Four blocks east of the Stonewall Inn, three blocks north of Washington Square Park, and directly on the route of every NYC Pride March, the Church of the Ascension always celebrates the last Sunday in June with joy, compassion…and of course some pride! If you’re in New York City to celebrate the Stonewall 50th Anniversary and World Pride this Sunday, June 30, please join us right before the March at our 11 a.m. Eucharist. Following the service, you’ll be right on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Greenwich Village to find an ideal spot to watch the March, from start to finish.
- 11 a.m. – Pride Sunday Eucharist. The flowers on the altar this Sunday are given by our rector, the Rev. Elizabeth G. Maxwell, to the glory of God and in thanksgiving for the LGBTQ+ parishioners of the Church of the Ascension. The hymns will resound with themes of courage in the face of oppression, with mission for marginalized, and with joy in our common humanity as God’s children. Our sermon will be from our associate rector, the Rev. Edwin Chinery. Our soprano soloist, Sarah Griffiths, will deliver a special anthem of Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” at the offertory. (Rumor has it even the postlude will have special resonance for the day!)
- 12:30 p.m. – Pride March. Please join us after the 11:00 service to help us serve at the Ascension water table, our annual offering to the march participants (complete with our signature lemon!) Volunteers are needed for all three shifts, especially those later in the afternoon and in the evening, as the March is expected to last as long as you’d expect a 50 year celebration to last. If you are interested, please speak to Steve Hubbard after the service or to one of the clergy.
- T-shirts! To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall and World Pride, the Church of Ascension has designed new Pride t-shirts, available for a suggested donation of $20. The t-shirt was designed by parishioner Matt Vermedahl with a rainbow “Proud Episcopalian” on the front and Ascension angels on the back. We have a limited supply, so please speak to Steve Hubbard or submit your request using this link.
- 7 p.m. – No service. There will be no Service of Meditation and Sacrament this Sunday evening, due to the Pride March traffic on Fifth Avenue.
