Saturday, July 30, 2022

Last Sunday in July



Sunday, July 31, 2022 

Join us at church or “virtually” for worship this Sunday, July 31, 2022, The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 13, at St. Alban’s, St. Thomas’, St. Patrick’s, and Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas. 


Holy Eucharist, Rite Two
St. Alban’s  - 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.* 
St. Thomas' on the Bayou - 10:00 a.m.* 
St. Patrick’s – 11:00 a.m.*

* These liturgies will be Live-Streamed on Facebook for those who choose to remain at home. Download a pdf of the leaflet to print or to use on your phone or tablet with this link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Eu_5P2g90sxUmUwhp0y0D1Crwppe1JdE/view?usp=sharing       

La Santa Eucaristía: Rito Dos
Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas – Domingo - 5:00 p.m. (transmitido en Facebook)
              
Zoom Compline - All Welcome 
Sunday -  8:00 p.m. 
Join Zoom Compline
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83861688528?pwd=WFdBcndxV3hzbUpETDNTSFFzc3Z0QT09 
Meeting ID: 838 6168 8528
Passcode: 800
or dial in at  +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 7799 

We hope to see you all on Sunday!

Rita+, Rob+ and Whit+

Art from Clip Art, Steve Erspamer, Liturgy Training Publications – ltp.org

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce, Social Reformer, 1833

The Collect:

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, kindle in your Church the never-failing gift of love; that, following the example of your servant William Wilberforce, we may have grace to defend the poor, and maintain the cause of those who have no helper; for the sake of him who gave his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

William Wilberforce was born in 1759 and served in Parliament from 1780 to 1825. A turning point in his religious life was a tour of Europe. In the luggage of a traveling companion he saw a copy of William Law's book, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. He asked his friend, "What is this?" and received the answer, "One of the best books ever written." The two of them agreed to read it together on the journey, and Wilberforce embarked on a lifelong program of setting aside Sundays and an interval each morning for prayer, and religious reading. He considered his options, including the clergy, and was persuaded by Christian friends that his calling was to serve God through politics. He was a major supporter of programs for popular education, overseas missions, parliamentary reform, and religious liberty. He is best known, however, for his untiring commitment to the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. He introduced his first anti-slavery motion in the House of Commons in 1788, in a three-and-a-half hour oration that concluded: "Sir, when we think of eternity and the future consequence of all human conduct, what is there in this life that shall make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice and the law of God!"  The motion was defeated. Wilberforce brought it up again every year for eighteen years, until the slave trade was finally abolished on 25 March 1806. He continued the campaign against slavery itself, and the bill for the abolition of all slavery in British territories passed its crucial vote just four days before his death on 29 July 1833. A year later, on 31 July 1834, 800,000 slaves, chiefly in the British West Indies, were set free. *

The Lectionary, James Kiefer, http://satucket.com/lectionary/William_Wilberforce.htm

Friday, July 29, 2022

Mary and Martha

Mary and Martha of Bethany

The Collect:

O God, heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Mary and Martha lived with their brother Lazarus at Bethany, a village not far from Jerusalem. They are mentioned in several episodes in the Gospels. 
  
On one occasion, when Jesus and His disciples were their guests, Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Him while her sister Martha busied herself with preparing food and waiting on the guests, and when Martha complained, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part.

When Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had died, Jesus came to Bethany. Martha, upon being told that He was approaching, went out to meet Him, while Mary sat still in the house until He sent for her. It was to Martha that Jesus said: "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

Again, about a week before the crucifixion, as Jesus reclined at table, Mary poured a flask of expensive perfume over Jesus' feet. Mary was criticized for wasting what might have been sold to raise money for the poor, and again Jesus spoke on her behalf. On the basis of these incidents, many Christian writers have seen Mary as representing Contemplation - prayer and devotion, and Martha as representing Action (good works, helping others); or love of God and love of neighbor respectively.
They see the same symbolism also in Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban (Genesis 29 and 35). Leah was dim of sight, but had many children. Rachel had few children, but one of them saved the whole family from destruction. Leah represents Action, which is near-sighted and cannot penetrate very far into the mysteries of God, but produces many worthwhile results. Contemplation has fewer results, but one of those results is Faith, without which it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6) Yet, there is a sense in which Action comes first -- "If a man love not his brother, whom he hath seen, how shall he love God, whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20) So it is that Leah must be wed before Rachel.

On some calendars, Lazarus is commemorated together with his sisters, on others his resurrection is remembered separately on 17 December.*
 
*The Lectionary, James Kiefer, http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Mary&Martha.htm

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer, 1750

The Collect:

Sound out your majesty, O God, and call us to your work; that, like thy servant Johann Sebastian Bach, we might present our lives and our works to your glory alone; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Johann Sebastian Bach, widely regarded as the greatest of all composers of music for Christian worship, was born in 1685 in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, into a family of distinguished musicians. In 1708, shortly after marrying his cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, he became court organist to the Duke of Weimar, where he wrote his principal compositions for the organ. In 1717 he became music director (Kapellmeister) to Prince Leopold of Coethen. In 1720, his wife died, and in 1721 he married Anna Magdalena Wuelcken, for whom he composed a famous set of keyboard pieces. From 1723 until his death in 1750 he was at Leipzig, where he taught, conducted, sang, played, and composed. He had 20 children, of whom nine survived him, four of whom are also remembered as composers.

n addition to his secular music, Bach wrote a considerable amount of music for worship. He drew on the German tradition of hymn-tunes, and arranged many of them as cantatas, with elaborate choir settings for most stanzas, and a plain four-part setting for the final stanza, to be sung by the congregation with the choir. Normally each stanza is unique, using the melody traditional for that hymn, but with variations, particularly in the harmony, that reinforce the meaning of the words of that stanza. He wrote altogether nearly two hundred cantatas, including at least two for each Sunday and holy day in the Lutheran church year (matching the subject of the cantata with that of the Scripture readings prescribed for that day). Two of the better known are "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (Christ lay in the bonds of death"), based on an Easter hymn by Martin Luther; and "Jesu, meine Freude" (Jesus, all my gladness).

It is an ancient custom that during Holy Week the Gospel readings shall be from the accounts of the Passion (=suffering and death) of Our Lord, and that, where possible, these accounts shall be read, not by a single reader, but with the speeches of different persons read by different readers (and the crowd by the choir or the congregation). This may be said, or chanted to a simple tune. Bach wrote, for the St Matthew Passion, and again for the St John Passion, an elaborate musical setting, with the Gospel narrative sung by a soloist, with the dialog by other singers, and commentary by the choir in the form of hymns and more elaborate pieces. He also wrote a setting for the traditional Latin Liturgy, his famous B Minor Mass. The Liturgy (or Order for the Celebration of the Lord's Supper and the Administration of Holy Communion, Commonly Called the Mass) is divided into the Ordinary (the parts that are the same every time) and the Propers (the parts that vary from day to day, such as the Bible readings). The choral parts of the Ordinary include the Kyrie ("Lord, have mercy" or "Hear us, O gracious Lord"), the Gloria ("Glory to God in the highest," based on Luke 2:14), the Credo ("I believe in one God, the Father Almighty..."), the Sanctus-benedictus ("Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord", based on Isaiah 6:3 and Matthew 21:9), and the Agnus Dei ("O Lamb of God," based on John 1:29). Bach wrote choir settings for these (in case anyone is wondering why a devout Lutheran would write choir settings for a Mass, I point out that the language of the Liturgy is ancient, and contains nothing not taught by Lutheran and Methodist and Presbyterian churches), and his work is not simply a matter of supplying pleasant-sounding melody and chords. For example, in the Creed, there occurs the line, "And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church." In Bach's setting of this line, there are two melodies sung by the choir simultaneously. One is a traditional plainchant melody, most frequently sung by Roman Catholics. The other is a Lutheran chorale melody. The two melodies are interwoven, and they harmonize perfectly. Bach was not just a musician. He was a Christian, and a preacher of the Gospel.*

*The Lectionary, James Kiefer, http://satucket.com/lectionary/bach_handel_purcell.htm

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Eucharist and Evening Prayer Today

Join us today, Wednesday, July 27 at St. Alban's for Holy Eucharist at 12:10 p.m. or tonight for Evening Prayer to learn more about William Reed Huntington, Priest.

Zoom Evening Prayer & Study - 5:30 p.m. with Father Whit+

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86781577595?pwd=VjNnZTZnUFFadkJPc3VOVTh3K21Idz09

Meeting ID: 867 8157 7595
Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 779
Passcode: 530

William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909


The Collect:


O Lord our God, we thank you for instilling in the heart of your servant William Reed Huntington a fervent love for your church and its mission in the world; and we pray that, with unflagging faith in your promises, we may make known to all people your blessed gift of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


W R Huntington, although never a bishop, had more influence on the Episcopal Church than most bishops. He was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1838, the son of a physician, studied at Harvard, and was ordained a priest in 1862. In each of the thirteen General Conventions of the Episcopal Church that met between 1870 and his death, he was a member, and indeed the most prominent member, of the House of Deputies. In 1871 he moved for the restoration of the ancient Order of Deaconesses, which was finally officially authorized in 1889. His parish became a center for the training of deaconesses. Huntington's was the chief voice calling for a revision of the Book of Common Prayer (completed in 1892), and his the greatest single influence on the process of revision. The prayers he wrote for it include the following, used during Holy Week and on Fridays. 


Almighty God, whose dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.


Despite his involvement in the national affairs of the Church, Huntington was foremost a parish priest, for 21 years (1862-1883) at All Saints' Church in Worcester, Massachusetts, and for 26 years (1883-1909) at Grace Church, New York City. He died 26 July 1909.*

 

*The Lectionary, James Kiefer, http://satucket.com/lectionary/WRHuntington.htm

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Anne and Joachim

Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Collect:

Almighty God, heavenly Father, we remember in thanksgiving this day the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and we pray that we all may be made one in the heavenly family of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Scriptures tell us nothing about the parents of the Virgin Mother, not even their names. An early but unreliable document, known as the Proto-Gospel (or Proto-Evangelion) of James, calls them Anne and Joachim, by which names they are customarily known. Our only real information about them, however, is an inference from the kind of daughter they reared.

The Lectionary,  James Kiefer, http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Parents_Mary.htm

Monday, July 25, 2022

Saint James

Saint James the Apostle

The Collect:

O gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

James the son of Zebedee and his brother John were among the twelve disciples of Our Lord. They, together with Peter, were privileged to behold the Transfiguration, to witness the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, and the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and to be called aside to watch and pray with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane on the night before his death.

James and John were apparently from a higher social level than the average fisherman. Their father could afford hired servants, and John (assuming him to be identical with the "beloved disciple") had connections with the high priest. Jesus nicknamed the two brothers "sons of thunder,"  perhaps meaning that they were headstrong, hot-tempered, and impulsive; and so they seem to be in two incidents reported in the Gospels. On one occasion, Jesus and the disciples were refused the hospitality of a Samaritan village, and James and John proposed to call down fire from heaven on the offenders. On another occasion, they asked Jesus for a special place of honor in the Kingdom, and were told that the place of honor is the place of suffering.

Finally, about AD 42, shortly before Passover, James was beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great (who tried to kill the infant Jesus), nephew of Herod Antipas (who killed John the Baptist, and examined Jesus on Good Friday), and father of Herod Agrippa II. James was the first of the Twelve to suffer martyrdom, and the only one of the Twelve whose death is recorded in the New Testament.

James is often called James Major (= greater or elder) to distinguish him from other New Testament persons called James. Tradition has it that he made a missionary journey to Spain, and that after his death his body was taken to Spain and buried there. At Compostela (a town the name of which is commonly thought to be derived from the word "apostle", although a Spanish-speaking listmember reports having heard it derived from "field of stars," which in Latin would be campus stellarum). His supposed burial place there was a major site of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, and the Spaniards fighting to drive their Moorish conquerors out of Spain took "Santiago de Compostela!" as one of their chief war-cries. The Spanish form of "James" is "Diego" or "Iago". In most languages, "James" and "Jacob" are identical. Where an English Bible has "James," a Greek Bible has IAKWBOS.*

*The Lectionary, James Kiefer, http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/James.htm 

Saturday, July 23, 2022

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost


Sunday, July 24, 2022

Join us at church or “virtually” for worship this Sunday, July 24, 2022, The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 12, at St. Alban’s, St. Thomas’, St. Patrick’s, and Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas.

Holy Eucharist, Rite Two
St. Alban’s - 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.*
St. Thomas' on the Bayou - 10:00 a.m.*
St. Patrick’s – 11:00 a.m.*

* These liturgies will be Live-Streamed on Facebook for those who choose to remain at home. Download a pdf of the leaflet to print or to use on your phone or tablet with this link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BTWuNHkHXbEGaVGfvbfXOLvdWuNPOU5w/view?usp=sharing

La Santa Eucaristía: Rito Dos

Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas – Domingo - 5:00 p.m. (transmitido en Facebook)

Zoom Compline - All Welcome
Sunday - 8:00 p.m.

Join Zoom Compline
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83861688528?pwd=WFdBcndxV3hzbUpETDNTSFFzc3Z0QT09
Meeting ID: 838 6168 8528
Passcode: 800
or dial in at +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 7799

We hope to see you all on Sunday!

Rita+, Rob+ and Whit+

Art from Clip Art, Steve Erspamer, Liturgy Training Publications – ltp.org




John Cassian

John Cassian, Monastic and Theologian, 435

The Collect:

Holy God, whose beloved Son Jesus Christ blessed the pure in heart: Grant that we, together with your servant John Cassian and in union with his prayers, may ever seek the purity with which to behold you as you are; one God in Trinity of persons now and for ever. Amen.

Saint John Cassian (ca. 360 – 435) (Latin: Jo(h)annes Eremita Cassianus, Joannus Cassianus, or Joannes Massiliensis), John the Ascetic, or John Cassian the Roman, is a Christian theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern Churches for his mystical writings. He is known both as one of the "Scythian monks" and as one of the "Desert Fathers." John Cassian was born around 360 probably in the region of Scythia Minor (now Dobruja in modern-day Romania), although some scholars assume a Gallic origin. He was involved in a disputation concerning the Patriarch of Constantinople (St. John Chrysostom), and, when the Patriarch was forced into exile from Constantinople in 404, the Latin-speaking John Cassian was sent to Rome to plead his cause before Pope Innocent I. While he was in Rome John Cassian accepted the invitation to found an Egyptian style monastery in southern Gaul, near Marseille. His foundation, the Abbey of St Victor, a complex of monasteries for both men and women, was one of the first such institutes in the west, and served as a model for later monastic development. Cassian's abbey and writings influenced St. Benedict, who incorporated many of the same principles into his monastic rule. Since Benedict's rule is still used by Benedictine, Cistercian, and Trappist monks, the thought of John Cassian still guides the spiritual lives of thousands of men and women in the Western Church. John Cassian wrote two major spiritual works, the Institutions and Conferences. In these, he codified and transmitted the wisdom of the Desert Fathers of Egypt. The Institutes (Latin: "De institutis coenobiorum") deal with the external organization of monastic communities, while the Conferences (Latin: "Collationes") deal with "the training of the inner man and the perfection of the heart." The spiritual traditions of John Cassian had an immeasurable effect on Western Europe. Many different western spiritualities, from that of Saint Benedict to that of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, owe their basic ideas to John Cassian.*

*The Lectionary, via Wikipedia - http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/john_cassian.htm

Friday, July 22, 2022

Saint Mary Magdalene

Saint Mary Magdalene

Today the Church remembers Saint Mary Magdalene, Primary witness to the resurrection, and Apostle to the Apostles.

According to John 20:11-18...

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

The Collect:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Last Prayer from Camp Hardtner

Day 4 - Prayers from Camp Hardtner

Today, we give thanks for God’s creation. May we be thankful for, and always care for, this special place called Camp Hardtner.

8. For the Beauty of the Earth, page 840, BCP

We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.

Our next post will be when we return home after some time away for rest.







Friday, July 15, 2022

This Sunday - July 17


Sunday, July 17, 2022

Join us at church for worship (or virtually) this Sunday, July 17, 2022, The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 11, at St. Alban’s, St. Thomas’, St. Patrick’s, and Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas.

Holy Eucharist, Rite Two - Morning Prayer at St. Thomas’ on the Bayou
St. Alban’s - 10:30 a.m., with The Rev’d Paul Martin, celebrant & preacher
St. Thomas' on the Bayou - 10:00 a.m., The Rev’d Bette Jo Kauffman, officiant & preacher
St. Patrick’s – 11:00 a.m.*

* Live-Streamed on Facebook for those who choose to remain at home. Download a pdf of the leaflet to print or to use on your phone or tablet with this link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BMrF4SUnrnf77pfbDpvx3ASdm2XbINgy/view?usp=sharing

La Santa Eucaristía: Rito Dos - ¡en inglés, con St. Alban's hoy!

Zoom Compline - Resumes next Sunday!
Sunday - 8:00 p.m.

We hope to see you all on Sunday!

Rob+, Paul+, and Deacon Bette Jo (Rita+ and Whit+)

Art from Clip Art, Steve Erspamer, Liturgy Training Publications – ltp.org





Prayers from Camp Hardtner

July 15 - Prayers from Camp Hardtner

Today, at Primary Camp, we give thanks for the gift to care for all God’s children.

46. For the Care of Children, The Book of Common Prayer, page 829.

Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.



Thursday, July 14, 2022

Prayers from Camp Hardtner

July 14 - Prayers from Camp Hardtner

Today, we pray for the young folks gathered here with us at Primary Camp, including the wonderful and talented young Permanent Staff.

47. For Young Persons, page 829 of the BCP.

God our Father, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.



Wednesday, July 13, 2022

July 13


Good morning from Camp Hardtner. We are in the Kisatchie National Forest. When George Flynn was a member of the Permanent Staff at Hardtner, he and some friends wrote what is now called Kisatchie Morning Prayer. Here is one of the prayers…

Officiant: We pray for the gift of the Kisatchie Forrest.
People: So that we may all revel in its abundance.

Officiant: We pray for the Hardtner family.
People: May their gift keep on giving.

Officiant: We pray for Lake Bordelon and the Three Sisters.
People: May their waters be purified by your hand.

Officiant: We pray for the hallowed crosses at the gates.
People: So that they may forever mark a sanctuary from a troubled world.

Officiant: We pray for all those who have ever felt the love of Camp Hardtner.
People: So that we may continue to stand on the shoulders of giants, and lay the ground for those yet to come.

Amen.

Since Rita+ and Whit+ are at camp, please join Mother Dawnell Stodghill for Holy Eucharist today at St. Alban’s at 12:10 a.m. or tonight for Holy Eucharist and Class at St. Andrew’s, Mer Rouge at 5:30 p.m. We will learn more about, and celebrate tomorrow’s saint - Argula von Grumbach, Scholar and Church Reformer, who died, c. 1554.

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Greetings from Camp


Greetings from Camp Hardtner. Mother Rita and Father Whit are serving as the Deans of Primary Camp 2 this week. All week, we will post a prayer from camp.

Here is today’s prayer…

A Prayer for Camp Hardtner

Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks for Hardtner, our diocesan camp. We pray for all those who play, rest, volunteer, work and worship there. May it be a place of spiritual growth, fellowship, joy and love. And may all those who live there, labor there, visit and travel there be protected by your grace, through your Son our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Monday, July 11, 2022

Last Day of A Season of Prayer

A Season of Prayer - Day 30

Today, we complete our thirty days of prayers for The Episcopal Church's General Convention. #seasonofprayer - more info at https://iam.ec/ensopr 

You can follow all the latest news about the General Convention at the Episcopal News Service - https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/





Sunday, July 10, 2022

Our Prayers Continue!

A Season of Prayer - Day 29

Our thirty days of prayers for The Episcopal Church's General Convention continue. #seasonofprayer - more info at https://iam.ec/ensopr 

You can follow all the latest news about the General Convention at the Episcopal News Service - https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/



Saturday, July 9, 2022

This Sunday!


Sunday, July 10, 2022

Join us at church or “virtually” for worship this Sunday, July 10, 2022, The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 10, at St. Alban’s, St. Thomas’, St. Patrick’s, and Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas.

Holy Eucharist, Rite Two
St. Alban’s - 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.*
St. Thomas' on the Bayou - 10:00 a.m.*
St. Patrick’s – 11:00 a.m.*

* These liturgies will be Live-Streamed on Facebook for those who choose to remain at home. Download a pdf of the leaflet to print or to use on your phone or tablet with this link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AvhqvA3zhBG8foOhNDHaQoVX0xrf31__/view?usp=sharing


La Santa Eucaristía: Rito Dos
Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas – Domingo - 5:00 p.m. (transmitido en Facebook)

Zoom Compline - All Welcome
Sunday - 8:00 p.m.

Join Zoom Compline
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83861688528?pwd=WFdBcndxV3hzbUpETDNTSFFzc3Z0QT09
Meeting ID: 838 6168 8528
Passcode: 800
or dial in at +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 7799

We hope to see you all on Sunday!

Rita+, Rob+ and Whit+

Art from Clip Art, Steve Erspamer, Liturgy Training Publications – ltp.org

Day 28















A Season of Prayer - Day 28

Our thirty days of prayers for The Episcopal Church's General Convention continue. #seasonofprayer - more info at https://iam.ec/ensopr

Friday, July 8, 2022

Day 27

A Season of Prayer - Day 27

Our thirty days of prayers for The Episcopal Church's General Convention continue. #seasonofprayer - more info at https://iam.ec/ensopr



Thursday, July 7, 2022

Day 26

A Season of Prayer For Revival - Day 26 of the 30 Days

In this dedicated season, we pray for The Episcopal Church, who by God's grace is becoming a new and re-formed church, to be the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement, a church that looks, acts, and loves like Jesus and who follows his way of love. Your prayers will offer the foundation for The Episcopal Church's gathering of the General Convention, a time of worship, prayer, legislative action, and community building. #seasonofprayer - more info at https://iam.ec/ensopr

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Sister Eva Mary & Day 25 of Our Season of Prayer

Today the Church remembers Eva Lee Matthew, Monastic, and continues our thirty days of prayers for The Episcopal Church's General Convention, with Day 25. #seasonofprayer - more info at https://iam.ec/ensopr

Join us today, Wednesday, July 6 at St. Alban's for Holy Eucharist at 12:10 p.m. or tonight for Evening Prayer to learn more about Sister Eva Mary.

Zoom Evening Prayer & Study - 5:30 p.m. with Father Whit+

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86781577595?pwd=VjNnZTZnUFFadkJPc3VOVTh3K21Idz09

Meeting ID: 867 8157 7595
Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 779
Passcode: 530

Eva Lee Matthews, Monastic, 1928

The Collect:

O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich: Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that we, inspired by the devotion of your servant Eva Lee Matthews, may serve you with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Eva Lee Matthews was born on February 9, 1862, in Glendale, Ohio. Her father was Thomas Stanley Matthews, a justice on the United States Supreme Court. She attended Wellesley College but did not graduate.

From a young age, Matthews was concerned with helping others. She was a devout member of the Episcopal Church. In 1891, Matthews spent some time in Omaha, Nebraska, helping the poor and teaching children at a parochial school. She left Omaha in 1894, and in 1895, she traveled with her brother to Palestine. Upon her return to the United States, Matthews authored a book, A Little Pilgrimage to Holy Places, which recounted her trip.

In 1896, Matthews relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she worked at the Bethany Mission House, an Episcopal charitable organization designed to help the less fortunate residents of Cincinnati. It was at this time that Matthews and coworker Beatrice Henderson decided to create a new Episcopal religious order. The purpose of this order was to assist Cincinnati's poor, especially children. On August 6, 1898, Episcopal Church officials formally recognized Matthews' and Henderson's order, formally naming the group the Community of the Transfiguration. At this time, Matthews formally became a nun, and she became known as Sister Eva Mary.

The Community of the Transfiguration remained in Cincinnati for only a short time. The order soon relocated to Glendale, Matthews's childhood home. The order grew slowly but by the 1920s, the Community of the Transfiguration had members engaged in charity work in China, Hawaii, Painesville, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, and Woodlawn, Ohio.

Matthews served as the leader of the Community of the Transfiguration until her death in July 1928. *

* The Lectionary, via Ohio History Central, http://satucket.com/lectionary/eva_lee_matthews.html