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Saturday, February 7, 3:30 PM: FoM Concert presents Avanti Ensemble
Friday, February 13, 3:30 PM: "Sunset Cruise" SoB venue in Marina del Rey
Tuesday, February 17, 6:30 PM: Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper in parish hall
Wednesday, February 18, 12:00 PM & 7:00 PM: Ash Wednesday services
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Bible and Breakfast
Tuesdays | 9:30 AM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Midweek Eucharist:
Wednesdays | 7:00 PM
Chapel in the Sanctuary
Adult Forum: Between Sword & Cross
Wednesdays | 8:00 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
| | | FoM Concert: AVANTI ENSEMBLE: 2/7 | | |
The Friends of Music invite everyone to come and enjoy beautiful music this coming Saturday afternoon. A lovely reception will follow the concert in the parish hall downstairs.
From the Avanti Ensemble website
The Avanti Ensemble has served Southern California for over 2 decades. The Ensemble has a range of 1 to 16 players who share a passion and technical aplomb for music. They have performed a wide and colorful repertoire featuring music from the 1600s to present day world premieres.
The Ensemble’s members have vast experience and have played in venues throughout the world; from Disney Hall to Toronto’s Sony Centre to Carnegie Hall. Here in California, the ensemble musicians have performed with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, California Philharmonic, Pasadena Symphony, New West Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pasadena Pops, West Coast Symphony, Hollywood Concert Orchestra, Redlands Symphony, and Pacific Symphony. The players have appeared as featured soloists with orchestras, have participated in international touring, and can be heard on numerous TV shows and movie soundtracks.
In addition to their active performance schedules, the members hold degrees in music ranging from Bachelors of Arts to Doctorates. With these advanced degrees and wealth of knowledge, they have held residencies, adjudicated and taught hundreds of music students from age three to university level.
| | CLOTHING DRIVE: Spring Clean Your Closet! | | |
St. Bede’s Episcopal Church is organizing a clothing drive– of new and gently used items– during the month of February. We are planning to do this with Ahavat Torah as a partner.
We welcome items for people of all ages and ask that the gently-used items be laundered. There will be marked bins for the clothing near the entrance of the church. Gently used shoes will also be gratefully accepted.
When the drive is over, members of the St. Bede’s mission committee will spend an afternoon assessing, sorting and organizing the clothing, and we would welcome any assistance that might be offered!
We plan to separate items for children to donate to families that cannot leave their homes due to ICE raids. Items for adults will be directed to The People Concern, a major LA County social services agency-- with several facilities-- that focuses on homelessness, poverty and domestic violence, and the Midnight Mission in downtown Los Angeles.
Thank you!
| | SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER: 2/17 | | |
Once again, Chefs Jennifer and Jerry will be serving up the fare at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper in the parish hall next Tuesday, February 17, starting at 6:30 pm.
Bring your palms from last year either on Sunday, February 9 or 15, or on Shrove Tuesday so they can be burned for the Ash Wednesday services. In addition to eating breakfast for supper we will bury the Alleluia for the season of Lent. All are invited.
| | ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES: 2/18 | | |
There will be two services at St. Bede's on Ash Wednesday, one at 12:00 noon and the other at 7:00 PM.
A sermon by The Rev. Kirk Alan Kubicek, Priest in Charge at Christ Church Forest Hill, Rock Spring Parish, in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland:
The Ash Wednesday liturgy is possibly the most meaningful liturgy in our Book of Common Prayer. It offers us an opportunity to stop, reflect on who we are and whose we are, adopt an attitude of humility, hit the reset button, and begin again. We are invited to stop the whirlwind of life and activities that surround us on all sides and remember: God hates nothing God has made; God forgives the sins of all who are penitent; our God is the “God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness.” As if all this in the opening collect is not enough, the reminder that we “are dust, and to dust [we] shall return” ought to put our life in Christ into a proper perspective of humility.
This is made visible and tangible with the imposition of ashes from last year’s Palm Sunday palms, which seem to retrace the Baptismal Cross on our foreheads as a reminder of the promises we make each time we renew our Baptismal Covenant: to participate in the full life of the Body of Christ, his Church; to say we are sorry whenever we have violated our relationships with God and others, all others; that everything we do and say will proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ; that we will seek and serve Christ in all persons; that we will strive for justice and peace for all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
The Church has long recognized how challenging it is to keep these core promises that constitute walking in the Way of Christ. This is why we set aside these forty days each year for self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; to read and meditate on God’s holy Word. The ashes of Ash Wednesday remind us not only of our mortality and need for regular repentance but also that it is only by God’s “gracious gift that we are given everlasting life” through Jesus Christ.
Although we are to remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return, we ought never to forget that we are Holy Dust, created and inspired by the very breath and Spirit of God, as described in Genesis chapter 2: “The Lord God formed man [ha-adam/ha-ah-dham] from the dust of the ground [ha-adamah/ha-ah-dhamah] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” In these days, as we reflect on our relationship to the Earth itself, the Hebrew reminds us just how interconnected and interdependent we really are – adam, man, is made of the dust of the ground, adamah. Just as Moses was reminded by the burning bush that he was standing on Holy Ground, so the ashes of Ash Wednesday remind us that everywhere we stand, everywhere we walk, every speck of dust is Holy Ground – and that we are made Holy from the moment of our very first breath. Receiving these ashes is meant to remind us of these humbling and defining truths.
Next to the Cross itself, however, there is no more tender and revealing moment in God’s Holy Word than that proclaimed on Ash Wednesday by the prophet Joel, who in days of great darkness and gloom calls the people of God to a solemn assembly to pray for deliverance. Yet, amid this call to return to the Lord with all our hearts, the prophet reminds us of God’s very essence, and then imagines just how much the Lord our God loves us:
“Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God?”
Do we hear this? When we are enveloped with such darkness and gloom that we are unable to make the appointed sacrifices to God, unable to turn our hearts and minds back to God on our own, the prophet imagines that the Lord God himself will make the appointed sacrifices himself, leaving a grain offering and a drink offering on our behalf – which offerings constitute the essence of our Holy Communion. We are those people who, like the prophet, can imagine that God enters our lives and leaves an offering and blessing for us every Sunday – because our God is the God who is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.”
This realization of God’s love and care for us brings us to our knees and a Litany of Repentance in which we rehearse all the possible ways in which we stray from the way of the Lord God, the Way of Christ. It is after this remarkable and thorough confession that the reset button is pressed, and we are forgiven by Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that “the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy.”
Ash Wednesday: A day to stop, reflect on who we are and whose we are, adopt an attitude of humility, and hit the reset button of our life in Christ. A day to remember that we are dust, but that we are Holy Dust, animated by God’s own breath. For it is God’s own Spirit that enlivens us and sustains us, day in and day out. A day to remember that God loves us so much as to make sacrifices for us when we are unable to do so ourselves. A day to allow God in Christ to forgive us so that we might live the residue of our lives reflecting the very love that God has for us and for all of creation. A day that we may remind ourselves with great humility to love God, love all others, and love all of creation itself. For that is what it means to be the Holy Dust of God! Amen.
| | BLACK HISTORY MONTH SERVICE: 2/21 | | Ahavat Torah, St. Bede's (featuring the Rev. Dr. Akani Fletcher), and First AME church will come together at the 10 a.m. Ahavat Torah Shabbat service at the church in celebration of Black History Month. More information coming soon. | | ST. BEDE'S ANNUAL MEETING: 2/22 | | This year's Annual Meeting of St. Bede's parishioners will take place on February 22 following the 10:00 AM service. All parishioners are invited and encouraged to attend. | | PHOTOs from Service of LAMENT & RESISTANCE | | |
Pictured here is a collection of photos taken by Rosemarie DiSalvo just after the service of Lament and Resistance on January 29. The photos capture the mood of sorrow and solemnity, inviting worshiping hearts to cry out to God with lament over the injustices we are witnessing in our country. Lament is an honest expression of suffering, frustration, and/or grief before God, trusting that God is with us always as our strength and our hope in times of darkness.
| | God of the stranger and the exile, you led your people through wilderness and across borders; you knew the flight into Egypt, and you walk still with those who flee for safety. Be present with us tonight as we grieve lives stolen by violence, policies that crush the vulnerable and fear that hardens the human heart. Receive our lament, hold the dead in your mercy and stir us to compassion and courage; through Jesus Christ, who suffers with us and for us. Amen. | | |
"Between Sword and Cross: Just War Theory in the Light of Jesus"
Join us for this six-week series exploring Christian perspectives on war, peace, and discipleship through Scripture, theology, and faithful conversation. Between Sword and Cross invites us to wrestle with Jesus’ call to peacemaking alongside the Church’s moral traditions, including the Just War framework. The forum meets Wednesdays at 8 pm, immediately following the 7 pm Midweek Mass, and is open to all—whether you attend in person or online. Come with your questions, your experience, and an open heart. Visit stbedesla.org for more, including the participant guide.
| | SoB Venue: DELIGHTFUL & DELICIOUS | | Around the table from left: Jim Newman, Jerry Hornof, Akani Fletcher, Daphne Moote, Alice Short, Steve Vielhaber, Craig Deutsche, Susan Holder, Mary Deutsche, Mike Mullins. Photo: Joselyn | | |
By Jerry Hornof
The Sisters of Bede Dinner Parties have been happening for 25+ years. Steve and Alice have graciously hosted an event each of those years. Every year it has been in demand with folks pleased when they rushed to sign up and made the list. The dinners over the years have ranged from ethnic cuisine like Country French and Northern Italian to experiencing cuisine from their most recent travels like Eastern European. The dinners include 4-5 courses, often highlighting delicious soups and creative salads. Steve and Alice work closely together; Alice often prepares soups, salads, and vegetables while Steve prepares the meat dishes and, in recent years, homemade bread. Of course, the desserts are always outstanding, and no dinner goes without Steve’s exquisite wine selections.
This year’s dinner was no exception. The gourmet menu included appetizers, Tuscan tomato soup, Winter citrus salad with feta, Gnocchi gorganzola, Pork rib roast served alongside Roast cabbage with bacon, Red and white wine varietals, and Almond/pistachio cake. The incredible combination of flavors and textures were positively scrumptious. And sharing love and laughter with good friends was truly a heartwarming experience. Thank you, Alice and Steve, for your many years of generosity!
| | SUPPORT SACRED RESISTANCE | | |
St. Bede's has partnered a task force of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, called Sacred Resistance, that assists immigrant families who are sheltering in place. The Mission committee has been assisting in the delivery of household goods, groceries and clothing.
There are two ways you can help:
1. Local Family Support We are currently supporting local families who need the following items:
ART SUPPLIES: Sketch pads, markers, construction paper, children's scissors, pipe cleaners, crayons, gel crayons, air dry modeling clay, stamps, stickers
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Notebooks, loose paper, notepads, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, rulers, pencil sharpeners, erasers, highlighters, pencil/pen bags, glue sticks, Sharpies
HOUSEHOLD GOODS: Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, dish soap, laundry soap, hand soap (soft soap), liquid baby bath soap, diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6), bleach, canned vegetables, canned fruit, rice, oatmeal, pasta
CLOTHING: Men's sizes L/XL, women's sizes M/L, children ages 4-10. Coats, sweatshirts, shirts, pants, and socks (new or gently used) are all welcome.
How to give:
2. Broader Community Distribution
Sacred Resistance is also collecting dry goods and household items for distribution to families throughout Los Angeles County. View their wishlist here: https://www.myregistry.com/organization/sacred-resistance-los-angeles-ca/5220494
You may also drop off items directly at Sacred Resistance headquarters in Hollywood:
- Monday–Tuesday: 9:30 AM–5:00 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
- Thursday–Friday: 9:30 AM–5:00 PM
Address: 6125 Carlos Ave, Los Angeles CA 90028
Monetary donations can be made here: Venmo: @ststephenshollywood Paypal: https://bit.ly/sacred-resistance
Your generosity helps families in our community during a vulnerable time. Thank you for your support.
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Dear friends,
Many of you have shown concern about new immigration policies and how they will impact this vulnerable population among us here in Los Angeles. Below is information about how you can get involved through CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), an organization that St. Bede's works with and supports. Join us in preparation for this essential work.
Blessings,
Rev. Jennifer+
At the core of nearly every faith tradition lies the concept of a just, harmonious, and loving society where all souls are valued and everyone can thrive.
It is unconscionable that people fleeing violence in other countries would be deported back to those places, regardless of threats to their safety and security.
Because the Trump Administration is threatening immigrant communities across the country (regardless of documentation status), CLUE is working across Southern California to protect immigrant workers and their families in a variety of important ways.
You can join us in this work or support it with your donations knowing that you are doing your part to protect vulnerable people.
SUPPORT CLUES IMMIGRATION WORK
RAPID RESPONSE NETWORKS
If you see ICE Activity anywhere you go, you can report it to the Rapid Response hotlines in your area.
- Los Angeles: 888-624-4752
- Orange County: 714-881-1558
- San Bernardino/Riverside: 909-361-4588
- Kern County: 661-432-2230
- Central Valley: 559-206-0151
CLUE is working with RRN partners to offer ongoing trainings for faith leaders and community members who want to show up for workers and families being targeted by ICE.
If you want to be trained to be a rapid responder and you live in Orange County, Los Angeles or the Inland Empire, contact Sithy Bin at sbin@cluejustice.org.
CLUE WELCOME NETWORK
CLUE is cultivating its vast network of houses of worship to create a network of congregations that provide respite, and even longer-term shelter, to migrants released into Southern California.
Over 30 congregations are already participating in the CLUE Welcome Network that houses asylum seekers and refugees. We receive referrals from CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights) for asylum seekers in need of shelter, from legal service providers that are seeking sponsors for people being released from detention, or direct walk-ins. Some congregations in the network provide temporary shelter or short-term housing, and others support those efforts with gifts of supplies, transportation, etc.
Thank you for standing in intimate solidarity as we seek to build a society where everyone is safe and lives with dignity.
If your congregation is interested in joining the network, offering housing or supplies or services, please contact Sithy Bin at sbin@cluejustice.org.
In faith and solidarity,
Rev. Jennifer Gutierrez
| | A PRAYER for IMMIGRANTS from BISHOP TAYLOR | | PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND | | ST. BEDE'S ONLINE GIVING PORTAL | | |
Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.
Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.
You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.
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FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS
A newsletter serving the Diocese of Los Angeles
| | Gathered with the Rev. Joseph Jui-en Ho (third from left) are (from left) L.A. diocesan leaders in Chinese ministry: The Rev. Fennie Chang, the Rev. Katherine Feng; lay leaders Sandy and Daniel Whang; the Rev. Canon Ada Wong-Nagata, and the Rev. Thomas Ni. Photo: Bishop John Harvey Taylor. |
Q&A: Meet Taiwan priest Joseph Ho, now serving at St. Gabriel’s, Monterey Park
By EN Staff
Under a clergy and student exchange program launched last year between the companion dioceses of Taiwan and Los Angeles, the Rev. Joseph Jui-en Ho, priest of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Keelung City, Taiwan, is now assisting for three months at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, Monterey Park, one of the Diocese of L.A.’s three Chinese congregations.
Fr. Ho, 43, is assisting the Rev. Canon Ada Wong-Nagata, longtime priest at St. Gabriel’s. His visit is timed between last summer’s visit of Bishop Lennon Yuan-Rung Chang and a delegation from Taiwan to Los Angeles, and this summer’s mission trip that will bring youth from the Diocese of Los Angeles to Taiwan.
Like the Diocese of Los Angeles, the Diocese of Taiwan is part of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church and its Province of the Pacific.
Q: What are you especially enjoying about the congregation of St. Gabriel’s, Monterey Park, and your time so far in Southern California?
A: I am greatly enjoying my time at St. Gabriel’s Church. The congregation is warm, energetic, and deeply committed to many ministries. They care for others generously and are always ready to help. I have participated in the choir, the online prayer meeting, the shared Bible study, the visitation group, pickleball team, and the fellowship meals after worship. The members have taken very good care of me—bringing me to many Hong Kong-style restaurants, walking with me in the L.A. Arboretum and Huntington Library, teaching me Cantonese, and explaining things in Mandarin when I do not understand. Our recent outdoor meditation was also very meaningful. Although the time was short, everyone experienced the blessing of silence.
I am grateful as well for Bishop Taylor’s invitation, hospitality, and introduction. I have joined the Chinese Ministry Zoom meetings and in‑person gatherings, and I have confirmed that I will visit and preach at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Hacienda Heights, on Feb. 8. Our Lunar New Year Joint Gathering of the diocese’s three Chinese-language congregations will be held at St. Gabriel’s Church on Feb. 21, and I have been invited to visit and preach at Church of Our Saviour on Feb. 22. I look forward to serving together with everyone involved in Chinese ministry.
READ MORE HERE
| | The Rev. Richard Witt, executive director of the Episcopal-affiliated nonprofit Rural & Migrant Ministries, speaks at a Jan. 29 protest in Chester, New York, where ICE is seeking to open a new detention facility. Photo: Rural & Migrant Ministry, via YouTube | |
From New York to New Mexico, Episcopalians speak against new ICE detention centers
By David Paulsen
Some of the sharpest criticisms of the Trump administration’s immigration policies have focused on the aggressive tactics used by federal enforcement agencies in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and other U.S. cities. Episcopalians, in addition to decrying the cruelty of those tactics, also are joining other Americans nationwide in speaking against plans to expand the network of detention centers where individuals are being held as part of the ongoing federal operations targeting legal and illegal immigration.
“Our faith calls us to the radical and sacred work of love above all else,” Virginia Bishop E. Mark Stevenson told the Hanover County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 during public comments on the federal government’s plan to purchase property in the county for a detention facility.
Stevenson noted that eight of his diocese’s churches are located in the county. “Introducing a detention facility into our community shifts our focus away from love, care and welcome and to surveillance, hostility and fear,” he said.
In El Paso, Texas, Ana Reza, the Borderland Ministries chaplain for the Diocese of the Rio Grande, was one of about 200 people who signed up to provide public comment in opposition to a new detention facility in El Paso County, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement already operates several such facilities.
“There are 70,000 detained throughout the U.S.A. Over 74% of them have never had a criminal charge,” Reza said Jan. 26 during public comment before the county’s governing body. “Detention centers are evil. They are torture. … Say no to these evil places.”
The Trump administration, in setting a goal of mass deportations, has required additional detention facilities to hold immigrants targeted by its expanding enforcement operations. The number of federal detention sites has more than doubled to 212 in the past year, according to the Associated Press, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the backing of $45 billion authorized by Congress last year, is looking to open additional large-scale facilities in communities across the country.
READ MORE HERE
| | A candlelight procession Jan. 12 outside St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery in New York honors victims of federal immigration enforcement actions. Photo: Gili Getz (giligetz.com) | |
154 Episcopal bishops issue message calling for immigration policies respecting the dignity of all
By David Paulsen
More than half of all living bishops in The Episcopal Church added their names to a “message to our fellow Americans” expressing “grief, righteous anger and steadfast hope” in response to the aggressive federal immigration enforcement operations that have left two U.S. citizens in Minnesota dead.
The 154 bishops who signed the lengthy message are a diverse mix of diocesan bishops, suffragans and retirees from all regions of the United States and the church’s Latin American dioceses, and they represent the church’s broad racial, ethnic and theological spectrum. Many of the bishops also appeared on camera to read aloud the written message for a video released Jan. 31.
The message singles out by name Renee Good and Alex Pretti as fatal victims of “state-sanctioned violence” on Minneapolis streets last month, while lamenting and challenging ongoing government policies that threaten the dignity of fellow human beings in communities across the country.
Read the full message here.
“We call on Americans to trust their moral compass — and to question rhetoric that trades in fear rather than the truth. As Episcopalians, our moral compass is rooted firmly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” the bishops said. “We cannot presume to speak for everyone or prescribe only one way to respond. For our part, we can only do as Jesus’ teaching shows us.”
The joint statement comes a week after Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe released a letter to The Episcopal Church that addressed these issues in more general terms while assuring Episcopalians that “death and despair do not have the last word.”
And while Rowe’s letter urged Episcopalians to “commit ourselves to paying whatever price our witness requires of us,” the 154 bishops responded in their message in more specific terms with a call to action, including demands that the Trump administration change its policies to emphasize restraint, transparency and democratic principles.
READ MORE HERE
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Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe: Support emergency migration ministry
January 27, 2026
Office of Public Affairs
Feast of John Chrysostom
Jan. 27, 2026
Dear people of God in The Episcopal Church:
As the situation in the United States grows more fraught, The Episcopal Church is working to find new ways to care for God’s people in our immigrant communities. Many of you have asked how you can help.
Please join me in making a generous donation that will allow us to provide emergency funding for ministry with migrants. Your gift will allow us to rush financial support to dioceses that are loving and caring for immigrants in these difficult times.
GIVE TODAY
Last week, we sent funds to our siblings in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota to support Casa Maria, a place for vulnerable neighbors to receive food and clothing and network with others. Your gift will help support ministries like this across The Episcopal Church.
As we approach the season of Lent, I will invite us all into a season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as we turn toward Christ’s ministry of justice, reconciliation, and love during divisive times. Please watch for these invitations in the coming days.
About 1,500 years ago, John Chrysostom, whose feast we celebrate today, had his own share of trouble with the forces of this world. In a famous homily, he said, “If Christ is with me, whom shall I fear? Though the waves and the sea and the anger of princes are roused against me, they are less to me than a spider’s web.”
The anger of princes is raging around us, but Christ is with us, and God is calling us into the waves. Please give as you are able and pray for the witness of the church in these times, and for a hedge of protection around the people we serve who live in fear.
Yours in Christ,
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church
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