2024 Lenten Booklet
In preparation for the solemn season of Lent, St. Anne’s parishioners offered their reflections on “everyday saints” for this year’s Lenten Booklet. Click here to download your own copy, and follow along during these next 40 days as we approach Holy Week in late March.
Pancake Supper is CANCELLED
The snowstorm heading our way tonight - and lasting through tomorrow evening - has caused us to cancel February 13’s Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. We will schedule something similar and fun after Easter.
Lent begins on Wednesday, February 14: Join us!
First, come eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, February 13 at 5 pm in Flint Hall. A host of dedicated flippers will toss you fresh pancakes, onto which you can add fruit, chocolate, syrup, butter, whipped cream… anything you want! It’s a festival of carbs and sugar! All are welcome and no need to bring anything.
Then, at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 14, we begin the solemn season of Lent with our Ash Wednesday service in the Sanctuary. We hope you will join us for this poignant service at which time we receive ashes on our forehead to remind us to choose humility and understanding over pride and willfulness.
And, if you would like to receive a copy of our 2024 Lenten Booklet, please contact Jennie in our Parish Office. The Booklet contains 40 essays, poems, and musings on the theme of “Everyday Saints” by our parishioners, clergy, staff, and friends.
Annual Meeting: Sunday, February 11 at 10 am
Newcomers and longtime members alike are invited to our Annual Meeting, 10 am on Sunday, February 11. The Meeting is our time to hear about events and accomplishments of 2023, examine our budgets, and look forward into our new year together. Plus we have a few surprises!
The Meeting will follow our single service of Holy Eucharist at 9 am.
Christmas Eve at St. Anne's: This Sunday, December 24
Lessons & Carols: An Advent Favorite
We’d love for any and all to join us at 5 pm on Sunday, December 17 for our traditional Lessons & Carols service. By candlelight we sing hymns and listen to scripture lessons of the season.
Join Us this Sunday for the Memorial Tree Lighting & Blue Christmas Service
Each year on the first Sunday of Advent, we hold two very special services of remembrance.
The first occurs at dusk, 4:30 pm, when we light the huge Douglas fir at the top of the church driveway in memory of those we mourn during this usually festive season. The Memorial Tree was planted in the 1980s to commemorate the tragic passing of three young parishioners, and is the centerpiece of a short, poignant service at which we switch on the beautiful lights and hang ornaments for those we wish to remember.
Our Blue Christmas service immediately follows in the St. Anne’s Sanctuary at 5 pm. For those who have lost those most beloved to them, this service allows reflection in mourning and celebration through candles, quiet, and prayers.
We welcome any and all to attend one or both of these special services. For more information, please contact the Parish Office (781.259.8834).
It's Good News for Advent at St. Anne's!
Join Us on All Saints' Day
Fauré Requiem for All Saints’ Day, November 5
On Sunday evening November 5 at 5 pm we will observe the feast of All Saints with the Requiem by French composer Gabriel Fauré, accompanied by a chamber orchestra. In this serene and beautiful work, beloved by singers and listeners alike, Fauré sets the traditional words of the Latin Requiem mass to peaceful, moving music. Join us at this special event as we gather to remember all the faithful departed.
Blessing of the Animals: This Sunday, October 8 at 10 am
Join us for Evensong!
This Sunday, October 1 at 5 pm, come and experience evensong, an Anglican liturgy of rare and mystical beauty in which the Word is illuminated by music. Our next evensong will honor Thérèse of Lisieux, known as “The Little Flower.” The choir will chant the psalms and prayers, sing the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis as set by Stanford, and offer the lovely anthem “Like as the Hart” by Herbert Howells. Join us!
Time for Some Good News!
The Fall Good News was sent out on Thursday, September 14. Get your copy here!
Welcome Back Sunday & Ministry Fair: September 17
Please join us in Flint Hall after both services for a lively Coffee Hour and chance to chat with old friends and newcomers. Representatives of our many commissions, fellowship groups, and service committees will be available to tell you about their vital work for the parish of St. Anne’s. The gathering will also feature our “Gallery of Creation” exhibit - a joyous celebration of what we all enjoyed, tried, cooked, saw, and experienced this past summer. This is also the day to bring in your filled pencil cases or supplies! We will bless the students, educators, and cases at the 10 am service. We hope you will join in all this fun as St. Anne’s kicks-off another program year!
September Sunday School Resumes - Welcome Home!
Our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program (preK-7th) begins with Children’s Chapel at 10:00 on September 10. We will all head to the service together for the Sign of Peace and Holy Eucharist. During the Coffee Hour, there will be a registration table for all families with CORI check updates and health/photo forms.
Our Atrium time will begin at 9:30 on September 17, with Parents of Good Shepherd (preK-1st grade) and Mustard Seed (2-4th grade) meeting in the People of God Atrium. Students in People of God (5-7th grade) will attend the 10:00 service and meet in the Sanctuary at 11:15 (after a quick snack in Coffee Hour!) for a Welcome Back and review of Acolyte poise and procedures. All Atrium groups will meet at 9:30 on September 24.
Return to Two Services: Sunday, September 10
We return to our regular two-service schedule on Sunday, September 10 with a spoken Holy Eucharist at 8 am and Holy Eucharist with Choir at 10 am. (Please note that our Welcome Back Sunday Coffee Hour has been pushed to September 17). Hope to see you there!
Zen for Christians: Starts June 22
Zen for Christians: A Summer Reading & Meditation Series
What is Zen Buddhism? How can Zen strengthen our connection to God/the Divine? How can Zen be practiced by Christians responsibly and respectfully, in a manner that neither appropriates Zen nor violates one's Christian commitments?
In this bi-weekly summer series, we will engage these kinds of questions as we learn about and practice Zen meditation. To do so, we will use Living Zen, Loving God by the Zen-trained Jesuit priest, Ruben Habito, a renowned expert in Christian Zen practice and inter-religious dialogue. Each meeting will be divided into two parts, with the first 35-45 minutes focused on discussing chapters from Fr. Habito's book, and the last 20-30 minutes dedicated to practicing Zen meditation together. Meetings will be hybrid (in-person at St. Anne's and on Zoom) and will meet from 6:30-7:45 pm on the following five Thursdays: June 22, July 6 and 20, August 3 and 17. If you are interested in participating, or have any questions, please email Joe.
All Invited to the Social Justice Commission Movie Night on June 2
The St. Anne’s Social Justice Commission is excited to invite you to its next Climate Justice movie night on Friday, June 2 at 7:00 in Flint Hall. The 37-minute documentary, Current Revolution, describes the challenges of converting our electricity grid from fossils fuels to renewables. Boston University Professor Nathan Phillips, a well-known climate activist, will respond to the film and discuss his work on this issue with ISO New England. A community supper will precede the film. To RSVP, please email Alex Chatfield or Dave Gronewold.
Evensong: Sunday, April 30 at 5 pm
Come and experience evensong, an Anglican liturgy of rare and mystical beauty in which the Word is illuminated by music. Our next evensong (the first since the pandemic) will be offered on Sunday evening April 30 at 5:00 pm, when we will honor St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The choir will chant the psalms and prayers, sing the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis as set by Herbert Sumsion, and offer the lovely “Evening Song” by Josef Rheinberger. Join us!
RESCHEDULED!
Our second installment of our Speaker Series “Encountering the Divine” has been rescheduled to Thursday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. Please join us then in Flint Hall for a discussion on the historical and theological connections between Judaism and Christianity.