Dear Friends,
The situation in Ukraine seems ever more dire with civilians clearly being targeted. Each day it is shocking to see residential areas, schools, even hospitals, being bombed. None of these have any strategic military purpose and I am reminded of the ‘Blitz’ of the Second World War that my mother, and her family, lived through in England, often cowering in basements and air-raid shelters. What we are seeing unfolding on our screens and in the newspapers is a powerful reminder that we have been here before. Let us pray that this madness comes to a swift end and that there is no more loss of life or displacement of civilian people. The number of refugees grows and an astonishing number of them are children. President Zelensky addressed Congress this week and here is a link if you are interested.
Our Sunday School families are collecting practical things to help the refugees. See below for more details on that initiative and help our Sunday Schoolers donate 40 gifts in the 40 days of Lent.
Last weekend I attended a retreat for the Order of St. John. The order supports an eye hospital in Jerusalem and in Gaza, and mobile units in the Palestinian territories. We heard first-hand the difference that these hospitals and units are making to people regardless of their faith, their nationality, or their political allegiance. I have invited the Lord Prior on his next visit to New York to come and share with us some of the incredible stories of the eye hospitals and units. I also preached at St. John’s Cathedral in Los Angeles on the Sunday morning. One of the co-Deans, Fr. Dan Ade, is a former curate of Saint Thomas during the time of Fr. Andrew. He spoke very movingly to his congregation about the formation that he had received at St. Thomas. I was made very welcome, and the church there was clearly vibrant and growing. It is also a remarkable structure. The architects, Walter and Francis Pierpont Davis (brothers) created a masterpiece in 1924 modeled after the 11th-century church of San Pietro in Tuscania, northwest of Rome. Fr. Dan told me of his visit to Toscania some years ago, and showing a photograph of his cathedral to locals who were quite astonished at the resemblance. The Cathedral is made of concrete slabs, but the interior has some stunning mosaics and marble adorning the walls.
Today, March 19, is the Feast of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On Friday, we keep the Feast of the Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a major feast day, when we recall the Angel Gabriel greeting Mary as ‘full of grace’ and announcing the conception of Jesus. It is sometimes said that Mary conceived Jesus in her heart before she conceived him in her womb. As Mother God, she presents Jesus to a waiting world and, like at the wedding of Cana in Galilee, she says to the church as she said to the stewards of the feast, “Do whatever he tells you.” She stood at the foot of the cross, and perhaps with the awful situation in Ukraine, we can see in the image of the Pieta the sadness of all women who have lost children. Mary also is a pointer to the Resurrection of her son and, the Acts of the Apostles reminds us that the Apostles gathered around her in the upper room for the breaking of the bread and the prayers (see Acts 1:13-14). Thus, many depictions of Pentecost – from icon to old masters – depict Mary at the heart of the birth of the Church at Pentecost. Please come to celebrate this powerful feast day on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The service will also be livestreamed.
Holy Week is fast approaching and a handy postcard has been printed with all the services for the week. A separate email will be sent out next week. In preparation for Easter, now is the time we ask for donations for Easter flowers in memory of loved-ones. You can donate online and leave the names of loved-ones. Alternatively, you can send a check with the names to the Parish Office. Please mark the check and the envelope ‘Easter Flowers.’ As usual, we suggest a minimum donation of $25.
Finally, we are delighted to welcome our new Associate for Musical Studies and Assistant Organist, Maks Adach. Maks will be working across the Choir School and the Parish and we are delighted to have him join us. He has a great deal of experience, was trained in the UK, but has extensively worked in the United States, currently at St. Paul’s Choir School in Boston, a Roman Catholic day school attached to a parish church. Maks recently married Sarah who is completing her PhD at Princeton, and is also a musician. Maks’ first Sunday will be March 27 which is, fortuitously, Laetare Sunday, so we will have a special coffee hour to welcome him and Sarah as part of our parish family.
May the Love of the Lord Jesus surround you and your loved ones,
Carl
