Dear Friends,

This weekend, we enter the end of October and begin one of the holiest and best times of year: the Fall Triduum, the three days of All Hallows’ Eve, The Feast of All Saints, and the Feast of All Souls. The first day we all know popularly as Halloween, and I hope you and any children will wear costumes to church on Sunday as a sign of joy and to scare away and ghosts or ghouls! 

But despite the great fun of Halloween—I hope you have at least one great party to attend or go trick-or-treating!— “All Hallows” really refers to all the hallowed ones, saints the church has canonized, whom we try to emulate. On November 1, All Saints’ Day, we remember those saints; if you want to keep the feast on the actual day, you can attend Morning Prayer on Zoom, which will use the readings of the day. On November 2, we remember all those who have gone ahead and are known only to us—friends, family members, mentors, and others.

So, for three days we live in a “thin place” when the chasm separating the living from the dead becomes a diaphanous veil, when we feel in our bones that we are not separated from the great cloud of witnesses. And at All Saints, we extend and integrate this Triduum as we celebrate the Feast of All Saints on Sunday, November 6, remembering the “official” saints and our own beloved dead. We feel the dead surrounding us as their names flutter overhead, as we sing with our brass band, as we baptize the newest members of the church, as joy and sorrow commingle in our hearts.

This is the best time of year, Beloved. It’s been my favorite since I was first exploring the church, contemplating being baptized, when, on All Saints’ Day, a parishioner burst into the room of Catechumens (see below for more about that word!), wishing us all a blessed All Saints, “the best day of the year!” And then we learned about this thin time, and I realized that my family wasn’t just those I could see, but all who had gone ahead of me, known and unknown, and that all are remembered even if we forget them, for all are written on the hands of God. 

I’ll be praying for all those we love but see no longer this week, beginning this Sunday when our littlest goblins and ghoulies show up in costume and continuing throughout the week, especially next Friday when we will read, pray over, and hang our prayer flags, and culminating when we gather with ALL of our All Saints for our feast of title on November 6. So glad we get to celebrate this best time of the year together!

Faithfully, Suzanne+

Thank you for unfurling the timeline of our church last week! It took all of us to roll it out and it showed how we are all connected. We have these long timelines because of the stewardship of the people who came before us and made a financial commitment. Let’s keep growing the timeline! 

We need your financial pledge to All Saints for 2023 to keep writing our history!

Thank you to everyone who has already committed to supporting All Saints with a 2023 Pledge. If you have not yet pledged, you may submit it here (hyperlink). We are calling on all of you to share your financial gifts. We want 100% participation.

You matter. Your contribution, no matter the size, matters.

We are committed to end this pledge drive by November 13 so we can plan for next year's budget. Stay tuned for information about a celebration marking this milestone.

If you have questions about the impact of your support, or would like to discuss your pledge further, please reach out to our stewardship co-chairs Jack Garland and Katrina Kasten.

Another cool activity this Sunday? Yes, please! At 8, 9, or 11am, you can continue telling our story and build the tapestry of All Saints. You won't want to miss it!

On Sunday, November 6, as part of our annual celebration of the Feast of All Saints, we remember loved ones who have died. We invite you to make prayer flags for your beloved dead. Colored paper is available at the back of the church. You may also email names to [email protected] 

And if you'd like to help out, we'll gather at 6:30pm on Friday, November 4 for a time of prayer, hanging of flags, and pizza.

All Saints celebrates the season…

Did you ever wish that Halloween lasted more than just one night? Feel free to wear your festive costumes to worship services on Sunday, Oct 30! 

Resumption of the Common Cup

The Diocese of Chicago recently lifted its restriction on sharing of the common cup during the Eucharist. You can read Bishop Clark’s letter here.

We will begin using the common cup again on All Saints Day, November 6. Please know that if you choose to receive only the consecrated bread, you are still participating fully in the sacrament. While we will have champagne on All Saints Day as is our custom, we'll use port wine after that which has a higher alcohol content than regular red wine. 

Chalice bearers will wear face masks during the sharing of the cup. We ask that you do not intinct (dip) your bread into the chalice so that we might limit infection of any kind. If you have any questions, please speak with Suzanne or Courtney. 

Bread, Wine, and Word Returns: "Thanks, Pandemic!”

Friday, November 18, 6:30 - 8:30pm.

A fun dinner party in the All Saints’ Sanctuary

with food, drink, and stories!

Given the time of year AND the past few years, our stories will focus on giving thanks in the time of pandemic. Please brings drinks, simple food (cheese, bread, dips, etc.), and possibly a story to share. Or bring nothing and just come!

If you do plan to tell a story, prepare a 3-5 minute story about giving thanks in hard times. Hard things that yielded grace. Being happy when everyone around you is sad. Hope in a hard time.

The point of gathering is to connect with one another, so your story should be real, your own, and focus on events and feelings rather than proving a point or teaching a lesson.

No pressure if you don’t want to tell a story, but if you do, stay within 3-5 minutes and consider taking a risk. If you are new to storytelling, The Moth offers these great GUIDELINES. 

Interested? Sign up here!

Questions? Contact Colin Collette at [email protected].

Join the Catechumenate and Get Baptized on the Easter Vigil!

Learn more on Sunday, November 13 at 12:30 in the Reading Room.

Light lunch provided.

The Catechumenate is a period of formation and education to prepare adults for baptism, the sacrament of initiation into the Christian Church. If you are an adult who would like to learn more about the sacrament of baptism and what it means to join the Catechumenate, please come to this introductory meeting to learn about the history and theology of baptism and what it might look like to walk a journey of faith to Easter in 2023.

RSVP for our meeting.

Curious or have questions? Contact Suzanne at [email protected].

Join the All Saints choir!

There's a saying attributed to St. Augustine that goes something like this: "The one who sings, prays twice."

If you're looking for a way to give back to the community, meet some wonderful people, and have a great time doing it, please consider joining the All Saints choir. We especially need folks to sing for the upcoming high holy days, All Saints, Advent, and Christmas. So, whether you sing in the shower, sing for your supper, or sing a song of sixpence, we need you!

The choir rehearses every Thursday evening at 7:00pm in the church or, if you can't make that time, it also rehearses for 45 minutes before Sunday services (8:15am in the parish hall for the 9:00am service, 10:15am in the church for the 11:00am). No audition required; just an open heart and a joyful spirit!

For more information, you can either write our Music Director Colin Collette or talk to him after a service on Sunday.

Thanks to everyone who was able to join RCS for the Spirits of Ravenswood! We hope you had fun sampling local craft beverages, playing games, dancing, and raising over $42,000 to help our neighbors put food on the table for their families. We hope you can join us again at next year's event on October 20, 2023!

Special shout out to All Saints' own multi-talented Colin Collette for bringing the Fall vibe and color to the Spirits of Ravenswood. Thanks, Colin!!

Love, RCS

Revive Christmas "Baskets"

All Saints continues its annual tradition of participating in the Revive Christmas "Basket" program. This year, we have 25 households that need our support to provide Christmas presents for their families. Participants will receive a form with information about a family, along with suggested Christmas gift ideas. Boxes should be delivered to the church by Sunday, November 27.

Once again, Jacqueline WayneGuite is organizing All Saints' participation. She'll match you with a household based on your preference of size, then keep in touch via email with further instructions. Please check your email and confirm receipt within 48 hours.

Households range from one to eight people. You should plan to spend at least $30-$50 per person on gifts - one for each family member. For fairness, spend the same amount of money on each person. Please also purchase a Jewel gift card worth $15 per person in the household.

If you have questions, email Jacqueline WayneGuite.

Please sign up at the link here!

AV Club: Volunteers Needed

Each week during the 11:00am service, we stream our service to Facebook so that those who are sick, traveling, live outside Chicago, or just want to check us out can participate online. This is an important ministry and it relies on three volunteers each week to make it happen.

We need two more volunteers for the AV team so that we have four weekly teams. Join the AV Club and learn how to work the cameras and wrangle the audio feed for our live Facebook stream. No advanced experience needed, just a willingness to learn and the ability to serve at one 11:00am Sunday service per month. 

Interested? Contact Eileen Krause at [email protected].

All Saints Book Club

The All Saints Book Club continues to meet on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30 PM on Zoom. If you are not a regular attendee, email Mike Burke at [email protected] for a meeting invite.

In addition, we are now supporting the book sanctuary initiative. We'll include at least one banned book each year in our reading plan starting in 2023. 

Our current schedule moving forward is:

December 8, 2022: 

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller (At this meeting, we will select books for 2023.)

January 12, 2023:

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson

Photo by Tim Shambrook

Photography as a Spiritual Practice is Back!

How cannot we not be amazed by the colors of Autumn? For many of us, our natural instinct is to share whatever glories of God’s Creation we see around us.

If you're feeling that instinct, join our Photography as a Spiritual Practice group. From Monday to Friday, members can post photos to an online weekly web album that feature the diverse, vibrant colors of Autumn - along with any other subject where color dominates, inspires, and begs to be shared.

Then, over the weekend, all can enjoy viewing and commenting on the photos. To participate, please email Eileen Crowley at [email protected].

Upcoming events at All Saints…

Friday, November 4

3:30 - Wedding Rehearsal

6:30 - Hanging Prayer Flags

Saturday, November 5

3:30 - Wedding: Rodites and Schroeder

Sunday, November 6 - The Feast of All Saints observed

Brass Band and Baptisms at 9 and 11!