On June 24, 1579, on the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, Sir Francis Drake’s chaplain presided over the Holy Eucharist in Drake’s Bay, which was the first service in the English tongue on our coast and the first use of the Book of Common Prayer in our country. The Prayerbook Cross in Golden Gate Park, which bears our diocesan seal, commemorates this event.
 
On Saturday, June 22, Holy Hikes will offer a Eucharistic hike around Stow Lake (in Golden Gate Park) and afterward a short walk up to The Prayer Book Cross. For this event, please gather at the Stow Lake Boathouse at 9:45 a.m. and the hike will begin at 10 a.m. sharp. The stational Holy Eucharist will follow a fairly flat 1 mile loop around the lake and finish with the Communion at the Stow Lake Picnic Area. For those who are interested, after the Eucharist we will walk up to the foot of The Prayer Book Cross, which is just across JFK Drive from the Stow Lake Picnic Area. The cross is about 200 feet up a hill from JFK Drive. Please RSVP if you are able (not required), and all are welcome!
 
When: Saturday June 22, 9:45 a.m. (gather); 10 a.m. (hike)
Where: Stow Lake Boathouse, 50 Stow Lake Drive E, San Francisco
Link: www.holyhikes.org
Contact: the Rev. Justin R. Cannon, holyhikes@gmail.com
 
Photo: Wesley D. Capps, used with permission