This Week at Ascension + November 2, 2022

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

Wednesday, November 2

Commemoration of All Faithful Departed

(All Souls' Day)

Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m. via ZOOM

In-person and Live-streamed Requiem Mass with Choir at 6:30 p.m.

The Order of Worship may be found here.

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Image: Eighteenth-century portrait of Alfred by Samuel Woodforde

Sunday, November 6, 2022

The Solemnity of All Saints

8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via ZOOM

9:00 a.m. In-person Sung Mass

with Organ and Hymns

11:00 a.m. In-person & Live-streamed

Solemn High Mass

The 11 a.m. Order of Worship may be found here.

Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE

Image: When we pray at Mass we are united with Christ in Glory and with the gathering of His saints … ,

Elizabeth Wang, © Radiant Light, www.radiantlight.org.uk

Organ Recital at 3:30 p.m., 

Choral Evensong & Benediction at 4 p.m.

*The recital is the next in a series of performances of the Complete Organ Works of César-Auguste Franck (1822-1890) in observance of the bicentennial of his birth.

Recital Program and Evensong & Benediction Order of Worship may be found here.

From the Curate

The Saints with Big Shoes

I discovered a book on the lives of saints in my house when I was a kid. It was a little blue, hardcover bound book with yellowed pages. No one had ever talked about the lives of saints in my family, though I was well-acquainted with a few: My grandmother prayed to St. Anthony for help finding lost items and, as an Irish Catholic family, we all had a saint we were named for (Megan is the Welsh nickname for Margaret, the saint I was named for, but with that “Irishizing” ‘h’ in Meghan). I still am not sure whom the book belonged to before I found it (I still have it), but I like to imagine a great aunt I’d never met thumbing the pages as often as I did, matching the current day to a saint.

I loved these stories as much as I was horrified by them. I could not fathom the kind of devotion that would make a young woman choose death by sword (and, according to legends of many early female saints such as Lucy, Agnes, and Cecilia, torture) over marrying a man. While I could understand how Francis could see God in all of creation, I wondered if I could so readily cast off my belongings and rely on the help of others to keep me fed, clothed, and sheltered. 

This is one of the great gifts the stories of the saints give us: they are an opportunity to imagine ourselves in the shoes of other Christians—decidedly big shoes, yes, but shoes for human feet nonetheless. As the saints were all human beings on this earth, just as we are, their stories can be a way for us to imagine how to walk as their fellow disciples. 

I look forward to chanting the litany of those who walked with Christ before us this Sunday.

—Mtr. Murphy-Gill

Preparing for Our Final Journey

“You only are immortal, the creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth we shall return. For so did you ordain when you created me, saying, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” All of us go down to the dust, yet even at the grave, we make our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.” – BCP p. 499

On two Sundays, at 10 a.m. on November 13 and 20, we will gather in the Undercroft (aka: the AA Room) to delve into topics that many wish to avoid and some ignore altogether. Last Will and Testament, Advance Directives, Durable Power of Attorney, and Healthcare Proxy are documents that can make our transition from this life to the next easier for those who care for us and follow us. In addition, there are approaches we can take with our financial resources to be sure that our wishes are followed. Barbara Susman will give us insights into the what, why, how these instruments can do for us and those we leave behind. Fr. Heard will take us through considerations for funeral options, including how we convey our desires for our final rites.

Anglo-Catholic Conversations This Month

Mark your calendars for two new opportunities to learn about Anglo-Catholicism in November. Medievalist scholar Richard Kieckhefer will lead two discussions in November. Both will take place on Zoom at 7 pm.

• Nov 8 From ‘Amazing Grace’ to ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’: Hymns of the Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics
• Nov 15 Notable Anglo-Catholic Churches of England and America

Have questions? Please reach out to Mtr. Murphy-Gill via email or by calling the church.

Food Pantry, Saturday November 5

We will again gather to assemble bags of shelf-stable groceries and personal items for our neighbors in need. We begin filling bags in St. Michael Hall at 9 a.m. and start distributing them at 11 a.m. We need the most help between 9 a.m. and 11 am, but welcome your help for however long you are able to stay.

Come be the hands, heart, and feet of Christ in our own neighborhood, following in the wake of the Cross, and enjoy some fellowship as well.

Greening of the Church for Advent

The Flour Guild is requesting your help in greening the church for Advent. The date is either Friday Nov. 25th or Saturday Nov. 26th early in the day. Please contact Claire Green if you can help and which day is most convenient for you. 

Thanksgiving dinner

After an absence of several years, the Vestry would like to restart our Thanksgiving Dinner neighborhood outreach. In order for this to happen, we need volunteers to take roles welcoming, serving our guests, as well as cleaning up. Please use this link to indicate your willingness to assist with serving Thanksgiving Dinner to our neighbors. This will not be a sit down dinner. There is still concern about flu, pneumonia, and Covid, so we’ll be filling clamshell boxes for take-out.

Advent Formation Opportunities

Advent Quiet Morning Saturday, December 10

Take a break from the holiday rush with a quiet morning of reflection and prayer this Advent. Mtr. Murphy-Gill will lead this half-day retreat on the theme of Waiting. 

We’ll gather for a light breakfast and fellowship at 8:30 a.m. and begin the retreat at 9 a.m. 

As we get closer to the date, an RSVP link will be available so we can get an idea of how much food to provide.

Waiting with the O Antiphons,

Sundays during Advent

Advent is a time of waiting in the darkness for the light of Christ. But it is not passive waiting. In this darkness, we actively seek the light of Christ, in prayer calling out the ancient names for the Incarnate One in what are known as the O Antiphons.

Following coffee hour after the Solemn High Mass (around 1 or 1:30 pm), we’ll gather in the Library to learn more about the antiphons, their use, and how we might use them to prepare our own hearts for the birth of Christ. We’ll listen to these Antiphons chanted in Latin, read them in English, and reflect on them using Malcome Guite’s O Antiphon-inspired sonnets. 

Bring your own lunch. We’ll have copies of Malcome Guite’s Waiting on the Word for a suggested donation of $5. For more information, please contact Mtr. Murphy-Gill.

Parking Sticker Update

On 6 and 13 November, Ken Cozette will be in the narthex to deliver new parking stickers after the 9 & 11 a.m. Masses. If you requested a sticker, please be sure to stop by and see him to claim your sticker. Any that remain unclaimed after 13 November will be mailed. Please put your sticker on the lower left of the rear window on the driver’s side. Old stickers will no longer be valid after November 30.

Bible Study Fridays at 10 am on Zoom

Our conversation about the Book of Revelation continues this Friday on Zoom at 10 am. This is a joint bible group with nearby St. Chrysostom’s and an excellent chance to grow in faith and fellowship. Weekly attendance is not mandatory, and so if you’re thinking about just dropping by, please do and see what we’re all about! 

Have questions? Please contact Mtr. Murphy-Gill.   

From the Rector Search Committee

The Rector Search Committee is happy to announce that the Profile of The Church of the Ascension is finished. It was approved by the Vestry on October 27 and submitted to the Diocese for placement on their website. A companion document, the OTM written specifically for the candidates, was also completed and approved by the Vestry. It too was submitted to the Diocese for placement on a national data base for clergy seeking a position.

The Profile is a short document that serves as an introduction to The Church of the Ascension. Our Minister of Communications and Technology, Gary Alexander, did a beautiful job of formatting the copy written by the committee and adding photographs. You can see the Profile here.

As soon as the bishop approves our documents, we will start receiving applications.

Prayer Requests

Organ and Choral Repertoire for November 6, 2022

For our prayers:

David Schrader, Julia, Jean Simon, Burton Nelson, Winslow, Pablo Illás,

Victor Fernandez, Claire Green, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Brenda Martins, Lee Gould,

Gertrude Isaac, Marty Stenson, Steve Dionne

Birthdays:

Cynthia Perrizo, 10/30; The Rev. Robert Petite, 11/2

Requiescat in pace:

John W. Cracraft, priest, 1st Rector, 10/31/1899; Alice Louise Stoskopf, 11/2/1951

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them;

May their souls and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.



Vestry of Church of the Ascension

Ken Kelling, Sr. Warden; LaVerne Rollé Saunders, Jr. Warden;

Ian Barillas-McEntee, Jim Lo Bello, Ken Cozette, Marlea Edinger, Sean Hansen, George Pineda, Joshua Simpson, Sam Sommers, Clerk, Enrique Vilaseco

Susan Schlough, Treasurer

Finance@ascensionchicago.org

Br. Nathanael Deward Rahm BSG, Parish Office

Office@ascensionchicago.org

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.

The link remains live indefinitely. Any parishioner who has the link will not need to request a new link from month to month.