Reflections from Our Pastors

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

The Autumn Equinox

This coming Sunday, Sept. 24 at 12:49 AM will be the Autumn Equinox, ushering in the first day of Autumn in the northern hemisphere. Edward Hayes, in Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim, gives us optional rituals and prayers to help us embrace the change. While the book was first published in 1989 and then in 2008, it seems particularly relevant now as we raise our consciousness in the digital age and beyond, and as we recognize the Season of Creation. We have reason to hope as the sciences, by leaps and bounds, increase discoveries that expand our understanding of our intrinsic connection with all existence. Life, within the Cosmic Christ and Creator of Love gives hope to us this time of the year.

Here are two options from Edward Hayes. The first is a Ritual Autumn Welcoming with prayer, and the second is an Autumn Equinox prayer. 

Option 1: “A Ritual of Autumn Welcoming

In its annual pilgrimage around our sun, the Earth starts to cool after the autumn equinox. In the northern hemisphere that season of autumn begins around Sept. 23. The tilt of the Earth’s axis is then away from the sun, lowering the angle of the sun’s rays. Autumn marks the time when leaves and fruit start to “fall” from northern trees and vines. While we rejoice in the harvest season of fullness and thanksgiving, our [siblings] in the southern hemisphere welcome the season of spring.

This prayer could be said at the door of your home after night has arrived.

‘Welcome, autumn, arms full of summer’s blessings,

carrying the seeds of life for next year’s planting.

Come, enter my home with your golden wisdom;

be my guest and share my table.

Welcome, O Wise One,

may I be your student in the school of gratitude.

Guide me in reflecting upon the summer now gone,

that I might give thanks for all the many gifts

that have enriched me in that season of growth.

I greet you, spirits of darkness

that dwell in the night and within me.

While you are frightening, you are also a source of power;

may I not fear you

but learn to live in holy harmony with you;

you are not evil unless you dominate me.

Night within me, I welcome you as well;

may all your spirits that reside in me

live in harmony with the Spirit of the Holy.

Amen.+ ‘ “

Option 2: “Autumn Equinox Prayer

‘I unite myself with ancient memories that sleep within.

Ancestors of long ago whose fears have left their fingerprints upon me,

remind me of my holy communion with that river of humanity

that flows through my soul.

May this flame be my autumn sacred fire.

A fire or candle may be lit

I greet you child of the night – my anger.

May I live with you in a creative way.

Be fuel for the prophet within me

to speak and act against the darkness of injustice.

I greet you daughter of the dark – my sexual needs.

May I always dance with you in creative, selfless ways.

May I live with you in openness and without fear.

I greet you, sons of darkness – envy and the need to be noticed.

I fear you not, for you can teach me how I must love myself fully

if I am to love others and my God with all my heart.

I greet you -- night spirit of aggression.

May you be a powerful force for good in my life.

You are the energy that can impel me to achieve great deeds,

to heal the Earth of brokenness.

May I live with you in good health of body, mind and spirit.

And may all my friends of the dark

Be in harmony with the spirits of light within me,

Living together under the loving eye of our merciful God.

Amen. + ‘ “

Hope to see you at Mass either in sanctuary or on zoom to celebrate the Christ in about 12 hours from the autumn moment!

Peace within,

Rev. Jane

Image by Pat from Pixabay

This Week at Mary of Magdala

Tonight September 19, 2023

Please join us in celebrating

20 years of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion

Parade of Parishes - A special video presentation begins at 5:40 pm.

Join Zoom Meeting Here -

Meeting ID: 848 3418 1327 Passcode: 845280

Celebratory Ritual - Beginning at 6:00 pm (continues on same Zoom)

Music, prayers and reflections by members from across the country

After our main celebration, you are invited to join your ECC family and friends in breakout rooms for prayer and sharing: What has the ECC meant to you?

Please respond via email here if you wish to join in this part of the evening’s celebration and not miss a single moment of this special time together!  

In your email simply reply: 'I wish to join a breakout room.'

The Food Truck Festival Returns this Friday

September 22 at 6:00 pm

Monty Hogan's trio will provide music and the lines will be shorter with three trucks this year. Bounce house for the kids.

Click here if you can volunteer.

We need help! Sign up to help with flier distributors, poster hanging in local businesses, set up, clean up, and more.

Joint Ecological Team Update - September 2023

NEW: Calendar of Events, Meetings and Opportunities

To see all of the events, meetings and Opportunities in one place, click here.

Spanish Classes

New students always welcomed!

• Thursdays through October 26.
• Beginners session at 3 pm:
• Conversational Spanish at 4pm:

We will meet in Room 2 and on Zoom

Zoom - click HERE. 

Meeting ID: 350 899 592 Passcode: 028929

Mark Your Calendar - October 22

Adult Forum

Shared Service & Oktoberfest

with Fundraiser for Habitat

You guessed it, we need volunteers for donating food and time, please sign up HERE.

Please send prayer requests to marymagdalafc@gmail.com. Prayers will be listed for one month unless requested for longer. Prayers for the repose of souls will be listed for six months unless requested for a longer time.

Celebrating the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Celebrate with Father Michael Nicosia presiding on September 17. The video of the homily and readings is available here.

Social Justice Reflection

Tom Moos, Chair Social Justice Ministry

Gun control policies, especially gun bans, are highly controversial crime control measures, and the debates tend to be dominated by anecdotes and emotion rather than empirical findings.  Assessing the potential effectiveness of bills intended to reduce gun violence is hampered by a lack of reliable fact-based studies.  As a general observation, however, the fewest shooting deaths or injuries worldwide tend to occur in countries in which the fewest people possess or have access to firearms.  In contrast, the US, with its 120 guns per 100 residents, has the highest frequency of gun-related deaths if you include suicides and accidental shootings, as well as homicides.

Though semi-automatic weapons like AR-15s and AK-style rifles seem to dominate the news media’s reports, in fact pistols and revolvers are the most commonly used guns in mass shootings.  With their generally larger caliber ammunition and ability to fire many shots rapidly with minimal recoil to the shooter, semi-automatic rifles are more likely to inflict a lethal wound and therefore are often perceived a greater threat.

Under the Clinton administration, the Crime Control Act of 1994 was passed banning the manufacture, sale, and possession of specific makes and models of military-style semi-automatic firearms.  The ban remained in effect until 2004.  The proposed legislation actually triggered speculative price increases and ramped-up production of the banned

firearms prior to the law’s implementation, thereby increasing the availability of these guns. While the ban may have contributed to a reduction in the gun murder rate by criminals, it did not reduce the average number of victims per gun murder incident or multiple gunshot wound victims. Thus, the evidence that semi-automatic rifle bans effectively reduce gun violence is inconclusive, at best.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates the US manufactured or imported about 24.4 million AR-15 or AK-style guns from 1990 to 2020, with a record-breaking 2.8 million in 2020 alone. Between 2019 and 2021, Daniel Defense sales of assault rifles tripled as did those of Sturm, Ruger & Co while Smith & Wesson sales more than doubled. 

Since the pandemic, these companies have sold record numbers of firearms and earned record profits, often spiking after widely-publicized mass shooting events. With aggressive sales playing into a growing national sense of insecurity, the debate over what to do about semi-automatic weapons will most likely, unfortunately, remain an emotional battle between entrenched perspectives rather than open-minded, solution-oriented conversation.

Mass Schedule

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Sep 20 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Sunday Sept. 24 at 12:30 pm

• Reverend Jane Reina is presiding. In-person and with Zoom

Sunday Oct 1 at 12:30 pm

• Father Teri Harroun is presiding. In-person and with Zoom

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Oct 4 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Did you miss an article or announcement?

Past e-bulletins posted here



• Ongoing Giving Opportunities in Fellowship hall; see list here

• ECC House of Laity, NEWSLETTER, August 2023, read here

• Dedicating Altar Flowers? Contact Joan Stepleton at JoanStepleton@gmail.com or 864-650-2816. A $25 dollar donation is kindly requested.

• The purpose of the Mary Magdalene Society is to financially support aspiring and current priests and encourage the development of youth in their spiritual journeys. Read more here.

• The Summer newsletter from the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Ecumenical Communion can be read here

Mary of Magdala Parish Community

Members: Need to view, update information or download a copy of the member directory? Just click here.

If you would like to contribute to Mary of Magdala, here are ways to schedule a single or recurring Sunday offertory.

All are invited and ALL are welcome to join our parish community. Here is the webpage with more information on membership

The ECC Regional Website is now live - View here.

Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Paul's Episcopal  

Click here for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And here is St Paul's weekly bulletin.