Dear friends,

As we prepare for the Feast of All Saints, Henry Bortz’s baptism, and a beautiful celebratory lunch on Sunday, I have been thinking about Dorothy Day. In the postscript to her autobiography, The Long Loneliness (1952) Day wrote:

“We were just sitting there talking when lines of people began to form, saying, “We need bread.”

We could not say, “Go, be thou filled.” If there were six small loaves and a few fishes, we had to divide them. There was always bread.

We were just sitting there talking and people moved in on us. Let those who can take it, take it.

Some moved out and that made room for more. And somehow the walls expanded….

It was as casual as all that, I often think. It just came about. It just happened…

It is not always easy to be joyful, to keep in mind the duty of delight.

The most significant thing about The Catholic Worker is poverty, some say.

The most significant thing is community, others say. We are not alone anymore.

But the final word is love. At times it has been, in the words of Father Zossima, a harsh and dreadful thing, and our very faith in love has been tried through fire.

We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know him in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone any more. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship.

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.

It all happened while we sat there talking, and it is still going on.”

Beloved ones, Dorothy Day was baptized at Church of Our Saviour in 1911. That day, her life of faith was woven into Christ’s life as it was, is, and will be revealed in our forebearers, in us, and in all who come after us. Her words above echo what I have come to see in our community: the feeding of the hungry, the walls expanding (“plenty good room”), and the primacy of genuine love in fellowship. “It is still going on.”

Looking forward to feasting and praying with you on Sunday,

Charlotte+

Daylight Savings Time Ends on Sunday

Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, November 1, so don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour and enjoy the extra sleep.

Stewardship Update

Just 2 Weeks Left — Is your pledge in?

There are just two weeks left in the 2027 Stewardship Campaign, with 50% of a $500,000 goal yet to be met.

Pledge income is 85% of our total income; there is no other substantial source of support to maintain and care for this parish. At the joint Vestry-Stewardship Forum on Oct. 4, we shared COS’ current financial position and the projected future (insert link to deck). In 2027, operating expenses are expected to be $575,000 which calls for pledge income to be $500,000.

It’s your stewardship that sustains the facility, worship, fellowship and ministries that make Church of Our Saviour a home for all of us now and those yet to join us.

Now is the time to make your pledge for 2027. Click here.

Kris Gleason and Shirlene Paul, 2027 Stewardship Chairs

All Saints Sunday One Service

November 1

This Sunday, as we celebrate All Saints’ Day, we will give thanks for all those who have shaped our lives, inspired our faith, and remain close to us in love. Join us for a single service at 10:00am, with a baptism, followed by the Anniversary Celebration for the Parish Common.

We invite you to bring photographs of loved ones who have died and icons of saints who inspire you to place on the high altar for our worship. Together, these images will create a beautiful reminder that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses—those who have gone before us, those who walk beside us, and those whose lives continue to reveal the love of God.

Parish Commons Anniversary Luncheon

November 1

Please plan to attend the November 1 luncheon to celebrate the first anniversary of the Parish Commons following the 10:00am service in the Care For Friends dining room on the lower level of the Commons. This will be a chance to meet Nicole Meunier, the new Executive Director of Care For Friends, who will be joining the celebration. We are so fortunate to have Salvatore’s Events Venue providing the feast – another connection between COS and our terrific neighbors at Salvatore’s.

Please RSVP for the celebration here.

ParkMobile Parking in COS Lot

COS has partnered with ParkMobile to offer hourly parking for 8 spaces in our church parking lot starting on November 9. These parking spaces, which will be clearly identified, will only be available Monday - Thursday, 9:00pm - 9:00am the following day. COS parishioners and guests will still have access to the lot on Sundays and throughout the week during regular programming; and Salvatore's will continue having access to our lot for valet parking Friday - Sunday evenings from 4:30pm - 1am. The revenue from this parking is a planned part of COS' operating budget, and we retain full access to change the available days, times, and rates to meet our programming needs. Instructions for using the hourly parking will be provided on the posted signs. Please reach out to the office with any questions. Thank you.

Vigil on the Eve of an Election

November 2

Please join us on November 2 at 7pm as we gather in the church for prayer ahead of the Midterm Elections. This is a time to reflect as a community and hold space for peace and justice. All are welcome.

Election Day Prayer Vigil

November 3, starting at 8am CT

The community of The Benedictine Way invites you to their Election Day Prayer Vigil, an opportunity to pray together for our democracy and for justice, mercy, and peace in our nation. The vigil will run from 8 AM – 8 PM CST on Election Day, November 3, livestreamed here.

You can find the full days schedule and all the details here.

Election Night Compline

November 3, 7pm on Zoom

As polling places close on the East Coast, join other Episcopalians in a prayerful service of compline, hosted by the church’s Division of Public Policy, Partnership, and Witness in collaboration with the Mission Program team.

The Rev. Sarah Shipman, director of the church’s Migration Ministries, will officiate. Prayers and readings will be offered in a variety of languages, and participants will be invited to share personal prayers in the chat. Spanish interpretation will be available.

Register Here

Sunday Forum: End of Life

November 8, 15, and 22 at 9am

Nobody likes to think about the end of life—our own or a loved one’s. Yet, it’s the one sure thing that we can know about the future: we will all die. As a parish community, we can help one another to prepare, though. Our 9 am Forums on November 8, 15, and 22 will offer us three opportunities to think and learn about end-of-life issues from the perspectives of your rector, a clinical social worker, and a physician. 

You can expect conversations to include practical topics like planning your funeral, as well as spiritual and psychological topics like grief and loss. 

ARC Upcoming Events

On Sunday, November 15th, please join the members of the Anti-Racism Committee to see the play, King Hadley II, by August Wilson at 3:00 pm at the City Lit Theater in Edgewater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. You can come to the play after brunch at Cleo’s or come to brunch or come to the play!

Check out upcoming events communicated by the Antiracism Committee and sign up using the bulletin board just outside coffee hour! You can find more details for the events here: www.chicagocos.org/arc-events

Celebration of Life Service for Joan Flanagan

November 16

The funeral service for Joan Flanagan will be held on Monday, November 16, at 1pm, followed by a reception in the Parish Commons. You can read her obituary here and leave a message for the family in the digital guest book.

ReVive Christmas Basket Ministry

COS has the opportunity to help Chicago families in need this holiday season by participating in the ReVive Center for Housing and Healing Christmas Basket program. This has been a cherished ministry at COS for decades and we need your help once again this year to support 19 families with presents and a grocery gift card. Click here for more information and to sign up to sponsor a family. All donations are due at COS on Sunday, December 6th. Please contact Nissa Cox with questions.

Witness Wednesdays

In a time of great hardship, we believe that simply being present is a powerful act of faith. 

Each Wednesday at noon, Episcopalians from several nearby churches and friends gather at the Immigration Court Building at 55 E Monroe, to pray for justice, mercy, and the dignity of every human being. We come together as a public sign of Christ’s love and as a visible witness to those who are hurting, afraid, or separated from the people they love. We pray especially for our immigrant neighbors and for all those affected by unjust and harmful immigration enforcement. We also pray for those in positions of power, that they may be merciful and compassionate to all people.

Got Some News to Share?



If you have some COS ministry news to share in the weekly eNews, please complete the Communications & Promotions Request by end of day Wednesday to make it in the Friday publication. For privacy reasons we do not include phone numbers only links to email addresses. Contact the office with any questions.

Convention Materials for Review in English & Spanish

As we prepare to conduct the business of convention, all essential materials will be published on the diocesan website. The following documents are now available for review:

• For Episcopal Elections: Nominations packet in English and Spanish
• Resolutions proposed to the convention in English and Spanish
• Reports to convention from committees, commissions, governing bodies and affiliated organizations, in English and Spanish