News from St. Helena's Lenten 2019 Edition March 10, 2019

Lenten Theme: Sacrifice, Surrender, and Salvation The world tries to deceive us into thinking that the acquisition of wealth, power, prestige, and other vanities is what matters in life. Lent, however, encourages us to reject these delusions and to focus instead on our dependence on and love of God. Lent is about going back to basics by stripping away all of the idols and temptations that enslave us through the three traditional Lenten disciplines of fasting, almsgiving (or charity), and prayer. Very little work has been done to show that sacrifice can be a healthy and joyful act and that the surrender of our need for control to God's wisdom and movement can be liberating, leading in turn to our salvation. This Lent, we will reflect on these three themes as a way to reorient ourselves back toward God, which is what that other great Lenten word, "repentance," means, "turning back," getting us back on the right path. We hope that you will spend this Lenten season with us, and enter deeply into the grace of sacrifice, surrender, and salvation that is the heart of the Paschal mystery. Let all your friends know about St. Helena's and invite them to join us for Lent and Holy Week. Promotional postcards are available on the entryway table (see above).

Lenten Simplicity Lent is a good time to let go of things and simplify our lives, so that we can focus on more important things. For me as your priest, reducing the administrative work will allow me to devote more time to preaching, pastoral care, and spiritual formation. In order to lessen the administrative burden in the parish, we will be rolling out some changes to which we hope you will be attentive. The first major changes are: This email newsletter will move from a weekly format to a monthly / seasonal format. Beginning this week, we will discontinue our bilingual worship bulletin, so that we can only use the Book of Common Prayer, a single sheet of readings, and the Hymnal 1982 for the Mass in English. In addition to making less administrative work, we hope that it will reduce the confusing amount of shuffling between various resources in the service, especially for newcomers. We will need to rely on the gifts and efforts of lay members to take on a variety of regular tasks, such as office work, translating materials into Spanish, and organizing parish events. Like the preparation of chrism (see video), these messy changes will require patience, so that we call allow the process to emerge organically and provide the right clarity over time. Lenten blessings, Fr. Ethan+

Final Homily for the Epiphany Season to Prepare Us for Lent: "Shedding Our Masks" Miss church last Sunday? Don't worry, you can still hear Fr. Ethan's homily from last week, "Shedding Our Masks."

Ashes-to-Go 2019 On Ash Wednesday, March 6, Fr. Ethan and Deacon Daryce had a very meaningful Ashes-to-Go experience at the Starbucks in Countryside, a stop-off at the Heather and Vine flower shop and a great lunch at St. Helena's favorite haunt, Willow Hills Restaurant in Countryside, where Chris the owner bought the clergy lunch after they administered ashes to patrons, as well as all the kitchen staff. Ashes-to-Go is a wonderful outreach event that invites members of the wider community to be mindful of the reflective and penitential character of Lent.

Ash Wednesday On Ash Wednesay, March 6, we offered offered a bilingual Mass with the imposition of ashes. Didn't make it to church on Ash Wednesday? You can see photos from the Mass on our Facebook page, and Fr. Ethan's homily in the video here. Prior to the Mass, we hosted our first "Soup, Salad, and Spirituality" dinner of the Lenten season. Anyone who is interested in hosting part of a future meal by contributing something simple, such as cheese, fruit, bread, or of course, the soup or salad, should write their name on the sign-up sheet on the table in the entryway.

Soup, Salad, and Spirituality on Wednesday Nights in Lent During Lent, our normal "Soul Kitchen" faith discussion group is doing something special on Wednesday nights. We will meet at church at 5:15 pm for a simple soup and salad dinner with the usual no-holds-barred theological debate. Each dinner will then be followed at 6:30 pm by a different spiritual practice or form of prayer. This is a great way to take a break from your hectic life for a moment of peace and enter into the unique spirituality of Lent, so please join us for the following services: Wed, Mar 6, Ash Wednesday - Bilingual Mass for Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes. Wed, Mar 13, Lent 1 - Stations of the Cross Wed, Mar 20, Lent 2 - Evening Prayer Wed, Mar 27, Lent 3 - Rosary Wed, Apr 3, Lent 4 - Compline Wed, Apr 10, Lent 5 - The Great Litany Wed, Apr 17, Holy Week - Tenebrae

Don't Be Late to Church on March 10th! Spring Forward! Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night. Cell phones should update automatically.

Special Donations for Diocesan Common Mission Share At last week's meeting, St. Helena's vestry agreed to raise the parish's voluntary contribution (called the Common Mission Share) to the Diocese of Chicago by 10% to support its mission and ministry. This increase is in recognition of the continual generosity of the Diocese to the life and work of St. Helena over the years and the mutual support between the Diocese and its congregations. We would like to raise this money in time for Bishop Lee's visitation on March 17th. Anyone who is able to contribute $10, $25, $50 or more to this collection should write a check to St. Helena's with the words, "Common Mission Share," in the memo line. You can also put cash in an envelope marked, "Common Mission Share." Thank you for your generosity!

Vestry Meeting Sunday, March 10, 2019, 10:15 am All are welcome to attend.

Flowers: Anyone interested in sponsoring flowers for a Sunday or feast day in memory of a loved one should sign the sign-up sheet in the narthex or speak to Jan Shangle. The charge is $50.

Confirmations and Reception into the Episcopal Church The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee, Bishop of Chicago, will be making his regular parish visitation to St. Helena's on Sunday, March 17, the Second Sunday in Lent . The regular parish visitation is a time when the bishop offers confirmation, or for those who have been confirmed in certain other churchs (Roman Catholic, ELCA Lutheran, Orthodox) to be received into the Episcopal Church.

Standing Office Hours for Fr. Ethan @ Starbucks Fr. Ethan keeps office hours every week at the Starbucks at 6001 S. Lagrange Road in Countryside . Feel free to stop by for a chat, pastoral care, or to help Fr. Ethan spread the good news about St. Helena's! If you are interested in meeting during this time, or would like to set up an appointment for a different day or time, please text Fr. Ethan at 847-606-0891.  Times are subject to change to meet pastoral and administrative needs. Wednesdays, 3-5 Thursdays, 4-6 All other times, by appointment

Pick Up a Holy Card, Say a Prayer, Light a Candle Have you ever noticed the beautiful statue of Mary in the niche just inside the sanctuary? She was hand-carved in Orvieto, Italy and brought back to St. Helena's by the parish's first rector, Fr. Johnson. This little shrine is a lovely, peaceful place to offer a prayer and light a candle in remembrance of a loved one, a special concern, or as an act of gratitude. Holy cards with some common Marian prayers have been printed and blessed for you to use as a tool to focus your prayer to God. Take one and keep Mary near you as a prayer companion on your spiritual journey.

Weekly events | Eventos semanales  Wednesday | Miércoles "Soup, Salad and Spirituality" Lenten discussion group, Dinner at 5:15 pm and Prayer at 6:30 pm , Thursday| Jueves  Kung Fu, 6-8 pm Saturday | Sábado   Kung Fu, 9-11 am Sunday Holy Eucharist with music and homily, 9 am Sunday | Domingo Christian Formation | Formación cristiana, 10:15 am (English) Domingo   Santa Eucaristía con música y homilía, 11:30 am Sunday | Domingo Christian Formation | Formación cristiana, 1:00 pm (español)

Sitio Web Parroquial Parish Website

Visite nuestro sitio web bilingüe para conocer los eventos de la parroquia y los programas para niños y adultos.  www.sthelenaschurch.org  ___ Visit our bilingual website to learn about the parish's events and the programs for children and adults. www.sthelenaschurch.org

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