Special Services

Besides our Sunday, weekday, and Saturday services, Trinity holds many sacramental and other special services throughout the year. Some mark important days in the life of the church: Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

On the seventh Sunday after Easter we celebrate Pentecost – the Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’s disciples after Jesus ascended into Heaven.

The last few months of the year there are Thanksgiving Eucharist; the Festival of Carols; the Children’s Christmas Pageant; and, on Christmas Eve, a special dinner cooked and served by parishioners to community friends in need, followed by our traditional Christmas Eve midnight service.

Other special services include the Stations of the Cross, the Blessing of the Animals, Baptisms and Communion, weddings, and funerals and memorial services.

Stations of the Cross

Also called the Way of the Cross. A traditional liturgical devotion commemorating the last day of Jesus’s life. Originated with pilgrims in Jerusalem retracing the steps Jesus is believed to have followed on Good Friday.

The prayers and other spoken words in this devotion come from the Episcopal Church Book of Occasional Devotions.

If you’re interested, you can download a free copy of the booklet The Way of the Cross.

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PDF – Portable Document File – format, so you’ll need Adobe© Acrobat© Reader© to view it. If you don’t have this software on your computer, you can download it for free.

Blessing of the Animals

Usually celebrated on or around October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Offers a public expression of the special bond we have with the animals in our lives and reinforces our kinship with all creatures great and small.

Cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, fish – all are welcome. (For the safety of the animals, each must be on a leash or in a secure pen.) Some people may also bring pictures of a beloved animal or a species that’s endangered in the wild.

There are animals who still need a place to call home . . .
As we express gratitude for the animals in our lives, let’s not forget about the animals who are still waiting for their forever homes. Thinking of welcoming a new animal into your life? Think adoption!

The Sacrament of the Holy Baptism

Baptisms are important events not only for the person being baptized but for the entire parish community.

Every baptism, infant or adult, is an occasion for remembering and celebrating God’s invitation to be in relationship with him.

Baptisms usually take place on a Sunday during the Eucharist, but are especially appropriate at the Easter Vigil, on the Day of Pentecost (50 days after Easter Day), All Saints’ Sunday (first Sunday in November), and on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord (the Sunday after January 6th).

Holy Baptism can also be scheduled to coincide with a visit from the Bishop or for a time that is special to the family.

To schedule a baptism or for more information, call the church office at 304.529.6084.

Confirmation

Confirmation is a sacramental rite in which we embrace a mature commitment to Christ, expressed in our Baptismal Covenant, and to living a Christian life.

In the early church, the bishop baptized and laid hands on new members and prayed for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As more and more people joined the church, bishops allowed priests to baptize but reserved the laying on of hands – confirmation – for themselves.

Many people are confirmed in the church when they are in their early teens and mature enough to make the commitment required of them. Others are confirmed as adults.

It is usually parish priests who prepare candidates for confirmation.

There is a course of instruction, and often a candidate’s sponsors or other members of the congregation are included in the preparation process. Then the priest presents the candidate to the bishop for confirmation.

We hope to begin instruction and preparation for a new group of confirmands soon.

If you or a loved one is ready for this life-changing commitment, please contact the church office at 304.529.6084 for details.

Weddings

We’ve been told that Trinity is one of the most beautiful spaces for weddings in this area. The fact that we can welcome almost any size congregation also sets Trinity apart.

You don’t have to be a member of Trinity Episcopal Church to be married here, but couples do have to meet the requirements for marriage found in The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and the Canons of the Episcopal Church, which require that at least one of the couple being married has been baptized.

And since weddings have a civil component as well as a sacramental one, the couple must also meet all of the legal requirements of the State of West Virginia before the ceremony can take place.

CHURCH POLICY ON WEDDINGS
The National Episcopal Church has certain policies on marriage. Learn what they are when you download the policy document.

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in just a minute or two.

WV DIOCESE PETITION FOR REMARRIAGE
If you’re being remarried or would like to receive a blessing for a remarriage following a divorce, you’ll need to submit a petition for remarriage to the Diocese.

If you’d like to know more about being married at Trinity, to get started or to schedule a meeting with a member of Trinity’s Wedding Guild please call the office at 304.529.6084.

To Schedule Your Wedding

Make sure you meet the requirements for marriage in The Book of Common Prayer, the Canons of the Episcopal Church, and the State of West Virginia.
Get familiar with the policies on marriage from the National Episcopal Church . Your page will open in a new window.
The document is in _PDF – Portable Document File – format, so you’ll need Adobe© Acrobat© Reader© to view it. If you don’t have this software on your computer, you can download it for free in just a minute or two.
If you’re being remarried following a divorce, submit a petition for remarriage to the West Virginia Diocese.
Select a date (weddings can be planned for weekday evenings or on Saturdays at 10 a.m., Noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m.). Be sure to let us know your date early to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Funerals

The loss of a loved one is always a difficult time for family and friends. That’s why we often encourage members to make arrangements for a funeral or memorial service in advance, if possible.

Planning ahead offers the comfort of knowing that a service is what your loved one would have wanted. It can also eliminate an important source of stress at a time when you have many other decisions to make.

If you’re considering making arrangements in advance, you might want to take advantage of our Pre-Planning a Funeral form. Return your completed form to the parish office either by email, snail mail, or fax. We’ll keep your information on file for you.

If you need help, or would like to know more about funerals and memorial services at Trinity, call the church office at 304.529.6084.