At Grace, we want to celebrate the joyful events of your life while also offering comfort during the difficult ones.  You are always welcome to reach out to clergy who are available and meet with you for planning and preparation.  You can reach out to clergy directly or contact the church office for assistance in connecting with a member of the clergy. 

Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body, the church. The bond that God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. Holy Baptism is appropriately administered within the Eucharist as the chief service on a Sunday or other feast.

 

Each candidate for Holy Baptism is to be sponsored by one or more baptized persons. Sponsors of adults and older children present their candidates and thereby signify their endorsement of the candidates and their intention to support them by prayer and example in their Christian life. Sponsors of infants, commonly called godparents, present their candidates, make promises in their own names, and also take vows on behalf of their candidates.

 

It is fitting that parents be included among the godparents of their own children. Parents and godparents are to be instructed in the meaning of Baptism, in their duties to help the new Christians grow in the knowledge and love of God, and in their responsibilities as members of his church.

 

If you are interested in being baptized, or having your child baptized at Grace Church, please complete and submit this form for adult baptisms, or this form for infants and children.

 

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El Santo Bautismo es una iniciación importante con agua y el Espíritu Santo al cuerpo de Cristo, la iglesia. El vínculo que Dios establece en el Bautismo es indisoluble. El Santo Bautismo es apropiadamente administrado en la Santa Eucaristía que es el servicio más importante del domingo o en otra ocasión festiva.

 

Los candidatos para recibir el Santo Bautismo deben ser apadrinados por una o más personas que han sido bautizados. Los padrinos de adultos y jóvenes adultos deben presentar sus candidatos lo cual significa que los apoyan y al mismo tiempo expresan su intención de apoyarlos a través de la oración y como ejemplo en su vida Cristiana. Los padrinos de infantes, presentan a sus candidatos, hacen la promesa Bautismal en nombre de ellos, y hacen los votos bautismales en nombre de los infantes.

 

Es importante involucrar a los padres de los bautizados junto con los padrinos. Padres y padrinos reciben educación sobre el significado del Bautismo, sus deberes, y sobre cómo ayudar a los nuevos Cristianos a aprender y aumentar su conocimiento y amor a Dios, y sus responsabilidades como miembros De la Iglesia.

 

Si estas interesado o interesada en recibir el Santo Bautismo, o quieres que tus hijos sean bautizados en la iglesia de La Gracia, por favor completa esta forma para el Santo Bautismo de adultos, o esta forma para bebés y niños.

Grace Church performs the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage in accordance with the required canons of the Episcopal Church, using the liturgy found in the Book of Common Prayer.

 

 

Who can get married at Grace Church?
  • All active members and those exploring membership. The clergy are willing to counsel with those who are not members of the parish. In the Episcopal Church, at least one party must be baptized and there must be two witnesses.
  • With the permission of the Bishop of Virginia, divorced persons who wish to marry again can do so, providing it has been at least a year since the divorce decree was issued.  Grace Church clergy will prepare a petition to remarry after one to two meetings with the couple and/or the divorced person.

 

How much notice does the church need?

We recommend no more than one year and require at least six months. Be aware that the Church is not available for weddings during Lent and Holy Week (the six weeks before Easter); during Advent (the four weeks before Christmas); the second weekend of September, when Grace Church holds its annual retreat; and if there is another wedding already planned that day.

 

 

Pre-marital Counseling

Every couple is required to participate in pre-marital instruction sessions before the wedding.  These sessions will cover:

  • Introductions, personal stories and biographies; why have you come to the church for a blessing of your marriage?
  • Personal strengths and weaknesses; goals as individuals and as a couple; personal growth within and throughout marriage; what are your major concerns about marriage, self and one another?
  • Communication, intimacy, sexuality; resolving differences; how do you share your love with one another and others?
  • Faith in practice and belief; the place of Christianity in your lives; how do you understand God?
  • The service for the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage; the meaning of the Prayer Book liturgy; and understanding of the liturgy.
How much does it cost?

There are several types of fees. Some are flat fees and others vary, depending on the choices you make. For more information about fees and scheduling time with a member of the clergy, please fill out the form linked below in the “What happens next” section.

 

 

What happens next?

Couples must:

  • Fill out a wedding ceremony application. Your wedding date will be placed on the church calendar after one of the clergy has agreed to officiate at your wedding and you have provided the required deposit to the parish office.
  • Call the church office to schedule a meeting with the clergy.
  • Meet with the clergy for pre-marital instruction sessions.
  • Obtain a marriage license and provide it and your remaining fees to the parish office at least two weeks prior to the wedding.

Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love.  And this we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior.   Amen.

 

Funeral & Burial Instructions

If you would like to provide Grace Church with an advance record of your wishes, you can access the Funeral and Burial Instructions form by clicking here.  Once you print the form and fill it out,  you can mail the completed form to the church attention Director of Operations, scan and email to parish.administrator@gracealex.org, or drop it off at the church office during regular office hours.

 

 

Burial of Ashes

A columbarium, a sacred place where the ashes of the deceased are interred, has long been a feature of many churches and cathedrals throughout the world. Grace Church can offer parishioners and friends this sacred rite in the Grace Church Columbarium and Garden next to the new narthex under the west window. The Columbarium’s low, semi-circular wall set in a garden provides a place of beauty, simplicity, solace and prayer.

 

Ashes, placed in individual containers, may be ensconced in niches in the wall or in the ground beneath a stone marker. A bronze plaque records the names and dates of birth and death of those whose ashes are so kept. Ashes may also be buried directly into the ground without a container. This “common” or “in-ground” committal will be done either in the ground beneath a stone marker or in the lawn outside the Columbarium wall. The names and dates of those buried in common ground will be displayed in a public place in the church.

 

The Columbarium is reserved for the ashes of members and former members of Grace Church, clergy who have served Grace Church, and their baptized forebears, descendants and spouses. Exceptions to this policy will be reviewed by the Columbarium Committee, consisting of the Rector, the Junior Warden, a member of the Vestry, and two parishioners appointed by the Rector.

 

Cost

The cost of common in-ground burial is $200. An in-ground niche costs $400, and a wall niche costs $800. All prices include interment, a marker or plaque, and perpetual care. Cost of cremation and a container is not included.

 

Application

If you would like to receive an application to purchase space in our Columbarium and Garden, please contact the church office. The parish clergy are available to discuss cremation as an option for Christian burial, as well as to give you a guided tour of the Columbarium and Garden.

Confirmation is the sacramental rite in which a candidate “expresses a mature commitment to Christ, and receives strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.” Those who were baptized at an early age, or baptized as adults without laying on of hands by a bishop, make a mature public affirmation of their faith, recommit themselves to the responsibilities of their baptism, and receive laying on of hands by a bishop. Adults baptized with the laying on of hands by a bishop are considered to be confirmed.

 

The Episcopal Church’s theology of Confirmation has continued to evolve along with its understanding of baptism. Confirmation is no longer seen as the completion of Christian initiation, nor is Confirmation a prerequisite for receiving communion. Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s body, the church. Accordingly, Confirmation has been increasingly understood in terms of a mature, public reaffirmation of the Christian faith and the baptismal promises. A candidate for Confirmation should be old enough to make a mature and independent affirmation of faith.

 

If you are interested in confirmation for yourself or a loved one, please contact the church office by calling 703-549-1980 or sending an email to parish.administrator@gracealex.org.

Home Communion is available for parishioners who desire this service for delivery by Grace Church Eucharistic Visitors every Sunday. Home Communion will be in one form, Bread only. This important ministry allows those who cannot attend in person on Sundays and who desire Communion to stay connected to the parish and to receive the sacrament.

 

How to Request

To request Home Communion, parishioners are asked to contact the Parish Office by telephone at 703-549-1980 by no later than 12 pm on the Wednesday prior to the Sunday on which they would like to receive Home Communion.

Confessions are generally offered by appointment with a clergy member.  To inquire about making a confession, please contact the church office by calling 703-549-1980 or by sending an email to parish.administrator@gracealex.org.

Following is some liturgical background about confession and information about what to expect.

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops and Priests of the Church, the responsibility to oversee the reconciliation of penitents. (John 20:19-23) The sacramental rite titled “The Reconciliation of a Penitent,” commonly called “Confession,” is an important part of our heritage as Episcopalians. The Book of Common Prayer (1979), provides directions and forms for the Reconciliation of a Penitent (pp. 446-452) and exhorts Episcopalians to go to “a discreet and understanding priest” for the specific help and comfort of penance — “to the removal of scruple and doubt, the assurance of pardon and the strengthening of your faith.” (BCP, p. 317)

 

Grace Church sets aside time for confession during the seasons of Advent and Lent, but parishioners and friends are encouraged to contact the clergy if they wish to make a confession at another time.

 

 

Guidelines for a Faithful Confession: Essential Tips and Suggestions

 

(1) At a time and place convenient for you, examine your conscience in preparation. Take time in preparing. This is the most important factor in making a confession. Begin with a prayer for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. There are three vital spiritual ingredients in a worthy confession for which you must pray.

    • Full, adequate confession of all known sins
    • Sorrow for the breaking of God’s law and the refusal of God’s love.
    • Definite and firm intention to amend your life.

(2) Jesus’ Summary of the Law, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,”defines the “three loves” of God, neighbor and self, which are also the objects against which sins are directed. As you examine your conscience, meditate on the damage sin does to our relationship to God, to other people, and to ourselves.

 

(3) Use the Ten Commandments in the Book of Common Prayer (pp. 317-318) to inform your conscience according to God’s standards of human behavior. If this is your first confession, concentrate first on your relationship with God and your neighbor during the last month, and then add any major sins since your baptism, which immediately come to mind. You may find it helpful to reflect on your school days, your relationships with various friends and relatives, your various jobs, but do not try to remember every possible sin, and do not spend too much time on this.

 

(4)  Using the Summary of the Law and the Ten Commandments, put your confession into concise, organized form and write it on a piece of paper, which you should destroy after your confession. Be methodical and specific. Do not be vague. When you go to a doctor, you do not say you feel vaguely sick – if you do, the doctor cannot help you specifically. You say that you hurt or are ill in a particular spot and manner. Precisely the same rule applies to confession, where we confess to Christ, the Physician of our souls.

 

(5) When you arrive at the church for your confession, kneel first in a pew and make an act of contrition in your own words or by saying, “O my God, I believe in you, I hope in you, and I love you. I grieve that I have so often offended you by my sins, and I resolve henceforth by your grace and mercy to lead a better life.”

 

(6) When your turn comes, or if the Priest is sitting alone, kneel beside the Priest at the altar rail. You may use one of the forms in the Prayer Book (pp. 447, 449) Remember to state your own sins, and no one else’s, specifically, clearly and briefly. Do not offer excuses or long explanations.

 

(7) Listen carefully to any advice the Priest may give. The Priest may need to question you on a point in order to clarify some matter or to remove any unnecessary scruple. He or she may suggest that you make an appointment to talk later for further counsel and help. He or she will offer comfort, counsel and penance (specific actions for you to undertake). When this is finished, you will be given absolution. You may then “Go in peace, the Lord has put away all your sins…”