Summer Feast Days
The first of our Summer Feast days will be held on Thursday, June 29 as we celebrate the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul at 5:30pm followed by cheese, wine, and soft drinks in the Narthex.
Dear Friends,
The summer solstice is now passed, and it is incredible to think that the days will begin to shorten now! Many of you have told me of your summer plans and travel, and I pray that you all have a wonderful summer. I have been pleased that Sunday attendance has been strong since the Choir School term ended. Last Sunday’s visiting choir sang some beautiful music, and we have some more this Sunday with a choir from Virginia. Coffee Hour has moved back to the Narthex for the summer to make it easier for visitors to meet with parishioners. During the summer, we continue a simple Rite 1 (traditional language) Eucharist at 7:45am; that service lasts under half an hour. The 9am Rite 2 (contemporary language) Sung Mass will have hymns, a congregational mass setting, and a psalm and acclamations led by a cantor. That service lasts around 50 minutes. The 11am Festal or Solemn Eucharist will continue to be Rite 1 with either a visiting choir or the gentlemen of our own choir. We are trying to ensure that that service is no more than 1 hour and 20 minutes long, and I have received a lot of positive comments about the change to the greetings. For those who have not yet noticed, we are now giving the welcome and greetings before the service begins. The service then proceeds without interruption.
The clergy are currently discussing with the Ushers Corps and the Guild of Acolytes how we can restore the use of the Communion Rail at the High Altar. To that end, we still need people to volunteer to be ushers. You do not have to be on duty every week – in fact, if we had a lot more people volunteering, it would make everything so much easier. The ministry of welcome and hospitality is so important at a church like hours that receives many visitors each week; please consider giving your time occasionally. My colleagues and I continue to be so grateful to Karen Duncan, our Head Usher, and her team who are in church at all choral services and many pastoral offices. Thank you, Ushers Corps!
I hope to see many of you on Sunday, and also at the first of our Summer Feast days – the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul – when our preacher will be Bishop Andrew St. John. Do stay on afterwards and meet with the congregation, choir, and clergy over wine, cheese, and soft drinks.
As many of you know, the clergy take seriously their pastoral calling and we love to visit people especially when they are sick at home or in hospital or a care facility. When someone becomes old or frail and housebound, it can be an isolating time, especially for those who used to be regular in their church attendance. The wonderful thing about the church community is that when you cannot get to church, the church can come to you! Those who receive Holy Communion in their homes or care facility regularly often say that it makes the week special again. I have asked Fr. Schultz to give us all a steer on pastoral care in the following article. In the meantime, please help us; if you notice someone missing from the pews for a while, please let us know or, better still, if they are a friend, reach out to them – it will let them know that you care.
“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”
― Henri Nouwen,
Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
