This Week at Ascension + March 1, 2023

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

Wednesday, March 1

David, Bishop of Menevia, Wales, c. 544


Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m. via ZOOM

In-person and Live-streamed Said Mass at 6:30 p.m.

Unction will be available for those who wish it.


VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE





Stations of the Cross


on the Fridays of Lent at 12 p.m.

March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

& April 7 (Good Friday)


 

The Second Sunday in Lent

March 5, 2023


7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer via ZOOM

9 a.m. Sung Mass

11 a.m. Solemn High Mass

In-person & Live-streamed


The 11 a.m. bulletin may be found here.


Image: John La Farge, Visit of Nicodemus to Christ, 1880,

Smithsonian American Art Museum

 

 

Click to join us VIA YOUTUBE

or VIA FACEBOOK LIVE


And in the Afternoon

3:30 p.m. Organ Recital, David White


JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)

Chorale-Prelude [1858] and Fugue [1873]

   O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid   WoO 7   


OLIVIER-EUGÈNE MESSIÆN (1908-1992)

Prélude pour Orgue    [poss. 1928/29; published 2002]


DAVID WHITE (b. 1959)

Partite diverse improvvisata

   Stabat mater dolorosa  


The Recital information and Evensong bulletin

may be found here


4 p.m. Choral Evensong and Benediction

Canticles: Owain Park (b. 1993)

Trinity Fauxbourdons (2016)

US premiere at Church of the Ascension in 2019


Anthem: Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Mitten wir im Leben sind, from Kirchenmusik, op. 23

 

On Confession

Ascension has recently begun offering private confession once again on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. It is wonderful to have this ministry restored as we begin the Season of Lent. The Book of Common Prayer considers Reconciliation of a Penitent a Pastoral Office (see page 447). This assumes that the action between priest and penitent involves a pastoral relationship: The penitent gives voice to their lament, and there is a significant amount of pastoral listening and responding on the part of the priest. The condition of this reconciling relationship is that the penitent is invited to express verbally the sin that “so easily besets us,” and that the priest responds in a way that points the penitent in the direction of the “pilgrim way,” that they may go from “strength to strength” in the advancement of their spiritual life.


The verbal expression of the penitent’s lament, to use a word common to the psalmist, provides the penitent an opportunity to “give voice,” to speak out loud, the sin (or sins) that weighs them down. Giving voice to our lament in the presence of another person, in this case a priest, is central to the healing ministry and pastoral element of the Rite of Reconciliation. Giving voice to our lament, to our sins and misgivings, in the presence of another, is experience that provides healing not possible when we simply hold or ruminate that lament inside our heads. This spiritual healing is also promoted when, at the request of the penitent, the priest offers “counsel, direction and comfort” thereby acting pastorally, through responsive listening, perhaps even in a reflective conversation with the penitent, which seeks to guide the penitent into thoughtful and prayerful self-awareness and action. The priest may, before pronouncing absolution (thus bearing witness to God’s forgiveness, that is “new every morning” to those who seek it), may also assign a penitential act that further guides the penitent into a right relationship with others and with God.


The grace of confession is both the benefit of the pastoral relationship at the heart of the rite and the promise of forgiveness when we become overwhelmed with our human limitations, sincerely confess, and commit to making amends, in the reality of God’s loving forgiveness and absolution. Presenting oneself to private confession requires a personal vulnerability that can be acquired through the knowledge that we are all God’s children. Even amid our vulnerability and deepest failures, God takes us by the hand and receives us with “rings to place upon our fingers” in celebration of our return.


Fr. Petite

How You Can Help in the Search for Our New Rector!

Help Us Spread the Word Do you know a priest who would be a good fit to be Ascension’s next rector? While the Search Committee has been informed by the diocese that we have already received several applications, we wanted to remind you that it is perfectly appropriate for members of the congregation and friends of Ascension to encourage eligible clergy to apply. Fr. Caruso, our diocesan consultant, has mentioned that very often the best candidates originally find out about a new position from someone who is familiar with the parish. So, tap into your network. Ask the priests you know if they are interested and ask them if they know priests who might be interested. But act quickly: the deadline for submitting applications is March 17. Candidates can find more information about the parish and how to apply by visiting: https://episcopalchicago.org/for-clergy/clergy-openings/


Pray!  As we prepare to hold mock interviews to hone our interviewing strategies and skills, and as we begin the process of reviewing applications later in March, we ask that you keep the parish and the committee in your prayers. We’ve adapted the following prayer from the Book of Common Prayer as a suggestion. However you chose to pray for this process, we ask that you do it in true Chicago fashion: early and often!


Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for The Church of the Ascension that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Cynthia Perrizo and David Schrader

What ministry are you taking on in Lent?

Food Pantry, Saturday, March 4


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 9:00 a.m. and start distributing them at 11 a.m. We need the most help between 9:00 and 11 a.m., 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, and enjoy some fellowship as well.

Offerings for Prayer and Spiritual Growth

for the Season of Lent

Book Study Sundays, beginning March 5:

Entering the Passion of Jesus


Beginning the second Sunday of Lent, March 5, following the Solemn High Mass, we will begin our preparation for Holy Week by prayerfully studying the Passion of Jesus. New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine will be our guide for this journey, as we’ll be using her book, Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week for our study. Copies are available at the church. Suggested donation is $5. You can also purchase a copy on your own from an independent bookseller through Bookshop or find a copy on Amazon.

Personal Reading and Devotion on Beauty


This Sunday, you will find selections of John O’Donohue’s book Beauty available for devotional reading along with reflection questions and prayer prompts prepared by Mtr. Murphy-Gill. You can sign up to receive one of these packets as a downloadable PDF by emailing her. (If you’ve already reached out, you can expect your copy on Friday). Please note that this packet is for personal devotion and prayer and will not serve as our Lenten formation program this year. Mtr. Murphy-Gill is available for one-on-one conversation about it. This book is also available on Audible read by the author.

Lenten Quiet Morning, March 18, 8 a.m. - Noon


“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” I Cor., 6:19


​Join Ascension parishioner Gary Alexander in this mini-retreat which will explore ways that meditation and increased physical awareness can deepen our Lenten journey and open ourselves spiritually and bodily to the Resurrection. 


Please use this sign-up link to register for the retreat or fill out the sign-up sheet in the Narthex. A light breakfast will be offered and in order to know how much to prepare, we’d like to have an idea of how many are planning to attend this retreat. Thank you!

 

Prayer Requests

Do you have a need for special prayer in your life? Whether your prayer needs are because you have an upcoming surgery, an ill family member, or you’re just feeling particularly lonely lately, Fr. Heard and Mtr. Murphy-Gill would like to know.


We’ve created a way for letting us know about your requests for prayers in a way we hope makes it easy for you to reach out, though you can always call the church or reach out to one of the priests personally. 


Share your prayer requests here.

Organ and Choral Repertoire for March 5, 2023

At the Entrance Procession

401  LEONI

 

At the Offertory

603  ST. BOTOLPH

 

At the Communion

691  OLIVET (9 a.m.)

CHRISTOPHER (11 a.m.)

 

At the Retiring Procession

473 CRUCIFER


Organ Voluntaries are omitted on the Sundays in Lent.

 


Choral Mass Setting

William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)

Mass for Four Voices


Offertory Motet

B.E. (Brittney Elizabeth) Boykin,

John 3:16 (2014) 



Chanted Mass Propers from the

Graduale Romanum




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

Ascension Connections
(with your click and God's help)
Participate in Ascension masses at our YouTube Channel. (Look for other connections options soon.)
Meeting ID:
792 031 7452
Password: 1133
Join-by-Phone Option: (312) 626-6799

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

7:30 A.M. Morning Prayer via FACEBOOK LIVE

6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer via Zoom


WEDNESDAYS

6:30 p.m. Said Mass

VIA YOUTUBE or FACEBOOK LIVE

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

For our prayers: Chuck Kelley, Jim Drury, Mary W., Ruby Woods, Tyler,

David S. Jones, Elsa Pineda, Richard Francis Tracz, Thom Racina, Robert Browning, Natalia & Victor, Dorothy, David Schrader, Victor Fernandez, Claire Green, Beth Hall, Sue Lenz, Brenda Martins, Lee Gould, Gertrude Isaac, Marty Stenson, Steve Dionne


Birthdays:

Rowan Giles Hedley, 3/2/2006; MB Hwang, 3/3; Beth Fleckenstein, 3/3


Departed:

Biftu Takele, David Belding, Jr.,

Ruth Schram, 2/16/2023; Patricia Wilson Laibly, 2/26/2018; Marian Keller, 2/27;

James C. Krulish, 2/27/2008

  

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.



The Rev. Thomas Heard, Interim Rector

theard@ascensionchicago.org


The Rev. Meghan Murphy-Gill, Curate

mmurphygill@ascensionchicago.org

Reach Out To Us
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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, Sam 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.