|
|
Saint Stephen's Church
in Providence
|
News and events for the
week of May 1
|
|
The Third Sunday of Easter |
|
Virgin of Mercy, Lippo Memmi, c. 1291 - 1356 |
|
Music of the Mass:
Messe 'Cum Jubilo,' Op. 11
Maurice Duruflé (1902 – 1986)
Opening Voluntary:
Choral, “Meine Seele erhebt den Herren,” BWV 648
J. S. Bach (1685 - 1750)
Motet at the Offertory:
Regina Caeli Laetare
Francisco Guerrero (1528 - 1599)
Closing Voluntary:
Fuga in G, BWV 577 - J.S. Bach
|
|
Dear friends,
"Christ is alive!" Alleluia! So we will sing in our final hymn on Sunday. One of the great hymn writers of the 20th century, Brian Wren, penned one of his most successful hymns beginning with those words, "Christ is alive!" No longer bound to distant events in Palestine, he comes here and now, and he conquers every future age and time.
All that we do and all that we will do in the coming weeks flows from the energy of that statement, "Christ is alive" -- Christ IS Risen! At the Easter Vigil and throughout the Great Fifty Days of Easter, we do not proclaim that Christ "has" risen, nor do we proclaim that Christ "was" raised from the dead, as true as that statement may be.
But rather, we proclaim it all in the present tense. Our proclamation of Easter and our understanding of what it means to live in the light of the Resurrection is not a response to a distant, past event, but to the very real action of the Living Christ moving in and among us here and now, even as we look forward to the General Resurrection of the Dead at his Second Coming.
There is an energy and forward momentum in these Fifty Days between Easter and Pentecost, and we have no shortage of events before us at S. Stephen's between now and June 19th, the Feast of Corpus Christi.
This Sunday, we will mark the beginning of May as Mary's Month (a tradition that has as its origins on the European continent rather than England, but has nevertheless been embraced by Anglo-Catholics in recent times), as we continue to rejoice with her in her Son's Resurrection.
On Sunday, May 8, we will welcome another member into the Body of Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism. On Saturday, May 14, we will commend our beloved Leonard Gaucher into the care of almighty God. The funeral liturgy is, at its core, an Easter liturgy. While many of us have been saddened by Len's death, the fact that he died on Easter tempered the sense of loss and grief with hope and joy. Len loved his Lord, and I know without doubt that he took great comfort knowing that he was entering into larger life with our Lord on Easter.
On Sunday, May 22, we will have a celebration for our esteemed James Busby, in which the joy of Easter will spill out into a time of great festivity and celebration of all that he has done over the course of 29 years at S. Stephen's.
From there, it is on to Ascension Day and Ascensiontide, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and finally our celebration of Corpus Christi on June 19th. In short, we are running a liturgical race the next 8 weeks, in celebrations marked by Resurrection, new life, and the power of the Spirit. If that sounds exciting and perhaps even somewhat breathless, then that is because it should.
Resurrection life bids us run with haste like the woman at the tomb, or the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, or Peter leaping out of the boat and swimming to the shore to meet the Risen Lord. It is not passive, nor does it look backward. It is here, it is now, and it bids us look ahead. Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia!
Yours in the love and joy of our Risen Lord,
Fr. Benjamin +
|
|
Funeral Mass for Leonard Gaucher |
|
The funeral mass for our beloved Len Gaucher, a parishioner for many decades, is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 14th. In sure and certain hope of the Resurrection, our prayers continue to ascend for the repose of his soul, as well as for his daughter Sara. |
|
Quarterly Statements - Apologies |
|
With the hiring of a new financial assistant to take over the duties of John McGlashan coinciding with the lead-up to Holy Week and Easter, we overlooked sending out quarterly giving statements at the beginning of April. They were printed and mailed late last week, so please be on the lookout for those in your mailboxes. We do apologize for this oversight. |
|
Sunday, May 8th
Bethlehem Artworks
|
|
Beautiful hand-made olive wood religious articles made by Christian families in Bethlehem and Jerusalem will be on sale the weekend of May 8th after all Services. Bethlehem Artworks is an organization that provides assistance to over 100 suffering families each week.
Hand made rosaries, statues, crosses and nativities will make wonderful presents for family and friends; or an opportunity to add a beautiful hand carved religious item for your home to be cherished through generations. The religious articles are made by the suffering Christian families in the Holy-Land, and are their means of spreading the word of Jesus, a goal that began two thousand years ago.
The population in the Holy Land has dropped from over 65% to under 1% just within the last ten years. Crafting the religious articles is the primary means for providing for the livelihood of Christian families in the Holy Land.
|
|
Summer Weekday Mass Schedule |
|
Please be aware that we will go to a “Summer Schedule” once again this year between Memorial Day and Labor Day. There will be no masses on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. As a result, that means the daily masses offered are: Tuesday (noon), Thursday (noon), and Saturday (9:30 morning prayer, 10:00 mass). Sunday Mass schedule stays the same. |
|
Mark your calendars!
Two Important Dates
|
|
As was announced in January, our esteemed James Busby will be stepping down from his duties at S. Stephen’s at the end of June. Please mark your calendars for two important dates on which we will celebrate and acknowledge his invaluable service, dedication, and accomplishments over the past 29 years of our parish life. On Sunday, May 22, we will have a special reception after Solemn Mass in the Guild Hall to celebrate and toast Maestro Busby.
On Sunday, June 19, the Feast of Corpus Christi, James will play and conduct his final liturgy at S. Stephen’s. Please make every effort to be in attendance for both of these significant days in the life of S. Stephen’s Church. A special “purse” will be collected to present to Mr. Busby as a token of our gratitude and appreciation for all he has done. Please send checks to the office or place in the offering plate with a memo for “Busby purse.” There is also an online giving option on our Vanco platform for this special collection.
|
|
This Coming Week at S. Stephen's |
|
May 1 – The Third Sunday of Easter
8:00 am – Morning Prayer & Low Mass
9:55 am – Sunday School
10:00 am – May Procession & Solemn Mass
11:30 am Coffee Hour
Monday May 2
Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373
5:30 pm – Evening Prayer
6:00 pm – Low Mass
Tuesday May 3
Feria
12:00 pm – Noonday Prayer & Low Mass
Wednesday May 4
Monnica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387
5:30 pm – Evening Prayer
6:00 pm – Low Mass
Thursday May 5
Feria
12:00 pm – Noonday Prayer & Low Mass
7:00 pm -- Executive Committee (via Zoom)
Friday May 6
Feria
12:00 pm – Noonday Prayer & Low Mass
Saturday May 7
Julian of Norwich, c. 1417 (transferred)
9:30 am – Morning Prayer
10:00 am - Low Mass
10:30 am - Holy Rosary
10:45 am - Society of Mary
2:30 - 4:00 pm - Epiphany Soup Kitchen
May 8 – The Fourth Sunday of Easter
8:00 am – Morning Prayer & Low Mass
9:55 am – Sunday School
10:00 am – Solemn Mass with Holy Baptism
11:30 am -- Coffee Hour (Guild Hall)
|
|
Prayers have been requested for: Mark Barr, Meghan Butler, Charles and Sandra Calverley, Fr. Norman Catir, Trudy Egan, Fr. Harrington Gordon, Richard Hogarth, Rose Krawiec, Andrew Oliver, Bryan Ripley, Fr. Allan Warren, and Christopher Whittingham.
Birthdays this week: Jacob Ihnen (5/2); Robyn Noble (5/3); Jenny Jones (5/7).
The faithful departed: Recently Departed: Leonard Gaucher.
Year’s Mind: Kenneth Raymond (4/24); Jeannine Lennihan Firestone (4/25); Angelina Nicolella Fasano (4/28); Jane Ann Stiles Thissell (4/30).
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea (4/24); The Diocese of Lagos Mainland – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)(4/25); The Diocese of Lagos West – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)(4/26); The Diocese of Lahore – The (united) Church of Pakistan (4/27); The Diocese of Lainya – The Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (4/28); The Diocese of Lake – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) (4/29); The Diocese of Lango – The Church of the Province of Uganda (4/30).
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer we are asked to pray for San Jorge’s, Central Falls; St. George’s School, Middletown; and St. Mark’s, Warwick.
|
|
You can mail your pledge card or weekly/monthly offering to the church office, or pledge online here. Thank you for all the many ways in which you are already supporting S. Stephen’s.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
