Welcome from the Rector

Father Paul Lillie, Rector

Aloha on behalf of the people of St. Mark's. Welcome to our website, and we look forwarding to welcoming you in person at our church.

A generous 'ohana, St. Mark's is a growing church within the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i, and we enjoy celebrating our Anglo-Catholic heritage and our Hawaiian mission roots.  The patron of St. Mark's is Queen Emma, the wife of King Kamehameha IV. The Holy Sovereigns invited the Church of England to the Hawaiian Islands, and Queen Emma is known for her many works of support and advocacy for the poor and sick. She died on St. Mark's Day, April 25, in 1885.

We are a diverse parish, representing the many different peoples of O'ahu. It is our faith in Jesus Christ, expressed through our Anglo-Catholic spirituality, which unites us.  When we come together for the Eucharist, we become one in Christ. Since 1908 St. Mark's has been ministering the love of Christ to the neighborhoods of Kapahulu and Diamond Head in Honolulu. We also now serve the neighborhood of Waikiki, and on a typical Sunday, tourists and seasonal visitors worship with us too.

Whether you are new to the church, local, or visiting, please join us.

Father Paul Lillie
Rector, St. Mark's Episcopal Church

 

News from the Rector

Rector's Journal
From the Rector: Fasting, Stations, and a Spectacle of Palms
From the Rector: Fasting, Stations, and a Spectacle of Palms

This past Sunday was the first Sunday in Lent. We say that Sundays are “in” Lent rather than “of” Lent, as Sundays are always celebrations of the resurrection. If you are following our Shape of Lent booklet, this week we have given up sweets and treats, and next week we fast from unnecessary spending. If you have not picked up a Shape of Lent booklet yet, there are copies in the Church and Parish Hall.

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From the Rector: Visitations, Ordinations, and a Quadrilateral
From the Rector: Visitations, Ordinations, and a Quadrilateral

This Lent we will have two visitations of the Bishop. On Friday, March 14, Bishop Fitzpatrick will be at St. Mark’s to ordain two deacons who will eventually be ordained priests. The mass is at 11:00 am, and one of the ordinands is Erin Richardson Severin. Erin went through discernment at St. Mark’s, and she is in her final year of seminary studies at the School of Theology at Sewanee. All are most welcome to attend the mass.

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From the Rector: The Shape of Lent
From the Rector: The Shape of Lent

Last Sunday at the Rector's Forum I presented our parish Shape of Lent booklet. If you were not able to attend, copies have been placed in the Parish Hall and the Church. The Shape of Lent has been a labor of love of some parishioners since last summer.

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From the Rector: Preparing for a Holy Lent
From the Rector: Preparing for a Holy Lent

Ash Wednesday is less than two weeks away. Last Sunday was Septuagesima, seventy days before Easter; this coming Sunday is Sexagesima, sixty days before Easter; and March 2 is Quinquagesima, fifty days before Easter. If you are doing the math, you quickly discover these Latin titles are symbolic. These Sundays are often called Pre-Lent, and in some churches the color has already changed to violet, and the alleluias have been removed. 

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From the Rector: Musical Chairs with the Organ Speakers
From the Rector: Musical Chairs with the Organ Speakers

This past Sunday we celebrated the ancient feast of Candlemas. I mentioned in the homily that if this feast falls on a Sunday, it supersedes the Sunday after Epiphany. Some churches leave their nativity scenes out until Candlemas, as for many this is the feast that officially ends the Christmas cycle. Sunday was the fortieth day after Christmas, when we hear the final childhood story of Jesus - his presentation in the Jerusalem Temple where Simeon and Anna greet the Holy Family.

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From the Rector: Sacrifice and Faith
From the Rector: Sacrifice and Faith

This Sunday is the fortieth day after Christmas, and according to the Gospel of Saint Luke, it was when Mary and Jesus brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. It is there that Simeon and Anna greet the Christ Child with joy, for the Messiah has entered the Temple. The Kingdom of God has arrived.

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