St James Cathedral: Worship

Be Opened Through Worship

As a faith community, we want to realize God's hope for us and for the lives of all of God's people. We pray that once we discern God's call to us, we have the courage to act upon it. We are opened by God through our liturgy, music and formation. In worship, we mark the important transitions of our lives in services such as baptisms, weddings, ordinations and funerals.

SUNDAYS

8:00 in St. Andrew's Chapel

9:00, & 11:00 in the Cathedral

WEEKDAYS

M, T, TH, F @ 12:10 - Holy Eucharist

W @ 5:30 - Holy Eucharist with healing

Worship is the primary vocation of the Church. We delight in the ancient traditions of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, and we also delight in creative possibilities that come to us from the culture, and the world.

As the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of Chicago, St. James is also a place for celebrations and other services that welcome Episcopalians from throughout northern Illinois and beyond. From ordinations of priests and deacons to special occasions such as visits from several Archbishops of Canterbury, St. James has hosted liturgical occasions both great and small.

SUNDAY SERVICES

The center of life in the Episcopal Church is the Eucharist, sometimes called the Holy Communion, the Lordís Supper, or the Mass. Our preaching seeks to communicate the "good news" of Jesus Christ as it is revealed in Scripture and continually discovered anew in the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and world.

Our three Sunday morning Eucharists (8:00, 9:00 and 11:00 am) are at the same time very different and very much alike. All three services feature excellent preaching, which is a proud tradition at St. James.

The 8:00 am service is a spoken service, without music, using Rite II of the 1979 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. This congregation gathers in the intimacy of St. Andrew's Chapel.

The 9:00 a.m. service in the Cathedral is Holy Eucharist with hymns and music led by a quartet from the Cathedral Choir. The service is spare and less formal than the 11am (concluding before 10am). The 9am Eucharist is a venue for special observances like the Celebrating Pride Day, All Hallows Eve liturgy, Advent and Christmas pageants.

The 11:00 a.m. service is a Solemn Choral Eucharist, featuring music from our renowned 30-voice choir and historic organ. This is a grand and formal service appropriate to a Cathedral Church. Preaching is offered by the Bishop, the Cathedral Clergy or other visiting dignitaries.