What’s Happening at St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia during the season of Lent:

Stations of the Cross: Pandemic Hope / Located on the brick wall along Pine Street between Third and Fourth Streets. This year we feature a special Stations of the Cross by artist Mary Button, that lift up images and stories of hope, resiliency, and relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. You are invited to pray and meditate as you journey with Jesus at our outdoor Stations of the Cross, or view the Stations of the Cross online here.

Entering the Passion of Jesus / 10 AM Sundays during Lent:  In this 6-week series, we will gather on Zoom to explore the DVD series, “Entering the Passion of Jesus,” with author, professor, and biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine. She shows us how biblical texts raise ethical and spiritual questions for the reader, and how we all face risk in our Christian experience. Each Sunday, we will explore a specific text with short videos from Levine and time together for deep conversation. Learn more about this series and how you can join us here.

Sunday at 7 / 7 PM Sundays during Lent:  Join St. Peter’s Compline Choir for Sung Compline during the first four Sundays in Lent, and Director of Music Darryl Roland for “Organ Meditations on Lenten Chorales” on the fifth Sunday in Lent (March 21). All these services will be on the St. Peter’s YouTube Channel.

Lent Retreat / 10 AM – Noon Saturday, March 6:  We often associate Mary, the Mother of God, with Advent and Christmas, but she also has something to say for us in Lent. Join Rev. Sarah Hedgis and Rev. Claire Nevin-Field as we explore Mary’s life around the themes of Justice, Struggle, and Discipleship, based on the book “Blessed is She: Living Lent with Mary” by Timothy Perry. Email Rev. Claire to register.

Family Worship / 9 AM Sundays during Lent: Families with children are invited to join us every Sunday live on Zoom for a worship service. During Lent, we will explore all of the stories of Jesus’ journey to show God’s love to the world. We learn that Jesus goes to unfamiliar places, faces hard decisions, and takes big chances because he believes that God’s love is stronger than anything else. These stories remind us of this strong love and teach us how we can be like Jesus, too. Click here to request the Zoom link.

TNT Weekly Lenten Gathering / 5:30-7 p.m. Sundays during Lent: Those in their 20s/30s are invited to gather on Zoom for a time to reflect on our Lenten journeys together. We will carve out time to check in with one another, mark where we are in the season of Lent, and move deeper into the season through a brilliant new devotional, Again & Again. Email Rev. Sarah to join us.

TNT Lenten Retreat / 10 a.m. – Noon Saturday, March 20: Join others in their 20s/30s for a Lenten Retreat, a special and set aside time to focus on how we are experiencing Lent this year. This will be an opportunity to connect with one another and dive deeper into the themes of prayer, longing, and gratitude. Register here.

What to Expect

At St. Peter’s, we welcome the faithful, the seeker, the doubter, for God’s embrace is wide and God’s good news is for all. Whoever you are, and wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith, you are welcome at St. Peter’s, just as you are, to receive the riches of God’s blessings so freely given. What We Believe >>

Once again we prepare to walk the way of Lent. A journey we may have traveled many times before, but that, like everything else, feels different this year. “Normally” we gather together for Ash Wednesday, chant the Great Litany, and walk through the days of Lent together, gathered in the church building. This year, we will do those things virtually—which will feel different and, in many ways, hard. And while I do not want to minimize any of the pain associated with not gathering in person, I do believe that God can make something out of nothing, a way out of no way, and perhaps this year we will see something in Lent that we could not before.

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