This Week at Ascension + November 9, 2022

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

Wednesday, November 9

Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton & Margery Kempe,

Mystics, 1349, 1396 and c. 1440

Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m. via ZOOM

In-person and Live-streamed Requiem Mass with Choir at 6:30 p.m.

Unction will be available for those who wish it.

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Sunday, November 13, 2022

The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

(Proper 28)

8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via ZOOM

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

with Organ and Hymns

11:00 a.m. In-person & Live-streamed

Solemn High Mass

Recitation of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary

at the Shrine of Saint Mary the Virgin follows the 11 a.m. Mass.

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

Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE

Image: James J. Tissot, The Prophesy of the Destruction of the Temple, (1886-94),

gouache on gray wove paper, Brooklyn Museum, New York.  

From the Wardens

As many people in our parish know, Church of the Ascension (CoA) has been involved in a chancery lawsuit that was filed by Bank of America (BoA) against CoA, the Order of St Anne (OSA) and the St Andrew's School in Sewanee, Tennessee, all three of which have been recipients of the Alice Stoskopf Trust for many years. We are happy to announce that on October 11, 2022 the court has accepted the agreement that the three parties amicably reached with each other and BoA.

In March 2021, the House of Bishops Committee on Religious Communities withdrew the status of canonical recognition to the OSA, Chicago. Paraphrasing Canonical Rules Title III, Section1(b) and 2(b), a religious community needs to have six full members. This affected the Stoskopf Trust because the trust clearly stated that in order to receive funds from the trust, each entity must be recognized by the Episcopal Church. BoA filed with the court seeking clarification for trust disbursement due to the withdrawal of canonical recognition. In 2009, Sister Mary Margaret passed away, leaving two remaining sisters. In 2020, Sister Barbara passed away, leaving only one remaining sister, Sister Judith.

In 1921, Fr. William Stoskopf invited the Order of St Anne of Massachusetts to open a convent on the CoA campus. In 1946, CoA purchased the 1125 LaSalle building where the sisters had lived since 1930. They flourished for many years and were of great service to the community running a school and providing for others in need. It is with great sadness that we see this era, which lasted just over 100 years, come to an end. We hope to have a program in the near future celebrating the 100 year history of the Order of St Anne in Chicago.

There have been no decisions made yet as to what use we will make of the 1125 LaSalle building. These matters will come before the parish and the vestry over the coming months.

—Kenneth Kelling, Sr. Warden & LaVerne Saunders, Jr. Warden

Preparing for Our Final Journey

“You only are immortal, the creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth we shall return. For so did you ordain when you created me, saying, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” All of us go down to the dust, yet even at the grave, we make our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.” – BCP p. 499

On two Sundays, at 10 a.m. on November 13 and 20, we will gather in the Undercroft (aka: the AA Room) to delve into topics that many wish to avoid and some ignore altogether. Last Will and Testament, Advance Directives, Durable Power of Attorney, and Healthcare Proxy are documents that can make our transition from this life to the next easier for those who care for us and follow us. In addition, there are approaches we can take with our financial resources to be sure that our wishes are followed. Barbara Susman will give us insights into the what, why, how these instruments can do for us and those we leave behind. Fr. Heard will take us through considerations for funeral options, including how we convey our desires for our final rites.

Notable Anglo-Catholic Churches of England

and America

Northwestern University Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies and History Richard Kiekhefer will lead this conversation on Zoom at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 15.

If you missed this week’s discussion, All Things Bright and Beautiful: Hymns Evangelical and Anglo Catholic, you can watch the Zoom recording here and follow along with this handout. 

Have questions? Please reach out to Mtr. Murphy-Gill via email or by calling the church.

A Young Adult Dinner Invitation

Ascension’s young adults are invited to join Mtr. Murphy-Gill and Fr. Petite for dinner Sunday, November 13 at 6 pm. What is a young adult, you may ask? Generally, young adults are considered members in their 20s, 30s, and even early 40s, but "young adult" is also a frame of mine. We’ll let you decide if this gathering is one you want to attend. Fr. Petite has graciously offered his home in Hyde Park for this dinner. We’ll spend time getting to know one another better and hearing about your experiences of being young adults at Ascension as well as learning what your hopes are for the future.  

Please RSVP using this link so we can know how much food to make for dinner and so that we can be in touch with the address and directions to Fr. Petite’s. We look forward to this time of fellowship with you.

Greening of the Church for Advent

The Flower Guild is requesting your help in greening the church for Advent. The date is either Friday, Nov. 25, or Saturday, Nov. 26 early in the day. Please contact Claire Green if you can help and which day is most convenient for you. 

Thanksgiving dinner

After an absence of several years, the Vestry would like to restart our Thanksgiving Dinner neighborhood outreach. In order for this to happen, we need volunteers to take roles welcoming, serving our guests, as well as cleaning up. Please use this link to indicate your willingness to assist with serving Thanksgiving Dinner to our neighbors. This will not be a sit down dinner. There is still concern about flu, pneumonia, and Covid, so we’ll be filling clamshell boxes for take-out. The dinner serving hours are from 1:15 p.m. until approx. 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 20, 2022 with preparation before and clean-up afterward.

Advent Formation Opportunities

Advent Quiet Morning Saturday, December 10

Take a break from the holiday rush with a quiet morning of reflection and prayer this Advent. Mtr. Murphy-Gill will lead this half-day retreat on the theme of Waiting. 

We’ll gather for a light breakfast and fellowship at 8:30 a.m. and begin the retreat at 9 a.m. 

As we get closer to the date, an RSVP link will be available so we can get an idea of how much food to provide.

Waiting with the O Antiphons,

Sundays during Advent

Advent is a time of waiting in the darkness for the light of Christ. But it is not passive waiting. In this darkness, we actively seek the light of Christ, in prayer calling out the ancient names for the Incarnate One in what are known as the O Antiphons.

Following coffee hour after the Solemn High Mass (around 1 or 1:30 pm), we’ll gather in the Library to learn more about the antiphons, their use, and how we might use them to prepare our own hearts for the birth of Christ. We’ll listen to these Antiphons chanted in Latin, read them in English, and reflect on them using Malcome Guite’s O Antiphon-inspired sonnets. 

Bring your own lunch. We’ll have a few copies of Malcome Guite’s Waiting on the Word for a suggested donation of $5. For more information, please contact Mtr. Murphy-Gill.

Parking Sticker Update

On November 13, Ken Cozette will be in the narthex to deliver new parking stickers after the 9 & 11 a.m. Masses. If you requested a sticker, please be sure to stop by and see him to claim your sticker. Any that remain unclaimed after November 13 will be mailed. Please put your sticker on the lower left of the rear window on the driver’s side. Old stickers will no longer be valid after November 30.

Prayer Requests

Organ and Choral Repertoire for November 13, 2022

For our prayers:

Dorothy, Natalia and Victor, Betty, David Schrader, Jean Simon,

Burton Nelson, Winslow, Pablo Illás, Victor Fernandez,

Claire Green, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Brenda Martins, Lee Gould,

Gertrude Isaac, Marty Stenson, Steve Dionne

Birthdays:

Pablo Illás 11/10; Roberta Dawson, 11/12

Anniversaries of Baptism:

Janna Christina Derington, Gabrielle Garrett West Whitley,

Anna Krishna Rao, Alexander Bohdi Rao, 11/7/2021

Requiescat in pace:

Betty Lee Cox, 11/6/2002; Gustav A Norén, 11/7/2003;

C. Jeriel “Jay” Howard, 11/9/2011; Raymond A. Palmer, 11/9/2011

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.



Vestry of Church of the Ascension

Ken Kelling, Sr. Warden; LaVerne Rollé Saunders, Jr. Warden;

Ian Barillas-McEntee, Jim Lo Bello, Ken Cozette, Marlea Edinger, Sean Hansen, George Pineda, Joshua Simpson, Sam Sommers, Clerk, Enrique Vilaseco

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.