Baptism
Holy Baptism is full initiation and inclusion in the assembly of Christ’s Body, the Church. Baptism is especially appropriate and normatively administered on these days in the Church year: the Easter Vigil, on the Day of Pentecost, on All Saints' Day or the Sunday after All Saints' Day, and on the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (the First Sunday after the Epiphany). Additionally, baptism may be administered at the Bishop’s annual visitation and on the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin (observed).
Contact the parish office as early as possible to confirm a date for baptism. A customary with additional information is available - HERE.
Weddings
Marriage is a sacrament of the Church, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, which celebrates through public witness the commitment that two persons make to one another. St. Mary’s uses the Book of Common Prayer, 1979, and the alternative rites approved for use by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, for all services, including weddings. This marriage liturgy provides a framework that will enable the couple to express and celebrate publicly their life together.
The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage at St. Mary of the Hills is offered for members of the parish and their children. Others may be considered at the discretion of the Rector.
Contact the parish office as early as possible to set-up a meeting with the Rector. A customary with additional information is available - HERE.
Funerals
'The liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy. It finds all its meaning in the resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we, too, shall be raised. The liturgy, therefore, is characterized by joy, in the certainty that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”' -Book of Common Prayer, 507
Contact the parish office as soon as possible at the time of death so that a member of the clergy can pastorally support family members and guide in making plans for burial. A customary with additional information is available - HERE.