The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles will gather at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 11, at All Saints Church in Pasadena, 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101, to mark one year since the fires that tore through the Altadena and Pacific Palisades communities with a Climate Evensong service. It will offer an opportunity to gather in lament for the losses in the fires, to gather in hope for the resilience of the ongoing recovery and restoration, and to gather in commitment to action to reverse the damage to our world.
The service is inspired by the vision of Dr. Lucy Jones – seismologist, public science communicator, musician, and life-long Episcopalian. Dr. Jones is serving as the artistic director of the service, framed within the traditional Anglican liturgy of Choral Evensong. Opening remarks will be offered by the Right Reverend John H. Taylor, Bishop of Los Angeles, and the officiant will be the Reverend Carri Patterson Grindon, Rector of St. Mark’s Altadena, and choristers will include members of congregations impacted by the fires.
In her introduction to the service, Dr. Jones writes:
We will gather in the quiet beauty of this ancient form of prayer to share our grief and anger at what we have lost, to honor the pain that still lives in our bodies, our memories, and our landscapes. Some of us come having lost homes, churches, treasured places, or people we love; all of us come carrying the weight of living in a world where disasters like these are no longer rare. In this sacred space, there is room for grief that has no easy answers, and for questions that have no simple solutions. We will also gather to recognize the resilience that has emerged from the ashes. In the months since the fires, communities have opened their doors to one another, congregations have shared sanctuaries and vestments, bells have been lifted from rubble, and crosses darkened by smoke have continued to watch over people at prayer.
The same flames that destroyed buildings could not extinguish courage, generosity, or love; neighbors have fed one another, housed one another, and held one another’s stories. And so we will give thanks for that strength—for every act of kindness, every shared meal, every tear welcomed rather than turned away—and name it as a sign of the divine that walks with us through the fire and beyond.
But this service is not only about remembrance; it is also about commitment. The fires that scarred our communities did not happen in a vacuum: they are part of a pattern in a warming world, where longer fire seasons, hotter temperatures, and deeper droughts make extreme events more likely. To pray with integrity in the face of climate change is to allow our lament to move us toward action—to listen for how we are being called to protect one another, to safeguard creation, and to change the systems and habits that are driving this crisis. In the language of this liturgy, we will ask not only for comfort, but for courage: courage to advocate for policies that protect the most vulnerable, to transform our own choices, and to stand together for the future of our children and of all life on this Earth.
As we sing, listen, and pray, may we feel held—by the music, by this community, by the God who grieves with us and hopes with us. May those who mourn find companions for the long journey of healing; may those who feel numb or overwhelmed discover a small next step toward hope. And may all who gather leave more deeply rooted in love, more honest about their fear, and more determined to act for a world in which forests can flourish, communities can thrive, and fire no longer brings such devastation.
The service is a joint offering of the Bishop’s Commissions on Climate Change and Liturgy & Music. All are welcome – in person or via livestream. A reception will follow.
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