A Modern Cathedral with Lake Views in Burlington
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul anchors the corner of Cherry and Battery Streets in Burlington, Vermont, a few blocks west of the Church Street Marketplace and looking out across the water to the Adirondacks. Designated as the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont in 1965, it functions both as a parish church and as the seat church of the wider diocesan family. The congregation's short creed is printed above almost every page of its materials: Loving + Exploring + Serving, with a stated commitment that "all are welcome." Greta Getlein, the Dean and Rector, frames the work this way: "We strive to be deeply connected not only to a single congregation but to the wider Episcopal Church and to our community as well."
From a Limestone Church to a Concrete Cathedral
St. Paul's has been part of Burlington since 1830, when roughly fifty-five Episcopalians gathered at a local hotel to organize the parish. The first service was held on June 12, 1831, in the old Court House, and the congregation dedicated a neo-Gothic limestone church the following year. Three building campaigns over the next eight decades (1851, 1866, and again in 1910 after a fire) enlarged the original structure, and the parish flourished through the mid-twentieth century under Bishop John Henry Hopkins and his successors.
In February 1971, that nineteenth-century stone church was destroyed by fire. Rather than rebuild on the historic site, the parish accepted an offer from the City of Burlington, in the midst of sweeping urban renewal, to swap the land for a larger parcel overlooking Lake Champlain. The decision was contentious, but it allowed the congregation to imagine something new. An international architectural competition chose the local firm Burlington Associates, with Bill Henderson and Tom Cullins as lead designers, and their modern building was dedicated over two days of festivities in November 1973.
The Cathedral is built of stressed concrete warmed inside by white oak furnishings and paneling and a slate floor; its plan is meant to "redefine what a cathedral should look like" and to return to medieval ideas about the cathedral's role in its city. Skylights and curtain windows flood the nave with light, and the great south-facing window frames a panoramic view of the lake and the mountains beyond. The tower holds a chime of eight bells cast in 1895 by the Meneely Bell Company of Troy, New York, originally hung in Old St. Paul's and refurbished for the new building; a ninth bell cracked in the 1971 fire and now rests near the main entrance.
On the east side of the nave sits the Memorial Garden, a quiet enclosure where the ashes of members and friends have been interred since the 1970s, its walls built in part from stones salvaged from Old St. Paul's.
Sunday Worship and the Episcopal Liturgy
The center of life at St. Paul's is the Sunday celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 a.m. The service is held in the nave, in person and livestreamed on the Cathedral's YouTube channel, and typically runs 55 to 60 minutes. Worship follows the forms of the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer, and the church draws on the deep well of Anglican liturgical tradition with a full roster of lay ministers serving the altar: crucifers, subdeacons, lectors, thurifers, ushers, and vergers. People are welcome to arrive as they are and dress ranges from flip-flops and T-shirts to jackets and ties.
Children of all ages are part of the liturgy; very young ones are specifically invited to help prepare the table for communion. A self-service nursery on the lower level is available for parents who want to step aside with little ones. Distanced seating is offered for those who prefer more personal space, and anyone feeling unwell is asked to stay home. Baptisms are celebrated in the context of the Eucharist, usually on one of the major feast days such as Easter, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, All Saints' Day, Christmas, or the Epiphany.
Throughout the week, the Cathedral offers prayers online. Morning Prayer is held Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. on Zoom, and Compline is prayed on Sundays and Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m., also on Zoom. Periodically the Cathedral Choirs sing Choral Evensong, an Anglican form of meditative prayer that runs about forty-five minutes. A few times each year the Cathedral gathers for a Taizé-style service of sung prayer, Scripture, and silence. In Advent, the Cathedral Arts program mounts an annual Service of Meditation on the seven Great O Antiphons, held on the third Sunday of Advent.
A Building Tuned for Music
Music is described by the Cathedral as central to worship, "enhancing our personal connection with God through its beauty and emotional resonance." Choral repertoire stretches from early medieval to twenty-first-century music, and the building itself was planned to project sound into the nave.
The organ was designed and built in 1973 by Karl Wilhelm of Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, and given by the Diocese of Vermont in memory of the fifth Bishop of Vermont, the Rt. Rev. Vedder Van Dyck. It is a neo-classic tracker-action instrument of two manuals and twenty-four stops, with 1,558 metal and oak pipes housed in planed white oak. The case was originally crowned with a carved oak seal of the Cathedral, which was removed during a cleaning in the 1980s and now hangs enameled on the gallery parapet. A North German-style motor-driven Zimbelstern was dedicated in December 2024 in honor of Canon Precentor Emeritus Mark Howe, with a gilded star turning inside the case.
Peter Stoltzfus Berton, who joined the staff as Director of Music and Cathedral Arts in 2024, oversees an intergenerational program with a long pedigree. The Cathedral Choir of 25 to 30 adults rehearses on Thursday evenings and sings the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist September through May, as well as services of Holy Week, an annual Advent service of Lessons and Carols, and occasional concerts. The youth program, affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music, trains choristers in grades 2 through 15, who sing three Sundays a month, join adult rehearsals on Thursday evenings for an hour, and have their own tutorials. Choristers receive a stipend based on their progress and perform as part of the Cathedral Arts concert series and with the Vermont Choral Union and orchestra. A summer Youth Choir Camp, a residential and day program, welcomes singers regardless of church affiliation to build music literacy, vocal technique, and Latin pronunciation.
Children, Youth, and Adults
Holly Rees serves as Children's Formation Coordinator, leading a Church School for children from preschool through middle school that meets on Sunday mornings after the Eucharist in classrooms on the lower level. The program is described as "an organic curriculum that includes song, stories, discussion, art, reflection, exploration, food and fun," grounded in Episcopal tradition and care for creation. Youth Confirmation is offered every two years in odd-numbered years, beginning in Advent and culminating at the Easter Vigil, using an adaptation of the "Confirm not Conform" curriculum.
Adult formation is anchored by the Sunday-morning Adult Forum, which meets in the Parish Hall most weeks from mid-September through May after the Eucharist. The group reads books together, studies the Bible, and takes up topical questions, with four to six Sundays typically devoted to a single theme. An Adult Confirmation class prepares those seeking confirmation, reception into the Episcopal Church, or the reaffirmation of baptismal vows, with sessions during Lent and Holy Week leading to the Great Vigil of Easter. Cathedral retreats are offered occasionally, often in Advent and Lent, beginning Friday evening and ending Saturday afternoon.
A Cycle of Prayer group meets once a month at noon on the first Tuesday to update the parish prayer list and pray for the wider church and the world. Members unable to attend in person can still receive the monthly list and join their prayers to the congregation's. The Cathedral also hosts a series of weekday and seasonal offerings such as adult Bible study, Christian meditation, and the parish-wide events that mark the church calendar: a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper and hymn sing, an end-of-the-year picnic, the Agape Meal, and Discipleship Sunday.
Pastoral Care, Sacraments, and Life Events
The pastoral life of the Cathedral is shared by the clergy and a corps of lay volunteers. Clergy provide pastoral care, and trained Lay Visitors visit those who are hospitalized, homebound, in nursing or rehabilitation facilities, or grieving, often bringing the Eucharist from the altar and sharing in song and story. The parish also offers rides to help parishioners get to church and check-in calls during the week.
Weddings at St. Paul's are celebrations of two people asking for God's blessing on a shared life. The Episcopal Church requires premarital instruction with a priest, and at least one member of the couple must be an active member of the parish (or the child of one); active members of other Episcopal or ELCA congregations are welcome to inquire. At least ninety days' notice is required, rehearsals and music must be coordinated with the Dean and the organist, and weddings are not scheduled during Lent or on holiday weekends. The order of service is drawn from the Book of Common Prayer, adapted as needed for same-gender ceremonies.
The funeral custom of the Cathedral begins with the assurance that "the liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy." Members are encouraged to record their wishes in advance through a personal information form kept on file by the Cathedral Administrator. Baptisms, weddings, and funerals are all part of the parish's regular rhythm.
An Outward, Activist Faith
The Cathedral describes itself as "an outward, activist Christian community; a place of healing, inclusion, challenge, and compassion." Its Social Justice Ministry works through prayer, advocacy, philanthropy, and direct outreach, and six liaison partner organizations anchor its local work: COTS, Migrant Justice, Spectrum Youth & Family Center, the Joint Urban Ministry Project (JUMP), Feeding Champlain Valley, and the Elmwood Community Shelter.
The parish's commitment to racial justice has been visible weekly for years. Members have held a Silent Witness and Prayer Vigil almost every Sunday in response to racism, a witness that has drawn statewide attention. The Cathedral's nave has also been opened as a public space, including hosting a COVID vaccine clinic for BIPOC Vermonters run by the Vermont Health Equity Initiative. Members have organized Dismantling Racism seminars, taken part in White Coats for Black Lives, and joined with Vermont Interfaith Action to push for reforms at the state's prison for women. The Integrity group, the cathedral's LGBTQ+ ministry and chapter of Integrity Vermont, marches in the Burlington Pride Parade, hosts an annual Integrity Eucharist and retreat, and supports a Christmas gathering.
This mission lives on through long-term endowment as well: the Baker Ely Justice Fund, created by the Vestry and Trustees in January 2026 and seeded by a gift from the estate of Bishop Tom Ely in honor of Archdeacon Stan Baker, provides ongoing support for local organizations serving LGBTQ+ people, those experiencing hunger and homelessness, immigrants, youth in distress, and people with disabilities or who are neurodivergent. The annual United Thank Offering in-gathering of little blue boxes feeds the broader mission of the Episcopal Church, and Episcopal Relief and Development receives an annual in-gathering as well.
Cathedral Arts and the Cathedral's Wider Role
Cathedral Arts, founded and supported by St. Paul's, exists to provide "a physical sanctuary in which art in all forms cultivates inspiration and nourishes the human spirit." The program hosts concerts and exhibitions in the Cathedral and partners with the choirs and choristers to present concerts and touring performances.
As the cathedral of the Diocese, St. Paul's hosts the Diocesan Convention two years out of every three, welcoming clergy and lay delegates from Episcopal churches across Vermont. The Dean and Rector Greta Getlein, the Cathedral Deacon and Diocesan Archdeacon Susan McMillan, and the Bishop of Vermont, the Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, work alongside diocesan staff to provide hospitality and program support. The Cathedral is at once a local parish, a regional hub, and a public space on Burlington's lake.
Planning a Visit
St. Paul's Cathedral is at 2 Cherry Street, at the corner of Cherry and Battery Streets, across from Battery Street Park. Parking in the Cathedral lot is free on Sundays, with additional spaces in the garage across the street. Weekday and Saturday parking is pay-and-display through Unified Parking Partners. The Sunday 10:00 a.m. Eucharist is the main service; those joining in person enter through the main doors at the top of the hill and gather in the nave. Those joining from home can follow the livestream on YouTube or listen to recent sermons on SoundCloud.
Anyone curious about membership is invited to fill out an online newcomer's form, and questions can be sent to the Cathedral office. The church's welcome is summarized in one sentence: "All are welcome here. Period."