PLAZA EVENTS
As an integral part of the Gramercy Park community, the Church of the Epiphany is committed to reaching out and actively engaging with our neighbors. As a missionary church, called by Jesus to be ‘sent out’ into the world, we believe we should share our lives, our faith, our hopes and dreams beyond our church walls, and be a source of support, compassion, and unity for all. Through various initiatives and programs, we strive to foster a sense of belonging while addressing the needs of those around us.
One of our highlighted outreach efforts is aimed at our homeless sisters and brothers—our Monthly Food Drive and our Hunger Sunday event where we prepare and distribute meals for those living on the streets of our neighborhood.
In September, after everyone returns to the city from summer trips and vacations, Epiphany hosts its yearly Block Party, where we invite parishioners and neighbors to a few hours of music, fellowship, fun and food beside our church on 22nd Street.
We host an annual Blessing of Animals in October—remembering St Francis of Assisi’s love of creatures—when dozens of dogs, cats, birds, turtles, gerbils, snakes, fish and other assorted pets are prayed over, blessed, and of course ‘treated’ with appropriate edible morsels.
Epiphany opens its plaza to all neighborhood children on All Hallow’s Eve, where we meet them in appropriate costumes, and provide them with ‘one-stop shopping’ of sweet treats provided by our parishioners, as well as hot chocolate, cider, and a fun display of ghosts and goblins.
Santa is on hand at the annual Lighting of our Christmas Forest of Love, a grove of over 100 dedicated Christmas trees, which are meant to bring Christ light and love to the neighborhood during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Proceeds from dedication of the trees support our food drive efforts for our homeless sisters and brothers.
During Lent, everyone in the neighborhood is invited to offer a ribbon prayer on our Plaza Prayer Grove. Each Lenten season, over 7,000 prayers written in multiple languages and rooted in multiple faiths are tied to prayer ‘trees’ erected in the plaza—Gramercy’s own ‘wailing wall’ of shared prayer to the God who loves us into existence and sustains our lives in that love.
Summer allows our plaza to offer shaded hospitality to passersby, amidst our Floral Garden of annual and perennial flowers.
For more information, contact Kim Salvo scoutssalvo@gmail.com
