Compline at the Urban Well

Ancient Music for the Modern Soul
First Fridays, 9 – 9:30 PM

Join us every first Friday of the month for a contemplative service of quiet reflection at the end of your day. Compline at the Urban Well includes meditative music played on an ancient stringed instrument—the oud—and the Saint James Compline Choir singing a cappella by candlelight in our beautifully lit sanctuary.

The service of Compline {pronounced cóm-plin} is based on the closing time of prayer in the Daily Office, or monastic cycle of prayer. It is said in monasteries around 9:00 PM when darkness has fallen and bedtime is near.

The thoughts that inspire the prayers during Compline are the need for divine forgiveness and protection against the powers of darkness. Prayers for peace and rest are also spoken or sung as night falls. Click here to view the service via livestream.

At Saint James, Compline is sung by candlelight in the beautifully lit sanctuary on the First Friday of every month. The all-volunteer choir is a group of highly skilled singers who come from around Lancaster County and as far away as the Philadelphia suburbs, York and Hershey. The singers form a semicircle in the apse or on the chancel, depending upon the size of the group. Some prayers and readings are chanted by the cantor or the choir, and some pieces are sung in harmony. The service lasts about 30 minutes and has been held every First Friday for over six years.
 
If you are interested in participating in Compline, please email Dr. William Wright.

Daily evening Compline is also being offered nightly via Zoom.
Click here to join Compline. (This link can be used for every Compline on Zoom.)

Click here to view Saint James Compline videos on our YouTube channel.