Sundays at 9:00 PM

In the early Christian church, monastic desert communities continued the Jewish practice of prayer at principal hours of the day. The evening service symbolized the light of Christ in the darkness of the world.   Compline is taken from the Latin word completorium meaning “completion of the day.” At St. Paul's, Compline is sung in the church, lit by hundreds of candles as incense burns before an icon and chant soars through the arches of the nave.

Compline is sung every Sunday evening at 9 PM and lasts twenty minutes. In addition to Gregorian chant, at least one polyphonic motet is sung each week.   Each Sunday following Compline, the St. Paul's Bookstore and Café will be open offering warm drinks in the winter and cool drinks in the summer.