Juneteenth Holy Eucharist

Celebrate the emancipation of slaves in America by attending Grace’s Juneteenth service at noon in the historic church. June 19 was declared a federal holiday in 2021. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when all enslaved people in America were freed. On that date federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure that all enslaved people in the state were freed – more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. President Lincoln’s order couldn’t be enforced everywhere until after the end of the Civil War on April 9, 1865. For years this was a “hidden holiday,” celebrated largely by Black Americans. We embrace the holiday as we strive to become beloved community, as our creator intended.