Welcome to St. James Episcopal Church
Florence, Italy
An Anglican Church in Florence
St. James Episcopal Church is a member congregation of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, and a Parish Church of the Anglican Communion.

Worshipping In Person This Christmas
This year, St. James Episcopal Church of Florence will offer two Christmas services: Christmas Eve at 6pm and Christmas Day at 11am. We are mindful of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and will comply with all government regulations while safeguarding the health of our worshippers.

Office Hours Through 2020
- Tuesday 9:00-13:00
- Thursday 9:00-13:00
- Friday 9:00-13:00

Online Resources
The resources below are live links. Click on the words to be taken to the site.
St. James Episcopal Church (Florence) Facebook Page
St. James Episcopal Church YouTube Page
The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
A Convocation Companion – Prayer for Days of Isolation
St. James Calls a New Priest-in-Charge

Welcome to Fr. Easterling, New Priest in Charge called to St. James!
The Co-Chairs of the St. James Priest-in-Charge Search, Haswell Beni and Nevin Brown, together with the Interim Rector, Reverend Andrew Cooley, and the Bishop-in-Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches of Europe, the Rt. Rev. Mark D. W. Edington, are pleased to share this important and long-awaited update with our St. James community: after more than a year of discernment, we have called Rev. Richard Easterling.
The Rev. Richard Easterling was most recently the Rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. Please click THIS LINK to view our joyful video announcement!
We give thanks for a successful search, and lift up our prayers for a continuing smooth transition as we work to welcome Richard and his family to our community.
Pax+
The Vestry of St. James Episcopal Church, Florence, Italy
Haswell Beni, Senior Warden
Nevin Brown Junior Warden
Timothy Chaplin
Elizabeth Chard
Elisabeth Cole
Lisa Colella, Treasurer
Sylvia Cox
Priscilla Fontanelli
Vicky Magazzù
Betty Nadalini, Clerk
Monica Sharp
Sunday Worship during Covid-19
11am Holy Eucharist with sermon and music
We have implemented the following preventative measures:
- Masks are required at ALL times while indoors
- Everyone must keep a distance of at least 1.5 meters (5ft)
- Temperatures and contact tracing information will be taken
- There will be no congregational singing
- Communion will be given in bread only
- No assembly before or after
Via B. Rucellai, 9
50123 Florence, Italy
We are livestreaming all our Sunday worship services on our YouTube channel. Find us on Sundays at 11:00 AM by CLICKING HERE!
Sign up for our eNews – our weekly newsletter!
Pastoral Care Until Fr. Richard’s Arrival
We give a warm welcome to the Bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches, the Rt. Rev. Mark. D. W. Edington, and the Archdeacon of the Convocation, the Rev. Dr. Walter J. Baer. They will be in residence with us in Florence until the arrival of our new priest-in-charge, Fr. Richard Easterling (ETA subject to the vagaries of the visa process and travel restrictions during the pandemic).
From our bishop:
St James Makes 2020 Donations for Organizations Serving our Brothers and Sisters inNeed
AGAPE Malawi: Agape Italia (CRU Italy) is a Christian Association that is part of CRU International. Its aim is to help people and communities worldwide to reach their physical, mental and spiritual maximum potential in a personal and authentic way. Agape Italia is working in Malawi, lending a hand in constructing a clinic in a rural area to help a community that does not have access to the basic health assistance of any kind. The edifice Agape is building can be handed over to the local community to start serving the 47 villages with a population of about 25,000 inhabitants.
Servizio Protezione Civile Comune di Firenze: Has been providing support for families who have lost healthcare workers to COVID.
Pantagruel (Associazione per i diritti dei detenuti [Sollicciano]): Ongoing support for purchase of masks, eyeglasses for incarcerated men and women, particularly those just released from a facility badly overcrowded at 200% capacity.
Associazione Artemisia – Centro Antiviolenza: provides services and safe housing for domestic violence victims. Funding is used for equipping shelters with COVID protection. Services include psychological support, counseling, information about local resources, legal information, counseling for victims of stalking.
Casa Ronald (Fondazione Ronald McDonald). Familiarly known as one of the Ronald McDonald Houses, located at Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Meyer. Provides on-site housing and support services for families of children being treated for cancer.
Associazione Tumori Toscana (ATT) (donation in memory of Beth Tappero): provides services to cancer patients in their homes at no cost.

Music and the Chancel Choir
The St. James Chancel Choir leads the congregational hymn singing and offers anthems during the Sunday liturgy about three times per month.
Visiting choirs and musicians from Europe and around the world also share their talents with us on Sundays.
In these unprecedented times of pandemic, for now our liturgical music is provided by a choral soloist and our resident organist, Maestro Riccardo Foti. The Chancel Choir hopes to resume its activity when it is permitted and safe to do so. We welcome new singers and musicians of all abilities!
Contact Elizabeth Chard at elizabethchard@hotmail.com for further information.
Make Your Stewardship Pledges for 2021

St. Francis of Assisi Pilgrim Credentials
St. James Church is thrilled to be a retrieval point for pilgrim passports.
Credentials may be picked up during business hours (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:00-13:00 through December 24, 2020) in the parish office.
Upon arrival, come to the parish office, which is downstairs in the undercroft on the far end from the front of the church.
Questions? Call us at 055.294.417 (we speak English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese!) during business hours.

St. James Food Bank
With heavy hearts, we announce that Elizabeth (“Beth”) Tappero passed away on October 10, 2020 in Florence, Italy after a long and courageous battle with cancer. The founder and driving force behind the St. James Food Bank for over 25 years, Beth saw a need and felt called to fill it, along with innumerable sacks of food staples and clothing for families and people from all walks of life and corners of the world. Beth is survived by her devoted husband, Sandro Sanavio, our parish business manager and a longtime parishioner of St. James. If you would like to make a donation in Beth’s name, your gift is welcome and needed. Please do so by donating to St. James Church (see “Donation” button above), indicating “Food Bank/In Honor of Beth Tappero” in a note with the gift. May her memory be a blessing to all whose lives she touched with her spirit and generosity.
For this and other reasons, the St. James Food Bank is undergoing a transition, and is no longer distributing food, but rather clothing, home goods (dishes and small kitchenware), and personal hygiene products (sanitary napkins and diapers/nappies). Please refrain from bringing in food donations at this time.
Thank you!

Study Abroad Students
St. James welcomes international students from all corners of the globe. During the pandemic, numbers of students in Florence have dropped precipitously, but as soon as they return, we look forward to welcoming them once more to St. James Church. Students often volunteer at our weekly Food Bank, helping to organize the items we distribute. Our lending library will reopen to students in the undercroft when it is safe to do so.
For further information, contact the Church Office: info@stjames.it or call +39 055 294417 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00 to 1:00pm.


Thrift Shop
We are now accepting donations* during office hours (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9:00-13:00).
All donations must be in closed plastic bags with the date clearly written on the outside.
There will be no sales for the rest of 2020. In January 2021, we will reevaluate the possible resumption of sales.
Normally, on the first Wednesday of every month (October through June) there would be a Thrift Shop sale in the St. James Undercroft from 9:30 – 11:30.
Proceeds go to the St. James Food Bank, the Missionarie di Carità (Mother Theresa Nuns), and St. James Church.
All items for sale are donations upon which the Thrift Shop relies in order to thrive. The community donates clothing, toys, homewares and much more.
* We ask that you not bring items that are difficult to transport or move.

Alcoholics Anonymous in English
AA holds meetings in English in the St. James Meeting Room. For further information, see https://alcoholics-anonymous.eu.
Monday 7 – 8 pm
Tuesday 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Wednesday 7 – 8 pm
Thursday 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Friday 7 – 8 pm
Saturday 5 – 6 pm
Adult Lending Library
The St. James Lending Library provides a wide array of books in English for anyone who wishes to borrow. Come and browse our bookshelves and enjoy some reading in the Church Undercroft, or check out a book to enjoy wherever you’d like. The Adult Lending Library is open during parish office hours.

Children’s Lending Library
The Children’s Lending Library offers an extensive collection of children’s and young adult books. For a modest annual subscription fee (per family), parents can check out books for their little ones. The Children’s Lending Library is hosted by St. James Church as an outreach ministry to the Florentine community and it is an independent, volunteer-run, non-denominational community service. They sponsor Halloween, Christmas and Easter parties and are often looking for volunteers to help keep the books in order, it’s a true old-fashioned library! For further information visit their blog: childrenslendinglibrary
Outreach Grants
St. James donates a significant amount of its income to local, national and international charities. Organizations but be recognized non-profits to be eligible to receive grants.
Every autumn, we make a call for applications. Remember us and submit your suggestions when the time comes.


Weddings
Getting Married in Florence
Recently engaged?
St. James Episcopal Church in Florence, Italy offers religious ceremonies for couples of all denominations and backgrounds.
If you’d like to book a wedding at St. James, see our requirements and review important details. Contact the Parish Office for any questions and for booking information.
St. James Town House
Genteel Lodgings in Florence, Italy
The St. James Town House in the heart of Florence is the perfect place to stay with friends or family.
Centrally located near the main Santa Maria Novella train station, the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and many other attractions, we accept reservations for a minimum of one week and a maximum of three months.


About Us
A bit about our history:
The city of Florence was closed to non-Roman Catholic churches until the Grand Duke of Tuscany was exiled in 1849, and the Tuscan parliament passed legislation permitting churches of other denominations. Around 1850, a few Americans began organizing a church, and our parish was officially recognized in 1867.
The beautiful building we now occupy was designed as the last work of an English architect who was prominent in the Gothic Revival movement of the late 19th century. The land was purchased in 1907 for $ 12,822. Church construction, the organ, and other furnishings totaled $ 66,556. More than half of the total funds were contributed by Edward Francis Searles. A crucial $ 10,000 came from J. Pierpont Morgan, who was approached by church representatives following his generosity to the Episcopal Church in Rome, in facilitating the purchase of land for St. Paul’s Within the Walls. Upon examination of the architect’s drawings, J.P. Morgan declared the building inadequate and requested more elaborate plans. When these were produced, so was his gift.
The church closed during World War II, but escaped heavy damage. It reopened in 1947, during a time when the American community in Florence included Bernard Berenson, Sinclair Lewis, and the M.I.T. inventor Philip Baldwin.
The church’s most dramatic moment came on November 3 and 4, 1966, when the Arno River flooded and rose to a height of twelve feet in and around many of Florence’s most important museums and monuments, doing devastating damage. Water and fuel oil flooded the parish hall under the church, reaching the windowsills of the rectory. St. James parishioners wrote to their friends in America for help. Within the next 3 months, the parish raised $425,000 to ease the suffering of the city. The vestry, in cooperation with the British government, created a relief agency to investigate and document each request, providing a maximum weekly grant of $35 per family.
Although in the past our purpose focused on providing a place of worship and community for English-speaking people, today we are a proudly multilingual, multicultural congregation.
GET IN TOUCH
We would love to hear from you!
"We rejoice in a diverse and international parish family, and serve Italian and English speakers from many denominations, backgrounds and cultures."
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday – Friday
9:00am – 1:00 pm
PHONE/FAX: (+39) 055 29 44 17
EMAIL: info@stjames.it
Codice Fiscale: 800 357 50480 *
*Note: we do NOT have a partita IVA
STAFF
Rev. Richard Easterling, Priest-in-Charge
Edgardo Sasuman, Sacristan
Sandro Sanavio, Business Manager
Andrea Ballerini, Bookkeeper
Riccardo Foti, Organist
Patricia Estrada, Secretary