Some advice: the earlier one arrives, the better the seats. There is no reserved seating on Easter Day and no tickets issued. The doors are open for anyone who wishes to worship at Saint Thomas.
Please note that the 8am and 11am liturgies on Easter Day are exactly the same: same liturgy, same music, same sermon, same organs, same choir, same trumpets. Everything is the same, except the size of the congregation. If you come to the 8am service, you will likely get a good seat. In past years, many hundreds of people have attended the 8am liturgy, but the church has not filled to capacity. The Fifth Avenue doors open at 7am, and a steady stream of people enter over the following hour.
If you want to attend the 11am liturgy, come early enough to get a seat. We don’t begin seating for the 11am Eucharist until after the 8am Eucharist has finished, which will be around 9:30am. Please be aware that in past years, the church has filled to capacity before 11am, and many seats are filled by around 10:15am. Due to the fire code, once the church fills we cannot let anyone else enter.
Whether at 8am or 11am, please do come! It’s the greatest day of the year, and it is what Christianity is all about. Our church would not exist without Easter morning. No church would. Nevertheless, if you can’t make it here on Easter morning, don’t fret. There is Evensong at 3pm, preceded by an Organ Recital at 2:30pm. The recital and Festal Evensong feature excellent Easter music. And if you can’t come then, come worship whenever you can. Our doors are open every day—each day is a celebration of the Risen Christ. Come, taste and see.
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