Saturday, January 19, 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m .
Ascension hosts the Chicago Chapter of the  American Guild of Organists
'Choral Rehearsal Techniques'
Guest Conductors Paul French & Ascension Choirmaster Benjamin Rivera

See more information below.


Wedding Feast at Cana , mosaic
Sunday, January 20
The 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany

7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer 
8:00 a.m. Said Mass (Rite I)
9:00 a.m. Sung Mass 
11:00 a.m. Solemn High Mass 
Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Messe Cum jubilo (1966)

"They have no wine ."  John 2:3




This Week at Ascension + January 16, 2019

 
IN THIS NEWSLETTER

From the Rector
Also from the Rector
MLK Jr. Commemorations
2019 Parish Directory in Progress
Flower Guild News
Ascension hosts Chicago AGO
Ascension Book Group: January and February
This Sunday at Ascension
The Parish Prayer List
Approved Vestry Minutes Online
The Last Word

FROM THE RECTOR

Construction Zone: Plan B
     "You are dust, and to dust you shall return." - Genesis 3:19
     "Better safe than sorry." - A common idiom/proverb
Dear People of Ascension,
     It appears as if, after all, we won't be in the church during upcoming construction.
  • We will be in the church this coming Sunday, January 20, after which ...
  • All Sunday and weekday masses will be in St. Michael's Hall, for about four weeks.
  • Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer will be said in the Parish House hallway.
  • Enter through the garden and parish house doors for all services starting Monday, January 21.
    Why the change? Well, most souls who ventured opinions expressed doubts about keeping the church dust-free throughout a major tuck pointing project. Picture the tuck pointing blade shown here (a 'chaser') removing the mortar from the section of our sanctuary arch also shown. And imagine removing at least some mortar from all of the brick on all of the sanctuary arch! Sounds dusty, right? The bottom photo to the right shows dust being thrown from our furnace chimney stack during tuck pointing this past fall.
     We've been told that state-of-the-art equipment and ventilation techniques can be used to make an interior tuck pointing project virtually dust-free. In theory our own church may be dust-free at the end of the project. We'll all be thrilled! But what if not?
     In the end, polled those with the biggest stake in all of the logistics involved. We seem to have agreed that it will be more efficient and less stressful to make the change into St. Michael's Hall than it would be to scramble, if needed, later. I suppose you could say that it boiled down to better safe than sorry.
     Thank you in advance for your flexibility and patience. Please pray for the workers whose time and skills will make such a difference in the structural integrity and beauty of our beloved church.




PRaymond@ascensionchicago.org


ALSO FROM THE RECTOR
With regard to the tuck pointing project ...
  • Look for weekly updates here in the newsletter and look to our website and Facebook and Instagram accounts for interesting updates, as available, between newsletters. 
I trust that you'll be particularly supportive of our musicians in weeks to come. They'll be trying to perform some musical alchemy to pull off repertoire that was planned for church and pipe organ or, in some cases, to find suitable alternative repertoire.
Annual Meeting Alert: Sunday, January 27, one mass only, 10:00 a.m. Meeting at Noon.
  • Next week's newsletter will have a link to the annual meeting publication, with financial reports, profiles of our nominees for warden and Vestry members, and ministry and program reports. We'll also provide logistical information on the meeting itself. Please do plan to join us. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., will be commemorated at this evening's mass, 6:30 p.m.  A proper commemoration was a bit hard to figure out this year -- King's birthday was yesterday, January 15. The federal holiday in his honor is next Monday, the 21st. The anniversary of his assassination is April 4. Please take note of the related 'MLK weekend' invitation from the people of St. Martin's, Chicago, below. And pray:
A lmighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your Church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. - The Collect from Lesser Feasts and Fasts
A Nursery revival is quietly underway ... It began with, well, babies! Three born to Ascension households in the past two years. A major purge and cleaning of the nursery last fall was kindly undertaken by Cheryl Peterson and DiAnne Walsh. Then, yesterday, Amber Zelazny, a parent of one of our three Ascension toddlers, joined Cheryl Peterson and me for a strategy conversation. The Vestry has already provided for nursery care in the 2019 operating budget. All that's left is to find qualified, reliable caregivers and ... the Ascension nursery will be back in business.


MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMEMORATIONS
We'll commemorate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  at both masses Wednesday, January 16. And meanwhile the people of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Chicago, invite all who are interested to an additional commemoration in the form of a screening of the film The Long Shadow. Please view the invitation from the people of St. Martin's on the flyer linked here.

2019 PARISH DIRECTORY IN PROGRESS

DID YOU MOVE? CHANGE YOUR PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL ADDRESS? Please take a moment on Sunday, January 13th to verify your Parish Directory contact information in one of  two 2019 draft directories by checking with  DiAnne Walsh after the 9 a.m. or with Cynthia Perrizo after the 11 a.m. masses.

You may also send corrections via email to the Church Office.
 
FLOWER GUILD NEWS

Did you know that donors for Sunday flowers are needed most Sundays of the year , and that a flower gift may be given as a memorial or thanksgiving? There are four opportunities each Sunday. Flowers may be donated for the High Altar, for the Shrine of The Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Shrine of St. Michael, and for the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Please see the sign up sheets on the bulletin board in the back hallway on the first floor of the parish house.  For more info,  contact Cliff Green .

The Flower Guild is also looking for new members to purchase (reimbursable) and arrange Sunday flowers for the High Altar and three shrines. This is a fun and rewarding ministry. Volunteers will be given training if necessary, and you can even work with a partner if you like. All that is required is that you sign up to do the flowers one time per month. Please help us to beautify God's house. To volunteer, contact Cliff Green or any member of the Flower Guild.
ASCENSION HOSTS CHICAGO CHAPTER
OF THE AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS
Jay Peterson

Our parish will be the site for an American Guild of Organists choral conductors' workshop on Saturday, January 19, from 8:30-1:00. The widely recognized workshop leaders will be our own choirmaster, Benjamin Rivera, and Paul French, choirmaster at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on Belmont. The workshop participants will serve as the "choir" and will hear of multiple ways for achieving success with amateur choristers. Parishioner Jay Peterson is the Chair of the event, and Ascension organist, David White, will assist.

ASCENSION BOOK GROUP


For January and February the Ascension Book Group will read  The Pillars of the Earth   (1989) by Ken Follett (b. 1949).  In January we will read the Prologue, Part I, and Part II. In February we will read Part III - Part VI. 

THIS SUNDAY AT ASCENSION

The  Sunday Lectionary readings Schedules of Acolytes, Lectors & Ushers as well as Hymnody, Motets and Organ Voluntaries for  Sunday, January 20, 2019  may be found by clicking  here The Lector's Pronunciation Guide may be found here .

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

Please remember these people in your daily prayers
Geoffrey Wainwright, Fr. John Graham, Dorothy Murray, Mary Lou Devens, Michael Milano, Thomas Holden, Brenton Boitse, Charley Taylor, August 'Augie' Alonzo, Kenvert Samuel,
Regina Krusas, James Krusas, Sr., Ted Long, Jim Berger, Ethel Martin
 
Prayers for the departed
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
 
APPROVED VESTRY MINUTES ONLINE

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. 

THE LAST WORD

A search based on Sunday's wedding at Cana gospel text led to ...
 
Divine Epigrams: To our Lord, upon the Water Made Wine
by Richard Crashaw

Thou water turn'st to wine, fair friend of life, 
Thy foe, to cross the sweet arts of thy reign, 
Distils from thence the tears of wrath and strife, 
And so turns wine to water back again.
 
The pink storm came down after too much wine and lovemaking,
by Australian artist Avalyn Doyle.


Fr. Patrick Raymond,         praymond@ascensionchicago.org
Rector

Susan Schlough,                finance@ascensionchicago.org
Treasurer

Parish Office                      office@ascensionchicago.org