This Week's Announcements
August 13, 2018
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Message from the Rector
August 13, 2018
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 4:25-27, 31 - 5:2
The reading this week from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians was written to a community of Christians nearly 2,000 years ago to encourage them to be better Christians to others...and to themselves. Many of the struggles Christians faced in the 1st Century are the same struggles we face in the 21st. They struggled for identity (who's in and who's out), they struggled for respect in a culture that didn't want them to exist-or just didn't care, they struggled with how they were to exist in community. How we treat others and how we live our lives makes a statement to others that we are Christians, and how we treat each other in our own community of Christians is a critical part of that statement. If we can't treat each other with love, if we can't live together in harmony as a community, how are we going to show the rest of the world how to live in harmony and love? I don't think that anyone will disagree that the world today needs more love.
Paul's letter to the Church at Ephesus was a call for Christian unity. In a city that had become the capital of the region with a diversity of peoples, cultures, and religions, Christians were among those who tried to make a life for themselves there. But the Church was divided between its Jewish members and its Gentile members, and Paul addressed that conflict with a call to unity. That's what the first part of Chapter 4 is about. The passage that we read this morning goes right to the heart of the conflict and bids them to be truthful, to love, and to forgive, because being a Christian means letting go of old behaviors and the behaviors of the world and taking on a new way of being, a new way of walking through life. It tells them to deal with their anger, but not to let it lead them into sin. See, anger is a natural human emotion, but anger left unchecked can agitate people and situations, it can cloud one's judgment, it can make a person feel self-righteous or insist that they are right, it can destroy relationships. Anger is not good. Paul's advice is that as Christians we are better than that. We can take our anger and instead of wallowing in it, to tackle it head-on and move past it through truthfulness, love, and forgiveness.
Whether we are faced with challenges in our personal relationships, our relationships in our church, or those in any other community, we must not let those challenges consume us or drive us to anger, bad judgment, or broken relationships. We must forgive. We must take on those challenges by heeding Paul's words of advice to the Ephesians and "Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore, [let us] be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
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St. Clare of Assisi
(August 11)
St. Clare of Assisi was born in Assisi on July 16, 1194, as Chiara Offreduccio, the beautiful eldest daughter of Favorino Sciffi, Count of Sasso-Rosso and his wife Ortolana. Tradition says her father was a wealthy representative of an ancient Roman family and her mother was a very devout woman belonging to the noble family of Fiumi.
As a young girl, Clare dedicated herself to prayer. At 18-years-old, she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach during a Lenten service in the church of San Giorgio and asked him to help her live according to the Gospel. On Palm Sunday in 1212, Clare left her father's home and went to the chapel of the Porziuncula to meet with Francis. While there, Clare's hair was cut off and she was given a plain robe and veil in exchange for her rich gown.
Clare joined the convent of the Benedictine nuns of San Paulo, near Bastia, under Francis' orders. When her father found her and attempted to force her back into his home, she refused and professed that she would have no other husband than Jesus Christ. In order to give her the greater solitude she desired, Francis sent Clare to Sant' Angelo in Panzo, another Benedictine nuns monastery.
Clare's sister Catarina, who took the name Agnes, joined her at this monastery. The two remained there until a separate dwelling was built for them next to the church of San Damiano.
Over time, other women joined them, wanting to also be brides of Jesus and live with no money. They became known as the "Poor Ladies of San Damiano." They all lived a simple life of austerity, seclusion from the world, and poverty, according to a Rule which Francis gave them as a Second Order. St. Clare and her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent most of the time. Their lives consisted of manual labor and prayer. Yet, they were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time.
San Damiano became the center of Clare's new order, which was then known as the "Order of Poor Ladies of San Damiano." For a brief period of time, the order was directed by St. Francis himself and by 1216, Clare became the abbess of San Damiano. Ten years after Clare's death, the order became known as the Order of Saint Clare.
While serving as the leader of her order, Clare defended them from the attempts of prelates to impose a rule on them that more closely followed the Rule of Saint Benedict than Francis. Clare was so devoted and dedicated to Francis that she was often referred to as "alter Franciscus," or another Francis. She encouraged and aided the man she saw as a spiritual father figure, and took care of him as he grew old.
Following Francis' death, Clare continued to promote her order, fighting off every attempt from each pope trying to impose a rule on her order that would water down their "radical commitment to corporate poverty."
In 1224, an army of rough soldiers from Frederick II came to attack Assisi. Although very sick, Clare went out to meet them with the Blessed Sacrament on her hands. She had the Blessed Sacrament placed at the wall where the enemies could see it. Then on her knees, she begged God to save the Sisters.
"O Lord, protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now," she prayed. A voice seemed to answer, "I will keep them always in My care." In that moment, a sudden fright struck the attackers and they fled as fast as they could without harming anyone in Assisi.
St. Clare became sick and suffered great pains for many years, but she expressed that no pain could trouble her. So great was her joy in serving the Lord that she once exclaimed: "They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly called poor?"
On August 9, 1253, Pope Innocent IV declared that Clare's rule would serve as the governing rule for Clare's Order of Poor Ladies. On her deathbed as she saw many weeping by her bedside, she exhorted them to love "holy poverty" and to share their possessions. She was heard to say, "Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he that created you has sanctified you, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be God, for having created me." She died on August 11 at 59-years-old.
Clare's remains were placed in the chapel of San Giorgio while the church dedicated to her remains was being built. At Pope Innocent's request, the canonization process for Clare began immediately, and two years later in 1255, Pope Alexander IV canonized Clare as Saint Clare of Assisi.
The construction of the Basilica of Saint Clare was finished in 1260, and on October 3, 1260 Clare's remains were transferred there and buried beneath the high altar. Nearly 600 years later, her remains were transferred once again to a newly constructed shrine in the crypt of the Basilica of Saint Clare. Her body is no longer claimed to be incorrupt.
The Order of Poor Ladies was officially changed to the Order of Saint Clare in 1263 by Pope Urban IV.
St. Clare was designated as the patron saint of television in 1958 by Pope Pius XII, because when St. Clare was very ill, she could not attend mass and was reportedly able to see and hear it on the wall in her room.
She is also the patroness of eye disease, goldsmiths, and laundry.
Clare is often pictured carrying a monstrance or pyx, to commemorate the time she warded off the soldiers at the gates of her convent with the Blessed Sacrament. St. Clare's feast day is celebrated on August 11.
Resources
"St. Clare," in
Holy Women, Holy Men
(Church Publishing, Inc., 2010)
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Events this Week
(Proper 14)
Tuesday, August 14
7:30 PM - Family Movie Night
Movie: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Wednesday, August 15
(St. Mary the Virgin)
7:00 PM - Low Mass
Friday, August 17
9:30 AM - Morning Prayer
7:30 PM - Estudio Bíblico
Saturday, August 18
12:15 PM - Senior Lunch Program
Church of the Resurrection, Kew Gardens
Sunday, August 19
(Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, her Dormition & Assumption)
8:00 AM - Said Mass (Rite 1)
9:30 AM - La Misa en Español (Ordo Luterano)
11:00 AM - Choral High Mass (Rite 1)
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Summer Movie Night
This Tuesday!
Food, snacks, popcorn, & cold drinks. Due to the construction, movies will be shown in the rear of the nave.
Fun for the whole family!
Upcoming Movies
| August 21 |
The Ten Commandments (1956) - Part 1 |
| August 28 |
The Ten Commandments (1956) - Part 2 |
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The Feast of St. Mary the Virgin
Her Dormition and Her Assumption
Choral High Mass
Procession of Our Lady of Walsingham
Blessing of Herbs
This Sunday
August 19
11:00 AM
You are invited to bring herbs and fruit from your garden
to be blessed at the beginning of the 8:00 and 11:00 Masses.
Image:
Coronation of the Virgin
(ca. 1607), Guido Reni (1575-1642)
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Share your best recipe!
The International Food Fair is fast approaching and more food is needed. If you're excited about making your favorite dish from your country of origin, please sign up to bring a food item, dessert, or beverage. You can make something to be sold as an individual item (e.g. empanadas), as a meal (e.g., baked chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and sautéed vegetables), or a traditional beverage (e.g., mauby). Sign up sheets are located in the back of the church, or you can click here to sign up online.
The deadline to sign up to contribute a food item is Sunday, September 2. Unlisted dishes or beverages will not be accepted on the day of the food fair. Please speak to a member of the Events and Planning Committee with any questions.
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Look at all those gorgeous flowers on the altar!
I wonder where they come from?
Please consider giving donations to the Altar Guild toward flowers, candles, candle oil, bread, and wine. Your donations help pay for the flowers that adorn the high altar, chapel altar, Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, and the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as well as the other items required for our many masses on Sundays and during the week. Donations can be made in honor of a birthday or anniversary or in memoriam of someone who has died. The names of one or two donors may be printed in the bulletin, but in the case of multiple donors a summary will be given (e.g. donated by John and Jane Doe, their 10 children, and 25 grandchildren). Individual offerings will not be read during mass; rather, a general acknowledgement and thanksgiving will be offered by the priest just prior to the beginning of the offertory.
Donations must be submitted using the white envelopes found on the table in the back of the nave. These are different from your pledge envelopes; however, if you write the number located in the right corner of your pledge envelope on the white envelope, your donation will appear on your giving statement. To make a donation or for any other questions, please speak to Hazra Whitney.
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School Supplies Needed
Every year we launch a drive for school supplies to be given to a number of neighborhood schools. These supplies assist the students whose families do not have the money to buy all of the supplies their children need. Donations may be left in the boxes located in the back of the nave. Please be generous. For more information, please see Hazra Whitney. Click here for the list of supplies requested.
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Parish Hall Construction Update
Cement for the floor of the elevator lobby & vestibule has been poured and framing of the vestibule and kitchen has begun. Installation of the elevator is schedule to begin soon. Your prayers and patience have been greatly appreciated.
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SIGN UP SHEETS ARE IN THE BACK OF THE NAVE.
DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 2.
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While you're away on vacation this summer,
don't forget about us here at home.
Please keep up with your pledges, especially if you will be vacationing this summer. Unclaimed mid-year giving statements will be mailed out this week. In order for All Saints Church to continue its ministry and mission, we require an average weekly pledge of $4,000. This week we received $1,649.
Did you know that you can pay your regular pledge and make other contributions to the General Church Fund online? Simply go to our church management page and set up a personal password. Once it is set up, you can contribute online and see the record of your contributions at any time. Contributions can be made by e-check (preferred) or by credit/debit card, and are automatically credited to your church record within one or two business days.
Click here
to be directed to our church management system. If you have any questions or trouble signing in, please send us an
e-mail
or call the church for assistance.
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Update your information.
Actualiza tu información.
Please click below to be directed to our website where you can download the Demographic Information Form. You may attach it to an e-mail and send it back to the church, or place it in the designated box on the table in the rear of the church.
Por favor, haz clic abajo para dirigirte a nuestro sitio web donde puedes descargar la forma demográfica. Puedes adjuntarla a un correo electrónico y enviarla a la iglesia, o ponerla en la caja designada en la parte de atrás de la iglesia.
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Pastoral Care Opportunities offered by Pastor Leticia
Oportunidades de Cuidado Pastoral ofrecidas por Pastora Leticia
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Sometimes we all need a listening heart to process the questions we face.
Give yourself the gift of a confidential conversation that is nonjudgmental, open to YOUR questions and spiritual challenges, and fully supportive of your life quest and spiritual needs. Hard or challenging times need not be walked alone. All Saints wants to be there for you, whatever the pain or need.
Hay tiempos cuando todos necesitamos un corazón que escuche para poder procesar las cuestiones que la vida nos presenta.
Date el regalo de una conversación confidencial donde no serás juzgad@, donde lo que importa son TUS preguntas y donde encontraras apoyo para tu búsqueda personal y tus necesidades espirituales.
En tiempos difíciles no es necesario caminar solo. ¡Todos los Santos quiere estar ahí para ti!
Para acordar una convarsación o visita, llama al 718-350-9536 o envía un correo electrónico a Pastor Leticia,
por tocar aquí
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Donate to Disaster Relief in the US and Worldwide
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Texas & Louisiana and Hurricane Irma in The Caribbean and Florida, there are many places in need of disaster relief. Natural disasters are happening all the time around the globe. You can contribute to the many relief efforts through Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD).
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