A Place of Mission...
St. Paul's Church by-the-Lake is the Episcopal Church serving the northeast side of Chicago known as Roger's Park. Founded in 1882, we are a small but caring parish family. Our spiritual home is located on the northwest corner of Estes and Ashland Avenues. It is a quiet residential area just three blocks west from Lake Michigan. St. Paul's is a neighborhood church seeking to meet the spiritual needs of a diverse community.

A Place to Worship....
In following Jesus, our call and duty is to worship God in spirit and truth, in the beauty of holiness. As Episcopalians, our worship is both Catholic and Evangelical. We are a traditional Anglican Church centered on the liturgy found in the Book of Common Prayer. The principal liturgy of the Lord's Day (Sunday) is the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice of Jesus, commonly called The Mass or Holy Communion. Every Sunday, both a Low Mass (without music) and a Sung Mass are celebrated. On major Holy Days, the liturgy is a Solemn High Mass with special music and incense. Mass is also celebrated daily in the Chapel of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, except Thursday evenings, when it is celebrated in the parish house's All Souls Chapel. The Sacrament of Holy Unction follows Mass on first Thursdays, and confessions are heard following Mass on first Saturdays.

Our parish church has four shrines with votive lights: The Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of the Apostles, St. Paul the Apostle, and Our Lady of Walsingham. Click on the "Tour" button on the Home page of your screen for more information on our church home and our shrines.

A Place to Learn...
This parish is a place where people share their own faith and study the Catholic faith of historic Christianity. Our basic religious education program begins at 10 a.m. every Sunday morning from September through June. An education brochure explains the children's program of six-to-eight week terms, team-taught for three levels of child development: nursery, young children, and middle-school age. An adult class meets in the Library Guild Room; its focus is the study of the Bible, with discussion and participation encouraged. Part of Our Lord's Great Commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our minds, as well as our hearts and strength; therefore, we encourage everyone to take part in religious education as an important part of their lives.
Special education events occur periodically, such as First Communion classes, Inquirer's Classes, Quiet Days, Lenten speakers and occasional programs of special interest.

A Place to Fellowship...
We are a compassionate and caring group of spiritual travelers who would love to have your companionship on the journey. We share our stories, our hopes and dreams, and our joys and concerns at coffee hours on Sundays after both Masses. In addition, a group goes out for coffee after the weekday Masses.
Our fellowship includes many projects throughout the year. The men of the parish regularly help with the maintenance of the building and grounds, planting flowers, etc. The women of our parish--through the Episcopal Church Women--meet on the first Sunday of each month and hold occasional bake sales, a Christmas Bazaar, Parish Rummage Sale and Caribbean Luncheon.
Other fellowship times include many parish meals, such as an Anniversary Dinner, an Island Brunch, a Mardi Gras luncheon, and a Sunday School School Ice Cream Social. In all events, our parish theme is "here we care and invite you to share."

A Place to Reach Out...
St. Paul's is a place to put words into action. We seek ways to make life a little kinder to all God's creatures. We collect food and staples for the Howard Area Community Pantry and St. Ignatius Food Services. Each Christmas, we adopt several families from Cathedral Shelter, providing food, clothing, and gifts. We house workers for Habitat for Humanity and open our doors for Alcoholics Anonymous weekly meetings. We support BEHIV (Better Existence with HIV) and encourage community awareness forums in our Parish Hall.
Our outreach begins with the awareness that our baptism, wherein we were adopted by God and made members of His family, is the foundation and source of grace to be the people of God. Every member of St. Paul's is a minister of the Faith & Love of Jesus. We are ambassadors of His Kingdom in this world.

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