This Sunday is Palm Sunday and the Sunday of the Passion
Join us for the blessing of Palms and Procession at Longfellow Square at 9:45 am
From the Dean
 
 
On Egeria's travels... and our own.
(A brief history and overview of Holy Week)
 
In the period between 381 and 384 AD, a woman named Egeria made a remarkable journey from Spain to the Holy Land in order to participate in the services of Easter. Even more remarkably, she wrote and published her diary, which stands today as the earliest and most complete description the early church's liturgical celebration of Holy Week. Her pilgrimage provided the foundation for the services of that we celebrate today. Unchanged in their significance from the earliest times, these services help us walk with our Lord as he journeys through his last week of life, his death and his resurrection. The following are bits of history combined with Egeria's reflections as recorded by Dr. Marian Hatchett in his Commentary on the American Prayer Book. This Holy Week, I encourage you to come to these services, reflect on their meaning, and to make Jesus' steps your own.
 
The week begins with the Sunday of the Passion, otherwise known as Palm Sunday. About Palm Sunday, Egeria writes: After the Eucharist, at which the story of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem had been read, the people hurried home to eat. At one o'clock, they met the bishop near the top of the Mount of Olives... at five o'clock they processed down the Mount with branches of palm or olive trees, singing psalms including Psalm 118 with all shouting "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." The procession went to the site of our Lord's tomb, a prayer was held at the site of the cross, and the people were dismissed. Our celebration of Palm Sunday will be the same. We will begin with a triumphal procession with palms and hosannas, and end with the Passion, hearing a dramatic reading of how Jesus died on the cross and was laid in the tomb. It is a journey from highs to lows, from excitement to tragedy, symbolic of hope in the midst of the reality of sin and suffering in our lives and in our world.
 
Maundy Thursday , Egeria tells us, was celebrated by a reading of the account of the Last Supper and the celebration of the Eucharist. Very soon after Egeria's time, the story of Jesus' washing of the feet of his disciples was also read, and it became tradition for abbots to wash the feet of peasants and of kings during this service. The name "Maundy Thursday" comes from the word "maundatum" or "commandment" from Jesus' words at this time: "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you." Does the idea of foot washing make you nervous? It is a graphic illustration of the true intimacy of this command, as equally profound as "Do this in remembrance of me." From the very beginning, this service also included the stripping of the altar, in preparation for Good Friday. Customarily this service was also followed by a "Watch," in which people maintained a vigil of prayer following Jesus' request in the garden of Gethsemane, "could you not watch with me for one hour?" To those who might choose to stay home this Maundy Thursday evening, his question is powerful indeed.
 
Egeria's fourth century description of Good Friday is the first we have of a separate service that focused solely on the cross and Christ. "From eight o'clock until noon, she writes, the wood of the true cross were exposed at the sight of the crucifixion. There the faithful came to venerate them. At noon, they moved into the church for a service of psalms, lections, hymns and prayers, that lasted until three." The early Galician rites from this same time period include special solemn collects and hymns which have been incorporated into our own liturgy. In this case "Good" derives its meaning from the middle English usage of "goodly" as "Godly" or "holy." On Good Friday we remember our Lord's passion with holy prayer.
 
The Jewish Passover commemorated the slaying of the first born, the exodus from Egypt, and the entry to the promised land. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the old feast in the early church. In every language except English, the same word is used for the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter -- Pascha. Reinterpreted with New Testament themes, this is the service of the Easter Vigil -- a service that retraces the salvation history of human kind, from darkness to light, from sin to live, from death to resurrection in Jesus Christ. A hundred years before Egeria, this service was known as the principal celebration of Easter and the appropriate place of baptism. Candlelit and full of chanting and marvelous symbolism, the Vigil is the most profound service of the Christian year and, except the for Eucharist itself, is the closest we have to the worship of the early church itself. As Christmas Eve is the first service of Christmas, the Vigil is the first service of Easter. And, like Christmas Eve, it is a service not to miss.
 
I hope you will take time to join St. Luke's this Holy Week on a journey with Egeria. Her travels along the road of faith changed her life and had a profound impact on the life and worship of others for more than a thousand years. On her pilgrimage, she met Jesus. Through Jesus' story, she discovered her own. Through his death and resurrection, she received her own. This Holy Week and Easter, I pray that on your own pilgrimage, you would do the same.
   
Dean Shambaugh 
Holy Week  and Easter at St. Luke's

  

Palm Sunday: 7:30, 10:00 and 5:15 with procession at Longfellow square at 9:45

 

Tuesday Chrism Mass: 11 am 

 
Maundy Thursday: 7:00 pm
Footwashing at Preble Street 9:00 am
 
Good Friday: Noon and 7:00 pm
 
Holy Saturday/The Easter Vigil: 7:00 pm
 
Easter Day 7:30, 9:00, 11:00, and 5:15
with an Easter Egg Hunt at 10:30 am
(babysitting provided during the 9 and 11)
Musical Features
 at Twilght in the Chapel
Please join us in Emmanuel Chapel at St Luke's Cathedral on Sunday evenings at 5:15 for Twilight in the Chapel.
 
We gather in the intimate setting of the candle lit chapel for a casual, contemporary, and contemplative Eucharist service accompanied by live music provided by local musicians. The Twilight service is a time for worship and renewal as the weekend draws to a close and the new week begins.
 
In the coming weeks our music will be provided by: Shannon Allen (Cello), April 9; Emmett Harrity (Piano), April 16; Michael Katz (Guitar), April 23; Sisters in Song (Girl's Choir), April 30.

Creation Care
Did you know the average US home has enough air leaks to equal an open window? Sealing and insulating your home can save you up to 20% on heating and cooling costs, and upwards of 10% on your total energy bill (Energy Star).  Find an experienced certified contractor, or follow Energy Star's do-it-yourself guide to sealing and insulating:    (Tip provided by www.greenfaith.org ).  The West End Neighborhood Association, of which St. Luke's is an affiliate member, is sponsoring a window insert build with Windowdressers.org. This non-profit is dedicated to helping Mainers reduce their heating bills and CO2 emissions by lowering the amount of heat loss through windows. FMI see Liz Parsons.

April 7, 2017
 
Weekly Child Care:
Our nursery (adjacent to the Upper Parish Hall) is available for children 4 years old and under from 9:45 am to 11:45 am on Sundays.

Sunday School for pre-K-5th grade is from 9:45 to 10:30 (with the children rejoining their parents at the Peace). Swing by any time after 9:45.

Youth Group for middle and high schoolers is from 11:30-12:30 every week. .  All young people in grades 6-12 are invited to attend.

Worship Schedule
Sundays:
(see below for Holy Week) 
07:30 am (Chapel) 
10:00 am (Nave)
 4:00 pm (Nave) - Evensong on 1st Sundays
 5:15 pm (Chapel)

Our  Sunday 10 am services are livestreamed on our website.


Remember, the office is closed on Mondays.
 

Tuesdays
12:10 pm: Worship (Chapel)

2nd and 4th Wednesdays
5:45 pm: Taize Service in Emmanuel Chapel 
Quick Links
Don't forget to friend us on Facebook - St Luke's Cathedral, Portland, ME 

Click here for our full calendar
Getting Involved in Advocacy at St. Luke's
To learn about the Maine Episcopal Network for Justice or the Faith Action Network, contact John Hennessy. jhennessy@episcopalmaine.net

For information about St Lukans participating in local events, contact Liz Parsons ecparsons33@hotmail.com

Spiritual Formation 
 for Adults

A Newcomers/Inquirer's Class is being held at 9am on Sunday mornings in March. This is great for anyone wanting to learn more about the Episcopal Church or St. Lukes and is also for anyone (youth or adult) interested in being confirmed in May.

Social Justice is the theme of this year's Lenten Series,
this week's topic is Invisible Maine. Bob Greene, an 8th generation Mainer, AP reporter, and Trustee of the Maine Historical Society, teaches black history at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Harriet Price (H.H. Price), co-author of Maine's Visible Black History, worked on Maine's Underground Railroad history and for two US Commissions on Civil Rights. We meet at 11:30 am in the upper parish hall on Sunday.
 
The Explorers  are completing the Bishop Tutu and Dalai Lama volume on Joy. Our next meeting is the Sunday after Easter from 8:45 to 9:45 am, in the Chapter Room.
  
Heart of the Matter explores religious belief through the work of Joseph Campbell.  It's a great place for those seeking new ways of understanding their relationship with their faith. Join us in Classroom 8 on Sundays from 8:45-9:45 am.

The Tuesday Bible Study and brown bag lunch continues each week after the 12:10 service.
  
Spring Training, April 29
Gather with Bishop Steve Lane and Episcopalians from across the diocese for a day of learning, sharing, and growth. A church leader? A clergy person? Someone interested in spiritual growth or community outreach? 
With 20 workshops to choose from, you'll find what you're looking for. There's no cost for this event, which will be held at St. Paul's Church and the public library in Brunswick.  See details here

 
 
  
Easter Donations for Flowers, Music 
and Advertising  
Easter Memorials or Thanksgivings are due in the parish office by Monday, April 10. Envelopes are in the pews or at the entrances.
UTO
Wondering what the blue boxes scattered throughout the church are? They are UTO boxes which is a ministry of the Episcopal Church to recognize and name our many blessings daily. The offerings go to support mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion world-wide. St. Luke's was a recipient of one of their grants to help us build the school in Haiti. The UTO ingathering will be held on Sunday, April 23.
feedback.

Spring Update on the Living Stones Capital Campaign
This is an exciting time for the Living Stones campaign! We are delighted to report that over 215 individuals and families, not to mention 10 other parishes as well as the diocese, have pledged or contributed nearly $1.3 million dollars so far - plus the proceeds of the sale of the Deanery last year (nearly $446,000) were added to the fund.
 
The work in the nave is nearly complete. We have received a generous grant to help with refurbishing the lancet windows below the rose window, and this work is being discussed by the Vestry. The Building & Grounds Committee and the Vestry are now working on plans for Phase 2 of the Cathedral renovations, to enhance the program space in the Parish House. Stay tuned for details!
 
We are also poised to make our second contribution of $20,000 to Camp Bishopswood against our commitment to assist it with its urgent repairs and renovations. To our pledgers and contributors - your great generosity is deeply inspiring. And if you have not already contributed to the campaign, now would be a great time to do so!
 
Claire Hammen & John Watson