The E-pistle

Friday, August 15, 2025

A Note from Father Sam

Dear friends in Christ,

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Mary the Virgin. For our Roman Catholic friends, this day is the “Assumption,” the occasion of Mary’s mysterious departure from earth to heaven. While not recorded in scripture, this event has interested the Church for centuries, and in the Episcopal Church, this day is a more general feast on which we remember and give thanks for the role that Mary played in the story of our salvation.

Above all others, Mary perhaps deserves the title of first disciple of Jesus. Mary was the first to hear the good news of Jesus’ birth, and Mary’s brave assent to God’s plan allowed for the whole scope of Jesus’ life to begin. Mary encouraged Jesus to perform his first miracle at the wedding in Cana, telling those around him to “do whatever he tells you.” Mary witnessed the horror of the cross, the joy of the resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost with the other disciples.

How wonderful and mysterious it must have been for Mary, who first knew Jesus as her infant child, to later follow him as Savior and Lord. Mary provides us with a model of deep faith in God and a willingness to follow wherever the unexpected grace of God takes us. What exactly the end of her life looked like is unclear to us. However, we can be certain that following her son Jesus, we too can fulfill our own callings and be reunited with all the saints who have run the race before us.

Nineteen centuries after the life of Mary, her faithfulness inspired another disciple of Jesus to take up his own cross. In 1965, Jonathan Myrick Daniels, training for the priesthood at Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, left the safety of the seminary to work in Selma, Alabama, to help secure voting rights for disenfranchised Black citizens. We know from his journals that it was the daily singing of the Song of Mary at Evening Prayer that spurred his decision to go work for Civil Rights. In the first chapter of Luke, Mary sings:

“He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”

Jonathan wrote, “I knew that I must go to Selma. The Virgin’s song was to grow more and more dear to me in the weeks ahead.” In August, he was arrested in Hayneville for his efforts. Six days later, he and his companions were released from jail. Shortly after their release, they were confronted by a man with a shotgun. Shielding his young friend Ruby, Jonathan was shot and killed instantly. The Church honors his martyrdom each year on August 14, the day of his arrest. Sharing this week with the Blessed Virgin whose faith inspired his own, we give thanks to God for Jonathan Daniels and for all those who have followed Jesus faithfully in their own day. May we too hear the call of Christ and join with Mary and Jonathan in their song:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.”

Faithfully,

Father Sam

Sunday, August 17, 2025

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

9:00 AM Holy Eucharist Rite II

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture for the Tenth Sunday After Pentecost: Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18, Hebrews 11:29—12:2, Luke 12:49-56,

Serving this Sunday:

Altar Guild: Jorja Marsden

Fellowship: Ginny Willcox

Celebrant: The Rev’d Samuel T. Vaught

Preacher: The Rev’d Samuel T. Vaught

Acolyte: Darryl Lafferty

LEM: Kim Savery

Lector/Intercessor: Kendra MacLeod

Greeter: Frank Smith

Musician: Doug Schmolze

Parish Prayer List

Prayers for those in need

Those who are ill or in need of intercession

Jacob, Kathleen, Cynthia, Lori, Kit, David, Ann, Celia, Dawn, Tracey, Mary, Janet, Bobbie, Arthur, Dick, Loralee, Maggie, Michelle, Grace, Diana, the Jacob's Pillow community

Those who have recently died

Kat Sirico, friend of Michael Flamini

Fiona Gangell, former parishioner

Those who have asked for our long-term prayers

Josh, Mike, Ginny, Travis, Faye, Heidi, Rick, Allie, Joan, Duncan, Bernadette, Ray, Piers, Katrina, Rich, Karen, Michael, Khali, George, Barbara, Christy, John, Anthony, Astrida

Those in the military and other service

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries

Elizabeth Skakel, Jim Wade, Quinn Dillon, Christy Cosby French, Martha Bodine, Kyra Saltman; Peter & Diane Dillon, Kyra Saltman & Andrew McCann

Those preparing for Marriage or the Blessing of a Civil Marriage

Those preparing for Holy Baptism

Prayers for the Church

For all Christians in their daily life and work; for those who live in places of violence and persecution, especially the Christians of Benue State, Nigeria; Taybeh, the West Bank; and Komanda, the Congo.

Our Parish: St. Paul’s, Stockbridge

That we may grow in faith, hope, and love, and together strive to be the hands and heart of Christ for Stockbridge and the wider world; for Sam, our Rector; Jane and Libby, our Priests Associate; Molly, our Seminarian; for our Wardens and Vestry; for the students and staff of the St. Paul’s Children’s Center.

The Diocese of Western Massachusetts

Doug, Bishop

Steven, interim Canon to the Ordinary

Bishop search committee

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer (Week of 8/17)

Congregations, Ministries, and Partners in Ministry

Holy Trinity, Southbridge

Bishop’s Chaplains to Retired Clergy

The Church and Wider Mission

Western Mass Food Bank

The Episcopal Church in the United States of America; Sean, Presiding Bishop

The Anglican Communion throughout the world; Stephen, Archbishop of York; for those selecting the next Archbishop of Canterbury; for the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem & the Middle East

Anglican Cycle of Prayer

Sun 8/17: The Scottish Episcopal Church

Mon 8/18: Diocese of Southern Nyanza (Kenya)

Tues 8/19: Diocese of Nzara (South Sudan)

Wed 8/20: Diocese del Occidental (Mexico)

Thurs 8/21: Diocese of Offa (Nigeria)

Fri 8/22: Diocese of Ogbaru (Nigeria)

Sat 8/23: Diocese of Ogbia (Nigeria)

Prayers for those in Authority

The Town of Stockbridge 

The Stockbridge Select Board 

Ernest Cardillo, Jamie Minacci

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Maura Healey, Governor of Massachusetts

The General Court of Massachusetts 

Leigh Davis (House of Representatives) 

Paul Mark (Senate) 

The United States of America 

Donald Trump, President of the United States

Supreme Court of the United States

The United States Congress 

Richard Neal (House of Representatives)

Elizabeth Warren (Senate) 

Ed Markey (Senate) 



Prayers for the World 

For lasting peace in the Middle East; for the people of Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Haiti, the Congo, and other places of conflict; for kidnapped Ukrainian children and their families and friends; for all affected by natural disasters and climate change; for all who live in fear, especially migrants and transgender children and adults.

August Red Letter Days

August 15: Saint Mary the Virgin

August 24: Saint Bartholomew the Apostle

Lee Food Pantry: Current Needs

Baby wipes

Laundry detergent

Flour

Sugar

Rice

Paper towels

Toilet paper

Dish deteregent

Hand soap

Body wash

Items can be dropped off at the back of the church. On the second Saturday of the month, a team from St. Paul’s volunteers to distribute food. Questions? See Jim Wade.

Singer/songwriter JoAnne Spies Joins “Creating Connections” on Saturday

1:00-1:45, Saturday, August 16 A Sound Journey

Inside St. Paul’s church, relax to the resonant, healing sounds of the RAV drum and assorted chimes – a tapestry of sound created by JoAnne Spies.

2:15-3:00, Saturday, August 16 The Kindness Bench

Write a song or poem with JoAnne Spies at the Kindness Bench on St. Paul’s front lawn.

Look for a sign and join JoAnne in this judgment-free zone where you can create a connection or just enjoy the moment in peace.

“When we’re seen and heard, trust blooms and grows.

We are all connected. Kindness ripples and flows.”

(Gabi Garcia, We Are All Connected: Caring for Each Other & The Earth, 2022)

Diocesan Summer Reading Author Events

Video of Conversation with Author Cristina Rathbone

Resources for learning, support and advocacy

• Berkshire Immigrant Center
• Pioneer Valley Workers Center
• Worcester Refugee Assistance Project (WRAP)
• Episcopal Migration Ministry -- TAKE ACTION

Join us on August 19 for Conversation with Tim Crellin

The Land of the Living

BY THE REV. TIMOTHY CRELLIN

AUGUST 19 @ 6 PM

Join author, Tim Crellin, for a discussion of his first novel.

The Land of the Living is a historical novel that explores the themes of immigration and assimilation, war and its impact on families, the role of race and class in forging identity, and what it means to find home.

The conversation will be hosted by the Rev. Dr. Nina Pooley.

Summer Bible Study

Summer Bible Study continues!  Each Wednesday through August 27, we gather at 5:30 p.m. on the screen porch of the Rectory to explore the readings for the upcoming Sunday. We let our curiosities guide the conversation, and we never know quite where we’ll end up! Bring a Bible if you have one (we have plenty here, too), and come with questions and an open spirit! You can enter on the west side of the house, from the church gardens. Questions? Email Father Sam.