St. Gregory's Episcopal Church sits on the corner of NE Mizner Boulevard in downtown Boca Raton, a 1,100-member Episcopal parish whose motto - Transforming Hearts and Community Through Jesus' Love - shows up most visibly in three places: the music that fills its sanctuary each Sunday morning, the doors of its food pantry that open six days a week, and the long table set for a hot Sunday lunch for anyone who walks in hungry. The congregation belongs to the Diocese of Southeast Florida of The Episcopal Church and gathers around a simple Declaration of Love: all are welcome regardless of race, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, life situation, or doubts about faith.
A Week of Worship, Old and New
The rhythm of the week at St. Gregory's is built around three Sunday liturgies, daily prayer in the Chapel of St. Mary, and a midday Eucharist on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
On Sundays the day begins at 8:00 AM with a quiet Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuary. The principal service of the week is the 10:00 AM Choral Eucharist, sung by the parish Choir of St. Gregory's with organ and choral music drawn from across the Anglican tradition. Order of Worship bulletins are available online. In the evening, the congregation offers a monthly Choral Evensong in the Sanctuary, sung by the Choir and the Schola Singers. Evensong, in the church's words, is "perhaps one of the most beautiful of all services that comes out of the Anglican church," a service whose texts and canticles have inspired composers for centuries.
Each weekday the Daily Office is observed. Morning Prayer is prayed in the Chapel of St. Mary on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 9:00 AM; on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the same office is offered both online and in person at 9:00 AM, paired with Musical Meditations led by Music Director Timothy Brumfield. A Holy Eucharist is celebrated in St. Mary Chapel at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays; healing prayers follow the Thursday service. The Order of St. Luke's Healing Ministry offers laying on of hands and prayer in the Chapel during Communion each Sunday.
On the first Saturday of each month from September through June the chapel is rearranged for Yoga Mass at 4:00 PM, a celebration of the Eucharist set inside a yoga class experience. Worshipers bring their mats and dress for movement. Beach Eucharists are held quarterly at South Beach in Boca Raton, at the end of Palmetto Park Road.
Services online and in the archive
Each Sunday the 10:00 AM service is livestreamed from the Sanctuary through a multi-camera setup. The video is broadcast on the church's homepage, its Vimeo embed, and its Facebook page. Recordings of recent services, going back several years, are kept in an online archive under "Sermons," and visitors can also find past Choral Evensongs, special services like the Juneteenth celebration, the Pride Month commemoration, the September 11 twenty-fifth anniversary service, and Holy Week liturgies including the Great Vigil of Easter, Good Friday, Tenebrae, and Christmas services.
Music as a Defining Strength
Music is one of the parish's most distinctive ministries. The Choir of St. Gregory's is made up of professional and semi-professional singers from the congregation and surrounding communities and leads the 10:00 AM Choral Eucharist and the monthly Choral Evensongs. Timothy Brumfield, the Director of Music Ministry, Organist, and Choirmaster (and Coordinator for Liturgy and the Arts), is a former Cathedral Organist at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City and a member of the seven-time Grammy Award winning Paul Winter Consort.
The children's choir, the Choristers, is made up of children in grades three through eight who learn repertoire ranging from spirituals to great church anthems; selected Choristers provide treble voices for the adult Choir on occasion. A Friends of Great Music committee supports the concert ministry and assists with fundraising for special events.
The Great Music at St. Gregory's concert series has brought ensembles and soloists from around the world into the Sanctuary. Past performances have included the Paul Winter Consort, the American Spiritual Ensemble, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, cellist Eugene Friesen, jazz vocalist Dee Daniels, and South Florida's Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire, which returns each year for a Christmas concert. The Sanctuary's improved acoustics have made it a sought-after venue for performers and ensembles.
Meals with Meaning: Feeding the Community Six Days a Week
The signature outreach of St. Gregory's is Meals with Meaning, which the parish operates six days a week through a network of nonprofit partners. On Sundays from 2:00 to 3:00 PM the team serves a hot lunch with cold drinks, water, sandwiches, and fresh desserts to anyone who comes. Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to noon guests can pick up non-perishable food, hygiene products, toiletries, water, and fresh desserts. The Little Pantry, a small free-standing food cabinet, is open around the clock: those who can give leave something; those in need take what they need.
Meals with Meaning also runs a catering operation - Meals with Meaning Catering - that prepares food for events including wedding receptions at the church, with every meal supporting the larger feeding mission. The parish collects $5 gift cards from McDonald's, Dollar Tree, and Dunkin Donuts for guests and maintains an Amazon Wishlist for year-round essentials. Gena Vallee, the Director of Outreach and Pastoral Support, oversees the ministry, which is supported by an Anne de Wolfe Food Fund endowment.
Family Promise and the Little Pantry's neighbors
St. Gregory's is one of roughly twenty interfaith congregations partnering with Family Promise of South Palm Beach County, a nonprofit that helps homeless families with children move toward sustainable independence. The church provides volunteers, serves as a host site for overnight stays, and contributes financially; the parish's Eastburn Endowment also supports the Family Promise ministry. Other outreach partners include the Boca Raton Interfaith Youth Association (BRIYA), which brings together youth groups from local congregations of different faiths for shared service and learning.
Going Farther: Haiti, Madagascar, and the Wider Church
Beyond Boca Raton, St. Gregory's sustains two long-standing mission relationships. The South Florida Haiti Project builds ongoing partnerships with the community of Bondeau, working with local leaders to support the church, school, and community there. The Madagascar McGregor Toilara Endowment supports the parish's relationship with the partner Diocese of Toliara.
Closer to home the parish engages in racial justice and healing work through Sacred Ground, the Episcopal Church's dialogue series on race and faith. Sacred Ground Circles meet regularly at St. Gregory's, and the parish also shepherds a Becoming a Beloved Community initiative that ties its youth and adult formation work to the wider Episcopal vision.
Sunday Beach Eucharists, Sunrise Service
On the quarter Sundays each year when the Beach Eucharist is celebrated, the parish gathers at South Beach Park at sunrise for an outdoor Eucharist, sometimes joined by worshippers from other local congregations. Baptisms may also be performed at these seaside services.
Children, Youth, and Families
The parish's motto for its young people, used at every level, is the same: "I am a beloved child of God; I am a member of the Body of Christ; and I have a unique calling and purpose in this world." Children, youth, and families are coordinated by The Rev. Andrew Sherman (Rector), The Very Rev. Dr. Mary Ellen Cassini (Assistant Rector), and Anita Sherman (Sunday School Coordinator and Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator).
Sunday School and Nursery
Sunday School classes meet at 9:45 AM in designated rooms during the program year. The PreK 3, PreK 4, and Kindergarten classes use Godly Play, a Montessori-based approach that introduces children to religious language through story, wonder, and play. Grades 1, 2, and 3 use Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based program rooted in Scripture, liturgy, and sacred history. Grades 4 and 5 use Foundations of Faith, drawing on lectionary-based lessons and the Weaving God's Promises curriculum. Nursery care is provided at no charge during the 10:00 AM worship service. A Summer Sunday School is offered from June through August for children ages three through fifth grade.
Confirmation and Upper Room Time
Confirmation is a three-year journey for young people in grades six through eight. The Confirmation Class meets at 9:10 AM each Sunday in the Conference Room. Older teens, those transferring from another church, or anyone interested are welcome to join; the experience may include retreats, mission trips, pilgrimages, and ministry internships.
Upper Room Time for Teens, for students in grades six through twelve, meets at 9:45 AM in the Youth Room. Each year the group works on a single theme - recent themes have included "What will you do with your one wild and precious life?" (from Mary Oliver) and "Building Beloved Community" - and uses a rhythm of Pause, Listen, Reflect, Pray, and Go, with Benedictine practices woven in.
Rise & Shine and Acolytes
Rise & Shine is a monthly worship service for children, youth, and families held during the program year, running concurrently with the 10:00 AM service in the Sanctuary. Children and youth serve as acolytes at the altar on Sundays and at other worship services; children, youth, and adults all serve in this role, and several families serve together.
Beyond Sunday: youth trips and interfaith work
The youth group travels to Camp Kanuga in the mountains of North Carolina for the summer Youth Week and to the Kanuga Winterlight retreat between Christmas and New Year. Youth members participate in the Boca Raton Interfaith Youth Association alongside other local congregations, and they lead regular outreach and mission projects, including packing and delivering meals through Family Promise. "We have fun as a group and view life as a beautiful adventure," the parish says; "local and out-of-state adventures are the norm."
Adult Formation and the Center for Spiritual Formation
The parish describes formation as "a lifelong process of growing in relationship with God, self, others, and all creation, becoming transformed into the people God wants us to be." Adults can join any of several ongoing groups:
- Living Water Bible Study with Fr. Andrew meets Wednesdays at 6:00 PM, both in person and on Zoom, from September through May.
- Men's Spirituality Hour meets Wednesdays at 8:00 AM on Zoom for book study, mutual support, and prayer.
- Curious, Courageous, Contemplative, Compassionate meets Wednesdays at 3:00 PM in the Sanctuary, led by Jackie Rogers, Gena Vallee, and Mother Mary Ellen Cassini. The group reads books such as Amy-Jill Levine's Genesis: A Beginner's Guide to the Beginning, balancing contemplative silence with discussion.
- Women's Bible Study meets Thursdays at 1:00 PM in the Youth Room for fellowship and conversation about the upcoming Sunday's Scripture.
- The Center for Spiritual Formation (CSF), led by the Cassinis, hosts an ongoing Tuesday evening study online; recent offerings have included "Putting on the Mind of Christ" by Jim Marion.
- Lectio Divina Prayer Group meets in the Chapel on the first Saturday of each month.
Sacred Ground and other adult offerings
St. Gregory's hosts Sacred Ground Circles, the Episcopal Church's small-group program on race and faith, with the parish's Racial Justice and Healing ministry shepherding the work. Centering Prayer, the silent prayer practice of opening the heart to the presence of God, is available through the parish office. Spiritual retreats are offered periodically, often seasonally during Advent and Lent.
Pastoral Care, Counseling, and Stephen Ministry
The pastoral care ministry reaches members in hospitals, homes, retirement communities, and nursing homes through clergy visits and a team of Caring Callers who phone or email homebound parishioners for regular check-ins. A Heart-to-Heart network of church members supports one another with meals, transportation, and visits. The Daughters of the King and the parish prayer list carry ongoing supplications in weekly worship.
Stephen Ministry provides one-to-one lay pastoral care, usually for three to six months, with Stephen Ministers meeting their care receivers once a week for about an hour. Ministers are trained and supervised by Stephen Leaders; they are not counselors but listening companions in Christ. The Flower Guild turns Sunday altar flowers into small bouquets for delivery to those unable to attend; Lay Eucharistic Visitors bring Holy Communion to the homebound; the Prayer Shawl Ministry (part of the Knitting Ministry) creates shawls that are prayed over as they are knitted and delivered during pastoral crises.
Pastoral Counseling and the Gentle Giant Foundation
The Rev. Elizabeth Pankey-Warren, Pastoral Counselor and Associate Clergy, offers professional and Christ-centered counseling for adults, children, and adolescents facing difficult times, life transitions, depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, marriage, and parenting. Sessions also incorporate yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and self-care practices. The Gentle Giant Foundation, established at the parish in memory of Dr. Doyle Patton, a clinical neuropsychologist, provides skilled mental health care at reduced or no cost for those who could not otherwise afford it.
The Brothers, the Episcopal Church Women, and the Daughters of the King
The Brothers of St. Gregory's is the men's fellowship of the parish, open to all men of the congregation. The Brothers host a monthly Fellowship Breakfast after the 10:00 AM service on second Sundays, run pasta lunches and pasta fundraisers, and hold monthly dinner meetings. Their mission is to support the children and youth of St. Gregory's and to build community among the men of the church.
The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) is open to all Episcopal women of the parish. The ECW hosts bake sales, an annual spring tea, and the annual Holiday Gala fundraiser, oversees the St. Gregory's Thrift Store, and provides the ECW Women's Scholarship. The Daughters of the King is an international religious order for Episcopal and Anglican women who make a special commitment to prayer, worship, and evangelism. The local chapter meets monthly in Harris Hall for support and prayer.
The Thrift Store, the Gardeners, and the Life of the Building
The ECW Thrift Store, located on the parish grounds, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and on two Sundays each month during the regular season. Its proceeds support church and charitable ministries. The Gardeners of St. Gregory's care for the parish gardens and seasonal plantings, normally meeting Tuesday mornings. The Knitters Ministry - crocheters welcome - meets monthly in the library to create prayer shawls.
The Vestry, the elected lay governing council of twelve members, meets monthly with the Rector to review administration, finances, ministries, and the church's mission. A Solar Committee is exploring the equipping of the parish buildings with solar power, and a Property Development Committee considers how to optimize the use of St. Gregory's real estate for ministry.
Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals, and the Columbarium
St. Gregory's hosts weddings, baptisms, and funerals in the Sanctuary and the Chapel of St. Mary. The clergy perform same-gender marriages and work with those previously divorced to receive approval from the Bishop. Wedding couples may use Harris Hall, the parish's three-section reception venue with a courtyard, hall, and patio that accommodates up to 150 guests for a seated meal plus a dance floor. Music for weddings is coordinated with Music Director Timothy Brumfield, and the church's multi-camera system can livestream the ceremony for guests who cannot travel.
Holy Baptism is celebrated during Sunday worship services, with baptisms of both children and adults, and quarterly at the Beach Eucharist at South Beach Park. The Columbarium on the parish grounds is the place of internment for cremains; the parish office provides information about policies and costs.
Giving, the Legacy Society, and the Endowment
St. Gregory's accepts gifts online through a secure Pushpay portal, by text message (text SGEgive to 833-672-4095), through the St. Gregory's mobile app on iOS and Android, by mail to the PO Box, and by check or stock transfer through the Finance office. The parish warns that St. Gregory's will never ask for money or gift cards through text, email, or social media; any suspicious request should be forwarded to the church office.
The Legacy Society welcomes those who include St. Gregory's in their estate plans. Gifts may take the form of bequests, retirement plan beneficiary designations, life insurance beneficiary changes, or transfer-on-death provisions. The parish maintains two endowed funds in addition to the Legacy Society: the Von Kreuter Fund, which supports members in pursuit of seminary education and seminarians in diocesan and Anglican partner relationships; and the Eastburn Endowment, which supports Family Promise and the South Florida Haiti Project.
Visiting St. Gregory's
The church sits at 100 NE Mizner Boulevard in downtown Boca Raton, with the Sanctuary at the heart of the campus. Sunday visitors will find a congregation of more than 1,100 members in a parish that describes itself as "diverse in thought, traditional in worship, and dynamic in love." Greeters welcome worshippers at each service; ushers assist with seating and the orderly distribution of Communion. Nursery care is available at no charge for younger children during the 10:00 AM service. Coffee Hour follows the 10:00 AM service, and visitors are warmly invited to introduce themselves to the clergy.
Those new to the parish are invited to a Newcomers Brunch at the Rectory, hosted by Fr. Andrew and Anita Sherman several times a year, and to the Newcomers Class, a five-session introduction to life at St. Gregory's led by Fr. Andrew. The parish's Welcome Form is available for anyone who would like to share how they would like to get involved.
Whether someone arrives for the 8:00 AM quiet Eucharist, the sung 10:00 AM Choral Eucharist, the contemplative chapel services on weekdays, the noon Healing Eucharist with the Order of St. Luke's, the monthly Choral Evensong, the Sunrise Beach Eucharist at South Beach Park, or the Saturday Yoga Mass with a mat in hand, St. Gregory's offers many doors into its life. As the parish puts it simply: "All are welcome in this place."