Dear Friends,

Thank you for your great generosity during our pledge campaign! We are well ahead of where we were this time last year; I’m wondering if you are feeling, as I am, that in this particularly tough time, it’s good to support a place you trust and love? 

You can read more below to see how we’re doing and, of course, you can still pledge. I promise, the Pledge Portal will remain open! Stay tuned as the Vestry crafts the 2026 budget.

We turn our attention next, of course, to the best day in our church calendar: All Saints’ Day! We will celebrate THIS Sunday with a brass band, a litany of the saints, lots of joy (Baptisms at both 9 and 11!), and the great cloud of witnesses represented by the names of our beloved departed flying in the colorful flags overhead.

This is OUR feast day, our name day, and a wonderful reminder that our lives after death are changed, not ended, and that those we love but see no longer are still with us. 

All Saints’ Day, which here at All Saints blends All Saints, All Souls, and the Day of the Dead, is a day when we blend joy and sorrow as we remember and grieve, rejoice and celebrate. It is one of those times when the complexity of life is crystallized: that we often hold sorrow and joy in one hand. Come feel it all this Sunday.

See you in church!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

P. S. Please join us this Saturday at 6 pm for a short service of Evening Prayer when we will pray from our prayer flags and then hang the flags and eat pizza together!

All The Saints



All Saints’ Day is celebrated with Day of the Dead traditions, a New Orleans style brass band, and a sanctuary full of prayer flags inscribed with names and remembrances of those loved and lost by members of our community. It is one of the principal feasts of the Episcopal Church, when the church remembers the saints, known and unknown. 

Join Us on Saturday, November 1 at 6:00 pm

Prepare for All Saints!

Join us as we gather to pray and hang the flags that commemorate our beloved departed. You can drop in and write the names of your departed as well, just in time to be hung above the pews!

Make Candle Ofrendas.

Bring photos / images of your dearly departed to make candle ofrendas to take home.

We’ll have all the supplies!

We will begin with a brief prayer service at 6 pm and then get to the work of hanging flags and making ofrendas. Pizza arrives around 7 pm!

Thank you to all who have so generously pledged for 2026!

Number of pledges: 176

Total pledge amount: $619,738

Number of new pledges: 44

Your pledge supports our neighbors in need and helps us build our community and grow in faith so that we can share our joy and compassion with all we encounter and fuel the fight for justice in our city, country, and beyond. Thank you again for sharing your gifts!

And If you haven’t pledged yet, you still can!

3rd Sunday Evening Service

Sunday, November 16 at 6:00 pm

Join us for a contemplative form of worship rooted in the practices of the Taizé Community in France. This service is offered to nurture inner peace, spiritual renewal, and a sense of unity. Taizé worship is characterized by simple repetitive chants with periods of silence for contemplation and readings from scripture.

Witness Wednesdays at Noon

On Wednesdays, the group meets at Federal Plaza near the Calder sculpture (near the corner of Jackson & Dearborn). The prayer service begins at about 12:15 pm and lasts about 20 minutes. The focus is on communal prayer, so no materials are necessary and no RSVPs are required. Any and all are welcome to show up and join in prayer!

Those who cannot attend in person but still want to join in praying are encouraged to use the attached liturgy to pray from home, work, or school.

Centering Prayer at All Saints

Wednesdays at 7:00 pm in the Reading Room

Silence is God's first language" (St. John of the Cross)

Join practitioners of centering prayer on Wednesdays in the Reading Room at 7 pm for 20 minutes of centering prayer, followed by an optional time of discussion. Interested in learning more? Doors open at 6:45 for those who would like instruction in and more information about silent prayer.



Newcomer Conversations

Sunday, November 9

Brief Gathering after the 9 & 11 am Services

Coffee, Donuts, and Conversation.

Are you new to All Saints? Perhaps you’ve just attended one or two times and would like to learn a little bit more about our community.  Join us in the Reading Room for a 20-minute gathering to connect with other newcomers and briefly hear from one of our clergy and vestry members. 

All Saints Book Club

Thursday, November 13 at 7:30 pm (on Zoom)

We have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson



Shirley Jackson’s beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family’s dark secret.

The All Saint’s Book Club meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30 PM on Zoom. If you are not a regular attendee, contact Mike Burke mebcat@gmail.com for the meeting invite.

SAVE THE DATE

Inquirer’s Meeting!

Sunday, January 11 at 12:30pm

Are you an Adult Interested in being baptized, confirmed, received into the church, or in reaffirming your baptismal vows? Save the date for this upcoming meeting in January.

More details to come.

Many Thanks to all who attended and celebrated RCS last Friday!

The Spirits of Ravenswood event was the most successful fundraisng night to date!

 $75,000 was raised for the food panty, community kitchen, and After School Pantries. Your generosity keeps the doors open and their programs thriving. Thank you!

Learn more about Ravenswood Community Services HERE.

ICE Patrol Volunteers Needed on Tuesdays during pantry

During this time of more ICE presence and ICE raids in our neighborhoods, we are increasing our presence outside during pantry hours on Tuesday nights. And we need your help. We need 2 groups of 6 volunteers for each shift (4:30-6 and 6-7:30) who will work in pairs to monitor Wilson Ave. The sign up form is below and there is a link in the form to sign up for a shift. When you sign up, you will receive our volunteer guidelines and a link to our signal channel.



SIGN UP HERE

Sanctuary Committee and Justice Ministries Continue to Respond to Immigration Crisis

The Sanctuary Committee and the justice ministries of the Diocese of Chicago continue to provide assistance for the immigrants and asylum seekers being targeted and unlawfully detained in our communities.

There are many ways to get involved with this work, from raising funds to providing accompaniment to virtually monitoring immigration court hearings.

LEARN MORE HERE

VOLUNTEER AT RAVENSWOOD COMMUNITY SERVICES (RCS)

RCS & Tuesday Pantry Volunteers

RCS is always on the lookout for new volunteers. If you've been thinking you might like to give volunteering with RCS a try, now would be a really great time. 



Click to Volunteer Hub! 

RCS is looking for volunteers to join 

the Tuesday Delivery Crew. 

Every Tuesday between 12:30-2pm volunteers unload A LOT OF FOOD from pallets on the sidewalk to the Parish Hall for distribution. You should feel comfortable lifting 30-50 lbs and going up and down stairs. Those interested should reach out to Parker at parker@ravenswoodcommunityservices.org.



Ordinations for All Saints: Bryan Matias and Colin Collette

On Saturday, December 6 at 11:00 am, Deacon Bryan Matias will be ordained to the priesthood at St. Paul’s, Peoria, along with three other transitional deacons in the diocese.

On Saturday, December 20 at 11:00 am, Deacon Colin Collette will be ordained to the priesthood at St. James Cathedral, along with another transition deacon. 

Colin will remain as half-time Associate Rector at All Saints, and we will celebrate his ordination and first Mass on Sunday, December 21!

If you can, please plan to attend one or both of these ordinations; there will be more information about car pooling to come.

Stay tuned for more information about gifts and celebration!

Episcopal Church Immigration Action Toolkit

Updates and New Materials

For those seeking to support immigrant and refugee neighbors, The Episcopal Church offers advocacy tools, ways to help, and links to multiple resources in the Immigration Action Toolkit. 

Find new resources under “Know your rights” about the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) Home app and rights for green-card holders, as well as a new section under “Additional resources” with materials related to the impact of new H.R.1 legislation. Toolkit resources are available in Spanish where indicated. 

We pray for the people of Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic who are facing the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

God of the present moment, God who in Jesus stills the storm and soothes the frantic heart; bring hope and courage to all as we wait in uncertainty. Bring hope and peace with whatever lies ahead. Bring us courage to endure what cannot be avoided. For your will is health and wholeness; you are God, and we need you.

— Adapted from a New Zealand Prayer Book, page 765

More Prayers HERE

Access Contemporary Music presents

Meditative Mondays at All Saints

Monday, November 10 | 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Memory Garden

Musicians pair the meditation goal of reflection with luminous, memory-infused works that drift between recollection and reverie, inviting listeners to inhabit a landscape where sound becomes remembrance itself.

Three Meditations by Sunny Knable

Tintinnabuli Etude No. 8 by Kevin Germaine

Lost Cycle by Kevin Peak 

Inflorescence by Matthew Mason

Scarlet by Tori Ovel

Matthew Mason -piano

$20 Tickets

Our next vestry meeting: November 11 at 7 pm in the Reading Room. Vestry meetings are open to the public. To see the most current Vestry Minutes click here.

8:00am

Altar Guild: Pam Palmentera

9:00am

Acolytes: Willem Kapteyn Dekkinga, Claire Kasten, & Sam Love

Altar Guild: Nick Hatzis

Chalice: Chad Kruse, Sam Love, & Skip Yates

Intercessor: Skip Yates

Lectors: Reader 1) Paula Stevens-Contey; Reader 2) Chad Kruse

Ushers: Michael Mattson & Alice Wozniak

Vestry Announcement: John Dufour

Emcees: Palm Palmentera & Eric Swiecki

Coffee Hour: David and Joe Wernette-Harnden

11:00am

Acolytes: Bruce Harris, Joshua Harris, Sam Love, & Jenni Masterson

Altar Guild: Jacob Farmer & Alexandra Sandin

Chalice: Rachel Jacobs, Sam Love, Gretchen Schlabach, & Skip Yates

Intercessor: Richard Havard

Lectors: Reader 1) Jesse Jardim; Reader 2) Allison Loecke

Ushers: Josephine Koo, Sam Taylor, Ingrid Upchurch, & Vernon Upchurch-Black

Vestry Announcement: Ann McKenzie

Emcees: Sarah Hallett & Ellie Taylor

Sparkling: TBD

Facebook Livestream Team at the 11:00am Service

Audio: Kuo Tye

Camera: Lelia Fry



For those who suffer in mind, body, or spirit: especially for Victoria Sheridan, Dan & Karen Reinhardt, Genevieve Sheehan, Emily C., Wendy Sopkovich, Doug Jones and his children Isabelle and Theodore, Dolly Parton, Nick Campanile, the Jones family, and for those whose hurt, burdens, and fears go unspoken.

For those on our long-term prayer list: especially for Noel McGraw, Allen Masterson, Ruth, Sherry, Ron Lee, Robert Winslow, LouAnne Severson, Jennifer Christy, Anna K., Sarah Booten, Neal, Steve Burns, Ashton Christy, Carl Youngberg, Eugene Washington, Helen LoRusso, Peg Deppe, Nina Chinn, Jim Crandall, Lionel Edes, Clara Maddox, David Brummer, and Mary Lee Fergus.

For those around the world: the people of Gaza and Israel, the people of Ukraine, and all affected by war; and our siblings in Cuernavaca, Mexico; and Renk, South Sudan.

For those who celebrate birthdays this week:

11/2 - Travis Bowman

11/4 - Kevin Dekkinga, Iris Jones, Laura Maheshwary, Erin Marshall, Kristina Porter

11/6 - Julie Jungel

11/8 - David Springer

For those who celebrate anniversaries this week:

11/2 - Matthew Hanes & John Williams

11/4 - Susie Griffith & Scott Porterfield

11/5 - Krista & Bill Van Der Laan

For those who have died: May the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

If you'd like to have someone included in our community prayers:

www.allsaintschicago.org

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