Welcome from the Rector

Father WarrenGreetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Church of the Advent is a Christian community, a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, which gathers together day by day and week by week to know and make known the grace of God which comes to believers through Jesus Christ. All that we are and all that we do is empowered by the grace of God which is given to us through the Sacraments instituted by Christ, particularly the Sacrament of the Altar. And by means of this abundant grace we enjoy a diverse, vital, and close-knit parish family - young,  old, rich, poor, of various ethnic origins and differing backgrounds. From our extraordinary music program to a growing church school, our guilds of bell ringers, gardeners and acolytes, to those who serve our long-standing Tuesday Night Community Dinner for the needy, the Advent is a community of faith which tries to keep the Gospel close to her heart and to live by Jesus' teaching.

The mission of the Parish, as defined by its charter in 1844, is "to bring to a portion of the city of Boston the ministrations of the holy Catholic Church; and more especially to secure the same to the poor and needy in a manner free from unnecessary expense and all ungracious circumstances." To that end, the Advent was founded as the first church in Boston without compulsory pew rent. Over the years we have welcomed into our fellowship worshippers not only from the city and suburbs, but also from all New England. An appreciation of the importance of prayer and the ancient traditions of Christian worship inspires all our services, from a quiet weekday Mass in the Lady Chapel to the full splendor of Solemn High Mass on a Sunday morning. We are committed to preaching the Word of God and ministering His Sacraments to all who desire them, and we hope to have you join us in this mission.

And may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Coming this November: “Anglo-Catholicism: Uncovering Roots”

monstrance on the altar for Corpus ChristiNovember 15-16, 2017: A Special “Mini-Conference” in advance of the American Academy of Religion Meeting in Boston.

What is Anglo-Catholicism? This brief conference, on the eve of the annual meeting of the AAR, will delve into our broad tradition in a bid to remember and retrieve the best of the past for a faithful future.

Read more here and register for the conference

Anglo-Catholic Worship
The Advent is part of the Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Massachusetts, and the world-wide Anglican Communion. We celebrate the Eucharist daily, base our worship on the Book of Common Prayer, and invite all baptized Christians to join us for Communion. Sunday services are at 8 AM (Said Mass, Anglican Missal), 9 AM (Sung Mass, Rite II), and 11:15 AM (Solemn Mass, Rite I). Nothing would make us happier than to have a chance to worship with you!

View Our Full Worship Schedule

Community
Our parish is very diverse, and we strive to be open and welcoming to everyone in our community. Whether you're liberal or conservative, young or old, gay or straight, rich or poor, just visiting or a Boston native -- we hope you'll feel at home at the Advent. If you join us for Sunday Mass, please also join us for coffee hour immediately afterwards (downstairs in Moseley Hall). Smaller community groups meet throughout the week, and we encourage all members of the parish to be involved in some form of Christian formation.

More About Christian Formation

Mission
From our founding back in 1844, the Advent has been committed to ministry and outreach. We march in Project Bread's annual Walk For Hunger, and every Tuesday evening, members of the parish serve a nourishing meal to people in need. We have also sponsored relief efforts in Haiti, have participated in our diocese's B-SAFE summer program, and have an active Care and Prayer team. We are always looking for more ways to help do God's work in the world, so please check back often to see current service opportunities.

Learn More About Our Ministries

Visit Us

30 Brimmer Street, Boston, MA 02108

Office Hours:
 Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4:30PM
Sunday Services:
8 AM -- Said Mass, Anglican Missal
9 AM -- Sung Mass, Rite II
11:15 AM -- Solemn Mass, Rite I

The Church Cat Welcomes You!

Simon is the latest in a series of felines who have called the Advent home over the years.

Simon's Gallery

A Brief History

The Church of the Advent was born in 1844 from the inspiration of a group of Bostonians who desired to establish a new parish that would put into practice the ideals of the then-11-year-old Oxford Movement.

Read more.

Recent Posts

  • Collect for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

    Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot exist without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

  • This Week’s Announcements, August 13-19, 2017

    Madeline Wood, mother of Father Sammy and Renee, and beloved grandmother of Ellie, Patrick, and Flannery, died this past Wednesday at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Please keep her and the family in your prayers. May her Soul and the Souls of all the Faithful Departed, By the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace. Amen. If

  • Sermon Preached by the Rev’d Daniel McClain at the Church of the Advent, Sunday, August 6, 2017, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord

    The Rev’d Daniel McClain is Associate Rector for Formation at St. David’s Church, Baltimore, MD. In her short story,“The Displaced Person,” Flannery O’Connor symbolizes the glory of the transfiguration with a peacock. More precisely, her characters’ responses to that peacock show us how disruptive glory can be, and how easy it is to miss glory.

  • Collect for the Feast of the Transfiguration

    O God, who on the holy mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thy well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.

  • This Week’s Announcements, August 6-12, 2017

    The flowers in the Lady Chapel are given to the Glory of God and in loving memory of Chuck Sunergren. If you are visiting or new  to the Advent, we hope that you will feel welcome and at home.  Please fill out a visitor’s/newcomer’s card so that we will have a record of your visit

  • Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

    O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and

  • This Week’s Announcements, July 30-August 5, 2017

    The flowers at the High Altar are given to the Glory of God and in loving memory of Isabelle and J. Fred Sayer. If you are visiting or new  to the Advent, we hope that you will feel welcome and at home.  Please fill out a visitor’s/newcomer’s card so that we will have a record