Prayer List -- January 24, 2021
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Members and friends are encouraged to remember the intentions on the prayer list in their own prayers throughout the week.
You are welcome to add your intercessions and thanksgiving., by contacting one of the clergy, or email Wendy Shepherd at wshepherd@holyapostlesnyc.org, or call the parish office (212) 807-6799 with your prayer requests. They will remain on the list for two weeks. Names may be added to the long-term list and will then remain there until the end of the current calendar quarter.
The prayer list is read at Morning Prayer on Wednesday and is also prayed daily by all the members of the parish Prayer Chain. If you would like to join the prayer chain, committing to praying the prayer list every day for a month at a time, please let Mother Susan know at shill@holyapostlesnyc.org.
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Meditation from Mother Susan |
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This past Monday, January 18, was the feast of the Confession of St. Peter (see Matthew 16:16), while next Thursday, January 25, is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (see Acts 9). As a result, it has become a custom for many to mark the octave (eight days) between the two commemorations with prayers that focus particularly on the unity of all Christians.
The World Council of Churches reports that the Monastic Community in Grandchamp, Switzerland, has chosen this year's theme for the prayers for unity from John 15:1-17: “Abide in my love, and you shall bear much fruit.” As part of the materials they have put together, they include this evocative quote from Dorotheus of Gaza, a monk in Palestine in the 6th century:
Imagine a circle drawn on the ground, that is, a line drawn in a circle with a compass,
and a centre. Imagine that the circle is the world, the centre is God, and the radii are
the different paths or ways people live. When the saints, desiring to draw near to God,
walk toward the middle of the circle, to the extent that they penetrate its interior,
they draw closer to each other; and the closer they draw to each other, the closer they
come to God. Understand that the same thing applies conversely, when we turn away
from God and withdraw toward the outside. It then becomes obvious that the more we
move away from God, the more we move away from each other, and the more we move
away from each other, the more we also move away from God.
I hope during this octave, we will indeed seek to move closer to each other and to God, praying for increased communion and unity of all Christians. (And may we remember that the goal of unity is not the same as praying that all others come to believe exactly the way we do!) But I also hope that we will take seriously the second part of this year’s theme - that we shall bear much fruit. The point of Christian unity is that we will bear fruit by modeling that unity for the rest of the world. In this fractious time in our nation, may our prayers and actions not be limited to closer communion in the church, but also spread more broadly, seeking unity in our country as well as the whole world.
As we work toward this this unity, this drawing nearer and nearer to others, then we will also experience the joy of drawing near to God, the very Center of All!
(If you are interested in knowing more about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, you can start by clicking here.)
-- Susan
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Dear Holy Apostles Family,
If you would like to have individual healing prayer with Deacon Bob or one of the Lay Eucharistic Visitors, please leave a message on Deacon Bob’s church phone: 646-998-6107 or 212-807-6799 ext. 107. State who you are and the number where you may be reached, and a Healing Team member will contact you.
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We pray for all God’s people throughout the world; and in the Anglican Cycle of prayer this week we pray for The Church of Bangladesh, the Right Reverend Samuel Mankhin, Primate.
We pray for Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Andrew, Allen, and Mary, our own Bishops.
We pray for our parish clergy, Anna, Bob, Susan, and Peter; for our director of music, Tim; for our director of children’s ministries, Ellen; for our seminarian from GTS, Anne; for our Episcopal Service Corps intern, Troy; and for our parish administrator, Wendy.
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For Our Nation and the World |
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We pray for Joseph, our President; for Andrew, our Governor; and for Bill, our Mayor; for Congress and local leaders; that they may lead with compassion and do justice.
We pray for healing, reconciliation, economic justice, and peace in our nation and all the nations of the world.
We pray that we may reflect the wonderful diversity of your creation among us; your loving compassion through the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, Ecclesia, and our outreach efforts, and your justice through being a community that strives for peace and social and economic justice.
We pray for all those affected by COVID-19, throughout the world, and their caregivers; healthcare workers; first-responders; essential workers; educators and school staff; and social service agencies, especially our own Holy Apostles staff.
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For Health and Well Being |
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For the week of 1/24/2021
Don Lentz
David Flory
Kim
For the week of 1/17/2021
Alex Klose
Long Term (1/1 through 3/31/21):
Carl Anderson
Tamara Paquette
Gabriela Amari
Dominick Mirambeau
Maureen McGrath
Sean Campbell
Richard Majewski
Tracey Carden
Father Peter Carey & David Natoli
Lynn Agapi Gilligan
Patricia Owen Schaffer
Franz Klein
Larry Gifford
Paul LoBello
Kristine and Brent Sundberg
Carl Johnson
Glenn Pennoyer
Barbara Engler
Ethan Gibson and Linda Gibson
Roseanne Kelleher Heinricks
Norma Moy-Chin
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The departed:
Natalie Hahn
Joanne Friday (friend of Barbara Davison)
and for all who have died of COVID-19 virus
We pray for all those killed serving in the armed forces; and for all others killed in conflicts around the world, both civilians and combatants, unknown to us but precious to God.
We pray for the bereaved, especially: the family and friends of Natalie Hahn, and Richard Friday and the family and friends of Joanne Friday.
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We pray for Ecclesia Ministries at Holy Apostles and those who provide the “second” meal at Madison Square Park. |
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