Palm Sunday began our Holy Week services with a blessing of the palms and processional around the church, to the original entrance, which first welcomed parishioners in 1923. For a video of the service, please click on our Worship tab.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
in Downtown Canton
Please join us for Holy Week services
*Agape Dinner and service, 6 p.m. Maundy Thursday *Stations of the Cross, noon Good Friday *Good Friday joint service with Crossroads United Methodist, 6:45 p.m. processing from Crossroads to St. Paul's *Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
425 Cleveland Ave. SW, Canton, OH 44702
in Downtown Canton
Please join us for Holy Week services
*Agape Dinner and service, 6 p.m. Maundy Thursday *Stations of the Cross, noon Good Friday *Good Friday joint service with Crossroads United Methodist, 6:45 p.m. processing from Crossroads to St. Paul's *Easter Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
425 Cleveland Ave. SW, Canton, OH 44702
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Holy Baptism:
A celebration and commitment for all 
The Rev. Dr. Robin Woodberry baptizes Sutton William Wade Sunday. "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever."
Photo by David Rotthoff
St. Paul's celebrated the baptism of Sutton William Wade Sunday (Feb. 11), as family, godparents and the church committed to helping him build a foundation with God.
"Sustain him, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give him an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage and will to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works." Good Friday support for the Middle East
Good Friday Offering from the wider Episcopal Church
The history of the Good Friday Offering reaches back to 1922 when, in the aftermath of World War I, The Episcopal Church sought to create new relationships with and among the Christians of the Middle East. From these initial efforts which focused on a combination of relief work and the improvement of ecumenical and Anglican relations, the Good Friday Offering was created. Through the years many Episcopalians have found the Good Friday Offering to be an effective way to express their support for the ministries of the dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. By supporting life-giving ministries in the province, including St. George’s, Baghdad; the eye clinic in Ras Morbat, Yemen; the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza; and numerous other institutions identified by their dioceses, you are ensuring that our siblings in Christ are not forgotten. The generous donations of Episcopalians help the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One to be a vital and effective force for peace and understanding among all of God’s children. Details for donating online, by phone, or by check are available here. March Newsletter: Celebrating the history and gifts of women in the church
From Mother Robin's desk:
As I reflect on March being Women’s History Month, I immediately think about all of the great women who have influenced my life. In the Episcopal Church, I have to acknowledge the women who broke through the barriers that existed and rose to the occasion as servants of God. People such as Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first female elected as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in June 2006; Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray, an American civil rights activist who became a lawyer, gender equality advocate, Episcopal priest, and author; and of course, Barbara Harris, the first woman, and one of color, elected to serve as a suffragan bishop in September 1988.
There is also a newly released documentary entitled “The Philadelphia Eleven” which follows the story of the ordination of eleven women to the priesthood after much opposition. The women who became known as the “Philadelphia Eleven” (or “Philadelphia 11”) were Merrill Bittner, Alla Bozarth-Campbell, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield, Jeannette Piccard, Betty Bone Schiess, Katrina Swanson, and Nancy Wittig. The great church of St. Paul’s has set its own mark in history by calling the Rev. Dr. Barbara Bond as its first woman priest. And I’m honored to be a part of the growing history of St. Paul’s serving as the first person of color as its priest. Our Diocese has taken great steps by electing the first woman as Bishop in The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio and we are grateful for all God is doing. It is not my intention to isolate the men by any means. However, women have had to struggle in ways that men have not simply because society, structures, and systems were set up by and for men, thus making it more difficult for women to have the space to move forward in their quest for life. So, to all of the women out there, both young and old, past and present, of every color, culture, and creed, to you I say, “Let’s keep keeping on! There’s so much more for us to do, more doors to knock down, more ways to make straight, and more goals to achieve.” A Prayer for the Women Through the Ages Spirit of renewal, God of many names, and one transforming and abundant love, we turn this month, in our nation's life, to reflect on the stories, the heritage and the struggles of the women through out the ages. We seek to learn from all those voices that have been left unheard. May we pause before the silences of the ages, find who has been left out, and craft new ways of inclusion for every week, and every month. May this spiritual practice, bring out the voices of all those struggling, all those left apart. May we let go of our assumptions and cold comforts, of what is the normal to live by, unless it be a standard that is rooted in compassion, in inclusivity, in diversity. May this month of reflection teach us to search for those stories that are different from our own. Mother of possibility, in the finding, may we come to know ourselves changed. Renewed where we are dry, Hopeful where we are lost, and open where we are shut. - The Rev. Jude Geiger Lent: A season of gratitude and presence
By Heather Melton, UTO Staff Officer
This year our theme for Lenten materials is “40 Days of Grateful Presence” and a call to giving thanks for the many things in our lives we take for granted. Our hope is that during the 40 days of Lent we can all use gratitude to help us be more present in our daily lives. In order to do this, we’ve got the following materials for individuals and congregations:
Our Mission
St. Paul’s is an exceptionally welcoming Episcopal community in downtown Canton, grounded in faith, called by God’s Love to minister to the world.
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Holy Week with St. Paul's: Sunday, March 24 Palm Sunday service, beginning with Procession of the Palms gathering in the Guild Hall at 10:15 a.m. (Click here for the video of the service and the Reading of the Passion) Tuesday, March 26 Social Justice Book Group, "Let Us Descend" by Jasmyn Ward, 7 p.m. in the Guild Hall Wednesday, March 27 Bible Study series “Hazardous Saints: Christians Risking All, Changing Everything” by C.K. Robertson; Oscar Romero: The People's Voice,10 a.m. in the Library; Livestreamed on Facebook (Click here for the series outline and videos of previous sessions) Thursday, March 28 Maundy Thursday Agape Meal and Service, 6 p.m. Friday, March 29 Good Friday Stations of the Cross at noon Good Friday Service at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 31 Easter Sunday Service, Alleluia! 10:30 a.m. Welcome new members
A New Members welcoming will take place during the Easter Sunday Service, March, 31 at 10:30a. If you desire to officially become a member of St. Paul's, you will need to attend a session with Rev. Robin. Please call or text her at (330) 506-6647 to set up your appointment.
What is Stations of the Cross?
Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross, adapts a custom practiced by pilgrims visiting Jerusalem in the early days of Christianity. They stopped at places throughout the city traditionally associated with Jesus’s passion and death.
The number of stations ranges from eight to 14. The eight are based directly on events in the Gospels and the others have been drawn from Gospel accounts and pious legends. The service is offered at St. Paul’s each Friday night in Lent beginning at 6 p.m. We’ll process together from station-to-station throughout the sanctuary. Douglas Colmery, who presides at our services, leads with an opening versicle (singing a short statement with a response from the congregation) and concludes with the Collect at each station. The Readings at each station are offered by people joining in the procession. Bellwether Farm offers a front-row seat to the rare
solar eclipse Canton will be in the 124-mile path through Ohio for the rare solar eclipse on April 8. But the best seats for the eclipse may be just about an hour northwest of here at the Diocese of Ohio's Bellwether Farm.
It lies straight in the center of the path between Oberlin and Norwalk, and the farm is offering a three-day "Path of Totality Festival beginning on April 6. Local bands will play at the Emily Murray amphitheater and guests will also have time with the farm's animals, meditation, fishing, volunteering and enjoying farm-to-table meals. Eclipse glasses come with registration and guests can use primitive camping sites (with access to bathhouse), cabins (sleeps 10), or in private retreat rooms (single or double occupancy). Registration closes March 25, or when the farm reaches capacity. 
Eclipse.org offers this approximation of what the sky will look like in Wakeman, Ohio, around 3:15 p.m. on April 8.
A Prayer for 2024
As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends.
Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. Let us serve all who are in need, regardless of race, color or creed. Let us keep God of our own understanding in our hearts and to chant God's name each day. Let us lead the world from darkness to light, from falsehood to truth and from wrong to right. Let us remember that we are all one, embracing all, discriminating against none. May your year be filled with peace, prosperity and love. May God's blessings shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy and peaceful new year. - The Rev. Marcy Sheremetta |
A rare and joyous day
Clergy, congregants, family and other well-wishers pack St. Paul's to celebrate the ordination of the Rev. Robin Woodberry
Clergy, congregants, family and other well-wishers pack St. Paul's to celebrate the ordination of the Rev. Robin Woodberry
Bishop Mark Hollingsworth Jr. presents newly ordained priest, the Rev. Robin Woodberry to a crowd of nearly 200 at St. Paul's Saturday morning (June 3). Rev. Woodberry is the fifth generation of pastors in her family and her mother, Gena Thornton, delivered the homily. Rev. Woodberry's husband, Anthony, helped her don her priestly vestments. Photo by David Rotthoff.
Clergy from different denominations and throughout the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio gathered with Bishop Hollingsworth for the laying on of hands during the Rev. Woodberry's ordination. Photo by David Rotthoff
Nearly 200 people gathered at St. Paul's Saturday morning to celebrate the consecration of the Rev. Robin Woodberry to the priesthood.
Robin's service of ordination is the last planned by Bishop Mark Hollingworth Jr., who is retiring. Celebrating with him were clergy from differing denominations and from throughout Ohio, including Robin's mother, the Rev. Gena Thornton, who delivered the homily. Robin is the fifth generation of women clergy in her family.
They were joined by family, friends, congregants and friends of St. Paul's and of Robin's. The choirs of three churches -- St. Paul's, St. Timothy's Massillon and Christ Church Hudson -- joined together for the service with works including "The Work of Love," an original piece composed by Andrew Bolden for the day.
Robin has been deacon-in-charge at St. Paul's since last summer, following her ordination as a transitional deacon, a step toward the priesthood. A native of Youngstown, she was licensed a minister in the Baptist tradition in 1995 and ordained 10 years later at New Bethel Baptist Church. She holds a doctor of ministry degree from the Southern Bible Institute and Seminary in Augusta, Ga. She is the former nominating chairperson for the National Board of Church Women United and executive director of the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches.
She became a member of the Episcopal Church in 2017, and began her seminary studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. She has completed her studies at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago, has been elected to the Episcopal Community Services Committee and serves on the church’s Commission for Racial Understanding.
Here is message from the Rev. Robin Woodberry, St. Paul's new priest-in-charge
There will never be enough words to say how completely grateful and thankful I am to each one who has been a part of this journey. Whether you played a role at the beginning, in the middle, or in the last few weeks, I would not be here today if it were not for you. I thank you for your prayers, your words of encouragement, your spiritual direction, and your love. To my family who has given the most so that I could do what God was asking of me, thank you for your sacrifice of love! I give honor to my ancestors and the four generations of ministers on whose shoulders I stand.
To my husband Anthony, we had no idea what we were in for when we got married 37 years ago, but God did. I could not have served in ministry had you not been there with me. I praise God for you! To the Ordination Committee who pulled together such a memorable occasion in such a short time, thank you!
And, to this great St. Paul’s family, God heard your prayers, brought us together, and set us on a path to do great and mighty things, in Jesus’ Name!
I love you all, Robin.
Robin's service of ordination is the last planned by Bishop Mark Hollingworth Jr., who is retiring. Celebrating with him were clergy from differing denominations and from throughout Ohio, including Robin's mother, the Rev. Gena Thornton, who delivered the homily. Robin is the fifth generation of women clergy in her family.
They were joined by family, friends, congregants and friends of St. Paul's and of Robin's. The choirs of three churches -- St. Paul's, St. Timothy's Massillon and Christ Church Hudson -- joined together for the service with works including "The Work of Love," an original piece composed by Andrew Bolden for the day.
Robin has been deacon-in-charge at St. Paul's since last summer, following her ordination as a transitional deacon, a step toward the priesthood. A native of Youngstown, she was licensed a minister in the Baptist tradition in 1995 and ordained 10 years later at New Bethel Baptist Church. She holds a doctor of ministry degree from the Southern Bible Institute and Seminary in Augusta, Ga. She is the former nominating chairperson for the National Board of Church Women United and executive director of the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches.
She became a member of the Episcopal Church in 2017, and began her seminary studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. She has completed her studies at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago, has been elected to the Episcopal Community Services Committee and serves on the church’s Commission for Racial Understanding.
Here is message from the Rev. Robin Woodberry, St. Paul's new priest-in-charge
There will never be enough words to say how completely grateful and thankful I am to each one who has been a part of this journey. Whether you played a role at the beginning, in the middle, or in the last few weeks, I would not be here today if it were not for you. I thank you for your prayers, your words of encouragement, your spiritual direction, and your love. To my family who has given the most so that I could do what God was asking of me, thank you for your sacrifice of love! I give honor to my ancestors and the four generations of ministers on whose shoulders I stand.
To my husband Anthony, we had no idea what we were in for when we got married 37 years ago, but God did. I could not have served in ministry had you not been there with me. I praise God for you! To the Ordination Committee who pulled together such a memorable occasion in such a short time, thank you!
And, to this great St. Paul’s family, God heard your prayers, brought us together, and set us on a path to do great and mighty things, in Jesus’ Name!
I love you all, Robin.
Above: During the litany, then-Deacon Woodberry lies full length and face down on the floor as a gesture of humility and devotion. Right: Bishop Hollingsworth offers the prayers of consecration, which include: "May she exalt you, O Lord, in the midst of your people; offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to you; boldly proclaim the gospel of salvation; and rightly administer the
sacraments of the New Covenant. Make her a faithful pastor, a patient teacher, and a wise
counselor. Grant that in all things she may serve without reproach, so that your people
may be strengthened and your Name glorified in all the world. All this we ask through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for
ever and ever." Photo by David Rotthoff
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Among those participating in the ordination were the Rev. Gena Thornton, Robin's mother (left rear), and Maureen Woods Major and Jon Coventry (right rear), whose own journey to the priesthood began at St. Paul's. Photo by David Rotthoff
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To view the entire service, click on this Facebook link.
For more images of the day and information on ordination, go to the "more" tab or click here.
For more images of the day and information on ordination, go to the "more" tab or click here.
What's an Episcopalian?
We at St. Paul's welcome you. If this is your first contact with St. Paul's or any Episcopal church, we invite you to explore the Seekers Center, which offers a detailed look at our traditions, practices and the application of our beliefs in today’s world. Please join our church family to see us firsthand in all-encompassing, loving action.
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Giving made easier The Diocese of Ohio has partnered with Giving Tools to help with online stewardship for St. Paul's and other parishes. Please click on the church icon at left to visit our Online Giving page. Please join us for services online on our Facebook page and YouTube channel every Sunday beginning at 10:25 a.m.
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church
425 Cleveland Avenue S.W.
Canton, OH 44702-1625
Our secretary, Peggy, remains in the office Monday thru Thursday
8:00-Noon.
There are no office hours on Fridays.
The office email is [email protected];
and you may leave a message on the phone voicemail
(330)455-0286
425 Cleveland Avenue S.W.
Canton, OH 44702-1625
Our secretary, Peggy, remains in the office Monday thru Thursday
8:00-Noon.
There are no office hours on Fridays.
The office email is [email protected];
and you may leave a message on the phone voicemail
(330)455-0286
