Calvary Episcopal Church

Veterans Day Happy Hour
2025-11-14 16:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Beetle’s Bar and Grill, 230 20th Avenue SW, Rochester, Minnesota, 55902, United States
Calvary’s Fellowship Committee is hosting a Veterans Day happy hour on November 14 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
Join your fellow parishioners at Beetle’s Bar and Grill, located several blocks west of Saint Marys Hospital on 2nd Street SW. Can you figure out this acronym?: TYFYSV. The first person to arrive and tell us what TYFYSV stands for gets a free drink!
This will be very informal. Stay for as long as you can. Popcorn and water are free. You can purchase other food and drinks.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing
2025-11-22 09:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Hy-Vee Barlow’s, 1315 6th Street NW, Rochester, MN, 55901, United States
Salvation Army bell ringing is here. To sign up, visit this link and help the Salvation Army’s genuine efforts in assisting those in need.
November 22 – inside HyVee Barlow’s – 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
Inquiries can be sent to Martha Mangan at mart188@charter.net or 507-261-3286.

Thanksgiving Evensong
2025-11-23 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Join us on Sunday, November 23, at 4 pm for a Thanksgiving Evensong featuring the works of Thomas Tallis. Tallis, perhaps the most prolific composer of the English Renaissance, served in the Chapel Royal of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth. He died on November 23, 1585. The Motet Choir will perform settings of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis from Tallis’ “Dorian Service” and his anthem, “All People that on Earth do Dwell.”

Advent Discussion Group
2025-11-30 09:15 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
We are entering one of the greatest gifts of time that we have in our church seasons: Advent. The season begins on November 30, and this four-week period is meant to give us time to prepare ourselves for the remembrance of the birth of Christ on December 25. Advent is always a time of counter-cultural challenge, as our lives can easily become too busy, with tasks both joyful and challenging as we enjoy the holiday season and all that comes with it. It is good to find some time for ritual and spiritual practice to center our busy lives as we walk to Christmas.

All are invited to join in a discussion based on the book, “From Holidays to Holy Days: A Benedictine Walk through Advent,” led by the Rev. Beth Royalty. We will meet on all four Sundays of Advent, beginning on November 30, at 9:15 am in the Larsen Fireside Room off of Brackenridge Hall. You may purchase the book, but owning it is not required for participation. We hope you will attend!

Wednesday Advent Eucharist
2025-12-03 12:05 - 12:30 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
On December 3, 10, and 17, you are invited to take a time of quiet and meditative worship at a simple Holy Eucharistic service at 12:05 pm. We will sit in the choir.

The Great Calvary Kids Bake-Off and Bake Sale
2025-12-06 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
It’s that time of year again: The Great Calvary Kids Bake-Off is around the corner!
When:

Bake-Off: Saturday, December 6, 2025, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm
Bake Sale: Sunday, December 7, 2025, 9:15 am-10:15 am, and during the Greening of the Church (if any are left!)

Where: Calvary Episcopal Church kitchen
How: Middle/high school kids will begin by practicing decorating techniques, while the elementary students will split into groups and focus on making batches of cookie dough and baking cookies. Eventually, the younger kids will have a turn at decorating, too. Cookies will be judged the next day by an esteemed panel of judges, and all cookies will be offered for donations, which will support buying new covers and padding for the Middle School room chairs, new books for the Kids’ Bags, and upcoming service projects. Cash and checks will be accepted. Kids with gluten allergies will be put in a specifically gluten-free group.
We are looking forward to all getting together and having a great time! Please email Michelle McKean at faithformation@calvary-rochester.org to let us know if you will be attending.
NOTE: Cookie donations for the sale are loved and very much appreciated!

Greening of the Church
2025-12-07 11:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Taco Bar, Crafts, and More!
Please join us on Sunday, December 7, at 11:30 am, for the Greening of the Church. This is a festive intergenerational event for all parishioners!
This year for lunch, we are going to have a taco bar with hard shells, soft shells, and corn tortillas, which can be customized to your tastes and dietary needs, with ground beef prepared with GF seasoning, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and black beans. They will be served with tortillas and salsa, Spanish rice, and cherry cheesecake.
We will be decorating the Christmas tree in Brackenridge Hall and hanging greens in the sanctuary. Michelle has a special craft for the youth: making gender neutral Christmas bracelets!
Please sign up in Brackenridge Hall or use this link to sign up online. You can also sign up by calling, texting, or emailing Cindy Heins at (507) 993-5824, heins.cynthia@gmail.com. The last day to sign up is Sunday, November 30. It is important that you sign up by the deadline so that we have an accurate count for the caterer. If you can help hang greens or clean up after lunch, please indicate so on the sign-up sheet. Also, please let us know the number of children who will be making the Christmas craft with Michelle.

Advent Lessons and Carols
2025-12-14 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
The Calvary Motet Choir will present a service of seven lessons and carols on Sunday, December 14, at 4 pm. The service will feature several anthems sung by the Motet Choir, carols for the congregation to sing together, and instrumental music for reflection. We hope many of you will make our lessons and carols part of your Advent and Christmas celebrations.

A Service for Those Who Are Grieving
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
This time of year, joyous and anticipatory, focusing on family, love, and gifts, doesn’t always offer space for those who have suffered loss – of a person, of health, of anything important, and aren’t enjoying this season. For many reasons, people find this time of year before Christmas to be a time of grief, sadness, even depression and anxiety. Many people have an empty chair at the table, or just don’t have the life they had a year ago.

Everyone is invited to attend a special service on Thursday, December 18, at 7:00 pm to find a space for prayer, contemplative silence, quiet music, and candle lighting. A Service for Those Who Are Grieving is for everyone who would welcome a pause and a time to honor grief and shed tears, if necessary, in a safe place, and soak in God’s presence in the holy, liminal space that is Calvary. A place to lay their grief and anxiety at the feet of Christ, who heals with his presence and his words. Please come and bring a friend.

Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist
2025-12-24 16:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-24 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Join us for our 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm candlelit Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist services. All are welcome!

Christmas Day Holy Eucharist
2025-12-25 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Join us for our 10:00 am Christmas Day Holy Eucharist. All are welcome!

The No-Rehearsal Epiphany Pageant
2026-01-04 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
The No Rehearsal Epiphany Pageant is Almost Here!

It is almost time again to celebrate our annual Epiphany pageant! What is a No-Rehearsal Epiphany Pageant? Well, for those of you who dread having to drag your kids to yet another rehearsal, this, my fellow parent,s is the answer! Really, there is no rehearsal. The pageant involves two steps:

1. December 21 & 28, 2025 – Costume Fitting
Choose your child’s costume. On these two Sundays from 9:15 am to 10:15 am, we will be available in the Children’s Church room downstairs for you to bring your child to choose their costume. We have sheep, donkeys, shepherds, wise people, and many other costumes to choose from! If you will be out of town for both of these dates, please email Michelle McKean (faithformation@calvary-rochester.org), and she will make sure a costume is set aside for your child.

2. January 4, 2026 – The No-Rehearsal Epiphany Pageant!
The kids just need to show up about 30 minutes before the pageant to collect their costumes and then follow the cues given in the script. There will be a live baby Jesus, many beautiful costumes, and you really can’t miss seeing the Calvary camel! One quick tip – especially for the little ones who might want to dress in sheep or cow costumes: make sure they have some cool clothes to wear underneath! We look forward to seeing you there!

Stewardship Forum
2026-01-11 09:30 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
During the months of October and November, we spent several weeks discussing the meaning of stewardship, how it relates to our faith community, and more specifically to our budgeting each year. As a result, a number of you have expressed interest in participating in a number of areas in our parish life. Financially, our pledge campaign was successful in matching last year’s results. We are grateful!
The vestry and stewardship team felt it was important to get feedback from the parish. We want to hear your feedback on our messaging regarding stewardship and the 2026 pledge campaign. We want to know what you thought we did well, and what we might improve, particularly as related to ideas about the best way to reach all of the members of our community. Hopefully, this discussion may evolve to explore ways we might be able to grow our faith community so that we sustain a vibrant and meaningful program as we emerge as the center focus of an expanding medical center complex.

166th Annual Meeting of Calvary Episcopal Church
2026-01-25 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
On Sunday, January 25, Calvary’s annual meeting will take place during the 10:30 am worship service, which will be held in Brackenridge Hall.

It will be live-streamed, but you must be present to vote on new vestry members and any other issues that arise. There will be no 8:30 am service that day so that all may attend the annual meeting. Childcare will be provided.

This is Calvary’s 166th annual meeting! Attending to the business of the church is a faithful discipline, honoring all of the blessings that God has given us in this congregation. We stand on the strong shoulders of generations of parishioners in this space. Let us honor them and one another by being part of the decision-making for the future of Calvary.

Pancake Breakfast
2026-02-15 09:30 - 10:30 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Shrove Sunday (February 15, 2026) is almost here, which means it is almost time for our annual pancake breakfast! The pancake breakfast is a fundraiser for a local charity or cause of the kids’ choice and is a fun chance for our kids to get together, enjoy each other’s company, and give back to the wider community. Last year, we raised $716.53, which was donated to the Childhood Cancer Community, and this year we are hoping to top that number! The kids do a fantastic job, and there are both gluten-free and vegan options available.
If you are able, please consider signing up below for an available role that is a good fit for your talents and skills. If you are unable to donate your time, please look for our ingredient sign-up list and sign up to donate an ingredient or two. Finally, please consider attending and buying a ticket. We are looking forward to seeing you there and enjoying the opportunity to spend time together as a church family!
Click here to sign up for a helping role
Click here to sign up for food items to donate

Ash Wednesday: Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes
2026-02-18 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Join us in the church for a service of Holy Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes, in recognition of Ash Wednesday. The 7:00 pm service will feature the Motet Choir.

Lenten Book Study
2026-02-22 09:30 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
All are invited to be a part of a book study this Lent during the time between the Sunday services, beginning on February 22 and ending on Palm Sunday. We will be using the book, For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional, by Hanna Reichel. Professor Reichel is the Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and an elder in the PCUSA. The book is described as “a guide for ordinary Christians seeking to live faithfully in extraordinary times.”

The cost for the paperback is $19.00 on Amazon. If you would like to participate and would like some assistance in purchasing the book, please let Rev. Beth know.

Choral Evensong
2026-02-22 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Join us on Sunday, February 22, at 4 pm for a Lenten Evensong featuring the works of Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) and Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). Weelkes was organist at Winchester College and Chichester Cathedral, and Gibbons was a keyboardist for the Chapel Royal and organist at Westminster Abbey. The Motet Choir will perform settings of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis from Thomas Weelkes’s “Short Service” and the anthem “Drop, Drop Slow Tears” by Orlando Gibbons.

Holy Eucharist and Silent Meditation
2026-02-25 12:05 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Join us Wednesdays in Lent for a service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II, with a period of silent meditation. The service begins at 12:05 pm.

Palm Sunday Services
2026-03-29 08:30 - 09:30 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
Palm Sunday Services
We will have two worship services on Palm Sunday:

At 8:30 am, we will celebrate the Holy Eucharist with the Rite I liturgy and the Liturgy of the Palms.
At 10:30 am, we will celebrate the Holy Eucharist with the Rite II liturgy and the Liturgy of the Palms. This service will include choir and organ.

Tenebrae
2026-04-01 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
7:00 pm
Tenebrae with the Motet Choir

Adapted from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church:
This form of the monastic office (matins and lauds) is commonly adapted for congregational use during Holy Week. The office is structured around psalms, readings, and responsories. A distinguishing characteristic of this service is the series of readings from Lamentations which appear early in the office. The distinctive ceremonial of Tenebrae includes use of fifteen lighted candles, often set on a special, triangular stand. One candle is extinguished as each of the fourteen appointed psalms is completed. The fifteenth candle, symbolic of Christ, is left lighted at the end of the final psalm. But it is carried away to be hidden, which signifies the apparent victory of the forces of evil. A sudden loud noise is made at the end of the service, symbolizing the earthquake at Christ’s death. The lighted candle is then restored to its place, suggesting Christ’s eventual triumph.

Maundy Thursday
2026-04-02 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
7:00 pm
Holy Eucharist and Stripping of the Altar

Adapted from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church:
The Thursday in Holy Week. It is part of the Triduum, or three holy days before Easter. It comes from the Latin mandatum novum, “new commandment,” from Jn 13:34. The ceremony of washing feet was also referred to as “the Maundy.” Maundy Thursday celebrations also commemorate the institution of the eucharist by Jesus “on the night he was betrayed.” Egeria, a fourth-century pilgrim to Jerusalem, describes elaborate celebrations and observances in that city on Maundy Thursday. Special celebration of the institution of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday is attested by the Council of Hippo in 381. There is provision for the consecration of the bread and wine for administering Holy Communion from the reserved sacrament on Good Friday. Following this, the altar is stripped and all decorative furnishings are removed from the church.

Good Friday Services
2026-04-03 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
12:00 pm
Good Friday Liturgy
7:00 pm
Good Friday Liturgy
The Friday before Easter Day, on which the church commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a day of fasting and special acts of discipline and self-denial. In the early church candidates for baptism, joined by others, fasted for a day or two before the Paschal feast. In the west the first of those days eventually acquired the character of historical reenactment of the passion and death of Christ. The liturgy of the day includes John’s account of the Passion gospel, a solemn form of intercession known as the solemn collects (dating from ancient Rome), and optional devotions before the cross (commonly known as the veneration of the cross). The eucharist is not celebrated in the Episcopal Church on Good Friday, but Holy Communion may be administered from the reserved sacrament at the Good Friday service.

The Great Vigil of Easter
2026-04-04 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
7:00 pm
Easter Vigil and first Eucharist of Easter

Adapted from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church:
The liturgy intended as the first (and arguably, the primary) celebration of Easter in the BCP (pp. 284-95). It is also known as the Great Vigil. The service begins in darkness, sometime between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter, and consists of four parts: The Service of Light (kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, the Exsultet); The Service of Lessons (readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers); Christian Initiation (Holy Baptism) or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows; and the Eucharist. Through this liturgy, the BCP recovers an ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. Believers would gather in the hours of darkness ending at dawn on Easter to hear scripture and offer prayer. This night-long service of prayerful watching anticipated the baptisms that would come at first light and the Easter Eucharist. Easter was the primary baptismal occasion for the early church to the practical exclusion of all others. This practice linked the meanings of Christ’s dying and rising to the understanding of baptism.

Agape Meal
2026-04-04 20:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
The Agape Meal is on Saturday, April 4, at approximately 8:00 pm, immediately following the Easter Vigil service. We will be serving lamb, ham, bread, Canadian Honker Bunnie Cake, and a gluten-free dessert option.
Please sign up using this Google Forms link, on the sign-up sheet in Brackenridge Hall, or by calling, texting, or emailing Cindy Heins at 507-993-5824 or heins.cynthia@gmail.com.
If you can bring a SALAD or SIDE DISH (no bread, please), list what you will be bringing. Also, please indicate whether you can help with clean-up after dinner.
Choir and altar guild members: You DO NOT need to bring anything or help clean up. Please sign up, come, eat, and enjoy the company of your fellow parishioners.

Easter Day Services
2026-04-05 08:30 - 09:30 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
8:30 am
Holy Eucharist, Rite I
10:30 am
Festal Holy Eucharist Rite II with Choir, Organ, and Brass
The feast of Christ’s resurrection. Easter Day is the annual feast of the resurrection, the pascha or Christian Passover, and the eighth day of cosmic creation. Faith in Jesus’ resurrection on the Sunday or third day following his crucifixion is at the heart of Christian belief. Easter sets the experience of springtime next to the ancient stories of deliverance and the proclamation of the risen Christ. In the west, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Easter always falls between Mar. 22 and Apr. 25 inclusive. Following Jewish custom, the feast begins at sunset on Easter Eve with the Great Vigil of Easter.

Easter Egg Hunt
2026-04-05 09:15 - 10:15 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
On Easter Sunday, from 9:15 am to 10:15 am, we will be hosting our annual Easter Egg Hunt for the kids in the courtyard outside the church! In the case of inclement weather, the hunt will be moved inside. There will be a booth set up where you can get your materials to start and pick up your Easter bags when finished.

Children's Church
2026-04-26 09:30 - 10:30 (America/Chicago) | Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 Third Avenue SW, Rochester, MN, 55902
April 26th will be our last Children’s Church, where we will learn about the early church, the stoning of Stephen, and the conversion of Saul to Paul. These stories will focus on how God works in our lives, changes us, and brings us purpose.

Marvelous Magical May Happy Hour
2026-05-01 16:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Beetle’s Bar and Grill, 230 20th Avenue SW, Rochester, Minnesota, 55902, United States
Calvary’s Fellowship Committee is hosting a happy hour on Friday, May 1, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Come to Beetle’s Bar and Grill, located two blocks west of Saint Marys Hospital on 2nd Street SW, to eat, drink, and be magical and merry with your fellow Calvary parishioners.
If you have never come before, we hope you can make it this time. We always have a marvelous time. Popcorn and water are free. You can purchase other food and drink. The first person to arrive and tell us what SHSTGHRIWWTBI stands for gets a free drink!
