Cape Ann religious news, services | Community

Purim party

For the first time, the Chabad Jewish Center of Cape Ann will host a community-wide celebration of Purim, the holiday commemorating the Jewish people’s salvation in Persia of old, on Wednesday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Harbor Room, 8 Norwood Court, Gloucester. Festivities include children’s activities, Chinese buffet and Hamantaschen, an ancient holiday delicacy. RSVP at https://www.chabadcapeann.com/purimparty or call 978-281-0982.

Lent schedules

The Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport will mark Lent with these events:

Stations of the Cross: A traditional Lenten devotion — a spiritual pilgrimage with our Lord as he experiences the Passion of the Cross — on consecutive Fridays, through April 8, at 3 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, 142 Prospect St., Gloucester.

Mass, Confession & Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesdays through April 13, at 5:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. Mass, followed by Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 6 p.m.; followed by an hour of confessions.

Trinity Congregational Church UCC, 70 Middle St., Gloucester, will celebrate the Lord’s Supper using Iona Liturgy at noon on Thursdays, through April 7, and host Praying in Color, Tuesday, March 15, at noon. Please contact the church office, [email protected] or 978-283-1442, for details on the COVID-19 protocols in place.

West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church, UCC, 488 Essex Ave. in Gloucester, offers a Lenten Study Group that will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, March 15, 22, 29 and April 5 and 12. All are invited. To receive the Zoom link, please call the church at 978-283-2817, leave your email, and specify Lenten Study Group.

Cereal collection

West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church in conjunction with We Are All in This Together will be collecting cereal for The Open Door’s food pantries during March. Donations may be placed in the collection box next to the mailbox at the church, 488 Essex Ave. in Gloucester,

Thrift store

The Cape Ann Thrift Shop, located at the Trinity Congregational Church UCC, 70 Middle St., Gloucester, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

Inventory of clothing, jewelry and accessories to household items frequently changes, but it is not uncommon to find barely-used items or new items that still have their tags on them. Donations accepted during operating hours.

Proceeds support Trinity Congregational Church Missions’ community-focused programs. Connect with church via email, or online at www.trinitycongregational.org.

Services

Annisquam Village Church, 820 Washington St., is conducting worship Sundays at 10 a.m. via Zoom. The chat rooms opens at 9:30 a.m. A time of prayer and reflection also is offered Thursdays at 7 p.m. via Zoom. All are welcome. For more information and web links, please visit annisquamvillagechurch.org.

Cape Ann Bible Church, 8 Thompson St., Gloucester, offers Sunday Service, 10:30 a.m., with limited capacity and live-streamed on facebook.com/capeannbiblechurch where past services and messages may be found. For more information go to capeannbiblechurch.org or call 978-281-3941.

The Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport‘s churches are open for Masses without capacity limits and reservations.

Saturday Vigil Masses are at 4 p.m. at St Ann Church, 74 Pleasant St. in Gloucester, and 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, 142 Prospect St. in Gloucester.

Sunday Masses will at 7 and 11:45 a.m. in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, 8:15 a.m. in St. Ann Church, and 10 a.m. in Saint Joachim Church, 56 Broadway in Rockport. Sunday Mass will also be offered online at the churches’ YouTube channel, https://bit.ly/3oXvBnf.

Daily Masses are celebrated at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m., Thursdays and Friday at 8 a.m., and on the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m.

The sacrament of confession is offered Wednesdays from 6:05 to 6:45 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church and by appointment.

Masks are required. There will be social distancing by having every other pew roped off and not available at St. Ann during the Masses at 4 p.m. Saturday and 8:15 a.m. Sunday.

The Rev. James Achadinha, pastor of the community, said all pastoral ministry and service organizations are meeting again. Pastoral assistance is always available by calling 978-281-4820 or [email protected].

First Baptist Church of Gloucester, 38 Gloucester Ave., hosts Sunday Services at 10 a.m. The sanctuary is open for worship, and been marked with arrows for entrance and exit, and some pews have been blocked to help observe proper COVID-19 protocols. Masks are required at all times, as well as practicing social distancing. The service is also available on Facebook Live for viewing as it is being conducted, or for viewing at a future time if desired. All are welcome.

First Baptist Church of Rockport, 4 High St. in Rockport, worships on Sundays at 10 a.m. Worship takes place in the sanctuary and is live streamed via facebook. There is a robust Children’s Church program divided by respective ages that takes place during the service. The service includes traditional and contemporary worship music. For more information, visit FirstBaptistRockport.org or follow on Facebook and Instagram.

First Church in Wenham, 1 Arbor St., Wenham is hosting candlelight prayer services on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. outside the front of the church building. Masks must be worn at all times. Outdoor health safety guidelines will be followed throughout the events.

First Congregational Church of Essex (FCCOE), 39 Main St., Essex, is worshiping in person (seating limited and masks requested by Essex Board of Health) and online at its website. To join in visit www.fccoe.org and click “At Home Sunday Worship.” You may also stay connected by clicking “like” on its Facebook page, First Congregational Church of Essex.

First Congregational Church, UCC, of Rockport is now meeting in person and online on Sundays at 10 a.m. Links to online streaming can be found at www.oldsloop.org as well as to weekly rebroadcasts of the Sunday service. Masks are required for in-person services. The buildings are now open to in-person group meetings. See the church’s “calendar” at the website for times and locations. Questions? 978- 546-6638.

First Parish Manchester, 10 Central St. in Manchester, is hosting in-person and online Sunday morning worship at 10 a.m. For those interested in attending in person, the church will follow state COVID-19 protocols; details can be found at firstparishchurch.org. Virtual worship for those not yet ready to return can be found at facebook.com/firstparishmanchesterma/live and YouTube (search First Parish Church Manchester by the Sea).

Mondays: On first and third of month, “Still Speaking” group meets at 7:30 p.m. to discuss modern intellectuals’ thinking on issues of faith, morals and justice as they relate to our spiritual tradition. Last Monday of the month, the Book Group meets at 7 p.m. to discuss of a book of interest to people of various backgrounds.

Wednesdays: Prayer & Meditation, 7 p.m.. An opportunity to come together for quiet reflection, sharing of scripture and the offering of prayer intentions.

Thursdays: Bible Study, 4 p.m., discusses upcoming weekly scripture. No preparation is needed.

To join these programs on your computer, tablet, smart phone or phone, contact [email protected] or 978-526-7661 for details.

Gloucester United Methodist Church, 436 Washington St., is hosting in-person worship service Sundays at 9:15 a.m. The church continues to assess COVID-19 and variant protocols, and mask-wearing while inside the building is optional. All are welcome! More information may be found on the church’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Gloucester-United-Methodist-Church-10654 93790137131.

Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church St., holds Sunday services at 10 a.m. in-person in its historic sanctuary, as well as online. For the safety of all, masks are required, and social distancing protocols are in place. Please visit the church’s website, www.gloucesteruu.org, for the link to the live-streaming. All are welcome.

North Shore Bible Church of Cape Ann, 65 Eastern Ave. in Essex, plans this Sunday to have one service at 10 a.m., and stream it online. Seats may be reserved at northshorebiblechurch.com.

The Orthodox Congregational Church of Lanesville‘s Sunday 10 a.m. worship service takes place in person and online. Visit https://occlanesville.org/ for information or for the link to connect via Zoom or Facebook to participate.

Pigeon Cove Chapel in Rockport‘s services are being celebrated in person and online at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. See its YouTube channel, Pigeon Cove Chapel. 978-546-2523.

Rockport United Methodist Church, 36 Broadway in Rockport, is hosting in-person worship service Sundays at 11 a.m. The church continues to assess COVID-19 and variant protocols, and mask-wearing is optional while inside the building. All are welcome! More information may be found on our sister church’s Gloucester United Methodist Church Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Gloucester-United-Methodist-Church-1065493790137131.

St. John’s Episcopal Church, 48 Middle St., has resumed in-person worship Sundays at 9 a.m., and streaming the service live on Facebook, and posting later to YouTube at stjohnsgloucester. Updates, links to services, and more information are available at www.stjohnsgloucester.org.

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington St. in Gloucester, has resumed in-person worship services every Sunday starting at 10 a.m. All state and local COVID-19 guidelines for group participation are followed. Virtual, on-line Sunday worship services are also available on Zoom, and with recordings posted to https://www.facebook.com/lutherancapeann. To learn more, sign up for the church’s newsletter at https://www.stpaulcapeann.org/sign-up-for-our-newsletter/. All are welcome; please call 978-283-6550 with any questions.

Temple Ahavat Achim is pausing from in-person gathering, and moving all for services and Torah study to Zoom. Instructions on how to join the temple’s Zervices may be found at on its homepage, https://www.taagloucester.org/, where details on High Holidays programming can also be found.

Trinity Congregational Church UCC, 70 Middle St., Gloucester, invites all to its Sunday Services at 10:30 a.m. Services are in-person with safety protocols, as well as via Zoom. The Rev. Dr. Norma Brettell guides the services. Please contact the church office, [email protected] or 978-283-1442, for details on the COVID-19 protocols in place.

Connect with church via email, or online at www.trinitycongregational.org, where a full calendar can be found.

Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport, 4 Cleaves St., Rockport, has resumed in-person worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Services will continue be held on Zoom. Check the website for the Zoom link if you cannot attend in person. The church requires masks to be worn regardless of vaccination status and all attending are asked to social distance. Everyone is welcome.

Visitation Parish, Churches of Sacred Heart & St. John the Baptist: All Masses and services are being held at Sacred Heart Church, 62 School St. in Manchester, while St. John the Baptist, 52 Main St. in Essex is temporarily closed for renovations. The Rev. Paul Flammia celebrates Sunday Mass at 8:30 and 10 a.m.

Saturday Vigil Mass will be celebrated in person at 5 p.m., and available to watch on the parish website, www.mecatholic.org, and YouTube channel at 4 p.m.

More information may found on the parish website at https://www.mecatholic.org.

West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church, UCC, 488 Essex Ave. in Gloucester, is hosting in-person services Sundays at 10 a.m. Please wear a mask for the safety and protection of the church’s children and those who cannot be vaccinated. Services are also streamed live on the church’s Facebook page. You do not need to be a subscriber to Facebook to view the worship service.

March 13 — Guest Pastor — Rev. Alex Shea Will, Musician — Renee Dupuis

March 20 — Musicians — Jeannine Lynch and Arnie Rosen

March 27 — Musician — Renee Dupuis

New member class to be held during March to accept new members on Easter Sunday. For information please call the church at 978-283-2817 and leave your email.

Lenten Study Group will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, March 15, 22, 29 and April 5 and 12. All are invited. To receive the Zoom link, please call the church at 978-283-2817, leave your email, and specify Lenten Study Group.

The church also offers a Zoom Prayer Time on Friday at 10 a.m. All are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, please call the church at 978-283-2817, leave your email, and specify Prayer Time.

For pastoral needs, questions, or to reach the Rev. Rona Tyndall, please contact the church at 978-283-2817 or [email protected]. The website is www.wgtccucc.org.

Listings may be sent to: Religion Calendar, Gloucester Daily Times, 36 Whittemore St., Gloucester, MA 01930; or emailed to Andrea Holbrook at [email protected], at least two weeks prior to the event.