Dear People of Ascension,

Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed!

I am very grateful to everyone who helped to make our Holy Week and Easter services so beautiful and meaningful. To my wonderful clergy colleagues and our lay Holy Week preachers; to Dennis and our fantastic musicians; to Zennie Trieu who directed the Palm Sunday Passion; to all the readers; to Fr. Ed who organized our glowing Easter flowers; to Andrew Jones who produced many, many bulletins with skill and a sense of humor; to our sextons and always to our Zoom wizard extraordinaire John Thompson- thank you, thank you for all that you did for this most special, sacred time of the year. And to each of you who gathered on Zoom, prayed and sang and showed up- you are a sign of resurrection, for sure. Even in this pandemic time. Especially in this pandemic time.

May the joy of Easter fill our lives and guide our paths.

With love,

Liz

If you do not have a device with a camera, you can still join with your phone by dialing the following number: 929-205-6099, and enter the meeting ID: 322 793 633.

All of our online services, with their links, can be found on our public calendar, and are listed below.

Click this link to read up on some best practices for Zoom meetings.

Excerpts from Mass for Convents

Gloria in excelsis Deo – Plein Jeu

Duo sur les tierces

Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux

O sons and daughters, let us sing!

The King of heaven, the glorious King,

o’er death and hell rose triumphing.

Alleluia!

That night the apostles met in fear;

amidst them came their Lord most dear,

and said, “My peace be on all here.”

Alleluia!

When Thomas first the tidings heard,

how they had seen the risen Lord,

he doubted the disciples’ word.

Alleluia!

“My piercèd side, O Thomas, see;

my hands, my feet, I show to thee;

not faithless, but believing be.”

Alleluia!

No longer Thomas then denied,

he saw the feet, the hands, the side;

“Thou art my Lord and God,” he cried.

Alleluia!

How blest are they who have not seen,

and yet whose faith has constant been,

for they eternal life shall win.

Alleluia!

Celebrant:   Alleluia. Christ is risen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Psalm 133   (St. Helena Psalter)

Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *

   when kindred live together in unity!

It is like fine oil upon the head *

   that runs down upon the beard,

Upon the beard of Aaron, *

   and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

It is like the dew of Hermon *

   that falls upon the hills of Zion.

For there has God ordained the blessing: *

   life for evermore.

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

But Thanks be to God (Messiah)

But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Leader Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. We pray for Michael our Presiding Bishop, for Andrew, Allen and Mary our own Bishops.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace, especially Joe our President, Andrew our Governor, and Bill our Mayor; that we may honor one another and serve the common good.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. We pray for all affected by COVID-19: for the frightened and the sick, for the dying and those who mourn; for all who have lost jobs and livelihood as a result of this pandemic; for all healthcare workers, especially Scarlett, Madonna, Trudie, Nancy, Anna, Sarah, Endine, Terese, and AJ, for all whose labor supports our common life; for those developing and distributing vaccines, for those charged with making decisions about public health and public policy.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially Robert, Ed, Janet, Ellen, Joseph, Brielle, Lucas, Holly, Allejandro and Jesus, Nancy, Barbara, Dorothy, Stewart, Patricia, Judith, Hannah, Jurek, Alice, Michael, Soren, Mary Ann, and Stephen, and those injured and displaced in the eight-alarm fire in Jackson Heights, Queens this week.; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader We commend to your mercy all who have died, Bill Burket, Mike Kehoe, Andrew Brannon, Minerva Viera, Paul LoBello, Liz Hill, Christine Dupre, Fr. Jack Smith, and Patty Tuck, and the more than 560,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19, as well as others around the world that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader We offer you our other prayers and thanksgivings.

 Our Father, who art in heaven,

     hallowed be thy Name,

     thy kingdom come,

     thy will be done,

          on earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our trespasses,

     as we forgive those

          who trespass against us.

 And lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

 For thine is the kingdom,

     and the power, and the glory,

     for ever and ever. Amen.

The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.

We walk by faith, and not by sight;

no gracious words we hear

from him who spoke as none e’er spoke;

but we believe him near.

We may not touch his hands and side,

nor follow where he trod;

but in his promise we rejoice,

and cry, “My Lord and God!”

Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;

and may our faith abound,

to call on you when you are near,

and seek where you are found:

that, when our life of faith is done,

in realms of clearer light

we may behold you as you are,

with full and endless sight.

Forum this Sunday: Justice and Reconciliation: Looking Ahead - This Sunday, April 11, we will discuss our learnings from our Lenten series. So many of these forums concluded with the sense that we wanted to go deeper! Please think and pray about what next steps you feel called to explore.

Upcoming Forums: Developing a Rule of Life- Next Sunday, April 18 & May 2, seminarian Linda Brandt will lead us in considering what it means to develop and live by a rule of life. Does that sound constrictive, scary and rigid? Could it be nourishing and enlivening? What dimensions might you want to include as guideposts for your spiritual path? Please join us next week to talk about these and any other questions you bring.

Please check us out at ascensionnyc.org/give to find out how easy and secure it is. Click the envelope on the right to go the Ascension Website for more information and to give, whether a one-time donation, pledge payment, or make a new pledge.

(If you experience any issues with Abundant Giving, please email us at websexton@ascensionnyc.org)

A Note about Using Abundant Giving: When you donate and pledge through the Abundant Giving app or go through the website, you need to direct your donation to the correct category. Presently there are five categories:

These categories change as we update categories during the year. (An example would be when we delete the Easter flowers category after Easter and add Christmas flowers for the weeks leading up to Christmas.)

To donate through your app or the website, click the link above. The next screen will prompt you: "How Much Do You Want To Give?" Next to that, is a drop-down list of categories. Offering plate is always listed first. Click on the little arrow and the list will appear. Click on which ever category you want your donation to be credited. It is important to identify which category you are donating to so that your year end statement will be correct.

You should have received your year-end statement for 2020. Please review it carefully and contact the parish office immediately if there are any issues.

"Mindful Love Walk & Pilgrimage" Peace Event, this Sunday April 11, 2021 from 3:00PM -5:00PM.  The Episcopal Diocese of NY joins an interfaith "Love Walk" in solidarity with the Asian Community whereby people of good will, and of all races and all faiths move together to highlight their concerns for what is currently and historically happening to the Asian Community. We will walk from Foley Square, through Chinatown, then to Foley Square. Additionally, we will have a corresponding "Online Love Sit" for those individuals who cannot attend in person but who want to be a part of this significant event (on Zoom and on the BCNY Facebook Page.). www.BuddhistCouncilNY.org for more information.

Racial Justice Discussion Group - Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 15, at 6:30 pm. As preparation for the meeting and discussion, please read the following articles.

Join us each weeknight at 5:30 for Evening Prayer & discussion. Click this link to join: ascensionnyc.org/eveningprayer. To call in (voice, no camera), dial 929-205-6099; the meeting ID is 770 597 201.

Sunday Paper Junior - The lectionary, our yearly schedule of Bible readings, carries us through Jesus’s life and teachings. The Church of The Ascension subscribes to the Sunday Paper Junior and we offer it to you and your family as a fun, creative way to study the lessons each week. Click here to access this week's paper. Please feel free to print out the pages each week and use as you desire. Check out this section each week for the current Sunday Paper Junior!

Vaccine Registration Assistance? Do you need help scheduling your vaccine appointment? Are you a tech-savvy and patient person who would like to help register people? Please contact Madonna Stack-Barker at m.stack@rcn.com for more information.

Open Church, Tuesdays & Fridays, Noon to 3. The church is open for private prayer and meditation. Attendance is limited to a maximum of 20 people at one time and all safety precautions (properly worn masks, physical distancing, hand sanitizing, and contact tracing) will be followed.

In-Person Midweek Eucharists Remain Suspended. In light of the rising infection rates in New York City, we continue to suspend our Wednesday evening in person Eucharists.We will revisit the question after Easter.

Beware of Fraudulent Emails Purporting to be from the Ascension clergy! Several people received scam emails today pretending to be from Fr. Ed, using a Gmail account under a user name that appears to be him. Click here to read more and learn what you can do.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

(Speak to Sibyl Piccone if you are interested in this group)

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Finance Committee (Zoom) 11:30 a.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Racial Justice Discussion Group (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

(If you are in need or would like to volunteer, please speak to Fr. Chinery.)

Rehearsal for Sunday Service (Zoom) 2:00 p.m.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

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