In this week’s news…
A Message from the Rector
Dear Friends,
I have received some beautiful emails and comments about our Epiphany Processions last Sunday. The Epiphany season is when we explore the revelation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This coming Sunday, we will hear the call of the first disciples when two of John the Baptist’s disciples respond to the revelation of Jesus as the “Lamb of God” and they ask where he is staying. “Come and see,” says Jesus, and he invites them into a familial relationship with him. The next day, St. Andrew becomes the first missionary who finds his brother, Simon, and brings him to meet Jesus. Jesus gives him a new name: Peter, the rock.
There are many ideas about church growth and missionary activities. The simplest, however, is found in the response of Jesus to those first two disciples: “Come and see.” When we invite our friends and family to come to Church, we invite them to come to meet Jesus. When we are baptized, we are given a new name; we take the name of Jesus and become Christians The greatest missionary activity is the simplest: introducing people to Jesus through our own example.
I am delighted to tell you about Holy Week 2020. Please mark your calendars: Holy Week is April 5-12. Our sermons at the liturgies of Holy Week will be given by the Rev. Dr. Katherine Grieb, Meade Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Virginia Theological Seminary. The Seven Last Words from the Cross on Good Friday will be given by our old friend, the Very Rev. Dr. Steven Peay, currently Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Milwaukee and Associate Dean of the Cathedral there, and formerly Dean-President of Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where he remains Research Professor of Homiletics. You can find their bios, below.
May this Epiphany Season bring us joy and peace.
Affectionately,
Carl,
your priest and pastor.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration with our Bishop
The Diocese of New York invites you to attend a special service on Monday, January 20, 10am-2pm, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx (781 Castle Hill Ave.) as we give thanks for the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This annual service will be hosted by the South Bronx Inter-Parish Council. Our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Andrew Dietsche, will preside, and the preacher will be the Rev. Tracy Johnson-Russell, Rector of St. Monica’s Church in Hartford, Connecticut.
For more information, follow this link.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Each year, we celebrate an eight-day period known as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This is an observance begun in 1908 by the Graymoor Franciscan Friars. It begins with the Feast of the Confession of Saint Peter on Friday, January 18, and ends with the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul on Friday, January 25.
On Sunday, January 26, we will celebrate our common faith in our Lord Jesus Christ with all Christians throughout the world with a Festal Evensong for Christian Unity featuring our Guest Preacher, and neighbor, the Reverend Dr. Stephen P. Bauman, Senior Minister of Christ Church (Methodist) in New York City.
Discover more about the Week by following this link.
Silent Retreat with Sr. Promise Atelon
You are invited to participate in a special retreat at Saint Thomas Church entitled “Teach Me Your Paths, O Lord.” led by Sister Promise Atelon, SSM on Saturday, January 25th from 9am – 12pm.
Sr. Promise tells us:
As you know, in order to have a relationship with someone, it is necessary to spend time with one another. And the more you spend time together, the more you know each other and the closer you become. It is the same with God. To know God better on our morning retreat, we will spend time with God in prayer and meditation.
Daily life is so busy, and our minds are constantly running. Come as you are to spend time alone and within community, making a space to renew your relationship with God through guided meditation, reflection, and personal prayer. We need Jesus to teach us the ways of rest and relationship.
Wherever you are on your faith journey or in your relationship with God, this retreat is for you. All who want to grow closer to God are welcome. This retreat is for all who desire to walk closer with God and want God to show them the way. Come, take a break. Take a break from the news and the constant noise that fill our world. Teach us your paths, O Lord… so that we may grow closer to you and to others.
The retreat will begin with a complementary, light breakfast on the Fifth Floor and include individual and group meditation and reflection guided by Sr. Promise, concluding with prayers at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fifth Avenue and Mass.
To participate in this valuable opportunity, please contact Sr. Promise here.
Mark Your Calendars for certain Lent/Easter Dates ahead
Ash Wednesday
February 26, 2020
Palm Sunday
April 5, 2020
Easter Sunday
April 12, 2020
Guest Preachers for Holy Week
The Rev. A. Katherine Grieb, Ph.D.
The Rev. A. Katherine Grieb, Ph.D., is the Meade Professor of Biblical Interpretation. She joined the VTS faculty in 1994. Her areas of expertise include Greek language, New Testament Interpretation, Romans, Hebrews, social justice, Biblical storytelling, and theatre. Before coming to VTS, she taught at Bangor Theological Seminary.
Dr. Grieb received her B.A. in Philosophy and Religion from Hollins University, her J.D. from Columbus School of Law (Catholic University of America), her M.Div from VTS, her Ph.D. (with distinction) in Religious Studies (Theology) from Yale University, and her L.L.M. (with distinction) in Canon Law from Cardiff University School of Law.
Ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in the Diocese of Washington in 1983, she serves part-time at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Washington, DC.
Dr. Grieb co-founded the Pauline Soteriology Group at the Society for Biblical Literature and has served on several related committees, including a term on the Board of the Journal of Biblical Studies. She was President of the Mid-Atlantic Region SBL in 2006-2007. She is currently on the board of the Journal of Theological Interpretation and a member of the SBL group on Theology and the Bible, as well the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars and the Society for the Study of Anglicanism. Dr. Grieb is a member of the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church and represented the Episcopal Church at the World Council of Churches Plenary Session in 2009. She was one of seven theologians asked to write To Set Our Hope on Christ, in response to the Windsor Report. She was a member of the Anglican Communion Covenant Design Group.
Currently, Dr. Grieb is a member of IASCUFO (the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order) of the Anglican Communion and teaches regularly at the Canterbury Scholars program at Canterbury Cathedral. A popular preacher and teacher, she leads retreats and Bible studies for diocesan clergy days and other church groups.
Dr. Grieb has authored many articles and book chapters related to the New Testament, theological interpretation of Scripture, and preaching. She published The Story of Romans in 2002 with Westminster John Knox. She Co-edited The Word Leaps the Gap, published with Eerdmans in 2008. She is presently writing on Hebrews and on the Sermon on the Mount.
The Very Rev. Steven A. Peay, PhD, FBS
Fr. Peay is currently Interim Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee and Associate Dean of All Saints’ Cathedral, Milwaukee. Steven joined the Cathedral staff in 2018 after serving as Professor of Homiletics and Church History and Dean-President at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. A Church historian, with a specialization in the history of preaching and the American Church, his work at All Saints’ focuses on spiritual formation. He remains Research Professor of Homiletics and Dean-President Emeritus of the Seminary.
Fr. Peay’s undergraduate study of Church history led him toward Benedictine monastic life at St. Vincent Archabbey at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 1977. After his first profession of vows he studied for the priesthood. He was ordained deacon in 1981 and priest in 1982.
He was assistant professor of homiletics and historical theology at St. Vincent’s. During his tenure at the seminary he also served as academic dean for five years. Leaving monastic life in 1994, he devoted himself to parish work for the next 15 years in Congregational churches in Wisconsin, while continuing to research, write, and teach in various venues.
Fr. Peay came to Nashotah House as adjunct professor of Church history in 2008 and was elected to the faculty in 2010. His orders were received in August 2010, and he is a priest of the Diocese of Albany. In 2014, he was made Dean-President. During his tenure as dean and president, Peay worked closely with the corporate leadership of Nashotah on a new institutional governance structure. He also led a successful effort to preserve the seminary’s accreditation, and laid the foundation for the next evaluation by the Association of Theological Schools. Fr. Peay raised more than $7 million for the seminary’s endowment, the largest fundraising effort in the history of Nashotah, and moved the institution closer to its goal of ensuring long-term financial viability.
He is married to Julie and has two adult stepsons. All things historical interest him, especially academic dress (he is a fellow of the Burgon Society, which studies academic dress), liturgics, and music. He enjoys a good meal, especially if he’s had a hand in it.
