St. Luke’s Episcopal Church invites the community to Holy Week and Easter services at the historic church, located at 22 S. 6th Street, Lebanon. Visitors of all kinds are always welcome at St. Luke’s, whether they are guests from out of town, local residents curious about the church building, or spiritual seekers looking for an open and affirming Christian tradition.
The ceremonies of Holy Week include those of Palm Sunday and the Sacred Triduum: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the liturgies of Easter beginning with the Great Vigil on Saturday evening. The main Holy Week services at St. Luke’s are as follows: Palm Sunday services will be held at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m., the Maundy Thursday service will be at 7:00 p.m., the Good Friday service will be at 7:00 p.m. (with Stations of the Cross at 2:15 p.m.), and the Great Vigil of Easter will be Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
St. Luke’s will also offer a contemplative Evensong on Palm Sunday at 4 p.m. Evensong is a completely sung Vespers service preserved through the centuries in English cathedrals and college chapels. A vast amount of literature was written for this daily service, and St. Luke’s is the only church in this area outside of major cities (New York, Philadelphia, Washington) to sing regular Evensong.
On this occasion, all choral works will be sung by a vocal quartet to signify the solemn nature of the days ahead, and period organ music will be offered on our Moller tracker organ in the church auditorium. A freewill offering will be taken. For details on this and future Evensongs and concerts at St. Luke’s, please visit https://stlukeslebanon.org/evensongs-concerts/
Easter is the most significant and joyous holiday in The Episcopal Church, and St. Luke’s celebrates this momentous day with two Easter Sunday services: at 8:00 a.m., there will be a Festal Eucharist with organ prelude and Easter hymns led by St. Luke’s choir; at 10:30 a.m., there will be a Choral Eucharist, which is a sung service featuring all aspects of St. Luke’s music ministry, including its magnificent Austin organ, choir, and a complement of other instrumental accompanists. Incense, bells, Easter lilies, and gold and white vestments are all part of this spectacular once-a-year event. This service will be followed by an Easter egg hunt in the church yard. All children are welcome to participate.
For a complete schedule of the church’s Holy Week and Easter services, please visit: https://stlukeslebanon.org/holy-week/ For details on parking and accessibility, please visit https://stlukeslebanon.org/parking/
Readers with questions about these events or St. Luke’s Episcopal Church are invited to call 717-272-8251 or email admin@stlukeslebanon.org.
