This Week at Ascension + March 30, 2022
"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." - Psalm 96
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March 30, 2022
Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m.
In-person and Live-streamed Said Mass at 6:30 p.m.
Image: The Holy Trinity (tempera on panel), Nicoletto Semitecolo (fl.1353-70)
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Sunday, April 3, 2022
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
9:00 a.m. In-person Sung Mass
with Organ and Hymns
11:00 a.m. In-person &
Live-streamed
Solemn High Mass
Image: Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Codex Aureus Epternacensis, 11th C.
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In the Afternoon
3:30 p.m. Organ Recital by David White
with organ works by
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Olivier-Eugène Messiaen (1908-1992)
August Hugo Distler (1908-1942)
4:00 p.m. Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
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For Glory and for Beauty
One of the great privileges of serving as your Verger is knowing that serving at the altar can be a rewarding and even revelatory experience for many, whether it brings rare moments of mystical insight or the satisfaction of a routine duty lovingly performed. Sometimes people tell me about a sense of feeling at home in the sanctuary. Other times, I catch a fleeting glimpse of some powerful prayer being silently but wholeheartedly offered at the altar. Here, between heaven and earth, this work of worship—this liturgy—can open us to the experience of many truths about ourselves and our significance in God’s sight.
For many of us, beauty is at the heart of how we encounter God in worship. There are many possible flavors of beautiful worship and many worthy themes that can be emphasized. But the thing that stands out the most to me when I worship at Ascension is the great dignity within that beauty. It is the Lord's beauty and glory, and the mystery is that it is also ours.
What might be the nature of this beauty and dignity? Scripture tells us over and over again that God is building us up together as a kingly and a priestly people. We hear that human beings uniquely bear the divine image and likeness, and that we have been given great authority and responsibility in the created world. It is an awe-inspiring gift, and one we often misuse when left to our own devices. In liturgy, we "put on Christ," and in this union with Him who is most perfectly "the image of the invisible God," we may joyfully discover more and more the beautiful dignity of humanity's kingly and priestly vocation. To loosely paraphrase from the Lord's Prayer: to worship God is to share in a kingship that seeks the enactment on earth of that which is heavenly.
One need not serve as an acolyte to reflect on these things, of course, though I hope many of us will. As we approach a time of deeper engagement with the mystery of the cross, I hope that the service of our acolytes may be an expression and reminder of these wonderful dimensions of our Christian identity. And I hope that, in whatever capacity we serve and "in our several callings," we may, in our faithfulness and perseverance, come to perceive something of "the joy that was set before Him."
—M.B. Hwang
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Important Update on Covid Safety Guidelines |
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Beginning this Sunday, April 3, both masks and registration will be optional for all liturgies. This decision was made by Ascension’s leadership team that meets weekly.
If you are unvaccinated, we strongly recommend that you wear a mask for your own safety as well as make an appointment to get vaccinated.
If you are experiencing any symptoms associated with Covid, even if you have tested negative, please wear a mask until you no longer have symptoms.
The leadership team will continue to keep up with the guidelines issued by the CDC and will return to mandating masks should the need arise.
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Food Pantry this Saturday
Come fill grocery bags with pantry goods and personal items for our neighbors this Saturday. This is a wonderful opportunity for service and fellowship. If you’re looking for a way to engage in the work of the Gospel this Lent, please join us. We’ll gather in St. Michael Hall at 9:30 a.m. and distribute grocery bags until around noon. Stay for as long as you’re able, but we need the most help between 9:30 and 11 am.
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Help with Holy Week Liturgies
Come be a part of our Holy Week liturgies, sacred offerings we make to God as we prepare for and finally celebrate the resurrection of Christ. We can’t offer these liturgies in the beloved ways of Ascension without your help. In addition to ushers and acolytes, we especially need help with the following:
Palm Sunday: Following mass, we need help moving the altar of repose into the church and setting it up. Lunch will be provided.
Maundy Thursday: We need volunteers to have their feet washed as part of the mandatum as well as people to help strip the altar following the celebration of the Eucharist. Likewise, we will have an altar of repose where we will keep vigil following the mass and need someone to officiate Compline at 11 p.m.
Holy Saturday: Set up for Easter Vigil in the afternoon (2 p.m.). Lunch will be provided beforehand.
To participate in the usher ministry, please contact George Pineda. To assist with flowers and palms, please contact Claire Green. For all other liturgical ministries (including everything mentioned here and acolytes), please email MB Hwang. |
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Reconciling Ourselves to our Loving God
Many of us call the sacrament of Reconciliation, “confession,” which makes sense, as it emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for our sins and shortcomings and confessing the ways in which we have failed and want to do better, to be better. Yes, we are already reconciled to God in Christ, but to live fully into that reality we must acknowledge through self-examination the ways in which we turn from the loving embrace of God. My colleague and friend, Mother Erika Takacs, recently put it this way: “The discovery of these rough spots in our souls is not cause for mourning; rather, it is the first step towards returning and reconciliation, towards remembering who and whose we are and reinvigorating our faithful response to the Love that claims and sustains us.”
In this season of Lent, we give special attention to discovering in ourselves as well as in our communities the ways in which we turn away from Love, and to taking steps to return ourselves to God's embrace. And so, beginning this Sunday through the rest of Lent, a priest will be available in the confessional at the back of the church from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. I am also available by appointment if that works better for you. I can even come to you.
-Mtr. Murphy-Gill
P.S. If you have never made a confession before, don’t worry! Confession is not about doing it “right” but about experiencing the presence of God in a very concrete and real way. Your simply showing up contributes to a holy moment.
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UKRAINE CRISIS RESPONSE
Many of us are feeling helpless as to how to respond to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. One way to help Ukrainian families is by giving financially to Episcopal Relief and Development. Your donation will help provide cash, blankets, hygiene supplies and other needed assistance to families fleeing from violence in Ukraine.
And finally, pray. Pray hard for peace in Ukraine. For peace in all places of conflict and violence. And for peace in our own hearts.
Almighty God, kindle, we beseech thee, in every heart the true love of peace,
and guide with thy wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth,
that in tranquillity thy dominion may increase till the earth is filled with the knowledge of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Collect for Peace, Book of Common Prayer p 207
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Faith Formation and Prayer Opportunities in Lent |
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Mondays - Lenten Lunches at Noon via Zoom
Every Monday during Lent, we’ve been discussing the book Holy Solitude, which provides a reflection each day on how to recognize the presence of God in our lives through small acts of solitude.
Monday, April 4, will be our last meeting and the author, Heidi Haverkamp, will be joining our conversation.
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Fridays - Stations of the Cross at Noon
Come pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday at noon in the church. Organ to accompany. If you’d like to lead this prayer, please reach out to MB Hwang.
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Organ and Choral Repertoire for April 3, 2022 |
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ORGAN
By custom organ voluntaries are omitted
on this day
At the Entrance Procession
JESU, MEINE FREUDE
At the Offertory
CROSS OF JESUS (9am)
BRESLAU (11am)
At the Communion
BRESLAU (9am)
CORONAM SPINÆ (11am)
At the Retiring Procession
RATHBUN
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Mass Ordinary
Healey Willan (1880-1968)
Missa Brevis No V in F# minor
Offertory Motet
Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)
Have mercy upon me, O God à5
Chanted Propers of the Day
from Graduale Romanum
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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
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Ascension Connections
(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:
SUNDAYS
9:00 a.m. In-person Sung Mass
11:00 a.m. In-person and Live-Streamed Solemn High Mass
MONDAY-FRIDAY
WEDNESDAYS
6:30 p.m. Said Mass
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For our prayers: The Rev. Canon Paula Clark, August 'Augie' Alonzo, Jim Berger,
Taffy Wehe, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Ben, David D. Jones, Gina, Tom Baer, Edward Minieka,
Brenda Martins, Bp. Daniel Martins, Claire Green, Marion Cantore, Georgia Schell,
Edith Cole, Lee Gould, Gertrude Isaac
Birthdays: Ken Kelling, 3/29; Enrique Vilaseco, 3/29; Jay Peterson, April 1
Requiescat in pace: Oscar Patrick, 3 27/2004; Edward Marouka, 3/28/1990;
Louise Kellogg White, 3/29 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.
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The Rev. Meghan Murphy-Gill, Curate
Susan Schlough, Treasurer
Br. Nathanael Deward Rahm BSG, Parish Office
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Vestry of Church of the Ascension
Ian Barillas-McEntee, Jim Lo Bello, Ken Cozette, Marlea Edinger, Sean Hansen, George Pineda, Joshua Simpson, Sam Sommers, Enrique Vilaseco, Vestry
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.
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