
    • Adult Christian Education
    • Adult Ministry >
      • The Gathering - A Senior Adult Ministry
      • St. James Small Group Ministry
      • St. James Men's Group
    • Children's Ministries >
      • Children's Sunday School
      • Easter Egg Hunt
  • Mission
    • St. James Outreach >
      • ECW Attic Sale
      • Blood Drive
      • Meal Packaging Event
      • United Thank Offering
      • Vivancos' Ministry in Ecuador
      • Prayer Shawl Ministry
      • KAIROS
    • Pastoral Care
    • Grief Ministry
    • Restoring Trinity Abbeville
    • Iglesia Episcopal San Francisco
  • Giving
    • St. James Stewardship
    • Online Giving
  • Resources
    • Parish-Wide Calendar
    • St. James Store
    • St. James Facebook Page
    • Servants in Worship Calendar
    • Forms & Documents
    • St. James Enote Archive
    • News Sites >
      • Anglican Communion News Service
      • Episcopal News Service
      • EDUSC News
    • The Anglican Communion
    • The Episcopal Church
    • Daughters of the King
    • Liturgical Resources >
      • The Daily Office
      • Book of Common Prayer Online
    • Galleries >
      • Photo Gallery >
        • Bishop Waldo 2020 Visit
        • Meal Packaging Event - Oct. 2019
        • Burning of the Greens 2019
        • 2018 All Parish and Friends Breakfast
        • Bishop Waldo Visits St. James (2017)
        • Stop Hunger Now Nov. 2016
        • 2016 Fall Festival
        • 2016 Blessing of the Animals
        • 2015 Annual Meeting
        • All Saints Day 2015 Baptisms
        • 2015 Fall Festival at St. James
        • Stop Hunger Now Photos
        • Faith Memorial 2015
        • Bishop's Visit 2015
        • Epiphany 2015
        • Christmas 2014
        • Easter 2014
      • Video Gallery
    • Recorded Sermons