This casual, come as you are, no experience necessary worship service is the perfect ending to a Sunday evening.
The Ted Wilson Quintet is comprised of Ted Wilson, piano; Don Aliquo, saxophone; Roger Bissell, trombone; Jacob Jezioro, bass; and Josh Hunt, drums. 

This is a Rite II Eucharist with hymns and songs arranged by Ted Wilson, especially for BreakingBread@6.

Sunday, April 28

Pre-Evensong Organ Concert at 3:30 p.m. • Evensong 4 p.m.

Sung by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Dr. Michael Velting, Dr. Malcolm Matthews, Organ

Pre- Evensong Organ Concert by Adam Cobb, Assistant university organist at University of the South, Sewanee.

A reception will follow.

Join us on Easter Sunday!
Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day, March 31

  7:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist  Rite I

  8:45 a.m. – Holy Eucharist  Rite II **

        11:15 a.m. – Holy Eucharist (Solemn)  Rite II ** 

  6:00 p.m. –BreakingBread@6 - Jazz Mass with the Jubilee Band 

**Nursery and Toddler Atrium 8:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. 

Holy Saturday Liturgy

The Holy Saturday Liturgy is a very short office said at 10 a.m. in the Nave. Holy Saturday is the 40th day of the Lenten Fast and the office commemorates the last day that Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. 

The Great Vigil of Easter

The Saturday evening liturgy, the night before the Day of Resurrection, is the liturgy in the tradition in the Book of Common Prayer, from which all other liturgies derive their meaning and purpose.  Those assembled light the New Fire and by candlelight keep vigil in anticipation of the Resurrection celebration. Lessons from the salvation history of the People of God are read. Dear ones are brought to baptism, confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation. The Paschal Shout goes up, and the first Eucharist of Easter is celebrated.

12 p.m.
The Good Friday Liturgy is offered at noon so as to have the Cathedral’s gathering conform to the historical hour of the Crucifixion. The liturgy includes the Liturgy of the Word, Sermon, the Solemn Collects, the Veneration of the Cross, the Reproaches, and Communion from the Reserved Sacrament.

Childcare available 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

6:00 p.m.
Join the Reverend Vicki Burgess at Good Friday Worship at Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church: “The last seven sayings of Jesus.”

Maundy Thursday, observed by the Episcopal Church, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his apostles. It's a significant day in the Christian liturgical calendar, falling on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. The word "Maundy" is derived from the Latin word "mandatum," meaning commandment, referring to Jesus' commandment to his disciples to love one another as he loved them.

In the Episcopal Church, Maundy Thursday is often marked with a special liturgy that includes the washing of feet, symbolizing Jesus' act of humility and service to his disciples. This ritual underscores the importance of servanthood and love within the Christian community. Additionally, the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is celebrated, reflecting the Last Supper where Jesus instituted the sacrament of communion.

Maundy Thursday also initiates the Triduum, the three-day period leading up to Easter Sunday, which includes Good Friday and Holy Saturday. These days are considered among the holiest in the Christian faith, as they focus on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Childcare available 5:45 - 7:30 p.m.

Tenebrae is a Latin word meaning “darkness,” and is the popular name for the special forms of the offices of Mattins and Lauds appointed for the last three days in Holy Week. Again this year, Tenebrae will be in Taizé form.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the service is the gradual extinguishing of the candles until only one is left, which is then concealed for a time until a loud noise is made (signifying the earthquake at the time of the Resurrection), whereupon the hidden candle is restored to its place in anticipation of the Resurrection. The congregation then departs in silence.

The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

The Sunday before Easter at which Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mt 21:1-11, Mk 11:1-11a, Lk 19:29-40) and Jesus’ Passion on the cross (Mt 26:36-27:66, Mk 14:32-15:47, Lk 22:39-23:56) are recalled. It is also known as the Sunday of the Passion. Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week. Red is the liturgical color for the day. The observance of Palm Sunday in Jerusalem was witnessed by the pilgrim Egeria in about 381-384. During this observance there was a procession of people down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. The people waved branches of palms or olive trees as they walked. They sang psalms, including Ps 118, and shouted the antiphon, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” The Palm Sunday observance was generally accepted throughout the church by the twelfth century.

Join us this Palm Sunday!

All children are encouraged to participate in the opening procession by gathering in the reserved pews in the back of the Nave for the Blessing of the Palms.  Following the blessing and procession, the children will return to sit with their families for the remainder of the Liturgy.

7:30 a.m. – Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist Rite I

8:45 a.m. – Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist Rite II

10:00 a.m. – Palm Cross Making and Refreshments (Parish Hall)

11:15 a.m. – Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist (Solemn) Rite II

6:00 p.m. – BreakingBread@6 with palms

Celtic Taizé Mass in Lent to commemorate St. Patrick of Ireland
Guest musicial trio:
Teri Reid, piano
Lisa Rhea, harp
Colin Bowling, fiddle

During the Second World War, Brother Roger Schutz founded a monastic community in the small village of Taizé (Tay-Zay) in central France. The order ministered to refugees and families displaced during the conflict. 

The abbey at Taizé continued to grow throughout the 1950’s and 60’s, and began to compose their own worship music. Since then, their simple songs have found a home in Christian traditions all over the world. Today pilgrims from all over the world, especially young people, come by the thousands each week to Taizé to immerse themselves in worship and prayer.

A Taizé service is characterized by the singing of repetitive, easily learned chants and songs, and by periods of silence, contemplation, and prayer. The gospel is typically read in several different languages to reflect the diversity of the Church and God’s radical welcome to all people.

Please join us at BreakingBread@6 in the Nave for Holy Eucharist in the style of our sisters and brothers of Taizé.

“God understands every human language. Remaining close to him in silence is already prayer: your lips remain closed, but your heart is speaking to him. And, by the Holy Spirit, Christ prays in you more than you can imagine.”

                                                    - Brother Roger of Taizé

The Episcopal Church remembers Absalom Jones each year on February 13. The Diocese of Tennessee will hold its 8th annual celebration on Sunday, March 10, at 6 pm, followed by a reception.

Celebrant: The Rt. Rev. John C. Bauerschmidt, Bishop of the Diocese of Tennessee

Preacher: Tabitha Ssonko, Lay Vicar, St. Anselm's Episcopal Church and Campus Ministry for Fisk University, Tennessee State University, and Meharry Medical College

Guest Choir: The Chamber Choir, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Franklin, Donna Stokes-Rogers, Director

The offering collected at the service is designated for St. Augustine's University, Raleigh, NC and Voorhees University, Denmark, SC - the two Historic Black Universities (HBCU's) founded by the Episcopal Church. You may also donate today at this secure link. (Select Absalom Jones-HBCU's from the drop-down menu). The Diocese of Tennessee has raised over $7,000 for these two institutions since 2017.

According to the Episcopal Church Office of Development, "Historically Black Colleges and Universities create dynamic and empowering educational environments for college students from diverse backgrounds. Now, more than ever, these institutions need your support."

Learn about Absalom Jones.

Welcome Guest Preacher
The Very Reverend Dr. Robert Willis
Robert Willis is a priest in the Church of England. He is known for being a theologian, hymn writer, and pastor. He served as Dean of Canterbury, running the mother church of the Anglican Communion and the King’s School, Canterbury (the world’s oldest school, founded by St. Augustine in 597) and advising three archbishops, from 2001 to 2022 following nine years as Dean of Hereford and five years as Vicar of Sherborne Abbey.

A leading member of the General Synod for over thirty years and with oversight of the Deans’ council of England for two decades, he has also worked on numerous regional, national and international boards – including here in the US – of charities and associations ranging from the arts and music to homelessness and healthcare. He is most recently well known for the broadcasts of Morning Prayer that he and his civil-partner of 22 years, Fletcher Banner, made every day for 26 months from the Deanery Garden in Canterbury during the COVID-19 pandemic which attracted and still attracts millions of views from all over the world of people of all faiths and none (www.youtube.com/@GardenCongregation), helping people through those dark years and bringing many back to faith.

He has received doctorates from various universities, including Yale, and the rare Freedom of the City of Canterbury in recognition for his work for the people of the city and the wider county of Kent, the Cross of St. Augustine from Archbishop Rowan Williams and the gift of a relic from His Holiness in recognition and thanks for his work in ecumenism and reconciliation.

On January 23, 2023 he was named Dean Emeritus of Canterbury by Archbishop Justin Welby and since then both he and Fletcher have been working as ambassadors for the church and various charities all over the world, most especially the Episcopal church in the US – with which they have worked for the past two decades. They are both thrilled and delighted to be visiting Nashville and Tennessee for the first time.

Evensong sung by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Canon Dr. Michael Velting, Dr. Malcolm Matthews, organ.

Evensong will be preceded by an organ concert at 3:30 p.m. by Nicole Marane, Director of Music Ministry at First United Methodist Church of Marietta, Georgia.

Free and open to the public, reception following.

Holy Eucharist with imposition of ashes:
7:00 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
6 p.m.

Nursery and toddler care will be available for the 6:00 p.m. service

In this traditional Anglican Festival, readers from the Cathedral congregation join the Cathedral Choir and Senior Choristers in tracing the story of prophecy and fulfillment, from Advent through the birth of Christ.
Sung by the Cathedral Choir and Senior Choristers under the direction of Canon Dr. Michael Velting, Dr. Malcolm Matthews, organ.
Reception to follow.

Over time, portions of the BCP 1979 have been translated and published in French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Mandarin (among other languages).

French for the Wednesdays of Pentecost 1 through 5 - Find PDF version here