March 6, 2025 | VOLUME 37, ISSUE 11

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Second Sunday of Lent

March 16, 2025



SCRIPTURE READINGS

Genesis 15:1-12,17-18

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Luke 13:31-35

Psalm 27

Preacher: The Reverend Jennifer Wagner Pavia

Sunday, March 16, 4:00 PM: Friends of Music "Renaissance Evensong with Wessex Consort"

Saturday, April 5, 6:00 PM: "Paint & Sip & Nosh Party" SoB venue in Luther Hall

Saturday, April 19, 8:00 PM: "The Great Vigil of Easter" in Sanctuary

Sunday, April 20, 10:00 AM: "Easter Mass of the Resurrection" in the Sanctuary followed by Easter Brunch

Bible and Breakfast

Tuesdays | 9:30 AM

Luther Hall & Zoom

Midweek Eucharist:

Wednesdays | 7:00 PM

Sanctuary

Adult Forum: Lenten Study

Wednesdays, | 8:00 PM

Luther Hall & Zoom

LENTEN WEDNESDAYS

ADULT FORUM

March 12, 19, 26 & April 2

8pm

In person and via Zoom

Click here to join via Zoom

How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? What can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel in such an unjust world? Richard Rohr turns to the writings of the Jewish prophets, revealing how some of the lesser-read books of the Bible offer us a crucial path forward today. The Tears of Things breathes new life into ancient wisdom and paves a path of enlightenment for anyone seeking a compassionate way of living in a hurting world.

Available in hard cover one day delivery on Amazon, and instantly on Audible and Kindle.

Click here to buy on Amazon

Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace. In the case of Holy Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water in which the person is baptized in God's name, and the inward and spiritual grace is union with Christ, birth into God's family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit. Special days are set aside for baptisms, the next being The Great Vigil of Easter on April 19. If you are interested in Holy Baptism for you or someone you know, please speak with Rev. Jennifer.

Luna Kovalovs, daughter of Vestry member Marissa Kovalovs, is a St. Bede's member who attends our 8:00 AM services weekly with her mother and sister. Recently Luna participated in the prestigious Showstopper Dance Competition where she performed a solo. She placed third in the 5-Year Old Advanced Jazz category!!! How exciting!

We can't help but notice that her trophy is nearly as big as she is! Way to go, Luna . . . CONGRATULATIONs❗

Yale's Classiest A Cappella Group Visits St. Bede’s

By Greg Schaffer

St. Bede's was honored to host Yale University's acclaimed a cappella group, the Yale Alley Cats, for a special concert on Sunday, March 9th. This delightful performance came to our community through the combined efforts of St. Bede's Music Director Frank Basile, a Yale alumnus and former Alley Cat, and Ryann Schaffer, a sophomore at Yale from Sherman Oaks who made history as the first female member in the group's 81-year tradition.

Schaffer, who graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills, brought her collegiate singing group to her Los Angeles hometown as part of their spring tour. Her journey to becoming an Alley Cat is particularly noteworthy - while she always aspired to join Yale's vibrant a cappella scene, she never imagined she would break the gender barrier in this storied group. Her exceptional vocal talent and musicianship have earned her a respected place among her fellow performers, opening doors for future female vocalists interested in joining the traditionally all-male ensemble. (Ryann is the daughter of the author and pictured on the right.)

The afternoon featured a captivating range of musical selections from jazz standards to contemporary hits, all arranged by current or former group members. During the performance, Ryann was featured in several solos that showcased her remarkable range and expressive interpretation, drawing enthusiastic applause from the hometown crowd. The audience was treated to the group's signature harmonies and musical sophistication that has earned them performances before notable figures and taken them to international destinations. Their blend of traditional and modern pieces showcased their versatility and talent.

Following the concert, attendees enjoyed a lovely reception in the church courtyard, where they had the opportunity to meet the Yale Alley Cats. The beautiful afternoon sunshine provided a perfect backdrop as proud family members, friends, and community members gathered to celebrate the performance. After their Mar Vista appearance, the Alley Cats will continue to Orange County before heading to Singapore and Seoul, South Korea, then returning to New Haven for the remainder of their spring semester.

Special thanks to Frank Basile for his instrumental role in bringing this talented group to St. Bede's, and to Ryann Schaffer for including her hometown in the Alley Cats' spring tour schedule and for representing Los Angeles with such distinction on the Yale campus.

Kelly Riggle-Hower & Cynthia Rothchild help set up for Alley Cats reception in the garden

Alley Cats Alum & St. Bede's Music Director Frank Basile joins in for a photo in the garden

We’re all-in for the Sisters of Bede

By Tim Peters

Check. Call. Raise. Fold. There are just four actions in the game of poker, but an infinite variety of permutations and nuances, all on display last Saturday when a small but enthusiastic crew dropped by the parish hall for a Sister of Bede’s event: “An Evening of Texas Hold’em" sponsored by me. 

We learned a little about basic poker strategy, and a lot about how different players approached the game: Carl Townsend, for example, showed a lot of discipline, while Jerry Hornof bluffed with ease. Susan Holder played solidly, as did Karen Hornof, while Rob Kadota played a cautious game (but it didn’t seem like he was getting a lot of good cards). Rob's wife Melora Sundt started off “card dead” but ended up making some big hands. Probably the biggest pot of the night was contested by Susan and Melora; both players made full houses, but Susan’s eights full of aces edged slightly ahead of Melora’s sixes full of aces. 

Pizza and salads from Pitfire, oodles of chips, and beer and root beer provided by Carl provided the kind of sustenance that poker players need. 

Thanks to the players for their interest and generosity in supporting the Sisters of Bede, and thanks to Reverend Jennifer for helping to set up and clean up. 

By Liz Mohler

I would like to say thanks to my husband Dan for manning the grill, brewmaster Carl and his wife Jennine for bringing delectable homemade beer, my high school friends who flew out with Wisconsin cheese in their suitcases, and everyone who attended the Beer and Brats! 

It’s always a pleasure to gather with our church family and it’s a treat to welcome people who have been attending for years as well as first timers! 

A large array of wonderful Wisconsin cheeses were available for noshing. An informal contest was held to determine the favorite cheese of all the guests. This encouraged everyone to sample all the cheeses and vote for the top three they liked most. The Treasure Cave Blue cheese took the prize.

What a pleasure it was to hear that Tana Raikes said that she and her husband Steve have been coming to Beer & Brats every year since she joined St. Bede’s. While highlighting the delicious food and beer, along with the delightful company, she declared that they wouldn’t miss it.

We look forward to next year and hope you can join us!

The "Paint, Sip & Nosh" Sisters of Bede venue has been rescheduled to Saturday, April 5. We truly hope that everyone already signed up can attend--and there's room for more guests.

Keep in mind that this is the FINAL "Paint, Sip & Nosh" venue since Kelly Riggle Hower and her husband, Mark, are planning a move to Spokane this summer. As an art teacher for children and a truly compassionate and beautiful soul, Kelly leads this venue with inspiration, encouragement and tons of positive feedback.

No art experience is needed—just come ready to enjoy a creative and social atmosphere. Plus, all proceeds from Sisters of Bede events go directly to St. Bede's Outreach Programs—so you can have fun while supporting a great cause!

Register Now



For more information, reach out to Kelly or Daphne. We can’t wait to see you there!

My Great, Big, Wonderful, Grownup Field Trip Day at the Balloon Museum!

By Kelly Riggle Hower

The thing about St. Bede’s is that people take you on beautiful adventures, whether it’s in a chat at coffee hour about a transformational moment in life, or in the joy of a Sisters of Bede venue … or on a field trip with some truly remarkable women to the Balloon Museum!

When Daphne Moote texted to tell me our dear Susan Holder had a jury duty conflict and asked if I'd like to join her and Stephanie Landry on an outing to the Balloon Museum, I knew absolutely zero about the museum---but I also knew that I was 100% in on this thing.

After lunch in the flower district at Poppy & Rose, a black-owned restaurant where the waitress brought free mimosas to the table because she knows a fun group when she sees one, we headed to the Balloon Museum at Ace Mission Studios on 6th Street. The big placard as we entered promised us “a groundbreaking exhibition that brings together monumental inflatable artworks by renowned international artists,” and they were not over-selling it! 

We were lifted and transported by the artists whose works engaged us in an "Alice in Wonderland"/"James and the Giant Peach"-like adventure. We crawled through a ginormous black-lit ball pit, meandered through a mirrored labyrinth, drifted through more bubbles than Lawrence Welk could have imagined in his wildest dreams, swung an enormous ball with charcoal attached that marked the walls with balloon-swipe art, and lay on our backs on bouncy-waterbed-type cushions while a giant balloon butterfly---in scintillating, vibrating colors---swept over us...to name just a few of the out-of-body and in-our-nerve-endings kind of experiences we had.

Some of the artists who contributed to this included Cyril Lancelin with a vividly alluring, luminous labyrinth, MOTOREFIICO’s wildly bouncing spheres, Sasha Frolova with her delightfully disorienting kaleidoscopic fountain. And then there is the black-light ball pit where grown adults could actually swim among black plastic balls in a stadium parking lot-sized ball pit lit with the kind of black lights I haven’t seen since a junior high school dance.

I have to say that while in that ball pit I was divided between the pure joy of a black-light mega-ball to being disoriented, invited, mystified, stimulated and just taken back to the feeling of being 5 on the big fairground Ferris wheel. We squealed, shouted and sang. Our pop repertoire included “Come Fly With Me!,” “Up, Up, and Away!,” and the lyrics to Lawrence Welk’s sign off with the Champagne Music Makers orchestra (OK, that was me, but I was very, very young when I heard that closing theme… I just have a great memory for lyrics!).

It was a day to remember, and I always will---probably even at the very end when I hardly remember my name. Thank you for inviting me, Daphne and Stephanie. And for those of my fabulous St. Bede’s fellow adventurers who haven’t been yet...what are you waiting for?

Dear friends,

Many of you have shown concern about new immigration policies and how they will impact this vulnerable population among us here in Los Angeles. Below is information about how you can get involved through CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), an organization that St. Bede's works with and supports. Join us in preparation for this essential work.

Blessings,

Rev. Jennifer+

At the core of nearly every faith tradition lies the concept of a just, harmonious, and loving society where all souls are valued and everyone can thrive. 

It is unconscionable that people fleeing violence in other countries would be deported back to those places, regardless of threats to their safety and security.

Because the Trump Administration is threatening immigrant communities across the country (regardless of documentation status), CLUE is working across Southern California to protect immigrant workers and their families in a variety of important ways. 

You can join us in this work or support it with your donations knowing that you are doing your part to protect vulnerable people.

SUPPORT CLUES IMMIGRATION WORK

RAPID RESPONSE NETWORKS

If you see ICE Activity anywhere you go, you can report it to the Rapid Response hotlines in your area.

• Los Angeles: 888-624-4752
• Orange County: 714-881-1558
• San Bernardino/Riverside: 909-361-4588
• Kern County: 661-432-2230
• Central Valley: 559-206-0151

CLUE is working with RRN partners to offer ongoing trainings for faith leaders and community members who want to show up for workers and families being targeted by ICE.  

If you want to be trained to be a rapid responder and you live in Orange County, Los Angeles or the Inland Empire, contact Sithy Bin at sbin@cluejustice.org. 

CLUE WELCOME NETWORK

CLUE is cultivating its vast network of houses of worship to create a network of congregations that provide respite, and even longer-term shelter, to migrants released into Southern California. 

Over 30 congregations are already participating in the CLUE Welcome Network that houses asylum seekers and refugees. We receive referrals from CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights) for asylum seekers in need of shelter, from legal service providers that are seeking sponsors for people being released from detention, or direct walk-ins. Some congregations in the network provide temporary shelter or short-term housing, and others support those efforts with gifts of supplies, transportation, etc.

Thank you for standing in intimate solidarity as we seek to build a society where everyone is safe and lives with dignity.

If your congregation is interested in joining the network, offering housing or supplies or services, please contact Sithy Bin at sbin@cluejustice.org.

In faith and solidarity,

Rev. Jennifer Gutierrez

Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.

Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.

You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.

Ribbon cutting at the Orchard View Gardens development at St. Joseph’s, Buena Park. Photo by Bob Williams

Orchard View Gardens opens, housing low-income seniors at St. Joseph’s, Buena Park

By Mostyn Trudinger-Smith

The March 12 opening of Orchard View Gardens, the affordable 66-unit senior housing complex at St. Joseph’s, Buena Park, marked the culmination of over a decade of work towards developing affordable housing on St. Joseph’s property. The completion of the project is also another major milestone in the diocesan mission to create affordable housing on underutilized church land throughout the diocese.

“The person of faith looks at the world as it is and imagines the realm of God,” said Bishop John Harvey Taylor at the event. He thanked all who those who made the dream of affordable housing at St. Joseph’s a reality. “Whenever church people look at empty property, whenever they take stock of available energy and financial resource and they apply those things to caring for those most in need, including by giving them a place to lay their heads at night, God takes delight.”

In addition to Taylor, speakers at the opening included Alexa Washburn, chief development officer at CORE, Doug Chaffee, chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and District 4 supervisor, Joyce Ahn, mayor of Buena Park, the Rev. Cindy Voien, rector of St. Joseph’s, the Rev. Michael Bell, director of housing and business development at Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Alyssa Cotter, executive director of the Hope through Housing Foundation, and others from supporting organizations and government bodies. All members of the Buena Park city council were present and honored at the event.

Voien said that St. Joseph’s land has been reserved for holy purposes since 1957, and with opening of Orchard View Gardens, “a holy purpose has been found, a holy dream upheld, and we rejoice that the day of fulfillment has come.” Now that land serves as 66 affordable apartments to seniors earning less than 60% of the area’s median income, 12 of which are reserved as supportive housing for seniors who have experienced homelessness.

READ MORE HERE

Photo: Christ Episcopal Church

New Jersey church seeks approval to open 17-bed homeless shelter on property

By ENS Staff

A church in the Diocese of New Jersey is seeking authorization to build a 17-bed homeless shelter next to an existing outreach facility on its property, and the plan is facing local resistance.

Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, a coastal town of about 100,000, is seeking approval of the plan from the local Board of Adjustment, which meets next on March 13. Residents have raised concerns about safety and staff training at the shelter, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, New Jersey, has proposed adding a facility to its campus allowing for a 17-bed homeless shelter.

The church is partnering with the Affordable Housing Alliance, a nonprofit group that counsels people experiencing homelessness, including at the church’s outreach center. By expanding services there to include a shelter, it would allow unhoused adults to stay from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., with an overnight staff of two. Guests also would be provided with food, shower facilities and counseling on a range of services, including job placement and permanent housing.

The project reportedly would be financed by Ocean County but requires approval for a zoning variance, because homeless shelters are not allowed anywhere in Toms River. Advocates note, however, that the church’s residential zoning already allows for group homes and shelters for domestic violence victims.

“One of the purposes of a church is to provide outreach services to the community,” Brian J. Murphy, a professional planner working on the project, said at a hearing in January, according to Asbury Park Press. “The homeless are already familiar with the site. They have been coming there since July 2023.”

READ MORE HERE

Episcopal priest, poet receives award for ‘demonstrated consistent excellence’ in writing

By Melodie Woerman

The Rev. Spencer Reece, vicar of St. Paul’s, Wickford, Rhode Island, and an accomplished poet, is the recipient of the 2025 John Updike Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Photo: Spencer Reece

Episcopal priest and poet the Rev. Spencer Reece last week was awarded the John Updike Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award, which comes with a prize of $20,000, is given every two years to recognize a midcareer writer whose contributions to American literature have demonstrated consistent excellence. It was established by Updike’s widow, Martha.

Reece is the vicar of St. Paul’s in Wickford, Rhode Island, where he has served since late 2022.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to “foster, assist and sustain excellence” in American literature, music and art. It is congressionally chartered, and is headquartered in New York.

Reece told Episcopal News Service that when he got the email on March 6 telling him of the award, it came as a shock. “I kind of couldn’t believe it for a day or two,” he said. But, he added, “Being involved in a community of writers means a lot to me.”



This isn’t the only award Reece has received for his work. His first book of poems, “The Clerk’s Tale,” written in 2004 when he was 41, received the Bread Loaf Writers Conference Bakeless Poetry Prize. Many of the poems draw on his previous career as an assistant manager for Brooks Brothers.

After the book was published, The New Yorker devoted an entire page to its opening poem, which later served as the basis for a 2010 film by actor and director James Franco that debuted at a section of the Cannes Film Festival.

He has written two other books of poetry – “The Road to Emmaus” in 2013, which was a longlist nominee for the National Book Award, and “Acts” in 2024.

READ MORE HERE

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