This Week at Ascension + December 20, 2023

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

Wednesday, December 20

Advent Feria

Evening Prayer on ZOOM at 6 p.m.

In-person and Live-streamed

Said Mass at 6:30 p.m.



VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Thursday, December 21

Saint Thomas the Apostle

In-person Said Mass at 12 p.m.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent December 24, 2023

7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via Zoom

9 a.m. Sung Mass

10 a.m. Confession available

11 a.m. Solemn Mass -

In-person & Live-streamed

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

Image: The Annunciation, Dieric Bouts (ca 1420–1475),

National Museum, Kraków, Poland

Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE

or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE



Sunday, December 24 in the evening

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

10:30 p.m. Organ Voluntaries &

Congregational Carols

11 p.m. Procession to the Crèche &

The First Mass of Christmas

The bulletin may be found here.

Monday, December 25

Christmas Day

10 a.m. Solemn Mass with Ascension Choir

 The bulletin may be found here.



Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE

or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE

Tues, Dec. 26: 12 p.m. Said Mass: St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr

Wed, Dec. 27: 6:30 p.m. Said Mass: St. John, Apostle & Evangelist

Thu, Dec. 28: 12 p.m. Said Mass: Holy Innocents

Mon Jan. 1: 7 p.m. Sung Mass with Schola: Holy Name

Wed, Jan. 3: 6:30 p.m. Said Mass: Christmas Feria

Sat, Jan. 6: 11 a.m. Solemn Mass with choir:

The Feast of the Epiphany

From the Rector

With Christmas drawing near, I’m excited to be with you, either in person or online, at one of our Christmas masses. I’m especially looking forward to this Christmas as it is my first Christmas as your priest. Having had the experience of previously serving as a new curate and rector of a parish, a priest’s first Christmas is always especially joyful… and a bit daunting. I so look forward to worshiping with you in the beauty of holiness and offering songs of adoration and praise to our newborn King.

As you might imagine, hours of important planning, with just the right amount of esoteric banter, go into making our Christmas celebration possible. I’m particularly thankful to our parish administrator, Br. Nathanael Rahm, for all his wonderful work preparing our bulletins, mailing our new parish Christmas card, and collecting your donation information for our Advent greens and Christmas flowers.

I’m also grateful for the ministry of our assisting clergy – Father Lawler who celebrated the Solemn High Mass on Gaudete Sunday, on the occasion of his ordination anniversary to the Sacred Order of Priests; Bishop Martins who will celebrate mass on Christmas Eve; and Father Petite who will celebrate mass on Christmas Day. Mother Murphy-Gill and I are blessed by their care and support of this parish.

God has truly given this parish a wealth of riches!

Last but certainly not least, I want to thank our acolytes and musicians for giving their gifts and time on Christmas, and for that matter every Sunday and at every offering of the holy sacrifice of the mass. Their commitment and faithfulness inspires me and strengthens my own commitment to serve you, my dear people of the Ascension, as your pastor and priest.

May you have a wonderful and joyous Christmas season! 

— Fr. de la Torre

Daily Office on Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, Morning Prayer will be offered at 7:30 a.m. on Zoom but Evening Prayer will be canceled. The Daily Office will resume with its regular schedule on Tuesday, December 26.

Christmas Decorating 

Sunday, December 24

This Sunday, following the 11 a.m. Solemn High Mass, we will need two to three volunteers to help move poinsettias into the church and assist with Christmas decorations. If you're available to lend a hand, please contact Fr de la Torre.  

An Update from the Stewardship Committee

To date, we have received 34 pledges totaling $65,000. If you have not yet made a pledge, please consider submitting a pledge card before the end of the year. Your pledge will allow us to enter the new year with even greater financial confidence. Pledge cards are available in the narthex or you can make a digital pledge by emailing your pledge to Susan Scholough at Finance@ascensionchicago.org. In your email, please include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and your total pledge amount. Thank you for supporting the work and witness of Church of the Ascension.

Church of the Ascension's Parish Office

will be closed on Tuesday, December 26th.

Survey: Could you serve as an acolyte at a new weekday Mass?

Don't worry if you're new to being an acolyte or aren't sure how to serve. Training will be available, and we won't schedule you until you feel ready.

Prior to the pandemic, Ascension offered a rich weekday worship schedule including the full Daily Office and daily Masses. Our present weekday worship schedule of the Daily Office on Zoom and a weekly Wednesday evening Mass was adopted as the parish reopened amidst ongoing waves of COVID and has not been revisited since it was first implemented. 

As we prepare for a new liturgical and calendar year, this seems like the right time to examine what a new weekday mass schedule at Ascension might look like. In order to properly gauge what we might be able to offer, particularly when it comes to weekday Masses, we are seeking your feedback. Please fill out this survey:

https://forms.gle/NosZVPKBNadfMZau7

Your response will be key for us to determine how we might augment our weekday Mass offerings.

Thank you for your participation!

Morning Prayer Returns and Now on Zoom!

Monday - Friday at 7:30 a.m.

As of Monday, December 4, Morning Prayer is offered Monday - Friday at 7:30 AM on Zoom. To participate, either daily or whenever your schedule permits, simply visit Ascension's Zoom room. Morning Prayer will be officiated by a designated leader, those in attendance are invited to pray along using their own Prayer Book. If you're in need of a Prayer Book, please speak with Father de la Torre to obtain a free copy. To learn more about the origin and development of Morning Prayer, please visit The Episcopal Church's glossary entry on Morning Prayer. 

Consider being a Coffee Hour host

There are spots available for hosting Coffee Hour after either Sunday Mass! Look for the sign-up sheets in Wheeler Hall. If you are leary of what hosting a Coffee Hour might entail, speak to Hospitality Committee members Josh or Ellie Simpson, David Reeves, LaVerne Saunders or Carol Noren. They will be glad to help.

The Prayers of the People

As part of our Sunday offering of the Mass, we bring to God our petitions and thanksgivings. As a community, we do this by bidding the parish’s intentions in the Prayers of the People. If you wish to have someone added to the Prayers of the People, please email Father de la Torre or Mother Murphy-Gill. You can also fill out the prayer request form in the link below. Names will remain on the prayer list for three weeks, unless otherwise requested.

Lord, hear the prayers of thy people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Share your prayer requests here.



For our prayers

Ellen Penrod, Andrew Carlin, Marilyn Labkon, Robert Baily, Lee Gould, Robert Pischke,

Derek Petite, Florence Jones Clanton, David Schrader, Leslie Smebak Gormley, Rachel Smolinski, Sarah Reece Glanman, Suzanne Dines, MB Hwang, Juanita Malone, David S. Jones,

Richard Francis Tracz, Victor Fernandez, Claire Green, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Brenda Martins

Birthdays

Jim Walsh, 12/20

Anniversaries

The Rev. Gary E. A. Lawler, Ordination to the Priesthood, Advent 3, 1989;

The Rev. Shane Patrick Gormley, Ordination to the Priesthood, 12/22/2012

Requiescat in pace

Dorothy Hall, 12/17/2023; Linda Clark; James Ronald Clark, 12/18/1988;

Erik C. Muñoz, 12/18/2007; Irene Thompson Malick, 12/19/2011;

Henry Klages, 12/21/1987; Ruth Ehlen, 12/22/2002

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.



Organ and Choral Repertoire for Advent 4, December 24, 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

Ascension Connections

(with your click and God's help)

Our website home page --

often with up-to-date info/links.

Participate in Ascension masses at our YouTube Channel. (Look for other connections options soon.)

Our Facebook page:

Videos, upcoming events and more.

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 Zoom

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.