THIS WEEK AT ASCENSION + September 16, 2020
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"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." - Psalm 96
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This evening, September 16
Commemoration of
Ninian, Bishop in Galloway, c.430
Evening Prayer 6:00 p.m.
Low Mass, 6:30 p.m.
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Sunday, September 20
16th Sunday after Pentecost
Virtual and In-Person Schedule
with links for virtual worship and in-person reservations
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Virtual Worship & Fellowship
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Live-Streamed Mass
10:15 a.m. Virtual Coffee Hour
11:00 a.m. In-Person Mass - Reservation Required:
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Artwork above: The Red Vineyard, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888, Pushkin Museum, Moscow
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"An abundance of caution ..."
"Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."
- Romans 12:16-18
Dear People of Ascension,
As with last week's newsletter, circumstances continue to suggest that our most pressing present common interests and concerns have to do with matters pertaining to in-person worship (resumed this past Sunday), as well as the continuation of virtual connections.
To evaluate all that took place here this past Sunday, our task force met yesterday for nearly 90 minutes. Some of our many areas of agreement included:
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Gratitude -- for seeing one another again on Sunday, for returning to our church, for those who greeted arriving worshipers and provided direction for so much that was new and unfamiliar, for an 11:00 a.m. mass that was as 'normal' and edifying as we could be under the circumstances, and for a third of our available spots in the pews being filled by young adults who have been with us at Ascension only in the past eighteen months or less.
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Agreement that an abundance of caution should continue to be a guiding principle in our decisions. Is is surreal to see your rector in a face shield and wielding gold culinary tongs to administer the Sacrament? Yes. Is it really necessary to get hand sanitizer again before receiving Communion? Well, maybe or maybe not. Task force members spent 10 minutes down that rabbit hole yesterday. In the end we agreed that for now we should continue to be guided by an abundance of caution.
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Staying the course for the coming four to six weeks was another fundamental agreement reached by task force members. Yes, we have room for improvement. Yes, we may be missing opportunities. Even with the dozen or more matters we wish we could change or can and will change in coming weeks, we agreed to keep the schedule, protocols and forms of worship as is for now.
A few things that we believe we can and should timely address, without delay, are summarized below. Most but not all address details of in-person worship. For those who may have missed it, we'll also include the 'Re-Opening Basics' section that we ran last week. Thanks to all, whether continuing virtually or now in-person, for your part at Ascension and for your prayers.
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Room for Improvement
Some lessons learned and things to be addressed
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The reservation system mainly seemed to work and to work well. Furthermore, there were still a few spots available on Saturday morning, indicating that the supply-demand balance was in an acceptable range.
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With regard to masks ... + We had excellent compliance! + A few persons showed up with vented N95 or KN95 masks. These are adequate for the wearer but don't provide the intended protection of others and should be worn only with an additional surgical mask, which can be provided by the church, worn over it (or the surgical mask may be worn alone). If you need to cough, please keep your mask on! If you have a persistent cough, whether coronavirus-related or not, please leave the mass and return home -- or better yet, remain home in the first place.
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Please learn to recognize and to use this gesture in moments when others or your have forgotten to keep a safe 6-foot separation. Yes, this gesture is typically thought to be rude, hostile or raised in self-defense. In COVID-19 times, others may appreciate the reminder and opportunity to correct.
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Communion was confusing for some ...and with good reason, as so much was unfamiliar. We ask that you a) wait for a sign from the usher; b) again sanitize hands as you leave your pew (abundance of caution); c) receive the Host from the priest at the head of the main aisle; d) move immediately to the head of the side aisle, and e) briefly remove mask, consume the Host and return to your pew. Please do not consume the Host in your pew unless you are unable to come forward and wish for the priest to bring the Sacrament to you after others have received.
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The scheduling ministers, whether clergy or lay ministers will be idiosyncratic in upcoming weeks, largely because so many usual ways of doing things can't work or be viable in present circumstances. We do intend, in time, to rebuild effective systems and ask for more involvement from usual lay leaders as it becomes clearer how to do so. Lay ministries particularly affected include lectors/intercessors, acolytes and ushers. Thank for your patience, and please direct questions to the Rector, Verger, Wardens or Parish Administrator.
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+ Reservations. As is again the case today, above, the link to make a reservation will be found in the Sunday Schedule section at or near the top of the newsletter. In this instance, the link will be for the 11:00 a.m. mass on Sunday, September 20. We will only be providing one reservation opportunity each Wednesday, for the one mass on the upcoming Sunday.
- For this Sunday, and until we feel changes are needed, reservations will be taken on a first-come, first served basis.
- If you will be coming to the church with someone else from your immediate household with whom you intend to sit, you may reserve more than one place.
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- If you make a reservation and do not arrive at Ascension by 10:55 a.m. on a Sunday, your seat may be given to someone else. Please consider canceling your reservation if you learn that you will be unable to attend after all.
- Those without the technology to make reservations online may call the church office from 2:30-3:00 p.m. Wednesdays or 9:00 a.m. to Noon on Thursdays.
- We assume there may be more demand than capacity. In other words not everyone who would like to attend mass will be able to. Health guidance will not allow us to provide more seats. A limited pool of volunteers will not allow us to add more masses at this time. The reservation system will tell you the remaining number of seats for a scheduled mass. The system will indicate '0' when there are no remaining seats. We cannot provide a waiting list at this time.
- Please keep abreast of the newsletter for changes in protocols and schedules. Much of the current information will also be provided on the website home page.
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+ When you arrive ...
- Please bring a mask and wear it as you near the church and everywhere inside the building at all times. One exception: when you receive Communion.
- Enter only through the garden gates and garden parish house entrance. This pertains to all: clergy, organist, altar ministers and other volunteers.
- You will be screened upon entering. Your name will be checked against our reservation system. You will be asked a few questions of the kind we are all familiar with by now from other public places. Your temperature will be taken.
- Normal entry through the parish house doors will proceed through Wheeler Hall, the narthex, and into the church.
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+ Think of the Sunday bulletin as your guidebook ... It will include additional information with diagrams about seating, Communion, how to make your way to a restroom if needed, and more. Please preview the bulletin here.
+ Remember that Virtual Worship and fellowship also continue, in the event that, for whatever reason, you are unable or choose not to take part in in-person worship. See the full Sunday schedule at the top of the newsletter.
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In-Person Flowers!
Yes, there will be flowers on the altar for our return to in-person masses, and we'll be needing an in-person flower guild to be revived and contributions to purchase the flowers. To dedicate flower arrangements, please contact Br. Nathanael in the Ascension church office.
High Altar-$50 Mary shrine - $30
St. Michael Shrine - $30
Our Lady of Walsingham shrine - $30
The Flower Guild also welcomes volunteers to purchase (you will be reimbursed) and arrange flowers for each week on a rotating basis with other volunteers. It is a fun and rewarding way to serve God and His church. Please contact me to get involved or ask a question. (My name below is hyperlinked to my email.)
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I publish the Banns of Marriage between Bonnie Scott and Joseph 'Joey' Keegin, who will be joined in Holy Matrimony on September 19. I bid your prayers for them and their marriage. If any of you know cause, or just impediment, why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, you are to declare it. This is the third and final time of asking.
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“I publish the Banns of Marriage between Paloma McDonnell and Trevor Peterson, who will be joined in Holy Matrimony on September 26. I bid your prayers for them and their marriage. If any of you know cause, or just impediment, why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, you are to declare it. This is the third and final time of asking.
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A date for a requiem mass and committal in the Ascension columbarium for Sr. Barbara Louise, OSA, who entered God' rest August 11, has been set for Friday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m. Seating will be limited and will partly be determined by the Order of St. Anne guest list (if I may call it that). More exact and reliable details will be shared when available as the date nears.
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A date for a requiem mass and committal in the Ascension columbarium for former parishioner John Mulcare, who died March 17, has been set for Saturday, October 3, at 11:00 a.m. Seating will be limited and will partly be determined by the family's guest list (if I may call it that). More exact and reliable details will be shared when available as the date nears.
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Family and friends of Mary Lou Devens, who died August 5, will gather at Ascension on the afternoon of Sunday, October 25, for a Committal in the garden columbarium. Mary Lou had a longtime affiliation with and fondness for Ascension, arising from the parish membership of her daughter Maria, who died in 2012 and whose remains are already in the columbarium. If interested in further information, please contact the Rector.
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Personal Altars Presentation to BSG
I was honored and grateful to be asked by the Province V members of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory to share a presentation on personal/home altars as part of the order's September 14 Holy Cross/Founders Day retreat. It was offered via Zoom (of course) and recorded. If interested, you may view the 42-minute presentation by a) clicking here and b) using the following password: *$KLpG56.
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Sunday's Organ Repertoire
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Opening Voluntary
Partita: Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig BWV 768
Chorale, Var. I, Var. II, Var. III
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
At the Offertory
Improvisation on ST. KEVERNE
At the Communion
Improvisation on TOPLADY
Closing Voluntary
Partita: Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig BWV 768
Var. IV, Var. V, Var. XI
Johann Sebastian Bach
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I regret having to remind you that visits to Ascension, other than for urgent or essential matters or for brief personal devotion in the church, are to be avoided. Any (other) visit should be arranged in advance with Br. Nathanael Rahm Thank you for your understanding.
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Due to COVID-19, Church of the Ascension’s Treasurer and Bookkeeper are limiting the amount of time they spend working in the parish offices. All checks received at Ascension via the United States Postal Service, not always a reliable service in our area, will be bank deposited approximately every 4-6 weeks. They will next be here Tuesday,October 3, for several hours beginning by 10 a.m. You may contact the Treasurer by email anytime at Finance@AscensionChicago.org.
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Ascension Connections
Below
(with your click and God's help)
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Meeting ID:
792 031 7452
Password: 1133
Join-by-Phone Option: (312) 626-6799
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Weekly Ascension Schedule
For connections:
via Zoom (click here)
except for Morning Prayer,
via Facebook (click here).
SUNDAYS
8:30 a.m. Virtual Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Live-Streamed Mass
10:15 a.m. Virtual Coffee Hour
11:00 a.m. in-person mass
MONDAY-FRIDAY
6:10 p.m. Evening Prayer via Zoom
WEDNESDAYS
6:30 p.m. Low Mass
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Yes, but I still haven't Zoomed ...
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Please give generously as you are able.
Treasurer Susan Schlough has asked me to remind you of Ascension's ongoing expenses at this time. To the extent that you are able, payment on your pledges or the offering of Holy Day or other special gifts will be greatly appreciated. You may still write a check and mail it to the church, or online payment is possible through the buttons at various places on our website. Thank you!
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For our prayers: Charley Taylor, August 'Augie' Alonzo, Jim Berger, Ethel Martin, Dean Pineda,Charlene MacDougal, Jim Lo Bello, Marty Stenson, Jessica, Maxim, Ted Long, Ken Kelling, David Byerly, Leigh McDonald, Bonnie Joseph, Catriana Patriarca, Robert Devens, Richard Laibly, Tony Payne, Nicholas Carl, Sara, the Howard family, Susan, Owen Raymond, Diane Burnett, Sandra, Rhea, Beth Hall
In Thanksgiving
Birthdays: Edward Minieka, 9/8; Timothy Kowalski, 9/10; John Lawler, 9/14;
David Schrader, 9/15; Chris Raymond, 9/15; Marilyn Evans, 9/18; Christian Lopac, 9/19
Requiescat in pace: James Albert FitzSimmons, 9/10/1991; Victims of the 2001 Terrorist Attacks
Mary Holl-Hazen, 9/14; Fr. Robert P Taylor, 9/16; Annamae Drury, 9/16; John Simmons, 9/16;
Fr. John J. Kobus, 9/17
Prayers for the departed: Mary Lou Devens, 8/5/2020; Sr. Barbara Louise OSA, 8/11/2020;
James Govis 8/12/2020; Mike Lazos, 8/16/2020; Wayland Rogers, Marianne Boe
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them;
May their souls and the souls of all the departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
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Oops! Sorry!
Once again the church webcam is down, this time intentionally, as we need the related technology for live-streaming. We intend to reinstall the 24/7 webcam in coming weeks (or months).
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The Very Rev. Patrick Raymond, Rector
Susan Schlough, Treasurer
Br. Nathanael Deward Rahm BSG, Parish Office
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