Advent Sunday Worship
This SUNDAY AT ST. BART'SParking and DirectionsNew Here?
Sunday, December 3
Advent I
In the Church
9 am with St. Bart's Singers
11 am with St. Bartholomew's Choir and Choristers (Livestreamed)
5 pm Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols (Livestreamed)
In the Chapel
Intimate, contemplative, quiet
8 am without music
Sunday, December 10
Advent II
In the Church
9 am with St. Bart's Singers
11 am with St. Bartholomew's Choir and Choristers (Livestreamed)
In the Chapel
Intimate, contemplative, quiet
8 am without music
5 pm with congregational singing
Sunday, December 17
Advent III
In the Church
9 am with St. Bart's Singers
11 am with St. Bartholomew's Choir and Choristers (Livestreamed)
5 pm Candlelight Carols (Livestreamed)
In the Chapel
Intimate, contemplative, quiet
8 am without music
Sunday, December 24
Advent IV
In the Church
11 am with St. Bartholomew's Choir and Choristers (Livestreamed)
Scroll down for complete info on Christmas Eve Services.
Advent Fair
Sunday, December 3 at 12:15 pm
Prepare for the festive holiday season with interactive crafts, refreshments, music, and other fun. The Advent Fair will be held in the Great Hall after the 11 am service. 
Carol Services
Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 3, at 5 pm
Our combined choirs offer Advent carols and anthems in alternation with readings of the beautiful prophecies of the coming of Christ. A festive reception follows. If you’d like to contribute baked goods or store-bought treats, please contact Veronica Shea.
Candlelight Carols
Sunday, December 17, at 5 pm
Hear the Christmas story and sing your favorite carols in this majestic service that includes music by our combined choirs and an awe-inspiring candlelit procession.
Casting Call
Come-You-Are Christmas Pageant
Beginning Sunday, December 3
ALL children and youth are welcome to participate in this treasured New York holiday tradition. You don't have to be a member of the church, preschool, or even a resident of the city or state to join the fun!
Learn more and Sign up
Caroling on the Steps
Tuesday, December 5, at 5:45 pm
Join us on the steps of St. Bart's for our annual Midtown Carol Sing-a-long, followed by hot cocoa and refreshments— a welcoming way for parishioners, friends, and commuters to pause together in pre-Christmas joy!
Classes and Workshops
W. H. Auden’s For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio
Thursdays, December 7–21, 7-8 pm via Zoom
While living in New York City during World War II, British poet W. H. Auden penned For The Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio, a powerfully provocative meditation on the Christmas story in the form of a long poem. Prepare yourselves spiritually for the season through three Zoom discussions about the poem led by the Reverend Peter D. Thompson. To reserve your copy, email Teagan Sage.
Advent Quiet Day: Preparing the Way
Saturday, December 9, 10 am to 3 pm in person
Advent is a season of expectation and preparation for the coming of Christ, themes that are vividly proclaimed by that strange and wild prophet, John the Baptist. Join the Reverend Meredith Ward for a day of conversation and reflection as we explore what this central figure of Advent has to teach us about “preparing the way of the Lord.” This will be an in-person event and light lunch will be provided.
Holiday Concerts
The Joyous Christmas Concert
Monday, December 11, at 7:30 pm
St. Bartholomew’s Choir
Paolo Bordignon, conductor
Alexander Pattavina, organ
The musicians of St. Bartholomew’s Choir frequently appear at many of the city’s most prestigious venues: from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, to Broadway stages and New York’s finest Jazz clubs. Hear them celebrate the holiday season in our beautiful sanctuary with beloved traditional carols as well as festive new arrangements of sacred and secular Christmas favorites, all accompanied on our famed pipe organ.
The Adoration of The Magi
Tuesday, December 12, at 7:30 pm
Jeff Morrissey, baritone
William Trafka, pianist
Jeff Morrissey and William Trafka return to St. Bart’s with their popular Christmas program inspired by the elegant paintings that adorn the 1919 Ethel Parsons Paullin and Telford Paullin mural in St. Bartholomew’s Chapel. The beautiful Adoration of the Magi and the 13 medallions surrounding it depict scenes connected with the Nativity of Christ. Enjoy traditional carols, carols from around the world, spirituals and popular Christmas favorites.
A Concert to Usher in the New Year
Sunday, December 31 at 11:00 pm
Paolo Bordignon, organist
Ring in the new year with a fun and festive concert at 11 pm, followed by a champagne reception at the stroke of midnight. Hear music from Bach, Franck, and Vierne, to Johann Strauss Sr. and see it played with the organ console out front-and-center. With 225 ranks of pipes singing into the resplendent nave from both sides of the chancel, the rear gallery, and even the dome, the dynamic range and near-infinite color palette of St. Bart’s Æolian-Skinner organ is an experience to behold in person, enveloped by one of the world’s largest musical instruments.
Free will offering
Light in the Darkness — A Service of Hope
Thursday, December 21, at 6 pm
Free parking available at Metropolitan 51 parking (136 E. 51st Street). Voucher required.
(Pick up a voucher from St. Bart's Central or one of our ushers.)
Livestream available here, on Facebook and YouTube.
The days leading up to Christmas can be some of the most joyous ones in the year. But they can also be especially difficult for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, those who are struggling with illness, those who are dismayed by the rancor of our politics, or those who simply find the pain of the world too much to bear. On this longest night of the year, come and celebrate the Light that shines through every kind of darkness in this quiet, contemplative, and hopeful service in our beautiful, candlelit church.
Christmas at St. Bart's
Free parking is available at Metropolitan 51 parking (136 E. 51st Street). Voucher required. (Pick up a voucher from St. Bart's Central or one of our ushers.) No reservations or tickets are required to attend our Christmas services, although we recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of time. All are welcome. Questions? Please call St. Bart's Central at 212-378-0222 or email
Christmas Eve
Sunday, December 24
11 am Holy Eucharist for Advent IV
Choral Eucharist for the Fouth Sunday of Advent.
4 pm Christmas Pageant and Eucharist
Children come together to tell the Christmas story in a spirited service of worship featuring the angelic voices of St. Bartholomew's Choristers. No rehearsal is required. Pageant Details and RSVP. Children are welcome to sing familiar Christmas carols alongside the Choristers. To sing with the choristers, write to Alexander Pattavina.
Pageant Details and RSVP
7 pm Festival Eucharist
(Choral Prelude begins at 6:30 pm)
Featuring music led by all three of our choirs: St. Bartholomew’s Choir, St. Bart’s Singers, and St. Bartholomew’s Choristers. This is a big joyful festival service when we pull out all the stops. Livestream available here, on Facebook and YouTube.
11 pm Festival Eucharist
(Choral Prelude begins at 10:30 pm)
Featuring music led by St. Bartholomew’s Choir and St. Bart’s Singers. This is a big joyful festival service when we pull out all the stops.
Christmas Day
Monday, December 25
11 am Christmas Day Choral Eucharist
Our singular service on Christmas morning is a big joyful celebration featuring music led by St. Bartholomew's Choir. This is a wonderful service for those who enjoy a festive service in the light of Christmas Day. Livestream available here, on Facebook and YouTube.