The Season Of Lent and Easter

eClare

St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church

Blue Hill Maine

March 23, 2023

"Make room in your heart for love, for the trees! For the birds who own nothing – the reason they can fly.”– Mary Oliver

A message from The Rev. Allan Sandlin

Dear People of St. Francis,



What a privilege it is to be with you as your priest and pastor during this season at St. Francis. You are remarkably faithful, creative, compassionate and grateful people. Thank you for welcoming me back for this brief window of time. 

As the days grow perceptibly longer, our Lenten journey is reaching its destination. 

Soon we will arrive at the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, April 2, the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week is meant to be the quietest stretch of seven days in the Church Year, a time when we turn our gaze toward the cross and beyond, to the Resurrection. 

Christian churches around the world will soon gather to celebrate three very significant days in particular, the ancient tradition of the Paschal (in the Christian tradition, meaning “things related to Easter”) Triduum. The Triduum, literally the “three days,” begins on the evening of Maundy Thursday and ends at the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening. The Triduum is actually one event – the Church’s proclamation that once Jesus moves toward the cross nothing stops the grace of God until Easter life is proclaimed by the Resurrection.  

On Maundy Thursday, we begin the Triduum by observing God’s intervention in our lives.  The day’s name comes from the Latin mandatum, or command, and marks our Lord’s celebration of the Passover by giving us a new commandment: “As I have loved you, you should also love one another.” (John 13:34). If the first Passover freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, so this celebration of the first Eucharist begins the three-day period that marks our freedom from death.

At St. Francis, we will celebrate the Maundy Thursday liturgy at 7 pm, Thursday evening, 6 April. Following the example of Jesus with his disciples, you may choose to have your feet washed and to wash another’s feet. The altar will be stripped, washed and left bare for the Good Friday service.

Good Friday marks the commemoration of Jesus’s crucifixion. We call it good because we know how the story turns out, but thinking about what Christ suffered on the cross and walking this painful way with Christ helps us appreciate the joy of the Resurrection.

As in previous years, we will again join our friends at the Blue Hill Congregational Church to walk and pray the Stations of the Cross at noon. I understand this has become a well-loved way to mark Good Friday and look forward (weather permitting) to participating alongside others from St. Francis. The Stations will remain open until 2:00 pm for anyone who might prefer to walk the alone. At St. Francis, we will celebrate the Good Friday liturgy at 7 pm, Friday evening, 7 April. Friends from the Congregational Church will join us, and their pastor, the Rev. Lisa Durkee, will preach.  We do not celebrate Holy Communion on this day.

Holy Saturday, is a time for reflecting upon Jesus’ death and burial, a somber calm after the storm and before the Easter sunrise. In the time of Jesus, the day began at nightfall, so our Easter celebration begins with the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. At St. Francis, we will celebrate the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening at 7 pm with the Paschal fire. The new Paschal candle is lit and carried in procession into the church. A deacon (or priest) sings the ancient (from the 4th century) Easter hymn known as the Exultet (Rejoice!) The congregation carries individual candles, lit from the Paschal Candle, into the church and they remain burning as lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures are proclaimed. Following the renewal of our Baptismal Covenant and a homily, all remaining candles are lit, bells are rung, alleluias shouted and we celebrate the First Eucharist of Easter. The Great Vigil of Easter is the primary Easter proclamation of the Church through the ages. Easter Vigil has long been the best day of the Church Year as far as I’m concerned. That does not suggest that if you miss it, you will miss the Resurrection entirely. 

We will gather, as always, on Sunday morning, April 9, at 10 am for our Easter Day service. 

With anticipation and hope, I look forward to seeing you during Holy Week.

With gratitude,

The Rev. Allan Sandlin, Interim Rector

Our Prayers

Amelia, Andrea, Bob Andretta, Art, Arthur, Fr. Brent, Mary Boyd, Marie Bissell, Bill Casale, Christina, Cynthia, Newt Curtis, Diane Dumond, Charles Farinelli, Giffy Full, Brinley Hall, Catherine Husted, Jill, Debbie Jones, Kayla, Kira and John Klinger, Keagan, Alix Kirkpatrick, JoAnn Krestan, Michelle Liberty, Lisa Looke, Mark, Liz Mathewson, Fred Marston, Lorelei McKinnon, Merry Newton, Sophia Partridge, Jim Phillips, Susan Reddy, Donny Smith, Marshall Smith, Peggy Smith, Fred Stine, Carolyn Taylor, Judy Thomas, Holly Whelan and Persis Williams

We remember those celebrating March birthdays

Julie Boardman, Mary Boyd, Libby Buck, Ambrose Chung, Suzanne Decrow, David Falck, Steve Hayward, Fred Heilner, Hannah Maeve Was, Sandy McCurdy, Ed Manuel, Pam Peters, Bill Petry, Maren Rosborough, Colleen Spangler, Hannah Maeve Was, Jillian Weed, Gerald Wheeler

We pray for those who serve in the Armed Services especially Abigail, Kyle Cariño Mings, James Crowe III and Kevin West.

Congratulations to three of our special children!

From Charity Chung:

Camdyn, Brighton, and Taggart were confirmed 3.19.23, at Trinity Church Castine. The Bishop of Maine, The Rt. Reverend Thomas J. Brown, performed the Confirmation. After 6 weeks of classes with Rev. Douglas Beck, it was wonderful to celebrate this day!

Celebrating J. S. Bach’s Birthday

On April 1, in celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s 338th birthday, Blue Hill Bach will present a recital at 4 p.m. at St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church. In his debut appearance with Blue Hill Bach, the multi-talented James Kennerley, Municipal Organist of the city of Portland, Maine, will perform on the beautiful Karl Wilhelm pipe organ. The all-Bach program will comprise works in a variety of styles from all periods of the composer’s oeuvre.

     Admission: $25 general/$10 students/under 18 free. Tickets/info, go to www.bluehillbach.org or call Blue Hill Bach at (207)613-5454.

JUST IN FROM REV. ALLAN!

Plan to stay after church on Easter Day for a festive Coffee Hour!  

If you can help with set-up or bring food to share or stay around to help clean up, please contact Fred or Prudy Heilner.

~~~

Pictured, left, are a few of the beautiful Easter Eggs created by our own Lois French.