Sunday, February 2nd
The Presentation of
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple
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7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
8:00 a.m. Said Mass (Rite I)
Nursery available 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
11:00 a.m. Candlemas Procession & Solemn High Mass
Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612)
Missa Dixit Maria
Join us for Coffee Hour in Wheeler Hall following every Mass.
And also (see below) ...
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Presentation in the Temple
, ca. 1494,
Ambrogio da Fassano Detto il Bergognone, 1453-1523
3:30 p.m. Organ Recital
LEOS
JANÁ
Č
EK 1854-1928)
Chorální Fantasie na po
č
est Blahoslavená Panna Marie
JWV 8/4 [1875]
CHARLES-ARNOULD TOURNEMIRE (1870-1939)
La Purification de la Sainte Vierge Marie
, Op. 55 [1928]
4:00 p.m. Choral Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Herbert Howells
(1892-1983)
St. Paul's Service
(1951)
Gary James
(b. 1957)
See What Love
(1991)
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This Week at Ascension + January 22, 2020
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
From the Rector
Also from the Rector
Upcoming Mass Commemorations
This Sunday at Ascension
The Parish Prayer List
Approved Vestry Minutes Online
The Last Word
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Still waiting?
"And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem,
whose name was Simeon;
and the same man was just and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel
."
Luke 2:25
"The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him."
Lamentations 3:25
Dear people of Ascension,
We all know the frustrations of waiting. Think of that phone call when you're put on hold. Ten minutes or twenty or an hour later, you lament, "I'm still waiting!"
The words wait and waiting are used nearly 200 times in English translations of the Bible. Sometimes the waiting is temporal--someone is simply waiting for something to happen. In another common usage, the treacherous 'lying in wait' lurks in dozens of Old Testament dramas involving armies, intrigues, captives, conspiracies and betrayal.
A third type of waiting also permeates the Scriptures, harder to define or measure. It's the waiting of the heart, directed to God. This waiting has a contradictory quality. It takes place in time-as-we-know-it: minutes, hours, days, years. And yet this waiting is already taking part in time beyond time. This waiting already perceives, yearns for and relishes the divine life in the heart of God. This kind of waiting seems harder and harder to come by in a world that increasingly disparages all waiting.
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'The Prophetess Anna,' or 'Rembrandt's Mother,' 1631, Rijksmuseum, Netherlands |
All this comes to my heart and mind now as we anticipate the stories of Simeon and Anna,two ancient waiters featured in the gospel for this coming Sunday, the Feast of the Presentation. Take them to heart, and we may gain an entirely new understanding of what it can mean to be 'still waiting.'
Naturally I hope and pray you'll be here to take part in one of our morning masses as well as the afternoon organ recital, Evensong and Benediction (with the choir). I hope and pray as well that Simeon and Anna may aid us in distinguishing between waiting in a too-long line and the spiritual gift and discipline of (still) waiting for God.
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* Thanks to all who were present for and contributed to a positive Annual Meeting this past Sunday, January 26.
* Elected to the Vestry (top left, l. to r.) were Enrique Vilaseco, Kelly Colomberti, George Pineda and (Warden) Cheryl Peterson.
* Thanks to all who shared in preparing and serving lunch: Brooke Raymond, Julie Kimani (with cupcakes, above), Joey Keegin, Kathryn Bacasmot, George Pineda, and others who pitched in. Note: we ran out of food because of my miscalculation ... so sorry.
* Thanks to Tim Kowalski (top right), for serving again as Annual Meeting Clerk!
* Thanks to Diamond Cox (center right) and Grady Parker (not pictured) for serving as Tellers and to Vestry Member Ken Kelling for coaching and assisting.
* Thanks to Fr. Alonzo Pruitt for serving as chaplain and leading us in prayers.
* Thanks to Maestros Schrader and White for the amazing four-handed accompaniment of our final hymn.
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Thanks to longtime members for taking part in another Annual Meeting and to new Voting Members and guests who showed up in encouraging numbers.
My incomplete list includes Kathryn Bacasmot, Judy Cook, Beverly, Lawrence and Diamond Cox, Joey Keegin, Lawrence McVeigh, Micah Meadowcroft, Jeffrey O'Malley, Peter (a first-time guest whose last name I missed), Grady Parker, Fr. Alonzo Pruitt, Ellie Roberts, Lindsay Roberts, Richard Shepro, Joshua Simpson, Samuel Sommers, and Ruby Woods.
*
Thanks to all ministry leaders who shared reports, either in print or at the meeting,
including
Kelly Colomberti, Marlea Edinger
and
Cheryl Peterson
who shared their responses to a recent 'Ministry for the Common Good' conference in San Francisco, and to
newcomer
Lawrence Cox
who shared a reflection on his family's experience as Ascension newcomers. Thanks to Treasurer Susan Schlough for concise reports both in print and in person at the meeting.
*
Thanks to anyone who should be thanked here but whom I've failed to mention.
I'm discouraged that I failed at the meeting to recognize our Sexton, George Panice, for his many significant contributions to all of the 2019 improvements projects and much more.
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 If you missed the printed Annual Report, provided in last week's newsletter and in print at Sunday's Annual Meeting, you have another chance: click here! |
 Confirmation, anyone? I know that it seems a long time off, but Bishop Lee will make his last episcopal visit prior to his retirement on Ascension Day, May 20. A Bishop's visit is, among other things, a primary opportunity for those who wish to be Confirmed or Received. For those needing clarification, Confirmation is the Rite by which those previously baptized make an adult confession of faith. Those who wish to formally become members of the Episcopal Church but previously Confirmed as Roman Catholics or in some Lutheran traditions are not confirmed again but rather Received into the Episcopal Church. Please let me know of your interest as soon as possible so that we may begin preparations, and so that I may know if we have enough interest to have a 'class.' |
| Sorry, the following two features should have their own heading, but Br. Nathanael is out of the office this week and I'm trying to figure out the newsletter layout on my own! - pr+ |
February 2: Rosary & Lunch
George Pineda, Convener and Secretary of the Society of Mary, Our Lady of Victory Ward, invites you to take part in the rosary this coming Sunday, February 2, following the 11 a.m. Solemn High Mass. All are then welcome to also share lunch at nearby Chicago q, at 1160 North Dearborn Street. (George, however, is not hosting! Individual tabs are assumed.) Participation in the rosary or lunch are welcomed regardless of affiliation with the Society of Mary or prior experience of the rosary. Easy-to-follow booklets are provided for those new to the devotion.
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Sharing Lunch, Sharing Blessings
Wednesday, February 12
 Our next gathering is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12th at 12:35 p.m. We are going to "rush the season" a bit and enjoy a festive Mardi Gras lunch prepared by DiAnne Walsh and Cheryl Peterson. The menu includes: Southern style jambalaya over rice (tasty but not spicy); scalloped spinach casserole; cole slaw; French bread; and crostoli pastries for dessert (an Italian specialty for Carnevale). Be sure to bring your appetite and invite a friend to join us for the weekday mass at 12:05, lunch following!
 Those of you who are native Illinoisans will recognize February 12 as Abraham Lincoln's birthday! Since February seems to be a month when we celebrate our presidents as well as Black History Month, we are asking that you bring a favorite quote or saying that is meaningful to you from one of these historical perspectives. Many presidents and many African-American leaders have spoken powerfully to our need to love God and to honor our national motto of "One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all." May blessings accompany our prayerful discussion.
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Anyone missing a Michael Kohr's scarf. One was left behind at Sunday's annual meeting. If it's yours, please call and leave a message at the parish office: (312) 664-1271. Thanks.
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UPCOMING MASS COMMEMORATIONS
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January 29, 2020
Commemoration of St. Thomas Aquinas
Evening Prayer, 6:10 p.m.
Said Mass, 6:30 p.m.
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February 1, 2020
Commemoration of Brigid, Abbess of Kildare
Morning Prayer, 9:30 a.m.
Healing Mass, 10:00 a.m.
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Please remember these people in your daily prayers
Geoffrey Wainwright, Mary Lou Devens, Charley Taylor, August 'Augie' Alonzo, Ted Long, Jim Berger, Ethel Martin, Yuka Asai, Dean Pineda, Bazelais Suy, Carnola Malone, Charlene MacDougal, Jim Lo Bello, Jack Johnston, Patricia Johnston, Stewart Marks, Char Yurema, Bob Sparacio, Jonathan Jacobs, Canon Edgar Wells, Nicholas Carl,
Joshua, Ellie, Hermina, Catriana Patriarca
Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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APPROVED VESTRY MINUTES ONLINE
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The Approved Minutes of Vestry meetings are now available online to parishioners who request the link. If you would like Internet access to the Approved Vestry Minutes, please email the
Church Office and request the link.
Once you access the web page, you can read all recent Approved Vestry Minutes. In addition, if you click on the subscribe button at the top right, you will be given email notice whenever a new set of Approved Minutes is added.
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Simeon and Anna-ancient, wise, patient, waiting. We'll hear about them in the appointed text from St. Luke's gospel for this coming Sunday, the Feast of the Presentation. My breath was taken away by the opening illustration for a related sermon, preached in 2015 by a Methodist pastor, the Rev. Cathlynn Law. I hope the story may take your breath away and provoke your awareness as well.
- Fr. Raymond +
There is a story from the Washington Post about 10 years ago. A man sat at a Metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin on a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, it was calculated that 1100 people went through the station. Three minutes went by and a man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried on his way. A minute later a woman threw money in the violinist's case without stopping. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, but the boy continued turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, urged them to move on.
In the 45 minutes, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed or applauded. The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world playing on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before playing in the subway, Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each.
Joshua Bell playing incognito was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste & priorities of people. Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? .... What gets your attention? When are you aware of the presence of God beside you, around you, within you?
For many of us, we are always tempted to be partially somewhere else. If we desire authentic spirituality, we need to show up to where we are now; to resist escaping. To pay attention to this given moment.
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Presentation in the Temple, etching, Rembrandt, 1630
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