This Week at Ascension + June 14, 2023

"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." - Psalm 96

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379

Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m. via ZOOM

In-person and Live-streamed

Said Mass at 6:30 p.m.

Unction will be available for those who wish it.

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Image: Orthodox Icon, Basil the Great

The Third Sunday after Pentecost

June 18, 2023

7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via ZOOM

9 a.m. Sung Mass

11 a.m. Solemn Mass -

In-person & Live-streamed -

The 11 a.m. Order of Worship may be found here.

Jesus Commissions the Disciples, The Master of the Reichenauer School,

c. 1010, book illumination on parchment, Bavarian State Library,

Munich, Germany

Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE

or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE

From the Interim Rector

Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?

and why are you so disquieted with me?

Put your trust in God;

for I will yet give thanks to him,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

These two verses form a refrain that flows through Psalm 42 and Psalm 43. (These are found on BCP pp. 643-4.) Most Hebrew Bible scholars believe that Ps 43 was originally an extension of Ps 42. Together they begin Book 2 of the Psalms. Here are 8 psalms that carry the superscription of “A maskil of the Korahites”. A “maskil” might be a song, a contemplation, an instruction, or an insight. Korahites were the Levitical family providing the music at The Temple in Jerusalem. The psalmist is away from Jerusalem, away from the Holy Place that seems to give his life meaning. The psalmist cries out to God to restore things, to take away his pain, to guide him back to Jerusalem. The refrain appears three times across these two psalms. The psalmist asks himself, his soul, why it is so upset, and reminds it to trust in God’s lovingkindness and in God’s self. This pair of psalms call out for a reorientation from a place of disorientation. That is, a way back to being oriented to God’s purposes.

I have been with you all as your interim for over a year now. There has been a constant level of anxiety in the parish, sometimes more, sometimes less. Some folks withdraw, others act out, others just wring their hands and do nothing. With the prospect of candidates for rector coming to visit, the anxiety is at an all time high.

I must ask, “For what purpose?” Remember Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (Mt 6:27) If our faith in God is true, is there anything we should worry about? Is Jesus’ promise of eternal life not good enough? Do we not have faith sufficient to undergird our hope for our future? We are called to put our full faith, confidence, and trust in God’s promises. That’s the promise God made to us in the gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It was God’s promise to us at our baptism; it is God’s promise to us still.

Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?

and why are you so disquieted with me?

Put your trust in God;

for I will yet give thanks to him,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

As Saint Paul said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 15:13)

—Fr. Heard



Continued Support for the Quevedo Family

Thank you to everyone who picked up a prayer card this past Sunday. After both masses, every prayer card was gone! If you weren’t able to get a card and still would like to support the family, one way you can do so is through gift cards. 

We have found that Target gift cards are helpful because it allows the family to use the card for a variety of needs, from clothing for the children to groceries to items such as hand soap. If you’d like to supply a gift card, please deliver it directly to clergy on Sunday, or during the week to Br. Nathanael in the office. Do not leave it in St. Michael Hall with the other donations. 

For those who will be purchasing a home good* indicated on your prayer card, please return your donations to St. Michael Hall by July 9. Look for the table with the signs that say, “Please leave donations here.” 

We are so thankful for all your help and generosity!

—The Outreach Committee

*Please do not purchase items that are not on the cards. Right now, we are not collecting furniture but may later as we continue to assess and meet this family's needs.

Become a Pastoral Visitor: Info Session this Sunday, June 18

Come learn more about visiting fellow Ascension members who cannot join us for Mass in person as well as caring for fellow members in their time of need. The sessions will take place following each of the Masses. The first one will take place in Wheeler Hall after the Sung Mass. The next one will take place at 12:50 pm in the Library following the Solemn Mass. You need not have any prior experience, just a heart to serve and love your siblings in Christ. Please email Mtr. Murphy-Gill if you have questions.

Create Beauty for the Altar at Ascension

Do you enjoy the flowers on the main altar on Sunday morning? Do you have fun when you get to create something unique? Then you need to consider becoming a part of the Ascension Flower Guild!  If you're interested, please email Cheryl Peterson. 

Summer Retreat Saturday, July 29

Step out of your busy life from 11 am to 3 pm, Saturday, July 29, to spend some time with yourself, others on a spiritual journey, and God. This retreat will take place at Ascension and will be led by Lauren Schwer, Director of Ignatian Spirituality at Loyola University Chicago. We’ll learn how to spend time daily in reflection on God’s presence as well as explore the things in our lives that can prevent us from living the lives that God calls us into. Lunch will be provided. Look for the sign up sheet at coffee hour (so we know how much lunch to order) or email Mtr. Murphy-Gill to RSVP.

Prayer Requests

Do you have a need for special prayer in your life? Whether your prayer needs are because you have an upcoming surgery, an ill family member, or you’re just feeling particularly lonely lately, Fr. Heard and Mtr. Murphy-Gill would like to know.

We’ve created a way for letting us know about your requests for prayers in a way we hope makes it easy for you to reach out, though you can always call the church or reach out to one of the priests personally. 

Share your prayer requests here.

For our prayers:

The Gibbons family, Noah Riggenbach, Sgt. Manuel Arroyo, Nat Simpson, The Quevedo family, Andrew Abbott, Suzanne Dines, James Christiansen, Nikki Shaw, Lee Gould, John Schram, Gertrude Isaac, Thomas Wikman, MB Hwang, Juanita Malone, Oksana, Tyler, David S. Jones, Richard Francis Tracz, Robert Browning, Natalia & Victor, Dorothy, Victor Fernandez,

Claire Green, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Brenda Martins

Birthdays:

Jim Lo Bello, 6/11; Jim Lenz, 6/13, The Rev. Gary Lawler, 6/13;

William Reynolds Hedley, 6/16

Anniversaries:

The Rev. Robert Petite, Ordination to the Priesthood, 6/11;

The Rev. Carol Norén UMC Elder/Presbyter Ordination, 6/17;

Samuel Sommers & Beth Hall, Marriage, 6/15/1980

Requiescat in pace:

Michael Schuldberg;

Daniel C. Reber, 6/11/1998;

Edward Allan Larrabee, Priest, 10th Rector, 6/13/1924;

Charles L. Mezger 6/13/1996;

Albert William Hillestad, Bishop, 12th Rector, 6/14/2007;

Carol L. DeVries, 6/14/2014;

Bill Ball, 6/15/2017;

Ricardo Antonio Avilla, 6/16/2022;

Emily Lodine Overgaard, 6/17/2019



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.

Prayer for the Rector Search Committee

Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for The Church of the Ascension that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.



Organ and Choral Repertoire for June 18, 2023

Between Masses, please don’t forget that The Choir of the Ascension has recorded upwards of 60 tracks that you can listen to anywhere you have an internet connection. They can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/choir-of-the-ascension

Weekly Ascension Schedule

For connections:

via Zoom (click here)

SUNDAYS

7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via Zoom

9:00 a.m. In-person Sung Mass

11:00 a.m. In-person and Live-Streamed Solemn High Mass

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

MONDAY-FRIDAY

8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer via FACEBOOK LIVE

6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer via Zoom

WEDNESDAYS

6:30 p.m. Said Mass

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Wardens and Vestry of Church of the Ascension

LaVerne Rollé Saunders, Sr. Warden;

SeniorWarden@AscensionChicago.org

David Reeves, Jr. Warden;

JuniorWarden@AscensionChicago.org

Ian Barillas-McEntee, Jim Lo Bello, Ken Cozette, Marlea Edinger, Sean Hansen,

David A. Robertson, Elizabeth Simpson, Joshua Simpson, Samuel Sommers, Clerk



Susan Schlough, Treasurer

Finance@ascensionchicago.org

Br. Nathanael Deward Rahm BSG, Parish Office

Office@ascensionchicago.org

Approved minutes of Vestry meetings are always available online to parishioners who request the link. If you would like Internet access to these Vestry Minutes, please email the Parish Office and request the link. Once you access the web page, you can read all recent Vestry meeting minutes.

The link remains live indefinitely. Any parishioner who has the link will not need to request a new link from month to month.