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Saint Stephen's Church
in Providence
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News and events for the
week of June 12
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The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday |
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Russian Icon of the Holy Trinity, Andrei Rublev, c. 1408 - 1425 |
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Mass Setting:
Communion Service in D minor (Christ's Hospital)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Voluntary: Sonatina, II. Very Slowly
Leo Sowerby (1895-1968)
Te Deum - Ambrosian chant
Voluntary: Toccata
Leo Sowerby
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Dear Friends,
We will be blessed to have Fr. Bill Locke in the pulpit this Sunday, but I would like to take a moment here to reflect on the Trinitarian nature of our life in Christ.
I have heard many sermons on Trinity Sunday that have been absolutely dreadful and full of heresies as the preacher tries to explain or defend the doctrine of the Trinity. (Father Locke will do no such thing, however! Of that I am sure!) Those preachers I refer to often miss the point of the Trinity: though it is the best image and language we have to describe God, it ultimately falls short. Yet it is all we have. It is a doctrine, and so it should be taught. It does not necessarily have a direct application in terms of how we should experience or feel it in our lives. It is a mystery that we have been blessed to have the knowledge of. But it is a mystery nonetheless, and cannot ever adequately be explained. The mind of Christ in the Church, made possible by the indwelling of the Spirit which we celebrated last week, has discerned the reality of God who is One and yet Three -- the Unity of God revealed in Three Persons.
If I was being a bit facetious when I said that it is a doctrine, and doctrines need simply to be taught (and not felt!), in truth, there are some key things we can take away from God revealed to us in this form:
1) The whole nature of our lives and of the Church is Trinitarian. We, being members of Christ's Body, offer up our prayers to God the Father in the Holy Spirit. (That's why our prayers so often conclude, "through Jesus Christ" ... our prayers to the Father are made possible by our membership in Christ's Body). Our baptism and participation in the sacramental life take us up into the life of the Trinity, in which love proceeds in the Spirit between the Father and the Son.
2) The nature of God revealed in the Trinity is one of communion and fellowship -- of relationship. If you look at the icon of the Trinity above, you can see that each of the three persons is looking at the other, and so as we follow the gaze of each, we are constantly directed to the next one, and so on and so on. It is a dizzying dance of love and light in the life of the Trinity.
So come this Sunday and partake in that dance. Come participate in the life of God -- the life of the Holy and Undivided Trinity -- a life grounded in a communion of love and self-offering. Any image or language we use to describe God ultimately falls short -- it fails. And yet it's the best we have, and, as St. Augustine would remind us, we still know God better than we know ourselves.
Faithfully,
Fr. Benjamin +
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Parish Survey is here! Link below |
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On the feast of Pentecost this past Sunday, we were reminded that there are many varieties of gifts but that it is the same Spirit who inspires and unites them all. What a perfect time to share the survey that the Stewardship Committee has created as we re-think the ways in which we approach stewardship.
Stewardship is of course not just how we allocate our financial gifts, but our gifts of time and talent as well. Please take a moment to fill out this short survey as we work together to discern how best to both use your gifts and engage your interests. Please click the link below to take the survey. Your answers will be very helpful as we chart the course of the next year together in parish life and ministry.
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Summer Weekday Mass Schedule |
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Please be reminded that we have gone to a “Summer Schedule” once again this year between Memorial Day and Labor Day. There will be no masses on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. As a result, that means the daily masses offered are: Tuesday (noon), Thursday (noon), and Saturday (9:30 morning prayer, 10:00 mass). Sunday Mass schedule stays the same. If you have any questions or concerns about this summer pattern, please reach out to the Rector.
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Summer Celebrants while the Rector is away |
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While the Rector is away on various Sundays this summer, we are blessed to have among as Celebrants at the 8:00 and 10:00 AM masses: Fr. Gary Sturni (June 26), Mtr. Veronica Tierney (July 17 and July 24), Fr. Bill Locke (August 7), and Fr. Michael Pearson (August 21). |
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Next Sunday: Final Sunday with James Busby |
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As you know, we celebrated our esteemed James Busby's 29 years on May 22. His final Sunday with us will be June 19, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Please be sure to join us that day as we celebrate our Lord and the gift of the Eucharist, and also bid farewell to our beloved minister in God's temple. |
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Coming This Fall:
Introduction to Christian Meditation
Be still and know that I am God. (Ps. 46.10)
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This six-week course will provide an opportunity for those interested in finding out about Christian Meditation to experience the practice in a small group, to learn about its origins, and to discover its relevance as a form of prayer for the contemporary world. The course will begin the latter part of September. (Details TBD) All are welcome – parishioner, student, seeker. For more information contact Zulie Catir at zulette.catir@verizon.net or (401) 439-4597. |
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“Make Up”
Confirmations & Receptions
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On Saturday, June 25th, Bishop Knisely will be at S. Stephen’s for confirmations and receptions for those who were unable to attend Mass on January 9th due to COVID. There will be no Morning Prayer that morning preceding the 10:00 Low Mass. All are welcome!
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This Coming Week at S. Stephen's |
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This Sunday 12 June
THE DAY OF PENTECOST: Whitsunday
Morning Prayer & Low Mass 8 am
*no Sunday School*
Solemn Mass & Te Deum 10 am
Coffee Hour 11:30 am
Monday 13 June
Feria
no Evening Prayer or Low Mass
Tuesday 14 June
The First Book of Common Prayer, 1549
Noonday Prayer & Low Mass 12:00
Wednesday 15 June
Feria
no Evening Prayer or Low Mass
Thursday 16 June
Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597
Noonday Prayer & Low Mass 12:00
Friday 17 June
Ephrem of Edessa, Syria, Deacon, 373
no Noon Mass
Saturday 18 June
Saint Barnabas the Apostle
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10 am
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 – 4:00 pm
(meals handed out at door only)
Next Sunday 19 June
Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Morning Prayer & Low Mass 8 am
Solemn Mass & Benediction 10 am
Coffee Hour 11:30 am
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Prayers have been requested for: Charles and Sandra Calverley, Fr. Norman Catir, Ed Connell, Trudy Egan, Davidson Garrett, Fr. Harrington Gordon, Richard Hogarth, Jane Malone, Andrew Oliver, Bryan Ripley, Rhoda Steinhart, Louis Verdelotti, Fr. Allan Warren, and Christopher Whittingham.
Birthdays this week: Deedee Latimer (6/13), Charles Andrews (6/14), DeOnte Latimer (6/14), Andrew Campbell (6/19).
The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: David Hale Baldwin (6/13), Maria diMezza Nicolella (6/13), J. Carter Brown (6/17), John P. Ladds (6/18).
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Anglican Church of South America (6/12), The Diocese of Madurai-Ramnad – The (united) Church of South India (6/13), The Diocese of Magwi – The Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (Eastern Equatoria Province) (6/14), The Diocese of Mahajanga – The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean (6/15), The Diocese of Maiduguri – The Church of Nigeria (Jos Province) (6/16), The Diocese of Maine – The Episcopal Church (6/17), The Diocese of Maiwut – The Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (Upper Nile Province) (6/18).
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for Trinity, Cranston; Trinity, Newport; Trinity, North Scituate; Holy Trinity, Tiverton.
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You can mail your pledge card or weekly/monthly offering to the church office, or pledge online here. Thank you for all the many ways in which you are already supporting S. Stephen’s.
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