Please stay to hear the premiere performance of “Voices of God”, a chamber music collaborative work of Elaine Hewes and the late John Kreitler, a beloved American composer and father of Chelsea Marie Davis (more info below).

Weekly Calendar

All services and meetings will be held both in-person and via Zoom unless otherwise designated.

Saturday, August 15

Men's Breakfast has been postponed until August 22

Monday, August 17

4:30 p.m. Meditation/Silent Prayer (Zoom)

Wednesday, August 19

10:00 a.m. In-person Meditation

10:30 a.m. Bible Study with The Rev. Jenny Reece (more details below)

4:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal

Saturday, August 22

8:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast

Sunday, August 23

10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with The Rev. Emily Blair Stribling, presiding

Looking Ahead

Wednesdays, Aug 19, 26

& Sept 2

10:30 a.m. Bible Study with The Rev. Jenny Reece

September 8-11

17th Annual St. Brendan Women's Retreat

Thursday, October 8

7:00 p.m. "Courage is Contagious" - An evening with Bishop Mariann Budde, Merrill Auditorium in Portland

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon given by The Rev. Barbara Lundblad on August 9th.

Click below for the video recording.

Rev. Lundblad's sermon

The Gratitude Corner

We are grateful for the children who have been attending Sunday worship. Two of them enjoyed playing the piano after Sunday's service. Our thanks to Carolyn Mor for her wonderful and joyful work with them in the parish hall during the sermon.

For what are you grateful?

From our Pastor

Covering for One Another

One of the gifts in the community of faith is our commitment to cover for one another when the challenges of life present themselves, requiring any one of us at one time or another to take some time away for rest and reflection. This was true for me after the death of my husband Michael, as the St. Brendan community stepped up and saw that everything that needed doing got done while I took some time to get things in order and to grieve.

Our wonderful music director Connie has decided she needs to step aside from her responsibilities at St. Brendan to give her hand a chance to really heal. And so we will cover for her as she does what she needs to do for her well-being. While we will miss her beautiful music, she will still be with us in her role as choir director. So we will still benefit from her musical gifts, although not at the organ or piano.

In the spirit of “covering for one another,” our Sunday morning music will continue through the gifts of our many musicians at St. Brendan. Thanks be to God that Alan Flowers has graciously agreed to play the organ for us while he and Curtis are still in Deer Isle, and Scott Cleveland has agreed to pick up many of the Sundays over the next months. Of course, we are always grateful for Barbara Kourajian’s willingness to lead us from the piano in Sunday worship. And how lucky can we be to have so many other St. Brendan musicians willing to provide preludes and postludes, not to mention the St. Brendan “band?”

All of which is to say that while we will miss Connie at the keyboard and the organ, we will be just fine. We will continue singing with all of our hearts and making a joyful noise unto the Lord. And we will rejoice whenever Connie is up-front with the choir, providing for us the beauty of music that is particular to Connie’s heart and soul.

Covering for each other. That’s what we do in the community of faith. A gift that is also called “compassion” and “accompanying love.” What could possibly be a surer sign of God’s presence moving in and among us?

Giving our Priorities Shape (GPS) Action Item

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set a historic high in July 2026, making roughly 51,000 administrative arrests. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has officially ended following a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the termination to proceed. The Department of Homeland Security's cancellation has gone into effect, stripping roughly 300,000 to 350,000 Haitians of their legal deportation protections and work permits.

We ask you to continue to keep in mind and to support, however you can, the legal and human rights of immigrants, some of whom have lived in this country for decades under protection but who are now endangered by orders of the current administration.

Some organizations are accompanying immigrants through this life-threatening time. Click below to learn more.

MidCoast New Mainers Group

Andree Appell is at the heart of this organization. Her email is:

andreeappel@gmail.com

Maine Council of Churches (sign up for their newsletter)

Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition

Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP)

Maine Initiatives

"Voices of God"

After coffee hour on Sunday, August 16, there will be a presentation of John Kreitler’s Second Symphony, “Voices of God,” a symphony in five movements inspired by the poetry of Elaine Hewes.

This symphony was premiered in August 2024 by the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. We will be playing a recording of the premiere performance with Elaine reading the poem that accompanies each movement. The symphony is about 35 minutes long.

John Kreilter’s daughter, Chelsea Marie Davis, will be with us for this event and will say a few words about her father’s work. John died just months before the performance of his symphony, but his music and his legacy live on.

The Season of Creation: Preparing with the Mystics

The Season of Creation is a recent addition to the liturgical calendar that many churches are following. It lasts from September 1 (World Day of Prayer for Creation) to October 4 (Feast of St. Francis of Assisi).

The Rev. Jenny Reece will help us prepare for the Season of Creation with a study of the mystics during Bible Study for these next few weeks.

August 19

Session One: Introduction and St. Hildegard of Bingen

After a brief introduction to what is meant by the “mystic” traditions of the church, we will turn to St. Hildegard (1098-1179). Her concept of “Viriditas” (God’s greenness) depends on water as the source of life, and she describes sin as above all a “Drying up.” This session will include a PowerPoint presentation of some of her illustrations and some audio clips of her music.

August 26

Session Two: Two Medieval Master Mystics

The well-known Francis of Assisi (1181-1286) and less familiar Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) each contributed greatly to the mystical tradition that put God’s creation as the center of everything. We will explore their writings especially as they speak of water.

September 2

Session Three: The modern mystical movement

We see how the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) at the beginning of the 20th century, and of Thomas Berry (1914-2009) and Matthew Fox (1940- ) at the midpoint and end of it, paved the way for the eco-theologies of our own time.

Education & Spiritual Development Ministry

"Come away and rest a while"

Mark 6:31

Zoom Meditation/Silent Prayer at 4:30 p.m.

Readings, poems, and prayers are shared before a period of silence.

Link to Meditation/Silent Prayer

10:00 a.m. Wednesdays

In-Person Meditation/Silent Prayer at St. Brendan

Bible Study

Wednesday 10:30 a.m.

The Rev. Jenny Reece will begin a three-week discussion on

The Season of Creation: Preparing with the Mystics

Link for Bible Study

August Birthdays

Richard Mallory – 8

Bringier McConnell – 8

Dan Reardon – 10

Fay Beaudoin – 11

Nancy Allison – 12

Diane Greenlaw – 13

Woody Osborne – 20

Jim White – 22

Lori Parkhurst – 26

News from Near and Far

Share a photo or news with us

In Our Prayers

We pray for those in special need:

Debra Carter

baby Charles

Harry Vickerson

Julie M.

Danny Judkins

Cathy Johnson

Meg Graham

Charlie Putnam

Judson Brown

Mike S.

Meredydd Cooper

Henna Torrey Roy

Jerry

Agnes and Billy

Gwyn Murray

Sally

Beth Kyser

David

Preston Henderson

Tammie Cox

Tyler Goss

Kate Hallen & Bob Blum

Judith Jerome

Mimi Maslan

Judy Miller

Megan

Bishop Thomas Brown

Naomi

Anne Burton

Hewit

Mary Ann and Terry

Nishah

Corbin

Rebecca

Pam B

Jaxson

Heather Corey

Stephen Gill

Bill Scaife

Brent Was

Gary and Wellesley

Mary Lawrence Hicks and family

Nancy Greene

Peter Brown

Seth

Linda Shepard and family

Marcia Scott

Carol Stoneburner

We pray, also, for those who love and care for them.

We continue to hold in prayer those in our community who have recently lost loved ones; among them are the Williams, Stoneburner, Sherman, and Hewes families.

We pray for our nation, our president and vice-president, and all elected and appointed leaders.

We pray for all peacemakers and all those who work for justice; may we be found in their ranks.

We pray for all those serving in the armed forces of our country.

We pray for Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury; Hosam, Bishop of Jerusalem; Sean, our Presiding Bishop; and Thomas, our Bishop.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for All Saints Chapel, Orr's Island, Trinity, Lewiston and for the ministry of Bridging the Gap in Augusta.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for The Church in Wales.

On the Island and Peninsula, we pray for St. Mary by the Sea, Stonington.

Do you have a Prayer Request or an Update on the Prayer List?

Scripture Notes

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

In today’s liturgy, the scriptures deal with the inclusivity of God’s call. The gospel reading brings a Canaanite woman to Jesus, asking that he heal her daughter. At first, Jesus responds that he is sent only to Jews. However, the woman’s deep faith

moves him and he heals her daughter.

Joseph, sold in to slavery by his brothers, with God’s help became the most powerful official of Egypt. When famine left the children of Jacob starving, they came to Egypt for food. After letting these unfaithful brothers live in suspense for a time as to whether this great ruler would assist them, Joseph’s love for them led him to reveal his identity. He then brought all the family to Egypt to live in prosperity.

In the second reading, Paul is dealing with the role of Jews and Gentiles in God’s plan. Distressed that many of his fellow Jews have not accepted Jesus, Paul nevertheless is certain that they, like the Gentiles, are part of that plan. Indeed, “The gifts and the calling of God [to the Jews] are irrevocable,” he says.

Christianity stands over against those human movements that would exclude some people. God’s call is to every human being. Our gatherings as church must always be faithful to that and we must seek to mirror in our own congregations the complete inclusivity of God’s call to the human race.