This Week at Ascension + April 26, 2023

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

April 26, Wednesday in the

Third Week of Easter

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

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 30, 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.

Image: Detail from the mosaic behind the Altar in the General House Chapel, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd (Pastorelle), Rome, Italy

Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE

or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE

Photos for the new Ascension Pictorial Directory will be taken this Sunday, April 30th, After the 9 a.m. Mass and

Before and After the 11 a.m. Mass.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Saint Philip & Saint James, Apostles

Said Mass at 12 p.m.

From the Interim Rector

Last Sunday, one of our parishioners approached me at coffee hour. Most clergy get a little anxious when the conversation starts with, “Hi, I just wanted to ask you about…” Usually, that’s the lead-in to a topic of contention; that’s why we get anxious.

This time, there was no reason for my anxiety. This parishioner came to thank me for the Holy Week experience, especially the foot washing. I was told that in past years, the rector selected twelve folks whose feet he washed. This person had always felt left out and unvalued. I had a parallel experience in my parish in Mobile. I could ask for volunteers, and no one would come forward. They wanted the rector to “ask them”. Of course, the ones who didn’t get asked got their noses out of joint.

This parishioner’s experience of Holy Week was one of discovery, inclusion, and emotion. Being both disciple and teacher on Maundy Thursday flowed into the grief and hopelessness of Good Friday, then into the emptiness of Holy Saturday, and finally into the joyousness of the Great Vigil were new ways of experiencing Holy Week. It engendered a sense of having been on a journey and a sense of being a part of something bigger than Ascension.

This person gets it. I’ve previously said that the Holy Week liturgies, known as the Triduum, are fundamental to who we are as Episcopalians and Christians. It is something we share with other Christians around the globe. Liturgy is supposed to touch us deeply, to help us build visceral memories that reach to the very core of our being. I hope there are other Ascension parishioners who have had similar experiences, because it means we are deepening our relationship with the Divine.

—Fr. Heard

From the Rector Search Committee

Candidates

The Rector Search Committee is making progress. Six candidates, out of the ten that

applied, were picked to be interviewed by the Search Committee. All interviews will be finished by this evening. The committee will then have a meeting to discuss who will be the finalists.

Each finalist will come to Chicago to meet the Bishop, the Vestry and the staff. The candidate will say a private Mass for them.

Finalists’ visits will begin the first week in June. It’s awhile from now, because we have to accommodate the bishop’s schedule. Stay tuned.

Details for St. Leonard’s House Visit on Sunday, April 30

Many thanks to everyone who has volunteered to assist with cooking and serving dinner at St. Leonard’s on Sunday, April 30! We are very grateful to see such an enthusiastic response from Ascension members to serve our Chicago neighbors on this visit! 

We have decided on a menu for dinner. The volunteer coordinator at St. Leonard’s requested that we cook and bring enough food for 40 people. We are preparing a main dish, a side dish, a salad, and a dessert. We’ve decided to do Shepherd's Pie, Pasta Salad, Greek Salad, and a Trifle. 

We are happy to have as many helping hands as possible to help in the kitchen on April 30. We’ll divide folks into teams on the cooking day to tackle the different recipes (Kitchen Nightmares style , not really, we promise). Unfortunately, they’ve requested to keep the volunteer group on-site at St. Leonard’s to 12 people maximum. 

If you plan to help prepare the meal, please bring your own lunch to church on April 30. Following the Mass, the volunteers will eat together in St. Michael Hall at 12:30 p.m. and begin cooking at 1 p.m. By 3:15 p.m. we’ll pack all the food up, and those going to St. Leonard’s must sign a volunteer form which will be here at the church the day we’re cooking.

We’ll be taking cars and Ubers to and from St. Leonard’s. If you’ve signed up to volunteer already, you will receive an email by the end of the week from Clarissa confirming whether you can come with us to St. Leonard’s or if you are on a waitlist for it. A calendar invite will follow as well. If you have questions or need to update your RSVP, please email Ellie and Clarissa.

We are looking for someone with a car to assist with shopping for food on Saturday, April 29. If you’re available and don’t mind a bit of grocery shopping, we’d love the assistance! 

You can email ([email protected] and [email protected]) or text/call 773-691-2020.

Help us wish parishioner Robert Browning Happy 95th Birthday

on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. He would very much enjoy receiving birthday cards for the occasion.

His current address is:

Robert Browning

Carlton At the Lake

725 West Montrose Ave., Room 218B,

Chicago, IL 60613

Enquirer's Class

Continuing on 30 April, we have an Enquirer’s Class meeting at 12:45 p.m. in the Library This is an opportunity for anyone exploring joining Church of the Ascension and The Episcopal Church to learn more about us, our history, polity, and liturgy. It is also an opportunity for others who would like to reaffirm their commitment to the church. The culmination of the class will be Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation by our bishop at her visitation on 18 May, the Feast of the Ascension. Please speak to either Fr. Heard or Mtr. Murphy-Gill if you are interested.

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: Julie Jones, Daniel, James Christiansen, Nikki Shaw, Lee Gould, John Schram, Gertrude Isaac, Thomas Wikman, MB Hwang, Luis & Rocio Hernandez, Juanita Malone, Oksana, Eric Magnuson, Mary W., Tyler, David S. Jones, Richard Francis Tracz, Thom Racina, Robert Browning, Natalia & Victor, Dorothy, Victor Fernandez, Claire Green, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Brenda Martins

Birthdays: Gary Alexander, 4/23; Gordon John Stanley BSG, 4/24; George Panice, 4/24;

Amber Zelazny, 4/24 Anniversaries: Arthur and Jeanne Kreymer, Marriage, 4/25/1992

Requiescat in pace: Rose Anne Ninth, 4/20/2023; Dan Reeves, 4/26/2015;

John Dow Harter, 4/29/2006

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 April 30, 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

7:30 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;

[email protected]

David Reeves, Jr. Warden;

[email protected]

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

[email protected]

Br. Nathanael Deward Rahm BSG, Parish Office

[email protected]

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.