St. Tim’s offers candlelit, chanted Compline services on the second Tuesday of the month at 8pm, September–April.
The term “Compline” derives from the Latin completorium—completion of the working day. As the bedtime prayers of the church, Compline tends to be a contemplative experience that emphasizes quietness, reflection, and spiritual peace. In many convents and monasteries, it is customary to begin the “Great Silence” after Compline, during which the whole community, including guests, observes silence throughout the night until the morning service the next day. Our offering of Compline seeks to keep this contemplative spirit.
Our service follows the Order for Compline laid out in the Book of Common Prayer and is chanted by a small schola of singers. We begin and end with silence. The entire service lasts approximately 30 minutes. Congregants are welcome to join in the chanting as noted in the service bulletin or to worship in meditative silence.