The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Field Notes

For Pastoral Care 

Call 215-247-7466 and leave a message. If you are experiencing a pastoral emergency text or call the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber at 845-527-9545.

Have you had an address, email, or phone number update?

Send us your update here.

Field Notes submission requests must be emailed by Tuesday at noon to ndiskan@stmartinec.org.

This email is best viewed as a webpage. Click here to make sure you don't miss anything!

Sunday, May 10th, 2026:

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Spoken)

9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist for Children, Youth, and Families

10:30 a.m. Instructed Choral Holy Eucharist

Also via livestream here

Followed by Worship Reflections in the Houston Room

This Sunday's Readings

Acts 17:22-31 | 1 Peter 3:13-22 | John 14:15-21 | Psalm 66:7-18

Rector's Note

We have had an active week here at St Martin’s. Last Saturday we celebrated the life and resurrection of Rebecca and Joe in two funeral services. We had a joyous Sunday worship in which we honored Susan for her many years of service to St Martin’s and the wider community and world. We joined with our sister church St Paul’s for Evensong.

This Wednesday, St Martin’s led the weekly vigil in front of the ICE offices, sponsored by New Sanctuary Movement. This was not a protest but a liturgy, with hymns, a prayer litany, the passing of the peace, a scripture reading and a short sermon. It was street worship in witness for our neighbors. It was sobering, as we spoke briefly with some of the folks on line for court and heard their stories and fears; and heartening, as we could feel the Spirit in the crowd and even in the rain falling as we prayed. 

That same night, several of us met in adult forum to talk about how to pray. This conversation will continue and expand in this weekend’s confirmation retreat at Daylesford Abbey, led by Luke and myself.

This is what makes St Martin’s so vibrant and alive. We pray in so many ways, with words and with song, with our minds and with our feet, in times of joy and times of pain. For those of us who prefer action or contemplation, there are many ways to belong and participate without having to do it all. For those who want both, there is an abundance of invitations and offerings.

In all these ways, we continue to make the Body of Christ real and present in this corner of God’s kingdom.



Mary+

Photos courtesy of Jeff Meade

Features

An Update and Special Invitation from Anne Alexis Harra

"Dear friends in Christ at St. Martin’s,

Well, it has been quite an adventure for all of us over these past few years! You all called Mary to be your Rector – the first woman Rector in St. Martin’s history! By the time you all read this note, I will officially be a graduate of the Virginia Theological Seminary. And, there have been infinite beautifully-mundane moments for each of us in between. Whew! God is so good!

I am thrilled beyond words to share the joyful news that, God willing and with the consent of the people, I will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 10:30am. All of you are invited and most welcome to attend the ordination. It was your affirmation of my call to priesthood over four years ago that gave me such a loving grounding in the journey to and through seminary and beyond, and it would be my honor to share this special day with you. 

Mary has graciously offered me the opportunity to preach and serve as deacon during the 8am and 10:30am liturgies at St. Martin’s on Sunday, June 28. I hope to see you there. I also wanted to share the happy news that I have accepted a call to be the Assistant Rector at St. David’s, Radnor! I will begin that ministry on July 1. It seems that St. Martin’s and St. David’s are inexplicably connected, as I will be serving with the Rev. Tanya Regli and Natalee Hill, both St. Martin’s “alums.”

I bid your prayers, beloved St. Martin’s, as I embark on this new season of life. Know that you all are firmly in my prayers. It is a delight to watch this community grow in love and faith.

With gratitude,

Anne Alexis Harra"

Welcoming Julia Finegan as St. Martin's Children, Youth, & Families Music Director

As you will have read in previous Field Notes, after four outsanding years of work with us, and following her promotion in her full-time professional role, Brooke Witherite will be leaving us this summer. We are delighted to announce that Julia Finegan will step into the role of Children, Youth, & Families Music Director.

Julia is already a familiar face to many, having shared responsibilities for our 9 a.m. service and chorister rehearsals. She is a devoted and passionate educator whose joyous, calm leadership is perfectly suited to help our CYF Music Programs flourish. Her work with us over the last few years has been excellent, and we are excited for this next chapter under her guidance. Julia writes:

"I am so very excited to step into this new role as CYF Music Director. I look forward to deepening the relationships I have built in our community over the past three years to continue learning how best to serve our children, youth, and families. I am grateful for the trust and confidence of the clergy, staff, and parents, and for the brilliant work Brooke has done with the Children's choir over the past four years. May we share many conversations and songs!"

Please join us on Wednesday, June 10 during our Wednesday Programming as we celebrate Brooke’s wonderful contributions to our community and wish her well in her new endeavors.

Julia will officially begin her new title and responsibilities on September 1, 2026. Please join us in congratulating Julia and welcoming her into this new leadership role!

Cantate Domino!



— Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts 

Mother's Day Coffee Hour in the Columbarium

This Sunday, May 10th

Rain Space: Houston Room

Please come for coffee, tea, small bites and fellowship after all three Sunday services to celebrate Mother’s Day in the Mary Hare Taylor Knight Memorial Columbarium.

+ Save the Date: Father's Day Coffee Hour

Sunday, June 21st following all three services.

St. Martin's Time and Talent Survey

We have all been blessed with the talent and skills entrusted to us by God, who asks us to use our spiritual gifts in service of our church and neighbors. We are asking every member and friend of St. Martin’s (including our youth) to complete this survey, which will help you find ways to steward your time and talents and connect with fellow community members. We ask that you please submit your response by Wednesday, May 20th. 

+ Save the Date:  Sunday, June 7th

1) Ministry Fair (9-10:15 a.m. on the Hilary House lawn)

2) Annual Meeting (Parish Hall following 10:30 a.m. service).

Please note: There will be no 9 a.m. worship service on this day.

St. James Benefit Event: Get Your Tickets and Reserve Your Spot on the Shuttle from St. Martin's!

On Wednesday, May 20th, St. Martin's will be honored at St. James School's Dr. Audrey Evans Benefit, alongside the Epiphany School of Dorchester, Massachusetts. If you haven't yet purchased a ticket for the benefit, you can do so here. St. James has also kindly agreed to provide a shuttle bus to take St. Martin's parishioners to the event - please sign up here to reserve your spot! Any questions about the gala or shuttle bus can be director to Gillian Golson, St. James' Annual Giving Manager, at ggolson@stjamesphila.org. If you would like to attend the gala but are unable to afford a ticket, please contact Rev. Mary.

Honoring St. Martin’s Graduates

If you have a graduate in your life that you would like us to honor at St. Martin's services in June, please submit their name and information using this form.

Showers of Blessings!

After hosting the May 6 vigil at Philadelphia’s ICE office, St. Martin’s received the following thank you note from the Rev. Christopher Neilson, STM, who coordinates the Wednesday vigils for the New Sanctuary Movement, the interfaith immigrant rights organization:

“Thanks to you, Rev. Dr. Mary Barber, and the wonderful people of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and your immigration ministry, for showing up in the rain and hosting our 25th action/vigil yesterday. Thanks for hosting in spirit and truth, through powerful and piercing song, profound and provocative scripture, practical and illustrative sermon, and fervent and faithful prayer. Consequently, the raindrops were experienced as showers of blessings by the gathered, and prayerfully also for those checking and detained in the ICE building.”

Snapshots

Celebrating Susan McBride, recipient of St. Martin's Polly Randall Award

Photos courtesy of Barbara Dundon and Sarah O'Connor

St. Martin's Vigil in front of ICE Office

Photo & video courtesy of Huntly Collins

Children, Youth, & Families

St. Martin’s Families Volunteer Day

Saturday, May 16th 

8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at St. James’ School

3217 W Clearfield St, Philadelphia, PA 19132

Volunteer with other St. Martin’s families at the St. James School Welcome Table on May 16th as we support their weekly Farmer's Market, a service of free food distribution to the neighborhood community. Bring a canned good to distribute and a smile!

Support Parish Family During Surgery Recovery

Please consider supporting one of our parish families, the Hagan-Bryants, as Stephanie Hagan recovers from surgery. Options for support include bringing a meal and helping to provide childcare. Click here to sign up/learn more.

LGBTQIA+ Pride Evensong

Sunday, June 14 at 5:00 p.m.

Celebrate Pride Month with joy, music, and sacred community at our LGBTQ+ Pride Evensong—a beautiful, affirming service of sung Evening Prayer honoring the diversity and faith of our LGBTQ+ communities.

The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields was the first in the Diocese of Pennsylvania to offer a Choral Evensong specifically in celebration and recognition of LGBTQ+ Pride in June 2022. The Choir of St. Martin's will sing music exclusively by LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented composers. Singers interested in joining us for this event should email Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts, at twhiting@stmartinec.org or sign up here.

More information: www.stmartinec.org/pride

Mis'rable Sinners Folk Mass Eucharist

Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 10:30 a.m.

The return of our annual Folk/Bluegrass Mass! Co-led this year by David Dieck and Children, Youth, & Families Music Leader Julia Finegan, the service will bring together musicians from the congregation who will share a variety of wonderful music. We look forward to seeing you there! If you are interested in playing with the band of "Mis'rable Sinners", please contact Julia Finegan at cyfmusic@stmartinec.org.

Take Action

Capstone Event for Need in Deed: Shout Out

Tuesday, May 12th and Wednesday, May 13th

Tired of bad news? Come to the Need in Deed Shout Out on either Tues, May 12 or Wed, May 13 at the Arch Street Meetinghouse from 4-6 p.m. and feel the rush of joy that comes from seeing how passionate kids are about making positive change in their communities. 

This annual event is a chance for representatives from 3rd-8th Philly public schools to showcase the projects they have worked on to address social issues that concern them. Picture a Science Fair—but for social issues facing Philadelphia.

These students have tackled the such problems as immigration and ICE, gun violence, environmental pollution, grief and loss, and the impact of screen time on young people, among others. And now they are eager to have an audience of caring adults to celebrate with them. 

Click here to RSVP. Carpooling from St. Martin’s is available. Questions? Contact Barbara Dundon or Pam Prell.

Clean Out for God

From Lydia Ogden

If, like me, you have been seized with a mad desire for wholesale spring cleaning and have found you have a lot of … stuff … you don’t want or need, then let’s join forces. I’m thinking of organizing a tag sale with proceeds to benefit St. Martin’s. This is very much in the beginning stages of planning — no date as yet, but Rev. Mary suggested we might look for other events in Chestnut Hill that we could piggyback on to increase our traffic. If you’d like to discuss, please drop me a line at lydia.ogden@icloud.com or grab me at church. Thanks so much. - Lydia

Sermon

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

May 3, 2026

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Of all the troubling news we have heard lately -- our government attacking the Southern Poverty Law Center, the shredding of the Voting Rights Act in the ruling on the Louisiana case -- one piece of news felt especially devastating this week. On Thursday, the state of Texas executed James Broadnax, for the killing of two people during a robbery. James was 20 at the time of the killing, with no prior criminal record. His older cousin has since confessed to being the one who pulled the trigger. Only the cousin’s DNA was found on the gun. Somehow these facts were not enough for Texas or the Supreme Court to reconsider the execution. Continue reading here.

Coming Up

Spirituality of Aging

Next Wednesday, May 13th

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Houston Room and via Zoom)

Spirituality of Aging is a conversation group bringing older adults together to share stories, questions and insights about aging, in a supportive, congenial spirit. The group meets monthly, and is open to all who want to explore with others the experience of growing older (and, we hope, wiser). To RSVP, or for more information, contact Elizabeth Morrison at elizabeth.donnell.morrison@gmail.com.

Upcoming Memorial Service for Clifford Hood

Saturday, May 23rd

Service: 11:00 a.m. (Church)

Reception: Following service (Parish Hall)

Click here to read the obituary.

Diocese of Pennsylvania Men's Fellowship BBQ

Saturday, May 30th at 4:00 p.m.

St. David’s Episcopal Church Fairgrounds

Bishop Gutiérrez invites you to a barbecue on Saturday, May 30 at 4:00 p.m. The event takes place on the fairgrounds near the original (smaller) church at St. David’s located at 763 S. Valley Forge Road in Wayne, PA. In addition to grilled meat, salads, sides, and refreshments, roundtable discussions will be held on how to start and grow men’s fellowship groups at church. Click here to RSVP.

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Mary Chapel

Wellspring Worship Reflections

After the 10:30 a.m. service

Houston Room

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)

Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. (Library)

Al Anon

Sundays 6-7 p.m. (Houston Room)

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

1 - Tuesdays 8-9 p.m. (Houston Room)

2 - Thursdays 7-8 p.m. (Houston Room)

3 - Sundays 8-9 p.m. (Houston Room)