Mary Magdalene Church is an inclusive church in the
Catholic tradition where people from all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to the Lord's Table. We strive to live the values that
Jesus taught, to honor and respect each individual,
and to share the joy of God's unconditional love
in our community and beyond.
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Mary Magdalene Church Bulletin
Sunday, January 10, 2021
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“The soul is healed by being with children.”
~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist and philosopher
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Made by the children of Mary Magdalene Church and Amanda Christy |
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SUNDAY MORNING MASS: Join us virtually every week at 10 am.
If you haven't done so already, please consider subscribing to MMC's YouTube Channel. There is no fee involved, and you're notified when we are live. Click this link to get connected: Our Channel on YouTube
Our musicians this morning are Kathy English, Randy Jones, and Bob Pizzutiello. The song sheet is here.
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~ A Message from Bishop Denise ~
Greetings!
This has been yet another difficult week and a very unsettling way to begin 2021!!! Thursday night several of us gathered on Zoom to process the attack on the Capital and to pray. I had reached out to the community on Wednesday as I was trying to make sense of what had happened, following a rally Trump had called to encourage people to act in response to the lie that the election had been fraudulent and had been stolen by the Democrats. It was very good to be together. We talked about our feelings from fear & anger, to despair and anxiety, to divisions in families and trauma to the nation. We talked, we processed, we cried and we tried to make sense of that which makes no sense. How do you make sense of White Supremacism in our nation? We searched for hope in the midst of these feelings, as it is so very important to find moments of hope, even if they're fleeting, because when we lose hope, despair becomes desolation.
If you find yourself struggling with any or all of these emotions, one thing that has always helped me when I'm feeling lost is music, especially those songs that remind us that we are not alone. Here are a few options I came across this week. A musical piece that represents the coming together of people who have not necessarily seen life the same way. People from 300 different churches across the island of Ireland join their voices in singing: The Irish Blessing. Or perhaps you find comfort in this very familiar Catholic hymn: Be Not Afraid. Finally, I'll date myself with this song from the Rogers & Hammerstein musical, Carousel, but that I remember best for Jerry Lewis singing it at the end of the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon every year. Here it is performed by 300 musicians from 15 different countries: You'll Never Walk Alone
In the wake of this attack, we again came face to face with the racism that underlies our nation. It especially became evident when these images were placed side by side with the images from this spring and summer at Black Lives Matter protests! An especially poignant depiction came from this 56 second video clip entitled: It Was Never About What We Did, It's About Who We Are put out by morethanavote.org This week was yet again a realization that we have a lot of work today to eradicate racism, and the only way to address it, is for those of us who are white to never stop working for the rights, dignity and humanity of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) brothers and sisters.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of all of this has been the role the President played in it. As such, the National Council of Churches, of which the ECC is a member, released a statement calling for the removal of Donald Trump as President of the United States. This letter was written by the NCC's governing board, and own Bishop Frank Krebs is on that board. The ECC is one of 24 denominations that have signed onto this statement, including the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Lutheran Church, the United Church of Christ, and the Methodist Church, Conference of National Black Churches, and several Baptist Churches, among others. I encourage you to read Bishop Francis's letter: Fidelity To The Gospel As well as, the National Council Of Churches Document: Open Letter to Vice President Pence
One thing that came out of our Gathering for Love and Prayer Zoom on Thursday night, was an expressed desire to "get together again in a few weeks." There are two opportunities to do that this week and next, although the focus will be a little different for each of these. This Thursday, January 14 from 7:00-8:30 join us for a Zoom discussion of the book: Across that Bridge by John Lewis. This is an offering from our Cup of Change: Anti-Racism Group. It's a great book, but please feel free to join the discussion even if you haven't read the book yet.
Next week we will have a prayer gathering on the Eve of the Inauguration, Thursday, Jan 19 at 5:30. This is in conjunction with the new administration plans for a memorial ceremony that will include lights around the Reflecting Pool in DC to memorialize Lives Lost to COVID. We will have luminaries along the sidewalk of the church and will begin our prayer that night outside so you can see these candles, we will also have lights on in the front of the sanctuary to light up the front of our church. Join us on Zoom Thursday, Jan 19, 5:30-6:30. I learned tonight that almost 1/2 of the COVID deaths in California are Latinx people. I reached out to Bishop Armando who said he can't even count the funerals he has done, yesterday he buried a 45-year-old parishioner. My heart broke reading his text. Please continue to pray!!
A brief update on some of our parishioners. Sharon Cassidy's surgery this week was very successful. They replaced her knee and removed the cancer. She is getting stronger and more flexible every day! Mimi has been meeting with her doctors. She is very happy with her oncology team. Her incision is healing and she's moving along better every day. Please pray for Kathy Mrzywka who will be having surgery to remove her thyroid due to cancer this week!
This week please continue to pray for our nation and the world!!
With love,
Denise
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GETTING INVOLVED!
Open Sanctuary Hours
If you are in need of a place for reflection and prayer, our sanctuary is now open a few times each week. Join us! The sanctuary will be open on Tuesday and Friday from 12:00-4:00 pm. Additionally, we will be open on Saturday, Jan 16 and Saturday, Jan 30 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. One of us will be in the building during these open hours, and we are happy to connect with you if you would like to speak with us. If our office doors are open, we are available! You will also find Eucharist available at the front of the church. For the sake of safety and comfort, we ask that you use the hand sanitizer provided, that you receive communion at your seat, and that you wear a mask at all times in the church.
Cup of Change - This week!
Our next meeting will be this Thursday, January 14th at 7 pm, and we will discuss Across That Bridge by John Lewis. Zoom Link for Discussion. Remember that our Moodle platform is updated a couple of times a month with podcasts, documentaries and more. Reach out if you would like to be added to our Moodle user list! lorikvail@gmail.com
Bulletin Announcements
Do you have an announcement you would like to see included in our bulletin? Just email Lori by Thursday at 5 pm to have your group's message or activity added to our Sunday bulletin. lorikvail@gmail.com
GETTING INFORMED!
DEFUND Deconstructed
Wondering what it means when we say or hear "Defund the police"? This amazing powerpoint put together by Rev. Myra Brown helps explain the issues around defunding and outlines the ways that re-funding is the real work at hand. This blueprint for community policing is worth your time. It is also available in our Moodle site for Cup of Change.
Understanding Black Experiences
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Thank you again for your generosity! If you make a donation today
and would like that donation to go towards our virtual presence,
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Opportunities to
Come into Church for
Prayer or Reflection:
Tuesday
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Friday
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Saturday, Jan 16 &
Saturday, Jan 30
from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Communion will be available.
The front door will be unlocked.
Please use sanitizer provided &
wear a mask at all times.
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Opportunities to Connect:
Sunday 11:00 am
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Gathering for Prayer & Insight
Cup of Change Anti-Racism
Book Discussion on
Across that Bridge
by John Lewis
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Luminaries & Prayer to Remember Lives Lost to COVID
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For those of you who would like to understand a bit more
about our Communal Blessing we participate in during our
live streamed liturgy, you'll find a document explaining the blessing
on our website. It's entitled We are a Eucharistic People.
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Casa Gubbio
Sundays at 5:30 pm
We will be reflecting on Anselm Grün, OSB’s, ‘A Time of Fulfillment’ and ‘Your Light Gives Us Hope’ which can be purchased on Amazon.
Casa Gubbio is the ministry of Brother Peter Veitch, a Mary Magdalene parishioner and brother in the Benedictines of Holy Wisdom, ECC. The mission of Casa Gubbio is to provide a place of retreat for progressive/independent ‘seekers’ in keeping with the Benedictine charism of hospitality. Casa Gubbio is a safe place to gather outside of traditional organized religious communities. All are welcome. For more information, contact Brother Peter at peterthomasveitch@gmail.com
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Do you have someone you
want us to pray for?
To add someone to the prayer chain, contact:
Or Joann Corso at 585-223-5682
If you'd like to connect with Bishop Denise directly:
Or 585-329-0895
If you'd like to join our team of "prayers"
and be notified where there are prayer needs,
please send an email to Lori Vail:
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Bishop Denise Donato
Phone: 585-329-0895
Mimi Youngman
Email: marymagdalenechurcher@gmail.com
Phone: 585-797-4707
Lori Vail
Phone: 585-353-5954
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