Special Events at Emmanuel
Emmanuel Episcopal Church Announces Christmas Service Schedule
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, located adjacent to the Veterans’ Memorial Common at the corner of Main and Bryant Street, welcomes the Christmas season with a several special services to which the greater Wakefield community is invited.
On Saturday, December 24, Emmanuel celebrates Christmas Eve with a Festival Choral Service of Holy Communion at 5:00 p.m., with music beginning at 4:45 p.m. Emmanuel's Rector, the Reverend Matthew P. Cadwell, will officiate and offer a Christmas sermon. The parish musicians, under the leadership of Michael Salvatore, have been preparing for a grand Christmas Eve service for the past several weeks. This year marks the 130th Christmas celebrated in Emmanuel’s historic church building and the first since an interior renovation was completed in August.
The Emmanuel Parish Choir and instrumentalists will perform arrangements of “And the glory of the Lord” from Handel’s Messiah, and carol arrangements by English musician Sir David Willcocks and his son, Jonathan Willcocks. A carol sing for choir and congregation will begin at 4:45, and there will be many other carols and hymns to join in during the service. Local violinist and teacher, Dr. Caroline Lieber of Wakefield Music, will play selections, as will several of Emmanuel's youth, including Elizabeth Chaput, Maeve Haldeman, and Helen Salvatore, all on strings. The children will be invited to arrange the crèche during the offertory as the congregation sings Gustav Holst's “In the Bleak Midwinter,” and those in attendance will later pause to sing “Silent Night” by candlelight. The service will conclude with the beloved carol, “Joy to the World!”
On Christmas morning, Sunday, December 25, Emmanuel will offer a single Christmas Day service of Holy Communion at 9:00 a.m. using the majestic traditional language of the Book of Common Prayer. Many favorite Christmas carols will be sung and the Reverend Cadwell will offer a Christmas morning meditation.
Sunday, January 1, the church will hold a single 9:00 a.m. service of Christmas Matins in celebration of the Feast of the Holy Name. The service includes Christmas readings, carols and a sermon by parishioner and Diocese of Massachusetts Christian Education Specialist Amy Cook. Matins (also called Morning Prayer) is a beloved service in the Anglican/Episcopal tradition dating back to the English Reformation, which the parish is pleased to offer again this year.
Emmanuel is a diverse and inclusive community to which longtime members, newcomers and visitors from all backgrounds are always welcome. The church is handicapped accessible.
For more information contact the church office at 781-245-1374.