A Farewell Message From Father Andrew

I am so impressed with the faithful work of the Vestry, who have been engaged in the discernment process for over a year, to have now issued a call to Fr. Easterling to be the Priest in Charge.  It has been a process marked by prayer, and deep listening to the congregation, each other, and to the several excellent candidates.  

The process was complicated by the lockdown necessitated by the COVID 19 pandemic; but by adapting to on-line meetings and interviews, the Vestry, which is normally scattered around the world at times, was able to be fully engaged and participate thoroughly  in each meeting

I believe that Fr. Easterling is an ideal fit for the challenges and opportunities that await St. James in the years to come.  His experience, passion, and deep faith seem well suited to enable him to engage the work of caring for God’s people, equipping them for their ministries, and shining a light on God’s path.

Blessings,
Fr. Andrew+

St. James Welcomes Interim Vicar

Welcome to the Rev. Dr. Stephanie

We are pleased to announce that St. James has welcomed an assisting priest to serve for a few months. This will ensure pastoral support following Fr. Andrew’s retirement; while St. James works to have the travel and visa situation for Fr. Richard resolved.

In July, we welcomed the Rev. Dr. Stephanie Burette to St. James. Mother Stephanie was ordained priest on June 27, 2020 at a service at the American Cathedral in Paris, which is her home church. She graduated from seminary two years ago, and then upon her being ordained a Deacon, served as a Porter Fellow at St. George’s College, Jerusalem for the last year. She is highly accomplished for one so newly ordained; we are fortunate indeed to welcome Stephanie.

Sometimes a crisis has an opportunity. It turns out that Stephanie has been hired for an assistant priest position at a church in the United States.  Yet it turns out that with the COVID pandemic, and the associated travel restrictions and delays in securing a VISA to work in the United States (Stephanie is a French Citizen); it seems highly unlikely that she will be permitted to move and take that position before December, if then. Both Stephanie, and our newly-called Priest in Charge, are in a parallel state of limbo.  The Bishop saw this situation and proposed this arrangement as a solution.  Stephanie, the vestry, and St. James enthusiastically welcomed it.

We have agreed on the title “Interim Vicar” to describe her position at St. James. Stephanie will serve as a “Vicar;” meaning (in this instance) she serves under the authority of the Bishop and the Vestry.  If the Priest in Charge for St. James is able to be welcomed before Stephanie departs for her position in the United States, she will serve under the authority and direction of the Priest in Charge.

She has an email address assigned to her: sburette@stjames.it and is eager to get to know you.  Send her a message of welcome.  If you are able to come by and meet her, please do (we currently have limited office hours, so please call or email first).  Offer to show her some of your favorite sights and destinations in Florence; she is new in town!

Priest-in-Charge Search Successfully Concluded

Prayer for St. James

Faithful and loving God,

Music/Choir

The St. James Chancel Choir has led the congregational hymn singing and has offered anthems during the Sunday liturgy on average three times a month.

Visiting choirs and musicians from Europe and around the world have also shared their talents with us on Sundays.

In these unprecedented times of the Covid pandemic, for the time being, liturgical music is provided by a soloist and our resident organist, Maestro Riccardo Foti.

The Chancel Choir, however, hopes in the near future to resume its activity and will be open to new membership and will welcome singers of all abilities!

Contact Elizabeth Chard – elizabethchard@hotmail.com for further information and updates.

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 would go to the St. James Food Bank, the Missionarie di Carita’ (Mother Theresa Nuns) and St. James Church.

Items sold are all donations which the Shop relies on in order to thrive. People bring clothing, toys, homewares and much more.

* Please refrain from bringing items that are difficult to transport or move. No donations will be accepted during the months of July and August.

Alcoholics Anonymous in English

Below you will find the days and times that AA holds meetings in our Meeting Room. Please refer to this site for any further information: 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

Congratulations on your engagement!

St. James Episcopal Church in Florence, Italy offers religious ceremonies for couples of all denominations and backgrounds.

If you would like to book a wedding at St. James Church, please take a look at our requirements and important details and contact the Parish Office for any further questions and booking information.

About Us

The city of Florence was closed to non-Roman Catholic churches until after the Grand Duke of Tuscany was exiled in 1849 and the Tuscan parliament passed legislation permitting churches of other denominations. About 1850 a few Americans began organizing a church, and the parish was officially recognized in 1867.

The beautiful building we now occupy was designed as the last work of an English architect, prominent in the Gothic Revival movement of the late 19th Century. The land was purchased in 1907 for $ 12,822; church construction, organ and other furnishings totalled $ 66,556. More than half of the total was 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 purchasing a piece of land inside the walls of the old city. Upon examination of the architect’s drawings, he declared the building inadequate and requested more elaborate plans. When these were produced, his gift was forthcoming.

The church was closed during World War II, but was not heavily damaged. It was reopened in 1947, 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 – 4, 1966, when the Arno River flooded, rising to a height of 12 feet in some of Florence’s museums and monuments, doing devastating damage. The water and fuel oil flooded the parish hall under the church and reached the window sills of the rectory. St. James parishioners wrote their friends in America and within the next 3 months raised $ 425,000 to help the needy. The vestry, in cooperation with the British, set up a relief agency to investigate each case and to provide a maximum grant of $35 weekly per family.

Having come from a past when the purpose of the church was to provide a place of worship and community for English – speaking people, we are a multilingual international congregation.