Our Patrons: Saints Sergius and Bacchus

Saints Sergius (or Serge) and Bacchus were fourth-century Roman Christian soldiers revered as martyrs and military saints by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches. Their feast day is 7 October.

According to the legend, Sergius and Bacchus were Roman citizens and high-ranking officers of the Roman army, but their conversion to Christianity was discovered when they attempted to avoid accompanying a Roman official into a pagan temple with the rest of his bodyguard. After they persisted in refusing to sacrifice to Jupiter in Galerius’ company, they were publicly humiliated by being chained, dressed in female attire and paraded around town. Galerius then sent them to Barbalissos in Mesopotamia to be tried by Antiochus, the military commander there and an old friend of Sergius. Antiochus could not convince them to give up their faith, however, and Bacchus was beaten to death. The next day Bacchus’ spirit appeared to Sergius and encouraged him to remain strong so they could be together forever. Over the next days, Sergius was also brutally tortured and finally executed at Resafa, where his death was marked by miraculous happenings.

About Our Liturgy

We celebrate the Liturgy according to the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church using the ritual promulgated in 1969 and approved for use in the United States in 1974/5. This was chosen because the language is in colloquial English rather than the Latinized English of the version promulgated in 2002. The readings are from the current lectionary. Our celebrant is a retired Roman Catholic priest, ordained in 1976 but independent from the Diocese of San Bernardino. The Eucharist is celebrated with unleavened bread and alcohol-removed wine.

On Sundays and Holy Days, the Liturgy is sung (“High Mass”), and the Commons (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) are sung in Gregorian Latin motifs. All text and music can be found in the Order of Service for each week.

Schedule of Liturgical Services

The Liturgy is offered at the Saints Sergius and Bacchus private chapel. Sunday liturgies are scheduled at 6:00 am Pacific, 7:00 am Mountain, 8:00 am Central, and 9:00 am Eastern time. Sunday Liturgies may be attended in person (please email in advance at [email protected]) or live online via Zoom. Our Zoom ID is 212 243 3458. To avoid unwarranted interruptions, our password is only available through the newsletter or by email and is subject to change.

Our Liturgical Calendar is available by clicking on our Calendar menu tab. Scripture readings, Order of Service booklets, and links to that day’s homily (when available) can be found there. Homilies for Sundays and Holy Days can also be found by clicking on our Homilies menu tab. When live liturgies are not possible, they will be prerecorded and made available for viewing via links in the Liturgical Calendar or the Weekly Newsletter.

Special Events

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Chapel may offer other special events during the year, for example, our annual Lenten Lecture Series. Where possible, these events are recorded and made available through our Special Events menu tab.

Weekly Newsletter

To assist our congregation, we send out a weekly newsletter containing an Order of Service for Sunday and Holy Day liturgies (with both liturgical texts and hymns) that can be printed as a booklet, a link to the current Scripture Readings, the current week’s memorials, and links to the previous week’s homily (text and video). You can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking the Get Our Emails menu tab or by copying and pasting this URL into your browser: http://eepurl.com/hscNgT. You may opt to receive the Newsletter weekly, only for Special Liturgical Services (Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter), and/or for Special Events. (All personal information is strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for other purposes.)

Order of Service Booklets

Booklets containing the Order of Service for public (Sunday) liturgies are available for download from the Liturgical Calendar and through the weekly newsletter. To view/print the booklets from the calendar, click on the appropriate day. They are available in two styles: one page at a time (Order of Service), or as a booklet for printing (Order of Service Booklet).

Instructions for printing booklets

The Booklet is created for printers that can accommodate two-sided printing:
– on a PC, print on both sides, and flip on the short edge;
– on a Mac, On the File menu, click Print; Click Copies &
Pages, and then click Layout, Click Two-Sided, and then
select Short–Edge binding.
That will create a booklet that you can fold in half to use.

Mass Intentions

Mass intentions (for living or deceased persons) are available for any public or private liturgy on a first-come-first-serve basis. To have your loved one remembered in a liturgy, please email us at: [email protected] and provide the name of each person and the date of decease (if applicable). Deceased loved ones will be added to the Our Faithful Departed list available on our Liturgical Calendar page.