The Week of August 7, 2022 |
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Join us this Sunday at 9:00AM in person in the Dining Room.
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Dear friends in Christ,
Last week, members of the Tuesday Bible study group went on retreat to Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York. If you have not been there, it is well worth a visit. The monastery is the home of the Order of the Holy Cross, a community of men living under the rule of St. Benedict within the Episcopal Church.
Anglican monasticism was unknown between the English Reformation, when all monastic houses in England were suppressed, and 1866, when the Order of St. John the Evangelist was established outside Oxford. The Order of the Holy Cross, a properly American order, was founded by the Rev. James Otis Sargent Huntington in 1884. An active reformer on the Lower East Side with a profound sense of social responsibility, Fr. Huntington had both courage and foresight; he understood the role prayer and contemplation could and should play in sustaining social justice work. The earliest community of Holy Cross brothers moved to Maryland before settling in West Park in 1902.
Perched high above the west bank of the Hudson River, the monastery offers sweeping views of the mid-Hudson Valley and is set amidst field and forest, vale and mountain. What one notices on retreat is the silence, a silence broken only occasionally by a passing tugboat, freight train, or the bell calling the community to prayer in the monastic church. The brothers offer guided retreats, but a visitor to the monastery does not need a fixed agenda to pray and be refreshed.
The photos below, taken by yours truly, give a sense of the beauty and peace of the monastery. I highly recommend making a visit yourself, to pray and cultivate the posture of openness to God by which the Holy Spirit can make its way into your heart.
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Sunday Service: CHANGE OF VENUE |
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This Sunday, our service will be held in the Dining Room due to high heat this week and weekend. The service will begin at 9:00 am.
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The Rev. Andrew Kryzak will be on vacation this week and next. In case of a pastoral emergency, please contact the Senior Warden, Ron Bacchi.
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Jamaican Independence Celebration |
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On Sunday, August 14, the St. John’s Women’s Group will be hosting “A Taste of Jamaica” breakfast in honor of the 60th anniversary of Jamaican Independence. Please plan to stay on after the 9:00 am service for a taste of traditional Jamaican breakfast in the Dining Room. We will be delighted to have you! |
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Volunteers from St. John’s and the Over 60 Club have worked diligently to create the flower cross. The finished product is absolutely stunning and is on display in the rear gallery of the church. |
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St. John’s Community Foundation Press Release |
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St. John’s Community Foundation has granted more than a quarter of a million dollars to more than forty organizations serving the Stamford community which provide for educational and economic opportunities, as well for those in crisis and those requiring basic needs. Click here to read the Foundation’s most recent press releases.
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Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study |
During the summer months, Tuesday Bible study will take place on the last Tuesday of every month. The regular weekly schedule will resume on the first Tuesday after Labor Day. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
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Open Thursdays and Saturdays: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Community Thrift Shop welcomes new, almost new, and gently used clothing, home goods, and jewelry donations. All proceeds from the Thrift Shop are donated to nonprofit charities serving those in need. Please note: Starting in June, the Thrift Shop will be open every Thursday 10:00-3:00 and the first and third Saturday of each month from 10:00-3:00.
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Recent Prayer Requests for Healing of Body, Mind and Spirit. |
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Please keep these persons in your daily prayers:
Ben, Carol, Daniel, Ed, Kedley, Lloyd, Marc, Terrence, Jon, Ann, Henri, Sharon, Erin, Dante, Anthony, Marie-Anne, Martha, Nessa, Angela, Gweneth, Toni, Jordan, Gabriella, Cindi, Barbara, Andrew, Jeffrey, Theadeen, Latoya, Christine, Murdena, Aidee, Anthony, Mitch, Jacob, Roslyn, Collin, McKenna, Andy, Errol, Emman, Bill and Verna.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer: the Church in the Province of the West Indies
In the Episcopal Church in Connecticut: St. Peter’s, South Windsor; Epiphany, Southbury; St. Paul’s, Southington
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To give to St. John's Episcopal Church, you can make your donations electronically or you can simply mail in your check to the church office if you would rather not use the online giving tool. Our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, is receiving doing the banking.
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Forward Day By Day is the Episcopal Church's own discipleship publication! As disciples, followers of Christ, daily prayer and reflection grounds us in God's love and gives us strength and clarity to confront our weaknesses, put our trust in God and listen to where God is calling us to serve. Available online for-free!
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