The Lion's Pause 🦁

WE SEEK TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE WITH GOD AND EACH OTHER IN CHRIST THROUGH WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, EDUCATION, AND SERVICE

Rector's Ramblings

In his Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis wrote, “The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative; he has loved us first (1 John 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to seek others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads, and welcome the outcast.”

This, perhaps more than any other characteristic, marked the papacy of Pope Francis. He was a man who took the initiative to boldly seek others. He was not afraid to confront traditions that insulated the church from those who the church often neglected.

In the Roman Catholic Church, there are those who thought Pope Francis went too far in his welcome of others. There are also those who thought he did not go far enough. As one on the outside of the Roman Catholic Church, I will refrain from such judgments. I will say that The Joy of the Gospel is well worth reading.

One of Pope Francis’ primary concerns was the effect of economic policies on the poor. He was concerned that the poor were not able to participate in society. He wrote, “This is why I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us. Not only to the share in the sensus fidei, but in their difficulties they know the suffering Christ. We need to let ourselves be evangelized by them.”

Pope Francis not only wrote these words. He lived by them. Instead of moving into the Apostolic Palace, he moved into the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse. On Maundy Thursday, he washed the feet of prisoners and migrants. He also washed the feet of non-Christians, demonstrating a boldness to take the initiative to seek others.

In Pope Francis, we had an example of someone who understood the call of Jesus to set aside our world’s ideas about wealth and power, and an example of taking the initiative of seeking others because Jesus took the initiative to seek us.

The full text of The Joy of the Gospel can be found here.

Fr. RJ+

Sunday, April 27

Services at 8 and 10 a.m.

Lessons

Bulletin

Live Stream

Monday, April 28:

Knitting, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, April 29:

Yoga, 7 p.m. Cost is $10 per session. Cash, check, Venmo or PayPal accepted. Reserve your spot by texting 330-705-4359 or emailing yogabeth63@gmail.com

Wednesday, April 30:

Virtual Evening Prayer, 4 p.m.

Zoom | Bulletin

View the full St. Mark's calendar HERE.

www.lentmadness.org

Congratulations to the 2025 Golden Halo winner -Zechariah !

Let us know how you did in this year's Madness.

Join Us for the Diocese of Ohio ECW Spring Luncheon!

You're invited to a powerful day of connection, conversation, and community at our annual spring luncheon:

Building Beloved Community:

Racial Justice and the Work of Love

Saturday, May 10, 2025 | 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Bay Village, OH

We are honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Velda Love, Minister for Racial Justice with the United Church of Christ, as our keynote speaker. A prophetic voice in racial justice and womanist theology, Dr. Love will speak on healing, justice, and what it means to live as Beloved Community.

Special remarks will also be offered by Lera Doneghy, President of the Union of Black Episcopalians.

All are welcome! Come be inspired and connect with others committed to love in action.

Reservations are required – grab your spot now:

Building Beloved Community

Book Club Updates

May 12 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

June 9 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

July - NO BOOK CLUB MEETING

August 11 - Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

September 8 - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Newsletter Additions

If you are adding something to the Lion's Pause, please submit it here by the Monday prior to Friday publication.

April Birthdays

1 Marcia Kiesling

8 Drew Pelger

9 Tom Temelkoff

10 Barbara Whitehouse

12 JD Arnold, Susie Hines

13 Sally Little

20 Katie Cerrone-Arnold

21 Kim Nadel

26 Sandi Kaustinen

27 Karen Violand

*Please note: Your birthday/anniversary will only show up if you've completed your profile on Instant Church Directory.

Need to log in? Go here.

Notable with Bob Morrison

Maundy Thursday 2001, St. Mark's refurbished organ was first heard! It was a time of exploration of all the new sounds I now had at my fingertips. The top manual and the bottom manual were all electronic. The middle manual contained all the pipes of the original organ.

In contemplating this project, several thoughts ran through my mind. It would be easy to abandon the pipes altogether and go digital with a nice Allen that would never go out of tune and have all manner of special effects. But this would be an insult to Kate Partridge, who financed the original 1970 pipes as a tribute to her late husband. This was why I chose to simply enlarge on Kate's gift. Ted Boyd contributed the lion's share of the cost in memory of a brother who was an organist, and various congregants also made contributions. The Cornel Zimmer folks cleaned and checked all the pipes and reinstalled them, and they contracted with Walker Technical for the digital voices. This company was founded by Bob Walker in 1973 and boasts electronic enhancement of organs worldwide. They upgraded the Naval Academy organ to five manuals and 522 stops - an organ which I heard every time we visited Annapolis, where our son was in the last class of all men in 1979.

And, believe it or not, Bob Walker himself came to St Mark's with all his computer equipment to personally voice every digital stop on our organ. Every time I approached the console, it was a new adventure to experiment with the sounds now at my fingertips.

As time went by, I found stops that I liked and a few I didn't, and tried to find ways to work around the less sonorous ones. Then something happened in 2012 that changed the entire organ landscape in ways I could never have imagined.

Prayer Concerns

Have compassion on: Vonda Temelkoff, Jim Weaver, Jane Schutrum, Ron Brooks, and all those who suffer from any grief or trouble.

For those who have died: Bobbie Lenzie (sister of Becky Watters), Jolonda Mull, & Conrad Johnson (Father RJ’s father)

Family & Friends: Father RJ & family + Shelly Burns (Tom Burns’ cousin’s wife) + Allison (cousin of Sandi Kaustinen) + Clarice Lough (friend of the Watters) + Katheleen Philippsborn (sister of Tom Turner) + Machelle Wells (friend of Jaime Heinzman) + Father Jon Conventry (Trinity Episcopal Church - Alliance) + Jimmy Little (son of Sue Little) + Alison (friend of the Willoughbys) + Jane McBride (mother of Beth Crowl) + Tom (brother-in-law of AnJane McConville) + Gail and Judy Shumway (friend, sister-in-law, & co-worker friend of the Rand’s daughter) + Dr. Mallamaci (acquaintance of Bobbi Zollinger) + Pam Lagodich ( friend of the Mulls) + Scott Jones, Val Hiner-Donlon, Rick Ciminelli, & Harold Freedman (cousin & friend of the Gordons) + Larry Aclaska (acquaintance of Bert Heisser) + Lee, Theresa, & Chuck Boone (friends & cousin of the Hixons) + Melanie & Trish (friends of Paulette Frech) + Pat Walter & family (friend of Barb Whitehouse) + Don Siegfried & Janet Sheatzley-Morgan (husband and sister of Barb Siegfried) + Allison Cornell-Hood & Anne Higgins (daughter & friend of Diane Cornell) + Finnigan Savage (friend of Pam McCarthy) + Tony Donahue (friend of the Boyds) + David (acquaintance of the Nadels) + Those in the Armed Forces.

PRAYER CHAIN:

St. Mark's has a group of prayer warriors who pray for the specific needs of those on the prayer chain. If you would like to place yourself or a loved one on the prayer chain, please contact Bobbi Gordon at ggordon24@sbcglobal.net

Prayer requests may be placed on the private Prayer Chain or on the Prayer Concerns list appearing in The Lion's Pause and Sunday bulletin or in both places. Please let Bobbi know your preference. Unless otherwise instructed, names will be listed as we receive them. Please update Bobbi or Katie on the status of your friends or family members as to when they may be removed from the prayer lists.

515 48TH ST. NW CANTON, OH 44709

330.499.2662 | OFFICE@STMARKS-CANTON.ORG

WWW.STMARKS-CANTON.ORG

St. Mark's Church

The Episcopal Church

The Diocese of Ohio