St. James Bids Farewell to Interim Vicar

We bid farewell on November 3 to our interim vicar, the Rev. Dr. Stephanie Burette. Mother Stéphanie recently accepted a university chaplain call at Durham in the United Kingdom. We were delighted to have hosted her for the three months that she was with us at St. James, and wish her all the best in her new ministry!

… And Welcomes Our Bishop and Archdeacon

We also 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:

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.

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

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

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.

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.