Saint Hilary's Episcopal Church has stood on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers since 1958, serving as a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion and one of 75 parishes and missions in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. The parish is known for pairing a contemplative early-morning Rite I service with a joyful, music-filled Rite II Eucharist each Sunday, all anchored by one of the area's only pipe organs.
Two Sundays a Week, Two Ways to Pray
Saint Hilary's offers two distinct Sunday morning liturgies in the sanctuary. At 8:00 a.m., worshipers gather for a Contemplative Rite I that focuses on quiet reflection and meditation. Always centered on the Holy Eucharist, this service features candle lighting, healing prayer, and no music - a peaceful, introspective way to begin the day for those who prefer a quieter form of worship.
At 10:00 a.m., the parish moves to Rite II, a joyful service of Holy Scripture, music, and teaching. The 10:00 service is livestreamed on the parish's Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.
Fellowship is built into the rhythm of the morning. Coffee is served at 9:00 a.m. in Browning Hall, and after the 10:00 service the whole congregation gathers there again for Coffee Hour, an Episcopal tradition of conversation and connection. A weekly Book Club also meets in Browning Hall from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. on Sundays - all are welcome to read and study books relevant to the faith.
Mid-week prayer continues on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. with an in-person Healing Service in the sanctuary. A weekly exercise class also meets in the Music Wing on Mondays and Thursdays at 8:30 a.m.
Music and the Sanctuary's Pipe Organ
The sanctuary is home to one of the area's only pipe organs, and traditional music fills the 10:00 Rite II service every week. The choir is joined by brass players for the Easter and Christmas Lessons and Carols services, two of the most anticipated musical celebrations of the church year.
Saint Hilary's also hosts several concerts each year in support of the local musical arts community. The music wing serves as a rehearsal space for the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers' Intermezzo Choir and the City of Palms Youth Choir, making the church a quiet hub for choral music in the region. A part-time organist is currently sought to support worship and enrich the congregation's musical life.
A Parish Between Shepherds
Saint Hilary's is in a season of pastoral transition. The Rev. Dr. Andrew Lazo serves as Interim Rector, providing spiritual leadership and pastoral care during this interim time while the congregation discerns its next rector.
A Search Committee has published a Parish Profile outlining the qualities the parish seeks in a new rector: biblically rooted preaching, intellectual engagement, warmth, pastoral depth, and a commitment to welcoming all people. The Profile describes a leader who will honor the richness of Anglican tradition while creating an inviting, reverent environment, walk with parishioners through seasons of joy, illness, grief, and transition, and expand the parish's outreach and community presence with imagination and compassion. Applications are submitted through the office of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, under Canon to the Ordinary the Rev. Canon Richard H. Norman. Each Sunday during this process, the congregation prays the Prayer for the Election of a Minister from the Book of Common Prayer.
The Rev. Bobbie Girardin continues to serve the parish as deacon, assisting in worship and ministry. Day-to-day parish life is held together by Director of Music Lester Erich, Parish Nurse Lori Sears, and Parish Administrator Alicia Gibbons. Vestry leadership includes Senior Warden Margaret Lane and Junior Warden George Coogan.
Children, Youth, and a Sanibel Mission
Sunday mornings at Saint Hilary's are designed with families in mind. Nursery care is offered each week during the 10:00 service - or the 9:00 service during summer hours - for children from birth through age five. Trained and caring staff lead Bible lessons, holiday crafts, and play in an Education Wing playroom and playground. Children can be dropped off before the service and either rejoined at communion or after Coffee Hour.
School-aged children are invited to Children's Church, a 40-minute version of the Episcopal liturgy with engaging lessons and activities designed just for kids. After sharing in communion with their families, children head to their classrooms for a fun and engaging version of the parish's liturgy.
YOSH - Youth Of Saint Hilary's - brings together students in grades 6 through 12 every Sunday after the last service for 45 to 60 minutes of Bible lessons, activities, service opportunities, and friendship. The third Sunday of each month is Potluck Sunday, when the youth share a meal together. YOSH has also traveled on mission trips, including work on Sanibel Island following Hurricane Ian, where youth and adult volunteers contributed more than a thousand hours of service alongside local nonprofits serving island families and children.
Adult volunteers are always welcome in the youth ministry; certification in the diocese's Safeguarding God's Children program is required.
Ministries for Every Stage
The parish offers a wide variety of ways to gather, serve, and learn together. The Altar Guild prepares the sanctuary each week, caring for the bread, wine, linens, silver, vestments, candles, and flowers. Adult Bible Study meets Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. for in-depth study of the New Testament.
For those seeking deeper spiritual formation, Cursillo offers a guided three-day journey of talks, music, and prayer at the DaySpring Conference Center. Daughters of the King is an international order for women communicants of the Episcopal Church whose members wear a distinctive cross as a daily reminder of their mission to extend Christ's Kingdom through prayer, service, and evangelism. Episcopal Church Women meet on the second Monday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the Music Wing, supporting both parish activities and the wider community.
Helping Hands gathers on the first Monday of every month at 10:00 a.m. in the Conference Room and is determined to be an integral contributor to assisting the homeless and underserved men, women, and children in Lee County. The Men's Action Guild brings the men of the parish together to meet, pray, work, and break bread, with an annual shrimp boil each February as their most popular fundraiser. Liturgical Roles invites readers, vergers, acolytes, and older children to take part in the worship itself.
Love In A Blanket is Saint Hilary's pastoral care ministry of handmade quilts, with an annual Airing of the Quilts show and fundraiser held each spring under the parish's beautiful oak canopy. Parish Nurse Lori Sears coordinates health-related programs and acts as counselor, educator, and health advocate for the congregation and community.
Sacraments and Celebrations
Holy Communion is offered at every Sunday service at Saint Hilary's. The parish is also pleased to celebrate the sacraments of Holy Baptism (at any age), Confirmation, and Holy Matrimony, and to offer private reconciliation, Holy Unction (the anointing with oil of those who are sick or dying), and funeral liturgies. Preparation for Holy Orders is available as well.
Father Charles works closely with couples to plan wedding ceremonies in the sanctuary or another suitable location, following Episcopal traditions laid out in the Book of Common Prayer. For Baptisms, the parish welcomes people of all ages; Confirmation offers those baptized as children - or as adults without the laying on of hands by a bishop - a public affirmation of their faith in the presence of the bishop. The funeral liturgy at Saint Hilary's is treated as an Easter liturgy, finding its meaning in the resurrection while acknowledging the deep sorrow of parting.
Outreach in Lee County
Helping Hands, described above, is the parish's principal direct outreach to those in need. On the first Sunday of each month, the congregation also collects non-perishable food items in the Narthex or Browning Hall. Donations support All Souls Episcopal Church's Homeless Outreach Ministry and are especially geared toward the children and families All Souls serves. Needed items include canned vegetables, one-pound bags of rice, single-serve fruit cups, single-serving boxes of raisins, Uncrustables, juice boxes, pop-top cans of soup, ramen noodle cups, and individual serving bags of chips, pretzels, popcorn, and fruit roll-ups.
What Episcopalians at Saint Hilary's Believe
Saint Hilary's describes itself as a place where progressive Christianity meets the tradition of common prayer, social justice, and outreach. The parish's mission is "to make known the love and kindness of Jesus Christ to all people" within the congregation and in the wider Fort Myers community through worship, service, and compassion. The parish's simple statement of welcome - "We believe that God loves us and you with absolutely no exceptions" - sits alongside six core values that shape its life: Faith, Inclusiveness, Love, Compassion, Hope, and Worship of God.
Like all Episcopal parishes, Saint Hilary's draws its worship and teaching from the Book of Common Prayer, the primary symbol of unity across the denomination and a treasury of devotional and teaching resources. Approximately 70 percent of the Book of Common Prayer comes directly from the Bible, which Episcopalians understand through tradition and reason. Foundational statements of faith include the Apostles' Creed (used at baptisms, weddings, and funerals) and the Nicene Creed (used at services of Holy Communion). The Baptismal Covenant and the Catechism in the back of the Prayer Book shape how the parish teaches and lives out its faith. The seven recognized sacramental rites include Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation of a Penitent, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Holy Unction.
The Episcopal Church embraces a legacy of inclusion: people of all genders and sexual orientations serve as bishops, priests, and deacons, and laypeople and clergy work together in leadership and governance. Saint Hilary's is a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion and one of 75 parishes and missions in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, led by the Rt. Rev. Douglas Scharf, the diocese's sixth bishop. A former member of Saint Hilary's himself, Bishop Scharf earned his bachelor's degree locally at Florida Gulf Coast University and serves as spiritual leader to some 31,000 baptized persons across the region. Online giving and the parish's weekly email list support the work of the congregation.