This Week at Ascension + December 6, 2023

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

Wednesday, December 6

Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

Evening Prayer on ZOOM at 6 p.m.

In-person and Live-streamed

Said Mass at 6:30 p.m.

Unction is available to those who wish it.



VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Image: St. Nicholas, Full-length icon by Jaroslav Čermák,

Friday, December 8

Immaculate Conception of the

Blessed Virgin Mary

Evening Prayer on ZOOM at 6 p.m.

In-person and Live-streamed

Sung Mass with Schola at 7:00 p.m.



VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Image: Immaculate Conception, Diego Velázquez

The Second Sunday of Advent, December 10, 2023

7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via Zoom

9 a.m. Sung Mass

11 a.m. Solemn Mass -

In-person & Live-streamed

followed by the 2nd Sunday Rosary

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

Image: St. John the Baptist, engraving, Martin Schongauer,

ca 1475, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

 

Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE

or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE



Rector's Note

Advent time is here. Our green vestments have been replaced with violet garbs. The church and grounds are adorned with greens, wreaths, and lights. In contrast, the Altar stands bare without any flowers in sight. At least not until Christmas Eve when poinsettias blanket the church in shades of red. And for the next four weeks, we will sing hymns of watchful expectation before we gather around the creche singing “O come, all ye faithful!”

As we await the once and future coming of our Lord, you will notice our Sunday mass readings share a common theme: keep awake. Keep awake for the cries of the prophets. Keep awake for the Blessed Mother's Fiat and Magnificat. Keep awake for our Lord's Birth. Keep awake for our Lord's second coming. Put in practice, Advent is a time of preparation. However, as Mother Murphy-Gill reminded us on Sunday, Advent is not about making room for more stuff but making room for the mystery of God in Christ.

As you journey from Advent to Christmas, my sincere hope is that you will take advantage of the offerings taking place at Ascension to move you closer into the mystery of God. From our weekday liturgies to our customary Sunday masses, to our Advent half-day retreat and Sunday formation, and, of course, our glorious Christmas masses - may these offerings enrich your journey during this most holy season.



— Fr. de la Torre

A Reflection on World AIDS Day Mass and Conversation

Thank you to all who contributed to the spiritually moving commemoration of World AIDS Day, and especially to Fr. Petite for leading our conversation over lunch and for offering such a poignant homily at the Mass. In attendance we had members of Ascension who were present here during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and early 1990s as well as those who participated in AIDS ministry throughout the diocese during that historic period. I’ve heard lots of positive feedback about how meaningful the day was for those who were able to attend as well as for those who couldn’t but were glad that we acknowledged the day and its significance for the Ascension community.

Our conversation was marked by both a certain sadness or heaviness as well as a sense of resurrection and hope, as we discussed all of the significant changes that our society has enjoyed because of how the gay community was forged and began to advocate for itself. This tension between the empty tomb and the cross were reflected on by Fr. Petite in his homily, which you can read a portion of below and in full here.

—Mtr. Murphy-Gill

A selection of Fr. Robert Petite’s World AIDS Day homily:

Julian of Norwich, that wonderful 14th century mystic said that “all things will be well, all manner of things will be well, for love is God’s meaning in all things.” Our entire Christian life, and in particular, our remembering the time of AIDS, is a spiritual work of learning to live into this truth as we strive, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to live in the ambiguity of the Cross and the Resurrection, and living there learn that through God’s holy providence, we will can find a way through the specter of suffering and death, rather than a way around them.

It is in the awareness of this truth, that we will create for ourselves with the aid of the Holy Spirit, a truly human life, where there are no easy answers but the sign of a sacrificial love that gives way to the joy of union with our neighbor and our God.

When all is said and done, when the battle concludes, the only point of being in the struggle of living with and fighting AIDS was to find the joy, to find a way through, to a way of living and dying in the world that faced and yet transcended death. This is one of the paradoxes of the Christian faith, that we can go down into the grave, and yet our song can be alleluia.

The experience of suffering and loss during the time of AIDS was not unique to the world. History is replete with such devastation, as we learned during our experience with COVID-19, and as we are now experiencing in two wars occupying our daily awareness.  These events are full of suffering and loss, but full of something else as well, if we have a heart and mind to see it.

So, let us hold our world in prayer in the faithful knowledge and hope that "things which were cast down are being raised up, ... and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made" (BCP p. 291).

Prepare Him Room

Advent Quiet Day Saturday, December 9

10 am - 2 pm, Includes Lunch

Advent is arguably the most busy time of the year, whether or not you acknowledge its religious significance. It’s particularly hectic for those of us with both church and cultural commitments and obligations.

This Saturday is an opportunity to take a break from all of the holiday hustle and bustle for a few hours. Let someone else order lunch for you and create some space for just you and God. Mtr. Murphy-Gill will lead two short reflections as she offers some suggestions for how to get into those silent, sacred spaces. The rest of the time you can just be—away from the shopping, cookie baking, and present wrapping—and allow God to be known to you.

What better way to prepare for the arrival of the Messiah on Christmas.

Please register using this sign up link so we know how many to provide lunch for.

Advent Formation Series begins December 10

Blessed are You Among Women: Elizabeth & Mary in the Nativity

Following the Solemn High Mass, we will gather in the Library for lunch, fellowship, and formation as we explore the unique and important roles of Elizabeth and Mary in Luke and Matthew’s gospels. These women model for all Christians how to both wait for God and say yes to his call.

Young Adults Gathering December 17

The Young Adults are invited to gather for festive carols and a warming winter meal in the rectory from 4-6 pm, December 17. We’ll eat, sing, and enjoy one another’s company. Please sign up here so we know how much food to prepare. This event takes place on Gaudete Sunday, so wear pink!

Not sure if you’re a young adult? Generally, our group is comprised of members in their 20s, 30s, and even early 40s, but all are welcome.

Thank you Food Pantry Volunteers

Survey: Could you serve as an acolyte at a new weekday Mass?

Don't worry if you're new to being an acolyte or aren't sure how to serve. Training will be available, and we won't schedule you until you feel ready.

Prior to the pandemic, Ascension offered a rich weekday worship schedule including the full Daily Office and daily Masses. Our present weekday worship schedule of the Daily Office on Zoom and a weekly Wednesday evening Mass was adopted as the parish reopened amidst ongoing waves of COVID and has not been revisited since it was first implemented. 

As we prepare for a new liturgical and calendar year, this seems like the right time to examine what a new weekday mass schedule at Ascension might look like. In order to properly gauge what we might be able to offer, particularly when it comes to weekday Masses, we are seeking your feedback. Please fill out this survey:

https://forms.gle/NosZVPKBNadfMZau7

Your response will be key for us to determine how we might augment our weekday Mass offerings.

Thank you for your participation!

Morning Prayer Returns and Now on Zoom!

Monday - Friday at 7:30 AM

As of Monday, December 4, Morning Prayer is offered Monday - Friday at 7:30 AM on Zoom. To participate, either daily or whenever your schedule permits, simply visit Ascension's Zoom room. Morning Prayer will be officiated by a designated leader, those in attendance are invited to pray along using their own Prayer Book. If you're in need of a Prayer Book, please speak with Father de la Torre to obtain a free copy. To learn more about the origin and development of Morning Prayer, please visit The Episcopal Church's glossary entry on Morning Prayer. 

Consider being a Coffee Hour host

There are spots available for hosting Coffee Hour after either Sunday Mass! Look for the sign-up sheets in Wheeler Hall. If you are leary of what hosting a Coffee Hour might entail, speak to Hospitality Committee members Josh or Ellie Simpson, David Reeves, LaVerne Saunders or Carol Noren. They will be glad to help.

The Prayers of the People

As part of our Sunday offering of the Mass, we bring to God our petitions and thanksgivings. As a community, we do this by bidding the parish’s intentions in the Prayers of the People. If you wish to have someone added to the Prayers of the People, please email Father de la Torre or Mother Murphy-Gill. You can also fill out the prayer request form in the link below. Names will remain on the prayer list for three weeks, unless otherwise requested.

Lord, hear the prayers of thy people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Share your prayer requests here.



For our prayers

Ellen, Robert Baily, Lee Gould, Lillian Alexander, Stephanie Henderson,

Charlie Boemer, Robert Pischke, Derek Petite, Florence Jones Clanton, David Schrader,

Leslie Smebak Gormley, Jim Drury, Rachel Smolinski, Sarah Reece Glanman, Suzanne Dines,

MB Hwang, Juanita Malone, David S. Jones, Richard Francis Tracz, Victor Fernandez,

Claire Green, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Brenda Martins

Birthdays

Ruby Woods, 12/4; Thom Ehlen, 12/6; David E. Reeves, 12/6; Marlea Edinger, 12/6

Requiescat in pace

Len Kraig; Linda Packard, Priest; Marvin Files, 10/16/2023;

Richard Clark Taylor, 12/3/1989; Vincent Hector, 12/7/2017; Frances Joseph, 12/9/2015

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.



Organ and Choral Repertoire for December 10, 2023

Between Masses, please don’t forget that The Choir of the Ascension has recorded upwards of 60 tracks that you can listen to anywhere you have an internet connection. They can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/choir-of-the-ascension

Weekly Ascension Schedule

For connections:

via Zoom (click here)

SUNDAYS

7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via Zoom

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

11:00 a.m. In-person and Live-Streamed Solemn High Mass

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

MONDAY-FRIDAY

8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer via Zoom

6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer via Zoom

WEDNESDAYS

6:30 p.m. Said Mass

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

Wardens and Vestry of Church of the Ascension

LaVerne Rollé Saunders, Sr. Warden;

SeniorWarden@AscensionChicago.org

David Reeves, Jr. Warden;

JuniorWarden@AscensionChicago.org

Ian Barillas-McEntee, Jim Lo Bello, Ken Cozette, Marlea Edinger, Sean Hansen,

David A. Robertson, Elizabeth Simpson, Joshua Simpson, Samuel Sommers, Clerk



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.