Worship
St. Mary’s is home to a diversity of liturgical expressions, each with their own personality, each offering their unique way to gather and worship our God. As a community, we seek to honour this breadth of liturgical styles, so that everyone may be able to find a sense of belonging and welcome in whichever service they attend.
Weekly Worship
Sundays
8:00 am ~ In-Person
Our 8am service follows a traditional style. We use the Book of Alternative Services. It is a quiet and more contemplative service with no music.
(Healing Prayer resumes in the Fall)
10:00 am ~ Hybrid
Our 10am service has musical accompaniment from our choir and organist. It lasts for about an hour. We primarily use the hymnals.
Throughout the school year, we offer children’s formation during the service. In the summer, we switch to offering colouring pages & parent take-home sheets in the Children’s Soft Space.
1st Sunday: Spirit Sunday
(Healing Prayer resumes in the Fall)
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We celebrate the Holy Eucharist at every service. Both bread and wine are offered, but it’s perfectly fine to receive only one element and not the other. Communion is distributed at the communion rail, where people may stand or kneel to receive. We also have gluten-free bread for those who cannot tolerate wheat. Simply ask an usher on Sunday morning if you need this alternative.
Advent & Christmas Seasonal Offerings
Your presence will make these festive occasions all the more special.
Services will be offered both in-person and online. Some events will only be offered in-person. For more details about any of the services/events below, (and for Zoom info) simply click on the drop-down arrows. Find what speaks to you, and save the date. We hope to see you this festive season.
Advent
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A quiet, reflective service (with labyrinth walking) to escape the Christmas chaos.
More info is coming soon! For now, pleasesave the date!
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This service is available in-person only.
Christmas Eve - Dec.24th
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Everyone - the young and young at heart - are all welcome to participate in the pageant. No rehearsal is required! Costumes will be available in the Narthex. After the pageant, we’ll further celebrate Jesus' birth by having a simplified communion together (the bread and/or the wine). This service is great for families with little ones, or for those who love participating in a Christmas pageant and seeing a Nativity tableau.
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This service is available in-person and online via Zoom. To join this service, click on the link when it’s time or enter the Meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 883 3024 1753
Passcode: 2024 -
This service will feature contemporary language, along with carols, choir, and candles as we welcome the Christ child! This lively service is great for those wishing to participate in singing familiar tunes and prayers, with all the magic of Christmas Eve.
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This service is available in-person and online via Zoom. To join this service, click on the link when it’s time or enter the Meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 841 9448 4094
Passcode: 2024 -
Embrace the beauty, mystery and awe this Christmastide. A Festive Choral Eucharist featuring traditional choral music, a chanted Eucharist, traditional language, and candlelight. This elegant service will suit those nostalgic for a Christmas midnight service. Following the service there will be a hot cocoa party in the Narthex.
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This service is available in-person and online via Zoom. To join this service, click on the link when it’s time or enter the Meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 876 3342 8282
Passcode: 2024
Christmas Day …and beyond!
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This Christmas morning, at both 8am and 10am this year, there will be a beautiful and simple Holy Eucharist to celebrate and share in the joy and peace that come with Jesus’ birth. This is the first time in a while that we have offered an 8am Christmas morning service; we are very excited.
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The 8am service will be in-person only.
The 10am service is available in-person and online via Zoom. To join this service, click on the link when it’s time or enter the Meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 863 1509 3300
Passcode: 2024 -
One more week to sing Christmas carols in community as we ease evermore closer to the Feast of Epiphany.
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The 8am service will be in-person only.
The 10am service is available in-person and online via Zoom. To join this service, click on the link when it’s time or enter the Meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 993 030 484
Passcode: 1911 -
Traditionally January 1st (which is 8 days after Christmas) is celebrated as the Feast of the Holy Name (or Naming of Jesus) to commemorate the naming of the baby Jesus. The gospel of Luke tells us that at the end of eight days, he was circumcised and called Jesus - the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
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This service is available in-person only.
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As part of the First Sundays at Four series of services and concerts, St. Mary’s is pleased to present a dramatic reading of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” on Sunday, January 5th, at 4pm.
Written by Dylan Thomas and read by parishioner Rob Ruttan, this story is an anecdotal retelling of Christmas from the viewpoint of a young child. It is perhaps a romanticized version of Christmases past, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. A couple of seasonal choral anthems, together with five Welsh carols for congregational singing, will be interspersed throughout the reading. A reception will follow.
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This service is available in-person and online via Zoom. To join this service, click on the link when it’s time or enter the Meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 835 4629 5211
Passcode: 2490
A special note for young families during the holidays:
During this season, for all services, a children's soft space will be available in the sanctuary (front right) where children can play and colour. For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day activity bags will also be available.
Iona Prayer (monthly service)
The daily prayer practice of the Iona Community in Scotland comes from an inspired and beautiful liturgy that St. Mary’s worshippers will find both familiar and fresh. It is a gorgeous way to end the day and a perfect reset for the week ahead.
Offered once a month, at 7:30pm (in person)
Music Ministry
The music ministry at St. Mary’s aims to provide spiritual nourishment through the God-given gift of music. Throughout our heritage as Christian people, music has played a fundamental role in worship and in being part of our outreach to others. While grounded in the wealth of great choral and organ compositions of the past, the music we offer also embraces works by living composers and of other Christian traditions.
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The 25-voice choir provides leadership in music-making, offering choral music for all our major festivals and special liturgical events. These include
• Advent Lessons & Carols
• Christmas Lessons & Carols
• Ash Wednesday
• Palm/Passion Sunday – our tradition is to focus on the Palm liturgy at the 10am service, and on the Passion readings at a special 4pm service.
• Maundy Thursday
• Good Friday
• Great Vigil
• Diocesan and Archdeaconry events
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Our choir sings at the 10am Sunday morning services, offering both congregational leadership, using the music of Taize, Iona, and other communities, as well as a traditional Anglican repertoire of Eucharist settings, anthems, and motets from the plainchant of the Middle Ages to contemporary works. The choir is led by a core quartet of experienced paid singers.
If you are interested in joining our choir, please contact our Director of Music, Kirk, at music@stmaryskerrisdale.ca
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The Family Choir of adults and children has been on hiatus since Covid hit us, and we hope to begin it again to help to lead the monthly Wonder Sunday services. We have a set of handbells that are used for psalmody and special anthems.
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The organ is a 3-manual 1964 Casavant with an older console, 1955. It was modernized in 2010. It is used for the 10am Sunday morning services as well as special services and occasional recitals.
Worship with Children
We believe the way we welcome children in church directly affects the way they respond to church, to God, and to Christ. Help us let them know that they are welcome here.
We encourage you to sit where the children can see and hear the service. We encourage you to sing the hymns, pray, and voice the responses; children learn liturgical behaviour from copying you. If you need to leave the service with your child, please feel free to do so, but please come back!
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God feeds all children. If you want your child to receive the bread (wine too - that’s up to you), please have them put their hands out with you.
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In our Sanctuary we have a safe, comfy space (near the front on the right) for children to be - where children can play, draw, colour, read, and more. It’s an alternative to the pews which some children may find uncomfortable or boring, and offers them a front-row view of the service.
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At St. Mary’s we love incorporating children into our worship. Children can be readers, intercessors (leading the prayers), and servers. We also love to think creatively with a family, on how to incorporate their child when there’s a specific interest of the child’s.
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Throughout the school year, during our 10am worship on Sunday mornings, we have Children’s Chapel programming (ages 0-9) in the Library near the Sanctuary doors leading to the washrooms and the rest of the building.
The only exception is on the first Sunday of the month, our 10am worship takes the shape of a Spirit Sunday, and children are encouraged to participate in this intergenerational service.
In the summer, we switch to offering colouring pages & parent take-home sheets in the Children’s Soft Space.
Click here to learn more about the other Family Ministry programs we offer.
Liturgical Ministries
These ministry teams help with our worship services each week. Interested in volunteering for any of these teams? Please contact our office (email).
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Our Servers help worship to flow throughout the service. They help carry the cross and torches in procession, help with setting the altar at the offertory, and generally help the clergy with the liturgy. We are always glad to have more volunteers.
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Chancel Guild members help prepare for Eucharist and other sacraments like baptism and marriage that are vital to parish life. The Guild's ministry includes laundering linens, polishing silver and brass, managing supplies and organizing memorial flowers. Members also decorate the Church for major festivals.
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Our Lectors help with reading the lessons and leading the intercessions (prayer petitions) during worship.
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Our Greeters & Ushers are our ambassadors to newcomers and visitors. They arrive a little early on Sunday and help people find bulletins and places to sit and help with the offertory collection.
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Our Lay Eucharistic Ministers are specially trained to help administer the chalice at Communion.
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Our Choir provides music for the 10am service and special Holy days. It rehearses on Thursday evenings at 6:30pm and on Sunday mornings at 9am. If you can’t make a permanent commitment, you may sing for special Christmas and Easter choirs.
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Our Coffee Hour Hosts set up for coffee hour after Sunday services. They set out cups and napkins, make coffee, and provide half-and-half, pastries, and juice. Hosts are also responsible for clean-up, but often others volunteer to help.
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Baptism
Receiving God’s Love
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Confirmation
Affirming this Love
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Weddings
Joining in Love
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Funerals
Returning to Love
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