Just a few blocks from the University of Mary Washington, Trinity Episcopal Church stands at the corner of William Street and College Avenue in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The brick church, opened in 1959, carries the altar and furnishings of its predecessor congregation, and its members worship in the Episcopal tradition with a weekly rhythm that includes two Sunday Eucharists, a Wednesday service, and daily Morning Prayer. Beyond Sunday mornings, Trinity is widely known in the Fredericksburg region as the parish where Micah Ecumenical Ministries, a nonprofit serving neighbors experiencing homelessness and hunger, was first conceived, and as one of three downtown congregations that staff The House, a campus and young adult ministry.
From Thirty-Six Communicants to a Fredericksburg Anchor
The congregation began in 1877 with thirty-six communicants and the Reverend Edmund C. Murdaugh as its first Rector. Within four years the "original thirty-six" had built Trinity's first home at the corner of Hanover and Prince Edward Streets, holding their first service there on Christmas Day 1881. By the late 1950s the parish had outgrown that building, and the doors of the present Trinity at William Street and College Avenue opened for worship in September 1959. The altar and many of the furnishings from the original church were carried into the new sanctuary, preserving a tangible link between the two buildings. The Jamison Hall addition followed in 1982, adding classroom space that now houses Sunday School classrooms and the loft where the Trinity Youth Group meets.
Worship on Sundays and Midweek
Sunday services follow Rite II, with Holy Eucharist celebrated at 8:00 am and again at 10:30 am. The later service is offered both in person and via Facebook livestream. Between the two, Adult Formation and Youth Sunday School meet at 9:15 am. Midweek worship centers on a simple noon Eucharist on Wednesdays. Each weekday at 6:30 am, Morning Prayer is broadcast on Facebook Live. The parish's mission is "to share Christ's love and grace in a vibrant community whose joyful spirit empowers people to do God's work," and its vision is "to love and serve one another so we may love and serve God's world." The Rev. Suzanne Hood serves as Rector, with the Rev. Bambi Willis as Associate Priest.
Music that Frames the Liturgy
Barbara Fairfax leads the music program as Minister of Music, supported by the Trinity Choir. The choir welcomes singers of every experience level; rehearsals are designed to help newcomers learn their parts, and solo work is always voluntary. The choir rehearses Thursdays at 7 pm in the choir room below Jamison Hall, with a brief warm-up on Sunday mornings at 9:45 am. Anyone who wishes to make music and praise God during the services is invited to join.
The Labyrinth Behind the Church
On the church grounds sits a walking labyrinth open day and night to anyone in the Fredericksburg community. Following the worldwide labyrinth movement inspired by Episcopal priest the Reverend Lauren Artress, the labyrinth is a place to calm the mind, reduce stress, and enjoy peace, quiet, and time for prayer and reflection. UMW students, neighbors, and people from area churches are all invited to walk it for prayer, meditation, or reflection.
The House: Campus Ministry with Three Sponsors
Just a short walk from the University of Mary Washington sits The House, an Episcopal-Lutheran campus ministry that Trinity co-sponsors with Christ Lutheran and St. George's Episcopal. The Rev. Ethan Lowery, an Episcopal priest and a recent graduate of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, serves as the shared Campus and Young Adult Missioner. He coordinates outreach to UMW and Germanna Community College and tends to a young adult community that meets Tuesdays from 5 to 7 pm for discussion and fellowship. The ministry is intentionally intergenerational, drawing students into the worship, ministry, and fellowship of the three parishes, and asks how campus ministry might also address unaddressed or underaddressed mental health, weekend rest, and connection for students who feel alone.
From a Cup of Coffee to Micah Ecumenical Ministries
The founding story of Micah Ecumenical Ministries is rooted at Trinity. On one Thanksgiving Eve, founding director Patty Marion stood in front of a downtown ecumenical gathering and asked the assembled congregations to give generously so that unhoused neighbors could be supplied with tents and sleeping bags for the cold. Micah grew from those early ministries of food, hospitality, and a warm cup of coffee offered from the church basement, into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit coordinating church efforts to address hunger and housing insecurity throughout the Fredericksburg region. Trinity remains one of Micah's founding congregations.
Tuesday Nights and the Wider Work of Outreach
Trinity's own Tuesday Night Outreach has run for more than thirty years on the generosity of parishioners and those the church has once helped. The volunteer-based program includes a food pantry and limited financial assistance for neighbors facing job loss, disability, injury, or utility bills they cannot pay. When Trinity says, "Come as you are," it means it. Inquiries about volunteering or seeking help are taken by leaving a message at the church office or emailing fxbgcare@gmail.com.
Racial Healing as a Long-Term Commitment
Sparked by the murder of George Floyd, Trinity formed the Committee for Racial Healing (CFRH) in August 2020 with fourteen members and four working teams: Education, Outreach, Mobilization, and History. The committee's mission is to engage Trinity and the wider Fredericksburg community in dismantling racism through educational and advocacy tools. The History Team completed a report in January 2024, Trinity: A Brief History through the Lens of Racial Justice and Healing, available in the Trinity Library, and the Education Team recommends books on anti-racism and racial healing for the parish. The committee's work is guided by the Episcopal Church's Becoming Beloved Community vision and the Baptismal Promise to "strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being."
Lay Orders: Daughters of the King and the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew
The parish hosts two long-standing lay orders. The Daughters of the King is a worldwide prayer and service order for women communicants of the Episcopal Church, churches in communion with it, or churches in the historic episcopate. Trinity's St. Jane Chapter maintains the prayer box at the rear of the sanctuary, where members of the congregation can drop confidential prayer requests. Members follow a Rule of Life built around prayer, study, service, and evangelism. The Brotherhood of Saint Andrew, chartered at Trinity in November 1986, has grown to over thirty members and is the second largest chapter in the Diocese of Virginia. The chapter meets for prayer, Bible study, and breakfast on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month in Barber Hall, and joined the Veteran Military/Veteran Friendly Congregation Ministry in 2022.
Children, Youth, and the GEMS
Sunday School and the Trinity Youth Group (TEYG) help children and youth grow into their faith through age-appropriate Bible stories and activities. Sam Burton serves as Sunday School Coordinator. The TEYG meets Sundays from 1:30 to 3:00 pm in the Jamison Hall Loft. Adult formation includes EfM (Education for Ministry) and the GEMS (Grateful Enthusiastic Motivated Seniors), a self-identified senior group that gathers once a month for lunch, speakers, and occasional outings while supporting Micah Ministries and Toys for Tots.
Pastoral Care, the Library, and a Long Table
The Pastoral Care ministry oversees a Caregivers' Support Group, meeting the second Thursday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 am in the Trinity Library, and a Drop-In Grief Support Group, gathering the third Monday of each month from 10:30 am to noon. Parish Shepherds visit hospitalized members who have notified the church office. In an emergency, the parish priest can be reached through the church office at (540) 373-2996. The Trinity Library, meanwhile, is open to the parish and the wider Fredericksburg community, with curated displays on anti-racism and a continuously refreshed selection of fiction. Cafe Trinity offers another gathering point on campus, and the church's vestry is led by Senior Warden Val Folden, Junior Warden BJ Jarvis, Treasurer Dave Hosaflook, and Registrar Harry Dickinson.
From the labyrinth and the choir loft to the parish hall where Micah was first imagined, Trinity Episcopal Church has grown into a parish whose work spills well beyond its own walls. Set on College Avenue near the University of Mary Washington, it remains a place for prayer, formation, and community life that empowers people to do God's work.