"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." - Psalm 96

6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer via ZOOM

The Order of Worship may be viewed here.

Image: St. Columba at Oronsay from Rev. C. Arthur Lane, Illustrated Notes on English Church History

9:30 a.m. - Morning Prayer via ZOOM

The Order of Worship for the Mass may be viewed here.

Image: Wheat Fields and Clouds, Vitali Komarov

 Yes, for the fourth week in a row I DO have MORE and time-sensitive news about easing pandemic restrictions. Please: do read it, below, and take part at Ascension accordingly. But aren't we all tiring of the latest changes, explanations, forecasts and caveats, week after week?

To disrupt the tedium just a bit, please allow me to start this week's newsletter with some other news, immediately following this note. Perhaps by grace something in it will expand our fields of vision, or take our curiosity somewhere new, or just be a needed and not-unpleasant diversion.

Thanks to George Pineda and a crew of volunteers (some conscripted on site ... ) our Corpus Christi Mass & Benediction was capped off by a beautiful, festive reception in the Our Lady of Victory garden. The day was perfect, longtime members and newcomers had a chance to meet and visit, and the Senior Warden's pecan bars were a big hit! We hope to continue outdoor coffee hours throughout the summer. Can you help? If so please contact George Pineda by email. Training is available, and reasonable costs are reimbursed by the church. Thanks to all!

At the suggestion of Vestry and Society of Mary member Samuel Sommers, the five Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary will be prayed on Sunday -- a first at Ascension. Some of you will be aware that these Mysteries, not altogether new at the time, were commended to Roman Catholics in Pope John Paul II's 2002 Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, On the Most Holy Rosary. A page from a Roman Catholic website with more introductory information may be read here. The five Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary include:

The order for the Rosary as it will be prayed Sunday may be found at the back of the online version of Sunday's 10:00 a.m. mass. (Use the link provided above.)

Below: L'Ultima Cena, Jacques Callot, ca. 1624-1625

Please continue to keep in prayers our Bishop-elect, the Rev. Canon Paula Clark. Due to her continuing medical recovery and therapies, the date of her Consecration has again been delayed and is now scheduled for August 28. Click here for a related late-May message from Presiding Bishop the Most Rev. Michael Curry. Interestingly he also suffered a brain bleed, resulting from a subdural hematoma -- in his case shortly after his 2015 election and Consecration as Presiding Bishop. Please pray as well for members of the Diocese of Chicago staff and for the Standing Committee, volunteer clergy and laity entrusted with the 'ecclesiastical authority' until a diocesan bishop is consecrated.

more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

Br. Jonathan Wheat, CMJ, has been faithfully officiating at Daily Morning Prayer, Mondays through Saturdays, for much of the past year. Recently, he's been doing so from the shores of Lake Chapala, just south of Guadalahara, Mexico. While there, he's been staying at and taking part in the life of Namaste Village, self-described as "a vibrant interfaith community with an emphasis on Episcopal and Anglican spirituality," presently run by an member of the (Episcopal/Anglican) Community of Francis and Clare. Br. Jonathan's change of venue explains Morning Prayer background noises that have, on occasion, recently included roosters and songbirds. (Is a rooster not a songbird?) Feel free to reach out to Br. Jonathan about his sojourn in Mexico or the Ascension's ministry of virtual Morning Prayer that he has been so graciously leading.

The date for Father George Arceneaux's last Sunday and lass mass at Ascension has been moved to Sunday, July 4. Seems fitting: Independence Day! Please continue to pray for Fr. Arceneaux and his wife Fiona as they anticipate their mid-July move to Madison, Wisconsin, and the Diocese of Milwaukee.

Members of LaSalle Street Church, directly across LaSalle from Ascension, learned this past Sunday of the pending retirement of their longtime pastor, the Rev. Laura Truax. Known for her energetic faithful preaching and strong organizational leadership, she began here ministry at LSC in 2000 and became Senior Pastor in 2004. The founding Swedish congregation built the church in the mid-1880s. The Good Shepherd window facing LaSalle Street was recently restored and is well worth a devotional visit. You may read more about LaSalle Street Church here, and about Pastor Truax's decision and the congregations leadership plans here. Please keep these our neighbors in prayer.

   Based on city and state guidance and my conversation yesterday with our stalwart Ascension pandemic task force members, masks will now be optional at Ascension for all who are fully vaccinated, effective immediately. This includes those taking part in the mass — ministers, musicians and those in the pews. A few caveats: 

"When it comes to public health emergencies like the pandemic, if people fail to be safe enough, or the danger and uncertainty are just too great to rely on individual decisions, then the government must act, as it did with stay-at-home orders and mask mandates last year. But as the country emerges from the pandemic, it’s going to fall increasingly on each of us to figure out what to do ourselves."

Aaron E. Carroll, professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Between Masses, please don’t forget that our choir has recorded upwards of 60 tracks that you can listen to anywhere you have an internet connection. They can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/choir-of-the-ascension

Due to COVID-19, Church of the Ascension’s Treasurer and Bookkeeper are limiting the amount of time they spend working in the parish offices. All checks received at Ascension via the United States Postal Service, not always a reliable service in our area, will be bank deposited approximately every 4-6 weeks. You may contact the Treasurer by email anytime at Finance@AscensionChicago.org. 

Our website home page --

Participate in Ascension masses at our YouTube Channel. (Look for other connections options soon.)

Our Facebook page:

via Zoom (click here)

via Facebook (click here).

For our prayers: August 'Augie' Alonzo, Jim Berger, David Byerly, Steven Wallis, Sarah Ponder, Taffy Wehe, Carnola Malone, Marvin Files, Amy Peterson, Stephanie, Gwen Clark-Mason, Barbara Wischmeier, The Rev. Canon Paula Clark, Lee Gould, Maria, Beth Hall

Birthdays: Jim Lo Bello, 6/11; Bill Flodin, 6/11; Katie DuClos, 6/12

Requiescat in pace: The Rev. Edgar F. Wells, 6/7/2020; Daniel C. Reber, 6/11/1998;

Cheryl Peterson, Sr. Warden; Kenneth Kelling, Jr. Warden; Kelly Colomberti, Marilyn Evans, Lynette Hector, Jim Lo Bello, George Pineda, David Reeves, Samuel Sommers, Enrique Vilaseco, Amber Zelazny

Approved minutes of Vestry meetings are always available online to parishioners who request the link. If you would like Internet access to these Vestry Minutes, please email the Parish Office and request the link. Once you access the web page, you can read all recent Vestry meeting minutes.