Worship

Wide Open Doors. Wide Open Hearts.

The Episcopal Church takes pride in its legacy of inclusion, revealing God’s love for all through our life together.

Formed as a “Middle Way”, the Episcopal Church combines the best of the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions, ensuring consistency of structure and worship, but allowing for individual conscience. Over the years, the middle way has become a way of being as a church, helping us to open wide to people of all walks of life. Leadership and ordination are open to all, understanding both are a gift from God that can be expressed by all in our church, regardless of race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Marriage is also open to all couples.

We strive to make our services welcoming and approachable to everyone, regardless of background, tradition or faith. Everything you need to follow the service is in the worship leaflet. Our service follows a structured format, with singing, readings from scripture, a sermon reflecting on the readings, prayers, and communion. You are invited to join in as you are comfortable. Everyone who has been baptized in any tradition is welcomed to join us at the altar rail for communion, and if you are not baptized, the priest will offer a blessing over you. At the end of the service we are called to go out into the world, sharing the love of God with those we meet.

Our Music Program

Music plays an essential role in our congregation and our engagement with our community. Our worship experience is enhanced by the professional quality of our dedicated musicians. For many years, we have provided weekly Concerts on the Square featuring a wide range of musical performances.

Our Choir

Our choir consists of professional and volunteer singers who provide music for the 11:00 AM service most Sundays. We sing a wide range of repertoire spanning the last 600 years of choral music and drawing heavily on the Anglican choral tradition as well as American composers of the last century. In addition to Sunday mornings, our choir sings for special services at Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter. If you are interested in singing with our choir, please contact Benjamin Leiby.

Our Organ Project

In October 2017 the Church received a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation of Philadelphia to replace the gallery organ (located in the rear of the church) with a superior instrument, the Möller Opus 8128, originally housed at First Baptist Church at 17th and Sansom. The Möller Opus 8128 was a prominent fixture in the Philadelphia organ world. It is an instrument of renowned musical quality and singular significance in the history of this city. The chancel divisions of our organ are simultaneously being renovated and restored using pipes from our previous gallery instrument, including

According to our Christian faith, in marriage, each individual—both separately and together—transforms and matures in God’s presence and image. A wedding, then, is a sacred ritual that acknowledges and celebrates your desire to enter a lifelong relationship. Your marriage is a sacrament—an outward and visible sign of God’s grace bringing you together and nurturing your love.

WHO MAY BE MARRIED AT THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY?

The sacrament of marriage in the Episcopal Church is fully open to all couples, including same-gender couples. Members of the Church have first priority for dates and the use of our clergy. If you are not a member, you may contact the office and see the information below to determine whether your ceremony and our church are a good fit.

SCHEDULING WEDDINGS

Weddings may be held anytime throughout the year except during Lent (the six weeks before Easter), during clergy vacations, and during most major secular holiday weekends. Parish events will also take priority over weddings. To schedule weddings, we require at least six months notice and we cannot schedule more than 18 months in advance. Premarital counseling is required of all couples.

GETTING STARTED ON YOUR WEDDING

Please also check date availability with the church office before sending any booking fee. We cannot hold dates until both application and booking fee are received. Please contact Ella Christy at echristy@htrit.org or call 215-567-1267 ext-11 for more information.

From the point of view of Christian faith, the most significant and transforming event in a person’s life is baptism. Holy Baptism is a sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ’s body and the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God (Book of Common Prayer, p.858). Baptism is a sign of God’s own love for us, unmerited and unconditional. It is a sign of new life and new beginning in Christ. We baptize people of all ages.

Schedule for Baptisms

Baptism is a powerful, transformational moment for the entire faith community at which we welcome our newest members, vow to support them, and in so doing reaffirm our own baptismal vows. Thus, baptism belongs in public worship and is incorporated into regular services during the year. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, baptisms are on hold at this time. Please contact The Rev. Rachel Wenner Gardner for information about baptisms moving forward at rgardner@htrit.org.

Preparation for Baptism

In the Episcopal Church, baptism is just the beginning of a lifetime of faith. We welcome children and adults of all ages to be baptized, if they have never been baptized before. We recognize all baptisms that have taken place in the name of the Trinity, from all Christian denominations, and there is no need to be re-baptized for any reason.

Infants and Children: We ask all parents of infants and young children to speak with our clergy before planning for a baptism. Together we will walk through the meaning of baptism, the service, ways to nurture the faith of your children. Godparents are welcomed and encouraged to meet with parents and clergy at this time. Godparents must be baptized in a Christian tradition.

Older Children and Youth: Older children and youth that were not baptized as infants

have a special formation within the church. The clergy and Program Director will work with the individual(s) to help them understand what they will be promising and to be full participants in the baptism ceremony.

Adults: Those who wish to receive baptism as adults in the church will participate in classes about the Christian faith, and join in the particulars of The Episcopal Church. Adults can be Baptized and Confirmed at the same time, during a Bishop’s visitation. More information about Confirmation can be found here.

All questions should be directed to The Rev. Rachel Wenner Gardner (rgardner@htrit.org) or by calling our office (215) 567-1267.

Confirmation is a time when those who have been baptized into the Christian faith make the decision to join the particular arm of the church that is the Episcopal Church. Those who have been baptized as children have an opportunity to profess their faith as youth or adults through confirmation, reaffirming the promises their parents made for them. Adults who have been part of other Christian traditions, but have decided to join the Episcopal Church, take this time to ritually declare their intention of being part of this community. If a youth or an adult has been already confirmed in the Lutheran (ELCA) or Roman Catholic tradition (i.e. by a Bishop in the church), they are received into the church, not having to be re-confirmed.

A Bishop is the only person in the church who can Confirm individuals. The Bishop leads the worship service and lays hands on each individual confirmed while praying for the Holy Spirit to continue to sustain and empower that person. Confirmation is a spiritual journey touch-point in the life of a Christian; it is not a rite of passage that must happen at any particular age. Confirmation preparation includes studying the Bible, Christian history, theology, and the history of the Episcopal church, as well as engaging in service to others, prayer, reflection, and discernment.

In Christian community, death is both an occasion for mourning and an opportunity to celebrate the life lived and the hope of resurrection. Because of this, funerals in the Episcopal Church are best understood as “Easter” liturgies—grounded in the hope of new and eternal life to come. The service comes from our worship book, the Book of Common Prayer.

The Church of the Holy Trinity offers memorial services for parishioners and their families, as well as grief counseling and pastoral care for all who seek guidance at a difficult time. In the event of a death of a member, please let the office and clergy know as soon as possible so that we may meet with the family and begin to make plans for this service.

We also assist those who wish to pre-plan their service. For more information, please contact the church office by email or phone 215-567-1267.

Interment in Our Columbarium

Individuals and their family members may choose to be interred in the Church of the Holy Trinity columbarium as a final resting place. Our columbarium is located in our beautiful sanctuary.