We welcome as friends everyone, of any race, gender, creed, denomination,
political affiliation, or
sexual orientation, 
for all of  us
"are one in Christ Jesus" 
(Galatians 3:28) 

All Are Welcome! ¡Todos están Bienvenidos!

St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Bakersfield welcomes you to worship.  We invite you to join our inclusive community as we deepen our awareness of the presence of Jesus Christ in us through the Episcopal tradition of inclusivity, worship, and service.  We welcome all to share His joy and love with us, rejoicing in the transforming power of the Spirit.​


This week From Fr. Luis
​

In 1061 Richeldis de Faverches, the Lady of the Manor of Little Walsingham in Norfolk, Eng- land, had a series of visions in which she was taken to the house in Nazareth where the an- gel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary and invited her into God’s plan for salva- tion. In these visions the Blessed Virgin entrusted Richeldis to build a copy of the holy house on her property. She did, and soon many went there to honored and venerate Mary under her title Our Lady of Walsingham. The shrine was witness to many miracles, and became one of the chief places of pilgrimage in Europe, alongside the shrines of Santiago de Compo- stela in Spain, and of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. From the time of the shrine’s dedica- tion Mary had a special relationship with England, and in a distinct and special way England
was considered hers. Unfortunately, the excesses of the English Reformation saw the destruction of the shrine and the burning of the image of Our Lady. Nevertheless, the Catholic revival in the Church of England rediscovered the nation’s love and long- ing, and in 1938 Fr. Hope Patten, the then Vicar of Little Walsingham re-established the shrine, and it has once again become a place of pilgrimage and honor for Our Lady Mary. In a poll taken by BBC Radio 4 a few years ago the shrine at Little Walsing- ham was voted the most spiritual spot in England.
Still the shrine and the veneration of Mary were often the object of suspicion and derision by the more Evangelically minded members of the Church of England, and devotion to Our Lady has not been at the center of the Anglican spirituality and self-understanding since the 16th century However, earlier this month something astounding happened; together with the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Westminster Abbey – at the heart of English religious and national life – held a day “in hon- our of Our Lady of Walsingham.” The image itself was brought down from Walsingham, taken into the walls of the ancient ab- bey and placed in the very spot where the kings and queens of England are crowned. Subsequently, after the service, Our Lady was placed before the coronation chair for the veneration of pilgrims and visitors. The symbolism could hardly be more pow- erful. At the service, the Bishop of Burnley and Master of the Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, preached and he said,
What on earth just happened?...Into this great Abbey church – the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the burial site of kings, the place of coronations and regal power - we have just carried a penniless peasant girl from Naz- areth. Into this great symbol of our national life – the location for the spectacular events that define our nation, grand weddings, sombre memorials, huge state occasions – we have carried a woman who in her own life knew only occupation, poverty and political oppression. Into this place of breath-taking beauty, of astonishing artistic endeavour and enduring aesthetic excellence we have held high a woman who knew only the hovels and shanty dwellings of the agricultural labourer. Into the heart of Westminster – the place of political power and one cur- rently riven with deadlock, anger and intense soul-searching – we place a teenage girl.
I listened to his words and I was reminded that whenever we welcome the Blessed Virgin into our lives and into our churches, it is a clear sign that we welcome also the poor, that we welcome the outcast, that we welcome victims of violence and oppres- sion, because she was herself poor, herself marginalized, herself a victim of the powerful and of powerful forces. When we welcome the Blessed Virgin into our lives and churches we welcome also the voice of revolution as we sing with her great song of praise to the God who “has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly...[who] has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich...has sent empty away.”
Before I came to St. Paul’s I wrote saying I would be placing my ministry here under the special patronage of Blessed Virgin Mary under her title Our Lady of Guadalupe, and I made sure there her image was in our chapel and a votive stand directly below it. In addition, the special anthems to Mary are said each time Morning Prayer is recited. I made sure that she is made welcome here. Soon after my arrival someone commented, “You brought back Mary.” I was so pleased. Now, I don’t think bringing Mary “back” to St. Paul’s (as if she ever left) is as magnificent or as momentous as her return to Westminster Abbey, but it is as signifi- cant. After all, in saying Mary has a home here at St. Paul’s we are saying that there is a home here for all the vulnerable and dis-enfranchised, all who are needy and helpless, all who are refugees and outcasts, and all those who seek to do God’s will absolutely completely.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
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Updated 05/16/2019
Join us for
Holy Eucharist Services
Sundays 10 am
(Child care & Sunday School available)
followed by Coffee Hour in Grace Hall

​St. Paul's Episcopal Church
2216 17th Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 869-1630
Email St. Paul's
Church Office Hours:
​Monday-Friday from 9am to 1pm.
Check out our
Facebook Pages ​below
St. Paul's Youth Group
St. Paul's LGBTQ & Allies Discussion Group
The Millenials at St. Paul's

Upcoming Events

Sunday
      8am Morning Prayer

      10-11:30am Holy Eucharist

      10-11:45am Childcare for children under 5 in the Child            
      Development Center (CDC)

      11:30-12:30 pm Coffee & Community @ Grace Hall

      12-2pm Food Co-op

Monday
       8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer @ Chapel

Tuesday
       8:30a.m. Morning Prayer @ Chapel

       6:00pm Choir Rehearsal @ Choir Room

Wednesday
       8:30am Morning Prayer @ Chapel

       9am Weekday Eucharist @ Chapel

       6 pm St. Paul’s Bridge Fellowship @ Forum

       6:30pm EYF @ Fusion room (upstairs)

Thursday
       8:30 Morning Prayer @ Chapel
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