Island churches make plans for Easter services, worship
Easter is almost a month away, but plans are under way among Boca Grande churches to honor the religious foundations of this holiday by holding special services on Easter Sunday and the week leading up to Easter, which is April 20 this year.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church will begin the Easter festivities early with a visit from the Rt. Rev. Douglas Scharf, Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida. The Bishop traditionally visits each church of the diocese annually, and his visit to Boca Grande happens to fall during the Lenten season.
Then Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, with services featuring the giving of palm branches to church-goers. The palms are similar to the celebratory branches the people used some 2,000 years ago to honor Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.
It was not long before the tide turned on Jesus and he was facing trial and death at the hands of many of the same people who welcomed him with palm branches. This year, starting Thursday, April 17, three of the four island churches will be holding special Holy Week services in memory of the events of that week so long ago.
The Boca Grande First Baptist Church will have an Easter service at St. Andrew’s Episopal Church, and will participate in the community Sunrise Service, but because the congregation still has no meeting place of its own, due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is limiting its service to the one regular time of 11 a.m.
For Holy Week, the other three island churches will each have special services on Thursday, Friday and some on Saturday. Thursday services commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus. This is the time Jesus is remembered as washing the feet of his apostles, establishing the rite of Communion and handing over his mission to his followers.
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church will have Mass at 6 p.m., with the washing of feet by the pastor, the Rev. Anthony Hewett, and a celebration marking the establishment of the Eucharist, as well as commemorating the first Mass.
Lighthouse United Methodist will have a Communion Service at 6 p.m. St. Andrews service is at 5 p.m.
On Friday, known as Good Friday, there will be the traditional Stations of the Cross, led by Fr. Hewett, but including leaders and member of the other island churches. It will begin and end near Our Lady of Mercy Church, on Park Ave., at noon, and will travel through the streets of Boca Grande with communal prayers and songs.
Fr. Hewett shared his thoughts on the “Way of the Cross” with the Beacon in a text: “The Way of the Cross is an ancient devotional tracing all the way back to early Christianity, when early believers walked the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus walked during his passion, death, and resurrection. The 14 stations that we walk today were settled upon by the Catholic Church in the 1700s.”
He continued: “During Lent this is a powerful way to pray to Jesus and to remember his great sacrificial love for all of us. To present the Way of the Cross to our island community on Good Friday is a blessing, and to see all the churches participating is a beautiful way to build the kingdom of God. All are invited to participate.
Later on Friday Our Lady of Mercy Church will have it’s Liturgy of the Word, with sacred readings. There will also be Veneration of the Cross, and Communion. St. Andrew’s will also have a Good Friday liturgy in the church at 1:15 p.m.
Saturday, the Catholic Church will have its Easter Vigil Mass at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, all the churches will participate in the Community Sunrise Service. Rev. Daphne Johnson, Pastor at Lighthouse United Methodist Church, has coordinated the Sunrsise Service this year. It will begin at 6:45 a.m. at the Range Light.
“There are so many who thoroughly enjoy the Sunrise Service every year,” said Johnson, in an email. “It is a very impactful service. But at first it looked as if we might have to cancel it since the hurricanes shut down the state park at the south end of the island.”
She continued: “We are so excited to say we have been able to secure the Range Light park so we will get to hold the Community Sunrise Service. Seeing the community come together to worship and to witness God’s beautiful creation is a highlight of my Easter. We hope to see everyone there.”
Lighthouse Methodist will also have its in-church Easter services. It will offer two services, one at 8:30 a.m. and the other at 10:30 a.m. The Rev. Johnson said communion will be available at both services, and noted that “In the United Methodist Church, communion is open to all who wish to come. I hope to see you Easter morning.”
Our Lady of Mercy will have three Masses on Easter Sunday: 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Fr. Hewett noted that all Masses are held in the Family Life Center, and there will be additional outdoor seating available.
The Rev. Chris Gray, Priest-in-Charge at St. Andrew’s, said the church will have an in-church Easter service at 9:30 a.m., but will also have a service outdoors, at the water’s end of 4th St. at 8 a.m. He said since COVID the church has been having this special service, since the congregation has enjoyed having it close to the water.
