A Parish at the Center of Annapolis Since 1692
St. Anne's Episcopal Church sits on Church Circle in the heart of downtown Annapolis, facing the Maryland State House across the brick plaza. Worship has been offered on this ground since 1692, when St. Anne's was founded as one of thirty Anglican parishes created in colonial Maryland under the Church of England. The parish received a silver communion set from King William, a piece of royal plate that parishioners still study and use today. For more than three hundred years, St. Anne's has held the same vantage where worship and civic life meet, and the church is recognized as a living historic parish with a contemporary ministry that serves both its downtown neighbors and the wider world.
Clergy, staff, and laypeople describe the parish with a simple phrase: "a simple path with profound love." Three Sunday services, a daily rhythm of prayer, an unusually deep music program, broad pastoral care, and an extensive set of local and global outreach ministries all flow from that vision. The church is part of the Diocese of Maryland within the Episcopal Church.
Three Sunday Services on Church Circle
St. Anne's offers three Sunday liturgies designed to meet worshipers at different points in the week.
At 8 a.m., the early morning service is a traditional spoken liturgy. The sanctuary is quieter and the order is brief, with sermon and Eucharistic prayer but no choral music.
At 10 a.m., the principal service gathers the full congregation for a full liturgy with choral music, traditional hymns, and sermon. This service is livestreamed on YouTube, and bulletins are posted online. During the service, all children under ten are invited to follow the cross to the Choir Room for Music and Movement, a time of singing and a brief Gospel lesson, before returning to their families in time for communion. Healing prayer and anointing with oil are offered at the Holy Family Chapel during the Offertory. Parents are welcome to stay in the pews, and the parish notes that "all noise from children that come from our pews is pleasing to God."
At 5:30 p.m., a contemplative Eucharist with acoustic music provides a quieter close to the day. Incense is used at this service, and the music draws from the parish's acoustic ensemble.
During the summer, the 10 a.m. service is followed by Summer Hospitality in the church yard, the Summer Adult Forum (a lay-led discussion of Wisdom Literature), and Parables & Popsicles, a gathering for children and families at the picnic tables on Church Circle.
A Daily Rhythm of Prayer
Prayer is woven into the daily life of the parish in several forms.
Evening Prayer is offered in the sanctuary on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:30 p.m., and virtually by Zoom on every weekday evening at the same hour. In Lent, the Friday evening service becomes a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. New Evening Prayer leaders are welcomed and trained, and the parish invites anyone interested to reach out to the leaders by email.
Sung Compline is sung on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Holy Family Chapel. The service follows the ancient Christian office for the close of the day and is led by a lay Cantor, with chanted psalmody, a brief scripture reading, and antiphons before the benediction. The whole service generally lasts under twenty minutes and is meant to invite silent contemplation before, during, and after. Compline at St. Anne's pauses during the summer and resumes in late August under a new Cantor.
The Mid-Week Healing Eucharist is held every Tuesday at 12:10 p.m. in the Holy Family Chapel. After communion, prayer ministers are available to pray with anyone who wishes it and to anoint with oil, following the rite in the Book of Common Prayer. The parish frames the Eucharist as "medicine for the soul," drawing on the scriptural injunction that the elders of the church pray over the sick and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
Prayers for Healing and Hope are also offered during the 10 a.m. Sunday Eucharist at the Holy Family Chapel. Anyone may come forward; all prayers are confidential.
Centering Prayer meets the first four Tuesdays of each month from 10 to 11:15 a.m. at St. Philip's Episcopal Church on Bestgate Road. The ecumenical group uses Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, and shared reflection to balance daily life with silence and the grounding of Spirit.
The Iron Rosary is a self-guided meditative walking prayer around the parish grounds. The fence that surrounds the church at Church Circle holds laminated prayer cards written by parishioners and visitors, and the team hangs seasonal messages for Advent, Lent, May Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day. Cards may be filled out and left in the box near the gate closest to Main Street.
Intercessory Prayer takes several forms. A public Intercessory Prayer List is lifted during Sunday worship; a private Intercessory Prayer Chain carries confidential concerns to a dedicated group of intercessors; and the parish publishes a weekly Prayer Letter that includes first names and last initials.
Music as a Form of Prayer
Music sits at the heart of St. Anne's identity. The parish quotes the maxim that "he who sings, prays twice," and the program that grows from that conviction is unusually broad.
The Adult Choir, directed by Music Director J. Ernest Green, sings at the principal services and many of the special services of the church year. The choir rehearses weekly and welcomes new voices. A Summer Choir gathers at 9 a.m. on summer Sundays to rehearse and sing at the 10 a.m. service.
The Church Circle Consort, a multi-generational ensemble of amateur and professional musicians, plays strings, winds, and percussion for worship and special events. The Consort is conducted by Kari Shea.
The Acoustic Ensemble leads the music at the 5:30 p.m. contemplative Sunday service under the leadership of Alec Green.
The Bach+ Music Series is offered in concert with Live Arts Maryland and explores the music of Johann Sebastian Bach alongside later genres he influenced. Recent seasons have included Choral Evensong for the Feast of the Ascension with selections from parts 2 and 3 of Handel's Messiah, and a Bach Birthday Concert with the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra.
The instrument at the heart of it all is a Freiburger pipe organ, whose renovation was completed by the German firm Freiburger Orgelbau. The organ, the soaring acoustics of the historic sanctuary, and the choir loft give the parish a sound that draws worshipers, recital audiences, and touring ensembles to Church Circle throughout the year.
Pastoral Care: A Cup of Cold Water
The pastoral care ministry at St. Anne's is gathered under the name A Cup of Cold Water, a phrase taken from Jesus' words in Matthew: "If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded." The ministry grew out of the conclusion of the Stephen's Ministry program and now combines three kinds of care.
Listening Lift offers a confidential lay listener to parishioners who feel disconnected or overwhelmed. The listener's role is to give full attention and acknowledge that God and the individual will find the way forward.
Nourishing Lift organizes short-term meal delivery to parishioners during challenging times such as illness, the arrival of a new baby, or bereavement.
Spiritual Lift coordinates short-term transportation for ambulatory parishioners who need a ride to church or to medical appointments.
Eucharistic Visitors, trained at St. Anne's and certified by the Rector and the Bishop, take consecrated bread and wine to parishioners who cannot come to church because of illness, disability, or other impediment. They visit at home, in hospitals, and in care facilities. Hospital Visitors serve Anne Arundel Medical Center Monday through Friday and liaise with clergy and other pastoral services.
The Prayerful Knitting Ministry brings together knitters and crocheters who make prayer shawls for the ill and infirm and baby blankets for newborn babies and the newly baptized. The knitters pray over each stitch.
The Healing Prayer team offers compassion, anointing, laying on of hands, and prayer in the name of Jesus at the Holy Family Chapel during the Offertory of the Sunday services.
Intercessory Prayer extends this care through the public prayer list, the private prayer chain, and the weekly Prayer Letter.
Finally, Home Communion Visits by clergy and deacons bring the sacrament to those who cannot attend, an ancient practice the parish continues as a sign that the community of faith surrounds the ill and homebound.
Children, Youth, and Family Formation
St. Anne's takes seriously the conviction that "God loves everyone, no exceptions," and shapes its children's programming around core values of compassion, community, equality, and authenticity. Formation is led by The Rev. Alice Grant, Associate Rector for Formation and Evangelism.
At the 10 a.m. service, Music and Movement gathers children under ten in the Choir Room after the opening prayers for music and a Gospel lesson, before they return to their families for communion.
Sunday School meets during the formation hour from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Parish House. Children in PreK through 4th grade meet in the Preschool for the Arts classrooms, while youth in 5th through 12th grade meet in the Library. Trained teachers lead the classes, which include a snack and an hour of formation on God's word.
Children's Communion Class is offered each year for children in 1st through 3rd grade. The three-session class is led by clergy and culminates in a Communion Celebration at the 10 a.m. service. The class is an introduction for children who have been baptized and whose parents decide they are ready to receive; the parish frames it as preparation rather than a "first communion" milestone.
During the summer, Parables & Popsicles meets at the picnic tables in the church yard after the 10 a.m. service for a story about Jesus, a game, and an icy treat.
The Acolyte Program is one of the parish's most intergenerational ministries, with members ranging from age 8 to seniors in their seventies and eighties. Acolytes carry the cross, torches, candles, and banners, lead the procession, and serve in many other roles. Training is largely on the job, with a tiered structure that culminates in the role of verger. The acolyte team also regularly draws on students and recent graduates of St. John's College in Annapolis.
Vacation Bible Camp is held each summer for several days, with stations for games, crafts, science, and quiet time. Adult shepherds and station leaders are recruited from the parish.
The Harrison Sayre Award of $1,500 is presented each year to a graduating high school senior who has been active in parish life and in the wider community. The award is given in memory of a longtime St. Anne's member.
Adult Formation and Bible Study
St. Anne's runs an unusually rich formation program for adults across the church year.
The Adult Forum meets most Sundays during the program year from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall, after the 10 a.m. service. Speakers from the fields of theology, biblical studies, worship, spirituality, and ethics lead discussions on how Christians live their faith in the world. A Summer Adult Forum continues through the summer months with a thematic study, most recently Wisdom Literature drawn from Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. During Lent, the parish offers a hybrid forum called "Soup & Scripture," meeting in person on Sundays at the Adult Forum and online on Wednesday evenings.
The Men's Bible Study is described as St. Anne's longest running lay ministry. It meets by Zoom on Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and is dedicated to studying the Bible and the work of Christian theologians. An annual Men's Retreat supplements the regular schedule.
The Women's Bible Study meets in multiple sessions throughout the year, with each session built around a biblical theme and consisting of five or six meetings. Sessions may be held on different days, times, and places so that any interested woman can join at least one during the year. An annual Women's Retreat is also offered.
Beyond the regular program, the parish has launched in-depth Zoom studies of the Gospel of Luke, the Book of Revelation, and the Acts of the Apostles, and offers on-demand Bible Gateway audio readings for personal study.
Music, Formation, and Lectio for Children
St. Anne's School of Annapolis and Preschool for the Arts at St. Anne's are ministries of the parish. Preschool for the Arts (PASA) is a faith-based preschool dedicated to nurturing the whole child with an innovative pre-academic curriculum that inspires a love of learning through the creative arts. St. Anne's School of Annapolis is an elementary school that invests in the intellectual and spiritual promise of each student in a community that celebrates diversity and upholds the dignity of every human being. Together they extend the parish's formation of children well beyond Sunday morning.
Outreach from Annapolis to Guatemala and Kenya
St. Anne's frames its outreach around the call "to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." The parish supports a long list of local and global ministries.
The Light House, Annapolis's homeless prevention center, is supported with pantry stocking one month a year and two meal teams each preparing food once a month for shelter guests.
Winter Relief, managed by the Arundel House of Hope, opens a cold-weather shelter with fresh meals and bag lunches. Over sixty churches participate; St. Anne's volunteers serve as night monitors, prepare meals, help with laundry, and set up the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall.
Backpack Buddies provides weekend meals and snacks during the school year to children in the community who face food insecurity. Back to School Backpacks distributes school supplies to 125 to 175 children each year, identified through the Department of Social Services. Friends of Clay Street partners with Stanton Community Center's Afterschool Club to assist children with homework and to provide new winter coats and boots to Annapolis Elementary School students.
Naomi's Village in Maai Mahiu, Kenya, is a children's home, preschool, and K-12 academy raising the next generation of Kenyan leaders. St. Anne's sponsors children through the parish and hosts an annual Sponsorship Sunday.
Partners in Mission in Guatemala (PIMIG) supports health, education, and community empowerment in Mayan communities around Chujulimul, including scholarships, training, and infrastructure projects. A signature effort is the Guatemala Water Project, which aims to bring reliable clean water to village homes, sparing mothers the daily climb to the river with their children and buckets. The parish sends a travel team to Guatemala each summer.
Advocacy is coordinated through the Maryland Episcopal Public Policy Network (MEPPN), with priorities aligned to the parish's ministries in education, environment, healthcare, and housing. Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT) is a community-based, nonpartisan, faith-based organization in which St. Anne's participates; current priorities include affordable housing in Anne Arundel County, addressing legacy barriers faced by descendants of historic property owners, and expanding pre-K access.
The Reconciliation Ministry is part of the parish's Journey to Becoming Beloved Community, the Diocese of Maryland's framework for the work of racial healing and justice. The Rainbow Group, organized in 2018, welcomes LGBTQ+ individuals, their families, and allies into parish life and worship, sponsors community service projects, and participates in Annapolis Pride.
Docents share the history of the building with visitors who come to see the church from Church Circle, supporting both pilgrims and passersby who step in for the air conditioning or a quiet moment of prayer.
The Grants Committee distributes funds from the parish's General Fund each year to organizations and ministries that meet needs locally and globally, with grants of up to $5,000.
Fellowship and Community Life
Beyond its ministries, St. Anne's is a community that gathers in smaller groups around shared interests and rhythms of the year.
Foyer Fellowship groups of six to eight parishioners take turns hosting a monthly communal meal, building friendships across newcomers and long-standing members.
Suburb Theology is a monthly gathering at a local restaurant for conversation on theological topics, open to anyone willing to bring curiosity, humility, and humor.
Emmaus offers a supportive environment for listening, responding, and resting in the Spirit, with programs that hearten prayerful awareness of the sacred in everyday life.
The Hospitality Committee coordinates food and fellowship after Sunday services, during the Adult Forum, at summer gatherings on the church yard, and at special events.
The IWC Bridge Group meets monthly for bridge, welcoming beginners and providing drinks and snacks.
The New Member and Fellowship Ministry welcomes newcomers and helps new attendees connect with others through parish gatherings.
The Rainbow Group also acts as a fellowship hub for LGBTQ+ parishioners, families, and allies, organizing social gatherings and service projects.
The Buildings, the Cemetery, and Stewardship
St. Anne's stands at the center of Annapolis, and care for its historic buildings is part of the parish's identity. The sanctuary on Church Circle is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for visitors and quiet prayer. The Parish House at 199 Duke of Gloucester Street, a short walk away, houses offices, classrooms, the Parish Hall, and the Library, and is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This spring the parish completed a major upgrade to the church's HVAC system, a complex project that required a crane to lift equipment through rooftop skylights and steeple louvers and the temporary closure of Church Circle. The work was paid for out of years of disciplined stewardship and reserves rather than a special appeal. The parish frames projects like this as expressions of a wider Culture of Stewardship: a way of life in which time, talent, and treasure are recognized as gifts from God and offered back in gratitude.
The Legacy Circle is the planned giving community of parishioners and families who have included St. Anne's in their wills or estate plans. Their gifts strengthen the endowment that supports worship, music, outreach, and spiritual formation.
St. Anne's Cemetery adjoins the church grounds and is cared for by a committee of parishioners who survey sections of the cemetery, document its history, and host periodic survey days and tours. A columbarium is part of the cemetery's offerings.
Facility Rental in the Parish House is available for downtown Annapolis events, and the parish notes that facility space can be reserved through the parish office.
Music of the Civic Year
The church's calendar is rich with civic and parish traditions.
The Kirkin' O' The Tartan is an annual blessing of the tartans, accompanied by a bagpipes and drums band with banner and flag carriers. St. Anne's first held the service on April 30, 1967, under the Rev. James Madison, then rector. Maryland Governor Spiro T. Agnew and his wife attended the inaugural service. The Kirkin' is now a staple of the parish's June calendar.
The Bach Birthday Concert in March and a summer-long musical observance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence reflect the parish's commitment to music as prayer. The 2026 series traces St. Anne's journey from royal Anglican parish to Episcopal church in the American republic, with anthems by Weelkes, Farrant, Goss, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Holst in the services and organ postludes drawn from the American patriotic tradition.
For the 250th anniversary of the nation's independence, the parish also commissioned a five-Sunday musical series and a reflection on the women and men whose faith built St. Anne's across three centuries, including Anne Catherine Hoof Green, a colonial Annapolis printer and parishioner, and the Brown family.
Beliefs and Identity
St. Anne's worships within the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Maryland. The parish teaches that marriage is a life-long union before God and the Church; that baptism is a gift of grace given to people of any age; that confirmation is the mature reaffirmation of baptismal vows with the laying on of hands by a bishop; that the Eucharistic Visitors carry the sacrament to those who cannot attend; and that unction is a rite of anointing the sick with oil for the healing of spirit, mind, and body. The parish belongs to a wider tradition that recognizes and celebrates the leadership of women, beginning with Shirley Powell's election to the Vestry in 1965 and Edith "Deede" Rivers's service as the first woman to serve as Junior Warden and Senior Warden. Over a hundred women have served on the Vestry since then.
Across these commitments, the parish invites newcomers, downtown neighbors, students from St. John's College, and longtime members alike to walk a simple path with profound love.
Clergy, Staff, and Leadership
The parish is served by The Rev. Dr. Manoj Mathew Zacharia as Rector, with The Rev. M. Dion Thompson as Senior Associate and The Rev. Alice Grant as Associate Rector for Formation and Evangelism. The Rev. Kathy Shahinian serves as Deacon and coordinates the Eucharistic Visitors. The music staff is led by Music Director and Choirmaster J. Ernest Green, Organist Larry Molinaro, and Organist Emerita Carolene Winter, with Kari Shea directing the Church Circle Consort and Alec Green leading the Acoustic Ensemble. Hugh Reese serves as Director of Advancement, and Claire Miller serves as Ministry Associate for Communications and Engagement. The parish office can be reached at (410) 267-9333 or info@stannes-annapolis.org.