life at ASCENSION Volume 33, Number 1 March, 2011 THE LIGHT OF LENT

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "life at ASCENSION Volume 33, Number 1 March, 2011 THE LIGHT OF LENT"

Elfrieda Paul
5 years ago
Views:

1 life at ASCENSION Volume 33, Number 1 March, 2011 THE LIGHT OF LENT People often think about the season of Lent as a rather grim, dark time. After all, it usually falls in the dull, cold, gray days of late winter and is noted as a time of abstinence and fasting of giving something up. But actually the name Lent comes from the same root word as length and it refers to the fact that at this season of the year, periods of sunlight are gradually getting a few minutes longer every day. (This year, we began Daylight Saving Time on March 13 th, the First Sunday of Lent, which will also lengthen our days.) Lent is a season of increasing light. Maybe we should be thinking about lightening up for Lent. One way to do just that is to try to simplify things in daily life. At Ascension, we will put on a different look and atmosphere in our worship customs. Some of the beautiful gold and bronze appointments in the sanctuary will be put out of sight for a while. At the side altar a plain wooden cross is hung. Candles of unbleached beeswax will be burning at the high altar and simple pillar candles on the free-standing altar. Instead of the freshness and vibrancy of flowers, we will use arrangements of dried grasses in pottery or glass containers. Even our music will take on a quieter, more reflective tone, both in the wonderful hymnody of the season and in the musical offerings of choir and organ. You will notice more simple chants and unaccompanied anthems in Lent. Our raw silk Lenten paraments and vestments in muted tones with touches of regal purple and red will carry out the theme. Inside This Issue : Rector s Message.1 Vestry Notes 2 Lenten Quiet Day..3 Inquirer s Class..3 Tanzania..4 Manton Organ 5 Holy Week..6 At the beginning of this season, we are bidden, in the words from The Book of Common Prayer, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. Here at Ascension opportunities abound to deepen your prayer life through attending Barbara Crafton s Quiet Evening on Wednesday, March 23 rd or by joining us at the 6:00pm weekday services; to expand your horizons through joining in the Inquirer s Class which will start on Tuesday, April 5 th ; to gather with fellow parishioners at a House Eucharist or by reading their spiritual meditations in the Lenten Devotional; or to serve others through our outreach activities in the Food Pantry, the Tutoring program, or the Homeless Shelter. Simplify your life and lighten up! Ω Fr. Andrew Foster, Rector

2 Vestry Notes At its January Meeting the Vestry: -Heard Fr. Andrew report on the success of the preparations for the re-opening of the sanctuary on Christmas Eve Heard Fr. Andrew extend his special thanks to the four departing Vestry members, Mary Gaillard, Barbara Head, Steven Hubbard and Stanley Weinberg and to Warden John Grimes, for their service during their current terms of office. -Heard Mtr. Shelley report that Ethan Mandel will travel to Tanganyika as part of Ascension s participation in the Carpenter s Kids program. The trip will cost an estimated $4,000 and donations will be sought to cover the 10 day trip. -Learned from Mtr. Shelley that there will be a class on Healing Prayer, the Inquirers Class will begin in April and also we will be re-establishing the Lay Eucharistic Visitors program. -Heard Mary Gaillard, Finance Chair, present the 2011 Operating Budget for discussion and the Vestry voted unanimously to accept the budget. -Reviewed the $140, Diocesan Assessment noting that once again we have been given a reduction in our annual assessment. At its February Meeting the Vestry: -Heard Fr. Andrew report that the Annual Meeting was very upbeat and was well attended. -Heard Mtr. Shelley report that the Healing Class is underway with a reminder that the Inquirers Classes will be starting in April. -Received a copy of a letter to the Vestry from Jenny Landis, writing to update as she reaches the half way mark at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. -Approved the appointment of Barbara Head to be Clerk of the Vestry and Lillie Burkhardt as Treasurer. -As mandated by our by-laws, reaffirmed Ascension s historic custom not to invade (that is, use) the principal from any of its investments unless the legacies or gifts which provided the investments stated that the principal could be used at the vestry s discretion. -Reviewed and ratified committee appointments for Followed up and confirmed the Portfolio Goals for Further discussed a draft of a Mission Statement. The Vestry generally meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Meetings are open to the parish and parishioners are welcome, in advance of the meeting, to request time to address Vestry. Ω Sibyl Piccone, Warden 2

3 Inquirers Class NEW TO ASCENSION OR HAV- ING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FAITH? If so, then the annual Inquirers Class is for you. This 8 session course about the basics of Christianity and life in our wonderful parish will meet on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm beginning on April 5, This year, we will follow the format of the popular Stations of the Church of the Ascension during which we meet in a different location in the church buildings each week and discuss everything from basic theology, the Sacramental life, some history and structure of the Episcopal Church and the nuts and bolts of Ascension. Call the Parish Office to indicate your interest and we ll send you the weekby-week schedule. The class culminates with an opportunity to be Confirmed or Received into the Episcopal Church when Bishop Herbert Donovan visits us on Ascension Sunday, June 5, Prayer For Hard Times Lenten Quiet Day at Ascension with the Rev. Barbara C. Crafton Wednesday, March 23 from 6:30-8:30pm In the Church Sanctuary Barbara Cawthorne Crafton is an Episcopal priest and author. She heads The Geranium Farm, an institute for the promotion of spiritual growth. The Farm publishes her Almost-Daily emo, a meditation read online by tens of thousands worldwide via and social media. She has served a number of churches, including historic Trinity Church, Wall Street, St. John's-in-the- Village in Greenwich Village, St. Clement's in Manhattan's theatre district. She was a maritime chaplain on the New York waterfront, and served as a chaplain at Ground Zero after the attack on the World Trade Center; most recently, she served St. James, the American church in Florence, Italy. A spiritual director, Crafton leads retreats and teaches throughout the United States and abroad. When she is not on the road, she assists at St Luke's in Metuchen, NJ. Her many books include books of essays (The Sewing Room, Yes! We'll Gather at the River, Some Things You Just have to Live With), books of daily meditations (Let Us Bless the Lord (Vols 1-4), Meditations on the Psalms,Finding Time for Serenity, and several others; a book of poetry (Blessed Paradoxes), a book about the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of the World Trade Center bombing (Mass in Time of War) and, most recently, a book about how people of faith experience depression (Jesus Wept: When Faith and Depression Meet). 3

Ascension Heads to Tanzania with the Carpenter s Kids As Ascension enters its second year of supporting The Carpenter s Kids Program, we are thrilled to announce that parishioner Ethan Mandel will be

4 Ascension Heads to Tanzania with the Carpenter s Kids As Ascension enters its second year of supporting The Carpenter s Kids Program, we are thrilled to announce that parishioner Ethan Mandel will be representing Ascension on an upcoming pilgrimage to our linked village in Gawaye, Tanzania. From April 26 May 7, the pilgrimage will bring Ethan over 7,000 miles to the major Tanzanian coastal city of Dar Es Salaam, from where he will travel to Dodoma, the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Central Tanganyika. After having the opportunity to tour the diocese (including a visit to the diocesan seminary, Msalato Theological College) Ethan will spend two days at Ascension s sister village, along with the fifty children we sponsor, the parish clergy, and the caretakers that make the program possible. Ethan Mandel Ethan will be accompanied by a group of both clergy and lay leaders from the Diocese of New York, including the Diocese s newly-appointed Archdeacon for Mission, Rev. William Clay Parnell. Ascension s continued financial support for our linked parish has, without a doubt, been an important first step in our involvement in the Carpenter s Kids ministry. We hope that this pilgrimage will be a vital launching point for Ascension s greater parishwide participation, including the possibility of a parish pilgrimage to Tanzania in the near future. By establishing a strong foundation for our relationship with our linked parish, we look forward to opening the door to a lasting friendship that enriches the lives and faith of all involved. The cost of the pilgrimage to Tanzania is $4,000 which includes gifts from Ascension to the children of Gawaye. We are about a third of the way to reaching our goal. If you would like to donate to this outreach, please make checks payable to The Church of the Ascension with Carpenter Kids on the memo line. Thank you in advance for your support. Ω - Mother Shelley Mc Dade, Associate Rector When April with his showers sweet with fruit The drought of March has pierced unto the root... Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage, And palmers to go seeking out strange strands, To distant shrines well known in sundry lands. - Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales 4

6 Holy Week and Easter 2011 April 17 The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday 9 a.m. The Holy Eucharist with Blessing and Distribution of Palms 11 a.m. The Holy Eucharist (with Full Choir), with the Liturgy of the Palms, Procession, and the reading of the Passion Gospel Monday & Tuesday, April 18 & 19 Evening Eucharists for Holy Week 6p.m. Penitential Office and the Holy Eucharist Wednesday, April 20 The Service of Tenebrae 6p.m. Prayers, Psalms and Readings in the shadows April 21 Maundy Thursday 6p.m. The Maundy Thursday Liturgy (with Full Choir), with the Washing of Feet, Stripping of the Altar, and Setting of the Altar of Repose. After the evening service, an all-night Vigil before the Reserved Sacrament will be kept in the All Saint s Chapel. April 22 Good Friday 12 noon to 3 p.m. Three-Hour Liturgy for Good Friday (with Full Choir), with the reading of the Passion Gospel according to St. John, Solemn Collects, Veneration of the Cross, and Meditations by the Rector. Worshippers may arrive and leave as their schedules permit. April 23 Holy Saturday: The Easter Vigil 8 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter with the Lighting of New Fire, the Paschal Candle & Renewal of Baptismal Vows This is the culmination of Holy Week, including the celebration of the first Eucharist of the Resurrection. Sunday, April 24 Easter Day: The Day of Resurrection 9 a.m. The Second Eucharist of Easter 11 a.m. Festival Eucharist for Easter Day (with Full Choir) 6

Lent, Holy Week & Easter: A User s Guide

Lent, Holy Week & Easter: A User s Guide The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare them by a season