Lent, Holy Week, and Easter were very special this year for the congregations of St. Michael and All Angels and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s. After selling their building, the congregation of St. Michael’s, along with their rector Fr. Jonathan Rowe, began to worship at the cathedral on Sunday afternoons. It was decided that they should share mid-week Lenten services and Holy Week with the cathedral. Those that participated found the worship very moving and meaningful, and the cooperation between the two congregations was powerful.
Mid-week Lenten services consisted of Compline on Wednesday evenings, and often the congregation was made up equally of parishioners from the two parishes, and three members of the clergy all shared responsibilities.
During Holy Week, the collaboration continued between the two congregations with Compline on Monday and Tuesday nights, Tenebrae on Wednesday night, a Maundy Thursday Eucharist, and the Good Friday liturgy.
On Holy Saturday, members of both congregations came to decorate in the morning, and that evening, St. Michael’s held its first in person Easter Vigil since 2019. It was very successful, and some members of the cathedral congregation also came to take part in the service.
On Easter morning, a lot of members from both congregations were in the building for the 11am Eucharist, after which we had a wonderfully celebratory coffee hour.
We had journeyed through Lent together, and so we were able to celebrate with each other as well. It was an inspiring and beautiful time of worship and fellowship for all of those who came out to participate. It’s exciting to see what we can do when we come together to worship God as the Church.
