COMMUNITY AT ST. PETER'S
Looking for community and prayer? Our gatherings are designed to create space and grace as we come together around the transforming presence of Christ. Check back here for more updates as they come!
Looking for community and prayer? Our gatherings are designed to create space and grace as we come together around the transforming presence of Christ. Check back here for more updates as they come!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Blessed Absalom Jones Celebration Saturday, February 14 at 10:30 am. Join the Cathedral community and the Diocese of New York for a special Eucharist commemorating Absalom Jones, abolitionist and the first African-American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church of the United States. The service will be celebrated by the Right Rev. Matthew F. Heyd, XVII Bishop of New York, and the preacher will be the Right Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, XI Bishop of Newark. Additional details and opportunities to participate are available on the Episcopal Diocese of New York website. The service will be offered in person and over livestream. RSVP to Lisha at [email protected] if you'd like to go together as a group.
Shrove “Tuesday” Pancake Lunch + Lunar New Year Celebration, Sunday, February 15 after worship service. This year, Shrove Tuesday (a.k.a Mardi Gras) and Lunar New Year both fall on Tuesday, February 17 - the final day of feasting before Lent begins (Ash Wednesday, February 18). Since weeknights are tough for many of us, we’re celebrating a little early on Sunday and combining these two joyful traditions. Come hungry, bring a friend, and stick around pancakes, festivity, and good community! RSVP to [email protected] to join!
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18:
- Ashes and Prayer on the Street, 12 pm. Join us for this beautiful tradition of offering the imposition of ashes and praying for people on the streets of our city. We’ll start with a simple service at St. Peter's and then head out together. Contact Christine at [email protected] to join.
- Multifaith “Call to Repentance”, 3 pm. Join the diocese and faith leaders at 26 Federal Plaza as we gather in prayer, calling on ICE and our federal government to turn from cruelty and reclaim our shared humanity. Participants are asked to commit to the full vigil (3–4pm), holding a candle or designated sign, and to come with ashes on their forehead. Register here.
- Candlelight Vigil and Imposition of Ashes, 7 pm. We begin with a candlelight vigil in the St. Peter's courtyard, gathering in prayer, lament, and public witness—naming harm, remembering those lost to violence, and standing in solidarity with our immigrant and refugee neighbors. Afterward, all are invited into the sanctuary for the imposition of ashes—a sign of truth, grief, and our turning toward justice, mercy, and courage. All are welcome.
Lenten Classes, Sundays from February 22 through March 22, from 11:30-12:30 pm: This Lent, we’re exploring the paschal mystery as a fuller way of making sense of grief and loss and of staying grounded, tender, and awake in a world that can leave us both heartbroken and stirred to action. Across five weeks, we’ll engage this mystery through different lenses (memento mori, theological, therapeutic, conversation with our poet-in-residence, and literature), so we can practice faithful presence and resilient hope together.
- Feb 22 | Making Sense of Our Mortality - led by Eva Ting. Death is a reality that we don’t often think or talk about, even in the Church. As a Christian, how do we face our looming mortality while holding fast to the hope of eternal life? Can being mindful of our mortality bolster our spiritual practices—and even serve as a spiritual practice itself? Join Eva Ting, founder of a death education organization called Here to Honor, as we consider how to make sense of our mortality in light of our faith.
- March 1 | Thinking Faithfully: What the Future Teaches Us About Grief and Hope - led by the Very Rev. Dr. Michael DeLashmutt. Endings—personal, communal, and cosmic—train us in how to wait, trust, and love. Together we’ll explore how Christian teaching about ’the end' can become a source of concrete hope rather than fear, especially in seasons of loss.
- March 8 | Making Room for Grief and Loss: Practices for Tender Times - led by Joanna Thomas and Abby Liu. Come be with others in the church community and learn about how to be with grief and loss, both large and small. We’ll discuss ways to integrate loss and start on a path to resilience and transformation. Together, we’ll practice slowing down, being with the experience and the feelings that emerge, holding multiple truths, and embracing the process.
- March 15 | Q & A with Drew Jackson. Join us for an informal Q&A with our poet-in-residence, Drew Jackson, as we pause in Week 4 of Lent to reflect together on how we’re encountering the paschal mystery personally, communally, and in this moment in our world. Bring your questions, your wonderings, and whatever you’re carrying, to listen and process together.
- March 22 | How Literature Helps Us With Hard Emotions - led by Stefanie Peters. Why read literature about grief, loss, or sadness? Is it helpful? We'll explore the role of emotions and how literature can help us navigate them, and then we will read some poems together, including a psalm of lament. Whether you're a reader or not, let's read together and discover how God can use sad literature to make space in our souls.
Open Sanctuary Sundays, February 22 through March 22, from 5–7pm. This Lent, we're opening our doors as a place of rest and refuge for our neighbors and community. Light a candle, create art at our open table, offer a prayer request, or simply sit in silence. Come for a few minutes or stay awhile. Come as you are to find rest, connection, and a place to belong. All are welcome.
The Cathedral's Ordination of Transitional Deacons, Saturday, February 28, 10:30 am. We give thanks and rejoice as Elis Lui is ordained to the transitional diaconate at St. John the Divine. This marks a sacred step in her vocational journey of service, humility, and love at the heart of the Church's life. All are warmly invited in-person or by livestream to join in prayer and celebration for this joyful occasion. Learn more about the event here.
Beer & Cheese Night, Friday, March 6, from 6-8 pm. Meg and Randall will be nerding it up in the Rectory with their favorite malts and dairy and requesting a hobbity confluence to attend! Please come out and help this merry company get through these winter blues. A range of cheeses and beers in tasting size quantities will be served. Please bring a snack or your favorite beer or other non-alcoholic beverage to share. If you have a tasting glass, please bring. No RSVP required.
God in Me: A Womanist Retelling of Mary's Magnificat, A Retreat at Trinity Retreat Center with Rev. Lisha Epperson, Tues March 10 - Thurs March 12. Rooted in a womanist perspective, this retreat at the Trinity Retreat Center in CT invites reflection on self-worth, spiritual awareness, and community through an exploration of Mary's journey. We'll honor our inner connection to God through centering prayer, journaling, and gentle movement. Open to all. Learn more about the retreat and sign up here.
Thinking Faithfully: A Field Guide for Real Life, taught by the Rev. Dr. Michael DeLashmutt, Sundays, April 19, April 26, from 11:30-12:30 pm. Thinking Faithfully is a multi-week class that makes Christian theology accessible, practical, and deeply connected to everyday life. We’ll explore theology not as abstract theory for specialists, but as the language Christians already use to name what we know of God through prayer, worship, Scripture, and shared life. Together we’ll learn to recognize the “working theology” we carry - often unexamined - and refine it with clarity and confidence. This class prioritizes formation over jargon and hope over fear, so faith becomes steadier and love more grounded.
WEEKLY MEETINGS:
Yoga + Noonday Prayer, Wednesdays from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm. Rev. Lisha will lead 30 minute yoga sessions in the sanctuary followed by Noonday Prayer. Mats provided. Wear comfortable clothing. All levels welcome. RSVP to [email protected].
Find Your Rhythm in House Church. This fall, don’t rush headlong into the busyness—come anchor yourself in rhythms that give life. House Church is a space to come back to center: sharing a meal, praying with and for one another, and listening for God’s voice together. We’d love for you to join us!
- Downtown House Church (Chelsea), Wednesday nights, 6:30-8:30 pm. Contact: Christine at [email protected].
- Uptown House Church (UWS), Thursday nights, 7-9 pm. Contact: Lisha at [email protected].
Zoom Morning Prayer, Weekdays at 8 am. Join the Episcopal Diocese of New York (EDNY) any weekday on zoom for morning prayer and start your day with prayer, connection and peace. You can register here, and EDNY will send you the zoom access details by email.
Volunteer for our Food Pantry, Fridays from 4-6 pm or Saturdays, 9:30 to 11:30 am. Join us to serve our neighbors in need as we have more guests than ever with the recent cut of SNAP benefits. Volunteers can help set up for the pantry on Fridays or serve guests on Saturday mornings. Sign up to serve here or email Brian Wexler, the Program Director at [email protected] with any questions.
Uptown House Church
Downtown House Church
New Jersey Dinner Gathering