|
|
St. Mary the Virgin
(transferred)
August 18, 2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
My Soul Magnifies the Lord
|
It is easy to praise God when life is good; it is much harder to praise God when the bottom falls out of our world. This Sunday, we will celebrate the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, in which we will proclaim the canticle known as the Magnificat or Song of Mary. This song is based on the earlier Song of Hannah in the First Book of Samuel (1 Sam. 2:1-10), in which the long-childless Hannah gives thanks for the birth of her son, who will become the prophet, Samuel.
The Song of Mary, like the Song of Hannah, begins as a personal thanksgiving for the fruitfulness of the woman's womb; but both songs assume a much larger scope, promising God's reversal of Israel's (and humanity's) misfortunes by humbling the mighty, feeding the hungry, lifting up the lowly, and showing mercy to suffering Israel. God's gift of mercy to the women is understood as a sign of greater mercies to come, for the larger world in which they live is one full of adversity. The Song of Mary recounts Mary's visit to her pregnant relative, Elizabeth, a woman considered past the age of conceiving. When Mary greets Elizabeth, the child in her womb, who grows up to be John the Baptist, leaps for joy at the sound of her voice. Hannah, Mary, and Elizabeth are all able to recognize in the moment that their individual experiences of God's abundant mercy is a promise of better things to come for others.
In the last couple of weeks, we have had multiple experiences of tragedy: mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, protests in Hong Kong, Frank Shower's hospitalization, and Bob Nolan's death. Whether personal or global, these adversities invite us to examine where God's mercy might be at play in situations that seem so dire. When things are at their worst, where is God bringing abudance out of barrenness? Perhaps in compassionate people of conscience caring for the injured or grieving. Perhaps in the gathering of friends in a hospital room to be present, to pray and to sing. Perhaps in the peaceful passing of a beloved husband in the arms of loving women who have just anointed him for burial. God is with us in pain and suffering, applying balm to our wounds in ways we cannot often perceive. The Song of Mary and the Song of Hannah remind us to give thanks for God's small mercies and to look for greater mercies to come.
Abundant blessings,
Fr. Ethan+
|
|
|
|
The Feast of St. Mary the Virgin on Sunday, August 18, and the Art of Mary Adult Formation on August 25
|
Many people limit their focus on St. Mary, to Advent and Christmas, when we reflect on the imminent arrival of the baby Jesus, the Word made flesh, through the Blessed Virgin's womb. Yet Mary is much more than Jesus's mother, and so the Episcopal Church honors her larger witness and ministry in mid-August with the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin.
Mary has traditionally been bestowed with a variety of titles that express the magnitude of her contributions to faith and the life of the Church, and so we will be exploring some of these in the homily for that day, as well as in a
special adult formation on Sunday, August 25 on the art of Mary from museums around the world.
|
|
|
|
|
What is your preferred worship time on Sunday morning?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank You for a Beautiful Brunch
|
What a splendid time we had last Sunday with our first-ever
Eucharistic Brunch. Many thanks to everyone who prepared the basement for the event, contributed food and drink, and made sure everything went smoothly. And, as always, a big shout-out to Eileen Robinson for the terrific photos, which you can find on
St. Helena's Facebook page.
|
|
|
|
The Passing of Robert Emmett Nolan
|
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of
Bob Nolan, beloved husband of St. Helena's former deacon,
the Rev'd Daryce Hoff Nolan, on Monday afternoon from complications following a stroke.
Deacon Daryce is very grateful for all of the prayers and kind wishes that people have conveyed to her. As this continues to be an intense and fatiguing time for her family, Deacon Daryce asks for everyone's understanding if she is not able to answer everyone's phone calls. She would welcome emails and text messages, however.
Funeral arrangements are:
Wake:
Friday August 16 - 3pm to 8pm
Church of the Holy Nativity
9300 S. Pleasant Ave, Chicago
Requiem Mass:
Saturday August 17 - 11am
St. Cajetan Catholic Church
2445 W. 112th Street, Chicago
|
|
|
|
Our music director,
Frank Showers, is in the neurology unit (Room 8066) at the University of Chicago Hospital in Hyde Park and has asked me to convey to you his gratitude and love for all of your prayers during his hospitalization. He remains in good spirits and shares how much he loves St. Helena's. We celebrated the Eucharist today; and Frank even provided the music on his keyboard! Frank's friend, Lucille, and his brother, John, have been great companions; but Frank would also love phone calls and visits from his church family. His cell phone number is
(708) 990-8877. Take a moment and let Frank know that you are keeping him in your prayers.
Thank you,
Fr. Ethan+
|
|
|
|
Have a Great Experience of St. Helena's? Write a Review.
|
St. Helena's renewed focus on inviting and greeting newcomers requires not only a warm welcome at the door, but also encouraging people to try us out when they're church shopping online. If you've had a great experience at St. Helena's or have a compelling story of how you came to the parish that you would like to share, consider writing
a review on St. Helena's Facebook page.
|
|
Vestry Meeting, This Sunday, August 18, at 10:15 am.
All are encouraged to attend.
|
|
|
|
Learning to Gather, Transform, and Send
|
To help us enter more deeply into the work of inviting and greeting newcomers, the bulletin board in the narthex offers a more detailed look at the
GATHER - TRANSFORM - SEND
model that we will be using through the rest of this year. Take a few minutes to read through the descriptions of each of the three components and reflect on what they might look like at St. Helena's. As we approach the beginning of the program year, focus especially on the
GATHER
portion, which consists of
Invite
,
Greet
,
Orient
, and
Incorporate.
|
|
|
|
Soul Kitchen Facebook Group
|
Here's this week's discussion question from a St. Helena parishioner:
If one claims that God does not interfere in human events to cause suffering, then how do we understand our prayers asking for God to intervene to cure or eliminate that same suffering? Does God intervene/interfere in human events or not? Why or why not?
|
|
|
|
Spiritually Hungry During the Week? Come to "Soul Kitchen."
|
"Soul Kitchen" meets on
Wednesday nights at 6:30 pm for a no-holds-barred discussion about faith. Topics bubble up from within the group, so we never know what's on the menu until we sit down. No topic is off limits. It could be current events, theology, Bible study, pop culture, or some provocative question that someone had always been afraid to ask. And sometimes, we just play "Stump the Priest!"
This Wednesday, we will meet at Chris DiBartelo's house at 6 Regent Court in Burr Ridge at 6:30 pm. Anyone who is interested in dinner beforehand can meet at the Portillo's near Route 83 and Plainfield Road.
|
|
|
|
A Two-Week Celebration of Our 60th Anniversary!
|
This September, St. Helena's will celebrate our founding in 1959 with two weeks of festivities. On
Sunday, September 8, we will commemorate the parish's 60th anniversary with a celebratory Mass and barbeque, as well as look forward to the next stage of our life and ministry as the Body of Christ in Burr Ridge. The following
Sunday, September 15
, we will celebrate our
Feast of Title, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
,
followed by a special Christian formation on the life of St. Helena's over the last 60 years. Don't miss this joyous two-week event!
|
|
|
|
You can make a difference!
Our
Blessing Pantry
has been a great success, which we have witnessed in the need to restock it regularly with new food and other supplies. We are always seeking
a few volunteers to keep an eye on it and refill it with items stored on the shelves in the Anderson Room when it gets low.
And remember ...
throw a jar in the car or a can in the van on Sunday and put your donated items in the basket in the back of the church. These food and supplies will be blessed at the altar during the Eucharist and then included in our stock in the Anderson Room.
This simple act of generosity reminds us that it is not enough for us to come to church to be fed. As people of faith, God calls us to pay that nourishment forward by feeding others when we go back out into the world.
|
|
Birthdays/Anniversaries
8/4
Fr. Ethan Jewett - Priesthood Anniv.
8/6
Deidre Burke
8/7
Chris DiBartelo
8/15
Jan Shangle
8/18
Eileen Robinson
8/23
Dave Shangle
8/24
Charles Petrasek, Sr.
|
|
The Departed
8/1/96
Ruth McCarter
8/5/03
Augusta Petrasek
8/12/78
Frankie Pyron
8/12/19
Robert Emmett Nolan
The Homebound
Ruth Hanna
The Sick
Frank Showers
David Oommen
|
|
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer
The WEEK of August 4
- Congregations in the Waukegan Deanery:
Holy Apostles in Wauconda; Christ Church in Waukegan; Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe in Waukegan; St. Ann in Woodstock
; Companion Dioceses in SE Mexico and Renk:
San Andrés in Veracruz; St. Bartholomew in Thiangrial
The WEEK of August 11
-
Congregations in the Waukegan Deanery:
St. Ignatius of Antioch in Antioch; St. Mary in Crystal Lake; St. Gregory in Deerfield; St. Andrew in Grayslake; Annunciation of Our Lady in Gurnee;
Companion Dioceses in SE Mexico and Renk
The WEEK of August 18
-
Congregations in the Waukegan Deanery:
Trinity in Highland Park; Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest; Holy Family/Sagrada Familia in Lake Villa; St. Lawrence in Libertyville; St. Paul in McHenry; For those who have finished, and for those who are about to begin the Julian Year Program;
Companion Dioceses in SE Mexico and Renk
The WEEK of August 25
- The Dioceses of Province Five: Intercessions
are offered for the President and leadership of Province Five of the Episcopal Church.
And our Companion Dioceses of SE Mexico and Renk
|
|
|
|
- August 4 - Feast of the Transfiguration (transferred)
- August 11 - Eucharistic Brunch
- August 18 - St. Mary the Virgin (transferred)
- August 25 - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
|
|
Weekly events
Wednesday
"Soul Kitchen" faith discussion group @ 6:30 pm.
Sunday
Holy Eucharist with music and homily, 9 am
|
|
Visit our website to learn about the parish's events and the programs for children and adults.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
