St Paul’s Episcopal Church

I came here for an Easter service this year when I was visiting Brooklyn. It was truly a stunning experience, through and through.
I arrived way too early, because I wasn’t sure how long it would take on the F train – some stops were under construction, and I didn’t know how far I’d have to walk down Carroll St. to get to the church. Finally, I arrived to the front of the building and it was absolutely gorgeous. I stood in awe for a moment as I was let in from the freezing cold. Upon entrance, I dipped my hands in Holy Water and made the Sign of the Cross before I found a nice, inconspicuous pew for myself. My eyes met genuine smiles as I looked around nervously. The choir had a practice session before the service, which I was able to listen in on and it was very refreshing.
A great pipe organ in the back commanded my attention as it reached towards the sky. A choir stood next to it, ready to captivate our ears and our souls. The building is very historic looking and it was so grand, but still modest at the same time. I enjoyed everything about mass – the incense, the prayers, the silence, the bells, the voices upon voices, singing in Latin, the shrilling volume of the organ and the softness of it, and the sermon. I could tell the church body is very close and it still warms my heart to think about it.
Everyone here was so welcoming and I suppose they could sense that I was a visitor. After the service, the priest invited me to have snacks with everyone; cakes shaped like lambs, pastries, coffee and tea, cookies, crackers, cheese, fruits, blueberry crumbles, napkins, cups, hugs, smiles, handshakes – they were all presented to me and I felt like family, as if I had been coming here since I was a little girl. They all liked my dress. I love this place!