Chapel Services

If Star has a most sacred place among the totality of its sacred places, it is the Chapel. At the highest point of land, this lovely small stone structure, with its imposing bell tower is the oldest building on the Island.

In the days when Star was a fishing community, a lantern was lit in the steeple to help the fishermen find their way home. Although we no longer light lanterns in the belfry to guide us, we still find our way there, often more than once a day. Inside this simple, one-room building, there are wooden benches, a harmonium, a raised pulpit, tall windows, and hooks for evening lanterns (there is no electricity).

Two daily services are held in the Chapel - one in the morning, led by the Minister of the Week, and the other, conferee-led, just before bedtime. Attendance at both is voluntary.

The morning Chapel is informal, with people sitting inside and listening from the rocks outside as well. The evening is more formal. For that, we gather on the porch of the hotel where we are given candle lanterns. With lanterns in hand, we silently proceed up the hill, bringing the light with us, to participate in a service offered by our peers. (Often, evening chapel-goers bring little flashlights for additional light.) At the end of the service, we take our light with us and, again in silence, proceed down the hill to the hotel. It’s quite an amazing ceremony.

After evening Chapel, many of us gather in the snack bar or large hotel lobby to discuss the day, play games, talk and just be together.

Minister of the Week: Reverend Bill Clark