On this day of Jesus’ crucifixion, a minister holding a simple cross leads a silent procession toward the bare altar as the congregation kneels in silent prayer. We stand symbolically with Jesus’ family watching as he was led to the cross and reflect on the lament of Psalm 22 — “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” — and take in the story of Jesus’ arrest, suffering and death.

This is the only day during Holy Week in which Holy Eucharist is not celebrated. Instead, we leave the church in silence after praying “to set your passion, cross, and death between your judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death.”

After the service, the church will remain open until 3 p.m. for anyone to meditate on the Stations of the Cross.

This day and service are named for the “new commandment” (“mandatum novum” in Latin) that Jesus gives to his followers at the Passover meal on the night he was arrested: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” We hear as an example of that love how Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.

This is also the moment when Jesus institutes the Eucharist, telling his followers on that solemn night, “I am with you only a little longer,” but that “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

This service includes the choir and the celebration of Holy Eucharist. After we break bread together, we acknowledge Christ’s impending death by stripping the altar. Finally, we silently depart with the reserve sacrament into the courtyard for a time of silent prayer and reflection — our Garden of Gethsemane — to pray and “stay awake” in solidarity with Christ.

Named for the branches the people laid on the road before Jesus as he entered Jerusalem for the culmination of his earthly ministry, this first day of Holy Week takes us on a liturgical journey from the hope of Jesus’ triumphant entry to the despair of his death five days later.

The 10:15 service begins in the courtyard. After children from the church and Saint James’ Episcopal School sing a prelude, the congregation waving palm leaves as the procession makes its way forward, asking God to “Let these branches be for us signs of his victory, and grant that we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our King, and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life.” The children’s choir leads us in singing “All Glory, Laud and Honor” as we process into the church.

At the end of the service, we hear the poignant story of Jesus’ arrest and execution. As the story ends with Jesus’ body laid in a tomb, we pray “that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection.”

Nursery is available for young children during the 10:15 service, and all kids through fifth grade are invited to Children’s Church during the service.

Named for the branches the people laid on the road before Jesus as he entered Jerusalem for the culmination of his earthly ministry, this first day of Holy Week takes us on a liturgical journey from the hope of Jesus’ triumphant entry to the despair of his death five days later.

The service begins in the back of the church, with the congregation waving palm leaves as the procession makes its way forward, asking God to “Let these branches be for us signs of his victory, and grant that we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our King, and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life.”

Turning abruptly from the triumphal procession to the gravity of the coming days, the liturgy quickly reminds us that the altar for Jesus took the form of a cross, and we hear the poignant story of Jesus’ arrest and execution. As the story ends with Jesus’ body laid in a tomb, we pray “that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection.”

The Fauquier Community Coalition’s Firewood Initiative provides firewood to local residents identified by the Department of Social Services who need firewood to keep their homes warm during the winter. Volunteers from several churches gather each week at the Warrenton Baptist Church property behind Brumfield Elementary School to split and stack wood for delivery to almost 60 individuals and families.

This is where you come in. We’ve committed to providing volunteers from Saint James’ on the second Saturday of each month. The time commitment is about two hours, and all adults and teenagers are welcome to volunteer.

Email Judy Williams at jwilliams0721@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Gita Grady will be leading this time together to “reset” during our Lenten journey.

Living as a faithful Christian requires thought, discipline and action. This commitment happens best when it is sustained by more than what we see at the surface of our lives. This weekend is meant to support ways to sustain faith and examine the different wells from which we draw as we journey as Christians.

This event takes place over two days — March 13 at 5:30 p.m. and March 14 at 9 a.m. — and participants are welcome to join for either one or both sessions however they feel led.

On Friday evening, March 13, we will have an informal dinner discussion in the Parish Hall. We will take a look at our spiritual journey to date during Lent, and discussion may include the study, prayer time or service projects we have taken on. Special attention during the discussion will be focused on what we wished to do, what we have been able to do, and barriers to the spiritual path. Participants are encouraged — but not required — to share from their own experience. We will end with a brief Compline service.

On Saturday, March 14, we will get started at 9 a.m. with morning prayer in the Side Chapel. We will briefly learn about centering prayer and meditation, have some time to learn about the lectio divina (divine reading) steps and process, and then have some time to deeply read and discuss the story about the Samaritan woman at the well in the Gospel of John. We will conclude with a prayer service in the Side Chapel.

On Friday, we’ll order pizza — please bring cash to help cover the cost. Lunch will be provided on Saturday.

Margreta Grady is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience working with groups, families and children. She is a lifelong Episcopalian who has enjoyed many different retreat experiences all over the country. She is currently a postulant to Holy Orders in the Diocese of Virginia and plans to attend seminary in the near future. She is also an Associate of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York, which means she follows a rule of life based on Benedictine principles. She has been a member of Saint James’ Warrenton for over 10 years.

Gita Grady will be leading this time together to “reset” during our Lenten journey.

Living as a faithful Christian requires thought, discipline and action. This commitment happens best when it is sustained by more than what we see at the surface of our lives. This weekend is meant to support ways to sustain faith and examine the different wells from which we draw as we journey as Christians.

This event takes place over two days — March 13 at 5:30 p.m. and March 14 at 9 a.m. — and participants are welcome to join for either one or both sessions however they feel led.

On Friday evening, March 13, we will have an informal dinner discussion in the Parish Hall. We will take a look at our spiritual journey to date during Lent, and discussion may include the study, prayer time or service projects we have taken on. Special attention during the discussion will be focused on what we wished to do, what we have been able to do, and barriers to the spiritual path. Participants are encouraged — but not required — to share from their own experience. We will end with a brief Compline service.

On Saturday, March 14, we will get started at 9 a.m. with morning prayer in the Side Chapel. We will briefly learn about centering prayer and meditation, have some time to learn about the lectio divina (divine reading) steps and process, and then have some time to deeply read and discuss the story about the Samaritan woman at the well in the Gospel of John. We will conclude with a prayer service in the Side Chapel.

On Friday, we’ll order pizza — please bring cash to help cover the cost. Lunch will be provided on Saturday.

Margreta Grady is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience working with groups, families and children. She is a lifelong Episcopalian who has enjoyed many different retreat experiences all over the country. She is currently a postulant to Holy Orders in the Diocese of Virginia and plans to attend seminary in the near future. She is also an Associate of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York, which means she follows a rule of life based on Benedictine principles. She has been a member of Saint James’ Warrenton for over 10 years.

This class offered by the Parish Health Team at Saint James’ teaches skills to provide assistance in an emergency. It's open to anyone 12 or older, and there is no written test. Each participant received a manual and a first aid kit to take home.

All ladies of Saint James’ are invited to our next get-together at O’Brien’s Irish Pub. Order dinner or appetizers, or just sit and visit — whatever works for you.

RSVP to Jen Taylor at jennifer.taylor@saintjameswarrenton.org or Margy Eastham at mweastham@gmail.com so we can tell the restaurant how many people to expect.

The Saint James’ Adult Choir will sing the Compline liturgy as part of our Lenten observance. “Compline” is derived from the Latin “completorium,” meaning the completion of the working day. The Episcopal Dictionary of the Church explains that this liturgy includes a confession of sins, one or more psalms, a short reading from scripture, versicles and responses, the Lord's Prayer, prayers asking for God’s protection during the night to come, and the canticle Nunc Dimittis. The music for this service draws from our heritage of plainsong, and will be offered in the intimacy of the Saint James’ Chapel. As we journey through Lent, we hope this service provides you a moment of calm before you begin the new week.

The church will open at 6:30 p.m. for those who wish to practice centering prayer before the service begins. Guidelines for centering prayer will be provided.

This men’s gathering in the Parish Hall will feature a dinner of homemade spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread and a toffee tiramisu dessert, along with libations and trivia.

Bring a favorite beverage to share, alcoholic or non-alcoholic (bourbon, beer, wine, iced tea or whatever). If you’d like, you will have the opportunity to tell us why this beverage is so great.

Contact Greg Arthaud at gjarthaud@yahoo.com or Matt Rose at matt@barkingrose.com if you’d like to be added to the email distribution list.

Ash Wednesday, named for the practice of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of worshipers, is the first day of Lent and a day that reminds us to be penitent before God and to reflect on our own mortality. This service features the choir, the imposition of ashes and the celebration of Holy Eucharist as we ask God to “create and make in us new and contrite hearts.”

Ash Wednesday, named for the practice of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of worshipers, is the first day of Lent and a day that reminds us to be penitent before God and to reflect on our own mortality. This service will include the imposition of ashes and the celebration of Holy Eucharist as we ask God to “create and make in us new and contrite hearts.”

The service will be livestreamed here.

Featuring the Silver Tones Swing Band, this festive Saint James’ tradition includes a New Orleans-style dinner complete with a king cake, dancing, fun activities for kids, the crowning of a king and queen, and a parade down the street. We’ll have beads and masks for everyone, and costumes are welcome. Beer and wine will be available.

Adult admission is $15 per person, and kids 12 and under are $10 per person.

Menu

Cole slaw • Cajun shrimp • Red beans • Rice • Collard greens • Mac and cheese • Garlic bread • Pancakes • Breakfast sausage • King cakes • Coffee • Iced tea • Apple juice • Beer (Barking Rose) • Wine (red & white)

Photos from 2025

The Fauquier Community Coalition’s Firewood Initiative provides firewood to local residents identified by the Department of Social Services who need firewood to keep their homes warm during the winter. Volunteers from several churches gather each week at the Warrenton Baptist Church property behind Brumfield Elementary School to split and stack wood for delivery to almost 60 individuals and families.

This is where you come in. We’ve committed to providing volunteers from Saint James’ on the second Saturday of each month. The time commitment is about two hours, and all adults and teenagers are welcome to volunteer.

Email Judy Williams at jwilliams0721@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Forget the flowers — whether it’s something delicious, luxurious, or just plain practical, wrap up your favorite bottle for this inaugural Episcopal Church Women swap in the Parish Hall. Think olive oil, soap, wine, hot sauce — whatever it is you want to share with your gal pals. Please bring a bite to share as well.

Contact Margy Thomas at mweastham@gmail.com or Jen Taylor at jennifer.taylor@saintjameswarrenton.org if you’d like to be added to the ECW email list.

This meeting is an opportunity to hear presentations on the church and school and learn about the parish’s finances. We will also elect four new Vestry members to replace the members whose terms are expiring.

There will be a free continental breakfast for all meeting attendees in lieu of Café.

Ruth Fugee, Erik Jensen, Mary Neal and Lee Owsley are the candidates for Vestry. Learn more about them here.

This is your chance to explore Education for Ministry (EfM) at Saint James’ and see what our group is all about. We will all be viewing a few short videos and then discussing them together.

Please contact Connie Chintall at cmchintall@gmail.com or 540-454-4507 if you are interested.

On this weekend set aside to reflect on the life and work of a formidable Civil Rights leader, the Saint James' choir will offer their gifts at this service dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and to celebrating the sacred compositions of Black composers. Through the prayerful tradition of Evensong, which is rooted in the monastic practices of the Middle Ages, the anthems, hymns, readings and prayers will reflect on God's call to love all people as his own creation and to work toward reconciliation when we have failed.

More about the service

The choir of Saint James’ Episcopal Church will offer the service of Evensong at 5 p.m. Jan. 18 to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as celebrate the sacred compositions of noted Black composers.

We recall Martin Luther King Jr. as the formidable leader of the Civil Rights movement, but it is often overlooked that music bound the fabric of his being. In Marshall Frady’s book “Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life,” he describes that as a child, King was captivated by music of his home church, which was led by his mother. As he grew, King joined the junior choir, learned to play the piano and frequently listened to opera. While studying at Boston University, he was introduced to Coretta Scott, as she was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in voice at the New England Conservatory of Music.

The service of Evensong dates to the Middle Ages and features psalms, scripture lessons, sung prayers, choral anthems and hymns. For this service, the bulk of the music selected was penned by Black composers. The liturgy begins with the Phos Hilaron, which praises Christ as the light of God. In this place, “This Little Light of Mine” will be sung. The origins of this children’s hymn are ambiguous, but it was often used as a song of resistance by Civil Rights movements. This arrangement was composed by William Farley Smith (1941-1997), a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, a researcher and restorer of African-American sacred music, and an editor of the 1989 UMC Hymnal.

The psalm appointed for the evening is Psalm 150, and the musical setting is by Judge Jefferson Cleveland (1937-1986). It is composed in the gospel style and language. Cleveland was highly regarded as a scholar of 20th-century African American congregational song. The choral anthem is a soulful rendition of “Stand by Me,” which was originally composed by Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933). The Rev. Tindley was fondly referred to as “The Prince of Preachers.” Tindley was refused a formal education but taught himself to read by sounding out letters found on scraps of paper. He was able to develop his literacy skills with the help of a Philadelphia synagogue and later learned Greek via a correspondence course through Boston Theological School. In addition to being regarded as a clergyman, Tindley was a gifted composer of gospel hymns and is recognized as one of the founding fathers of American gospel music.

The service concludes with Doris Akers’ “Lead Me Guide Me.” Akers (1923-1995) was affectionately known as “Miss Gospel Music” due to her mastery in all the aspects of gospel music artistry: vocal performance, composing and arranging, choral directing and accompanying. In 1992, Akers was honored by the Smithsonian Institution as “the foremost black gospel songwriter in the United States.”

As the nation pauses to reflect on a man that helped initiate the change in how we embrace all people, may you find the memorable Hans Christian Andersen quote — “When words fail, music speaks” — a gentle reminder that music can break barriers of age, race, creed and language.

— Jesse Ratcliffe

The Fauquier Community Coalition’s Firewood Initiative provides firewood to local residents identified by the Department of Social Services who need firewood to keep their homes warm during the winter. Volunteers from several churches gather each week at the Warrenton Baptist Church property behind Brumfield Elementary School to split and stack wood for delivery to almost 60 individuals and families.

This is where you come in. We’ve committed to providing volunteers from Saint James’ on the second Saturday of each month. The time commitment is about two hours, and all adults and teenagers are welcome to volunteer.

Email Judy Williams at jwilliams0721@gmail.com if you have any questions.

We're back in the new year for a fun evening playing mahjong, a tile-based Chinese game, in the Parish Hall. We'll have snacks — just bring something to drink.

Please RSVP to Margy Thomas at mweastham@gmail.com or Jennifer Taylor at jennifer.taylor@saintjameswarrenton.org so we know how many people to plan for.

This informal and intimate Holy Eucharist service provides a time to worship with your parish family on Christmas morning.

This service is the liturgical high point of our Christmas Eve celebrations, featuring a festive liturgy and the full choir singing cherished carols with soaring descants and intimate choral anthems as we bask in the candlelit beauty of the space. An extended prelude performed by a guest harpist will begin at 9:45 p.m.

Children are welcome and an important part of our life at Saint James’. There are bags of crayons and children’s bulletins in the back of the church and outside the Side Chapel. And while there will be no Children’s Church or nursery offered during this service, the Reception Room will be open for children who need a little break or need to stretch their legs.

Photos from 2024

This service features a liturgy for Christmas Eve, with readings from the Bible that tell the Christian story along with familiar Christmas carols.

Children are welcome and an important part of our life at Saint James’. There are bags of crayons and children’s bulletins in the back of the church and outside the Side Chapel. And while there will be no Children’s Church or nursery offered during this service, the Reception Room will be open for children who need a little break or need to stretch their legs.

Photos from 2024

This service is especially geared to young families, but it is a joy to all. All children are welcome to participate in the reenactment of the birth of Jesus, and there is no prior rehearsal they need to attend. Just arrive at least 15 minutes early to be fitted in a costume. The service includes familiar Christmas carols woven into the celebration of Holy Eucharist.

The pageant is for everyone! No prior rehearsal is required. Parents can walk their children to the Parish Hall before the service begins and help them pick out a costume (angels, shepherds, sheep, Mary and Joseph, and the three wise men). Parents should also help their children put on the costume. 

Crayons, coloring pages will be available to children to keep busy while they wait for their turn for the pageant. We have several volunteers helping the kids while they wait. Children will be included in the pageant as the Christmas story progresses and remain on the chancel until the end of the pageant. The children will return to their parents following the prayers of the people and the peace. Costumes can be returned to the Parish Hall following the service. 

There will be no Children’s Church or nursery offered during this service. For children who need a little break or need to stretch their legs, the Reception Room just outside the Side Chapel will be open.

Photos from 2024

The Saint James' Adult Choir, the Saint James' Church Band and the Saint James’ Ringers will offer their gifts as we tell the Christmas story through scripture and carols.

A festive reception in the Parish Hall will follow. It will feature bubbly beverages (both adult and kid friendly), chocolate-covered strawberries, and other treats.

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was popularized by King’s College, Cambridge, in 1918, and its origins are found in Victorian-era Anglican traditions. The service begins with the hymn, “Once in Royal David’s City,” and continues with nine scripture readings paired with nine pieces of music that together tell the story of God’s redemption of the world and the birth of Jesus.

Contact Jesse Ratcliffe at music@saintjameswarrenton.org for additional information. 

The service will be livestreamed here.

Christmas is a time of joy and celebration for many people, but that isn’t the case for everyone. This service acknowledges that fact, providing an opportunity to light candles in recognition of the sadness that comes from the loss of a friend or family member, or any other pain and emptiness we may feel. As we light those candles, we proclaim that foundational truth from John’s Gospel: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” The carols at this service reflect Christmas hope in that darkness, and we offer prayers for healing and support one another.

We will be joined by members of the Warrenton Latter-day Saints congregation and other churches in town as we sing familiar yuletide carols during the Warrenton Holiday Farmers Market in the municipal parking lot between Franklin and Lee streets, uphill from the county jail.

Anyone who wants to sing Christmas carols is welcome, including kids and adults of all ages. We'll have song books and hot chocolate.

Please arrive at Saint James' by 11:15 a.m., and we will gather in the Parish Hall before walking to the farmers market together at 11:30 a.m.

The Fauquier Community Coalition’s Firewood Initiative provides firewood to local residents identified by the Department of Social Services who need firewood to keep their homes warm during the winter. Volunteers from several churches gather each week at the Warrenton Baptist Church property behind Brumfield Elementary School to split and stack wood for delivery to almost 60 individuals and families.

This is where you come in. We’ve committed to providing volunteers from Saint James’ on the second Saturday of each month. The time commitment is about two hours, and all adults and teenagers are welcome to volunteer.

Email Judy Williams at jwilliams0721@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Enjoy the wonder of the season with your Saint James’ family as you stroll along this 3/4 mile walking trail of holiday lights at Maple Tree Farm. You’ll meet your favorite holiday characters, sip a hot beverage, and listen to the melodies of this magical season. There are campfires, two trains, activities for children and a play area.

Admission is $16 per person.