PARISH NOTES

Sunday 1 July 2018

Paolo Veronese, Christ and the Woman with an Issue of Blood (1565-1570)
Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna, Austria

FROM THE RECTOR

In Catholic tradition, July is the month of the Precious Blood - a time when we meditate on the mystery of Christ's blood shed for our salvation. The traditional form of the Anglican Eucharistic Prayer asks that "by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we, and all thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion." The same prayer goes on to ask that offering "our selves, our souls and bodies" we may "worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ ..."

In the biblical worldview, blood is life, and blood is power. This Sunday's Gospel features a woman suffering twelve years from an issue of blood - not only rendering her ceremonially "unclean," but also slowly draining her life away. She is healed by touching the hem of the Lord's garment; he in turn sheds his blood for the healing of the nations - and then gives us that same blood (under the outward appearance of wine) as the medicine of life eternal.

As the ancient hymn translated by Edward Caswall puts it:

Abel's blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the Blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

Lift ye then your voices
Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
Praise the Precious Blood!

-- Fr.John D. Alexander

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

Sixth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 8, Year B
Psalm 30
Wisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Welcome to S. Stephen’s – especially to our visitors and guests! We’re glad to have you join us. Please join us for Coffee Hour following the 10 a.m. Mass in the Great Hall upstairs. If you have any questions or special needs, please speak to one of the ushers, who will be glad to assist you.

Guest Organist – We welcome Jay MacCubbin at the organ again today while Organist and Choirmaster Dr. James Busby is on a well-deserved vacation. (James is scheduled to return on Sunday 5 August; we wish him safe travels and a relaxing break!)

Monthly Requiem – for the departed of this parish whose year’s mind falls during July will be offered tomorrow, Monday 2 July, at 6:00 pm (preceded by Evening Prayer at 5:30 pm). If you have any names to add to those to be remembered, please let Fr. Alexander know. See GAS announcement below.

Guild of All Souls: St. Stephen, Proto-Martyr Branch – S. Stephen’s celebrates a parish Requiem Mass on the First Monday of most months at the 6:00 pm Mass. Departed members of the parish whose anniversaries fall during the month are remembered in prayer, and anyone may submit additional names of the departed.

Independence Day – As on all public holidays, we will offer Morning Prayer at 9:30 am, followed by Low Mass at 10:00 am. Please join us as we start the day by giving thanks for our liberties and offering prayers for the nation.

Society of Mary – This month's meeting will be held this Saturday, July 7, beginning with Holy Rosary following the 10:00 am Mass and a brief meeting (for coffee and bagels) to follow in the Great Hall. All are welcome and invited to join us.

New Prices for Altar Flowers – Arrangements in the church’s brass vases (currently in the Lady Chapel) cost $25 each, for a total of $50 (a considerable savings from the $75 per vase we have been charged before now). Please consider making an offering of flowers in thanksgiving or in memoriam to help beautify our worship of God. (Flowers can now be paid for online via our website; see notice following – but please verify with the parish office that your desired date is available.)

Online Giving – We have just updated the parish website to make online donations and pledge payments easier and more convenient. You can now set up repeating payments of your pledge, designate gifts to funds such as Special Music and Flowers, and pay either directly from your bank account or charge to a credit card. You will receive an email receipt for each online gift, and you can enter your pledge number to have the gift included in your mailed hardcopy quarterly statements as well. Go to the parish website (www.sstephens.org) and click on the “Give” button at the top right corner to check it out.

Solemn Evensong and Benediction – will be offered on Sunday 5 August (Eve of the Feast of the Transfiguration) at 5:30 pm. The guest preacher (and officiant at Evensong) will be the Rev. Canon Jeremy Haselock, recently retired Canon Precentor at Norwich Cathedral in England, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. The Schola Cantorum will interrupt their summer break to sing works of Heinrich Schütz, Harvey Burgett, and Marcel Dupré. Mark your calendars now and don’t miss what promises to be a splendid choral service.

Sunday 10 a.m. Masses during the Summer – take on a simpler (and somewhat briefer) form, following closely the texts and rubrics of The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 and adding a fifth hymn to the usual four. It is vitally important to keep up our attendance during these months; our prayers and presence at Mass express our love for God and our neighbor, bringing real blessings both in our own lives and in those of our fellow parishioners. (If there are any favorite hymns you’d like us to sing during the summer months, please contact Fr. Alexander, who will do his best to accommodate all reasonable requests!)

Sunday School and Nursery – We need volunteers to assume responsibility for organizing Sunday School for the 2018-2019 Program Year (beginning in September). Please speak to Fr. Alexander or one of the Wardens (Tom Bledsoe or Bill Dilworth) if you would like to learn more and / or contribute your time to this crucial aspect of parish life.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS 

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, Richard, Norman, John, Shannah, Sister Carolyn, Lynne, William, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Elizabeth, Sandy, John, Phebe, Ed, Gregory, Richard, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Jonathan, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Douglas, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, James, and Louis.

Birthdays this week: Jack Tessier (Thursday 7/5).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Ben C. Claunch (1 July 2000), Georgiana Kincaid (2 July 2013), Charles A. Kilvert (4 July 2000), and Albert S. Cook (7 July 1998). Recently Departed: John Ladds.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Church of North India (United): The Most Rev’d Dr. Prem Chand Singh, Moderator of CNI & Bishop of Jabalpur; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for our country, the President and all in civil authority, for Congress & Courts of Justice, for sound government.

THE SUNDAY ROTA 

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC J Ihnen; Thurifer F Pisaturo
Lector – W Dilworth
Ushers – Tom Oakes and Chris Martel
Coffee Hour – Hooks Family

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S 

PARISH PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Monday 2 July
Guild of All Souls 6:00 pm (Lady Chapel)

Saturday 7 July
Society of Mary 10:30 am (Lady Chapel/Great Hall)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Saturday 7 July
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

1 July
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 8, Year Two

Monday 2 July
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Requiem Mass 6:00 pm (Black)

Tuesday 3 July
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Wednesday 4 July
INDEPENDENCE DAY (W)
Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal, 1336
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

Thursday 5 July
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 6 July
Thomas More, Scholar, and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, Martyrs, 1535 (R)
Sexburga, Abbess of Ely, 699 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 7 July
Palladius, Apostle of Ireland, 5th century (W)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am
Holy Rosary 10:30 am

8 July
THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (8 July)

Seventh Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 9, Year B
Psalm 123
Ezekiel 2:1-5
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 24 June 2018

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Birth of Saint John the Baptist (1486-1490)
Fresco, Santa Maria Novella, Florence

FROM THE RECTOR

The Church Calendar marks the quarters of each year with four feast days loosely corresponding to the Winter Solstice (Christmas), the Spring Equinox (Annunciation), the Summer Solstice (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist), and the Autumn Equinox (Saint Michael and All Angels). This tells us something about those figures whom the Church regards as most important in the drama of salvation: Christ, Mary, John the Baptist, and Saint Michael the Archangel. This year the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist - incidentally, Patron of our Diocese's Cathedral - falls on a Sunday, so we are taking advantage of the permission given in the Prayer Book rubrics to keep the feast on the Sunday instead of transferring it to the first open day in the week. Come join us as we celebrate the pivotal significance of the Baptist as the Forerunner of Christ. - Fr. John D. Alexander

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Psalm 85
Isaiah 40:1-11
Acts 13:14b-26
Luke 1:57-80

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Welcome to S. Stephen’s – especially to our visitors and guests! We’re glad to have you join us. Please join us for Coffee Hour following the 8 a.m. Mass in the Narthex and following the 10 a.m. Mass in the Great Hall upstairs. If you have any questions or special needs, please speak to one of the ushers, who will be glad to assist you.

Guest Organist – We welcome Jay MacCubbin at the organ today while Organist and Choirmaster Dr. James Busby is on a well-deserved vacation. (James is scheduled to return on Sunday 5 August; we wish him safe travels and a relaxing break!)

Saint Peter and Saint Paul (June 29) – a major Holy Day of the Church year, will be kept this Friday with Noonday Prayer at 12 noon and Low Mass at 12:10 pm.

Thank You – to the Society of Mary Our Lady of Providence Ward for volunteering to organize the Coffee Hour rota for the 10 am Mass. The rota for Coffee Hours through August 5th is now posted on the parish website (sstephens.org).

Online Giving – We have just updated the parish website to make online donations and pledge payments easier and more convenient. You can now set up repeating payments of your pledge, designate gifts to funds such as Special Music and Flowers, and pay either directly from your bank account or charge to a credit card. You will receive an email receipt for each online gift, and you can enter your pledge number to have the gift included in your mailed hardcopy quarterly statements as well. Go to the parish website and click on the “Give” button at the top right corner to check it out.

Solemn Evensong and Benediction – will be offered on Sunday 5 August (Eve of the Feast of the Transfiguration) at 5:30 pm. The guest preacher (and officiant at Evensong) will be the Rev. Canon Jeremy Haselock, recently retired Canon Precentor at Norwich Cathedral in England, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. The Schola Cantorum will interrupt their summer break to sing works of Heinrich Schütz, Harvey Burgett, and Marcel Dupré. Mark your calendars now and don’t miss what promises to be a splendid choral service.

Choir Season 2018-2019 – begins on Sunday 30 September. Sung Masses with Cantors singing the Plainchant Minor Propers (Introit, Gradual, etc.) begin on Sunday 2 September (Sunday in the Labor Day Weekend). Meanwhile, see the next announcement …

Sunday 10 a.m. Masses during the Summer – take on a simpler (and somewhat briefer) form, following closely the texts and rubrics of The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 and adding a fifth hymn to the usual four. It is vitally important to keep up our attendance during these months; our prayers and presence at Mass express our love for God and our neighbor, bringing real blessings both in our own lives and in those of our fellow parishioners. (If there are any favorite hymns you’d like us to sing during the summer months, please contact Fr. Alexander, who will do his best to accommodate all reasonable requests!)

Sunday School and Nursery – We need volunteers to assume responsibility for organizing Sunday School for the 2018-2019 Program Year (beginning in September). Please speak to Fr. Alexander or one of the Wardens (Tom Bledsoe or Bill Dilworth) if you would like to learn more and / or contribute your time to this crucial aspect of parish life.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS 

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, Richard, Norman, John, Shannah, Sister Carolyn, Lynne, William, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Elizabeth, Sally, Sandy, John, Phebe, Ed, Gregory, Richard, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Jonathan, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Douglas, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, James, and Louis.

Birthdays this week: Julia Steiny (Sunday 6/24), Louis Verdelotti (Tuesday 6/26), and Richard Viti (Wednesday 6/27).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Alfreida Louise Moore (24 June 1996) and Mortimer G. Hitt, Priest (25 June 1994). Recently Departed: John Ladds.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion): The Most Rev’d Nicholas Okoh, Metropolitan & Primate of all Nigeria & Bishop of Abuja; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the people and clergy of St. Peter's, Narragansett and of St. Peter’s & St. Andrew’s, Providence.

THE SUNDAY ROTA 

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC F Pisaturo; 

Thurifer – J Starks
Lector – T Oakes
Ushers – Phoebe Pettingell and Simon Newby
Coffee Hour – Society of Mary

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN'S

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S 

Saturday 30 June 

Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

24 June
THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST (W)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 7, Year Two

Monday 25 June
FERIA (G)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6:00 pm

Tuesday 26 June
John and Paul, Martyrs at Rome, c. 362 (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm 

Wednesday 27 June 

Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, 444 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm

Thursday 28 June
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Martyr, c. 202 (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 29 June
SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL, APOSTLES (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 30 June
First Martyrs of the Church of Rome, 1st century (R)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

1 July
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (1 July)

Sixth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 8, Year B
Psalm 30
Wisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 17 June 2018

James Tissot, Jesus Teaches the People by the Sea, c. 1886-1894
Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray-wove paper
Brooklyn Museum, New York

 FROM THE RECTOR

"With many such parables he explained the word to them, as they were able to hear it ... but privately to his own disciples he explained everything" (Mark 4:33-34). This comment by Saint Mark makes clear that the parables of Jesus are more than just fables told to make a moral or even a spiritual point. They have a mysterious quality. And they are subversive: they invite us to enter imaginatively into a new world - the Kingdom of God - and have our world-views turned upside down and inside out in the process. They are not so much descriptions of events as events-in-themselves, challenging and changing us as we engage with them. Moreover, depending on our depth of insight and understanding, we experience them at different levels. Not only do they speak to us where we are, but we can return to them again and again and usually find something new that we've never noticed before. "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground ... It is like a grain of mustard seed ..." Join us this Sunday as we contemplate these explosively mind-altering, life changing images. 

- Fr. John D. Alexander

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 6, Year B
Psalm 92:1-4,11-14
Ezekiel 17:22-24
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
Mark 4:26-34

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Welcome to S. Stephen’s – especially to our visitors and guests! We’re glad to have you join us. Please join us for Coffee Hour following the 8 a.m. Mass in the Narthex and following the 10 a.m. Mass in the Great Hall upstairs. If you have any questions or special needs, please speak to one of the ushers, who will be glad to assist you. 

Guest Organist – We welcome Diana Norton-Jackson at the organ today while James Busby is on vacation.

Flowers – at the High Altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Iolanda Pisaturo by Frank Pisaturo, Sr. and by Fr. John D. Alexander in thanksgiving for his twenty-fifth anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood (June 5, 1993).

Summer Online Book Discussion Group – is now full! Thanks to all who signed up to participate: you should have received an email this week confirming your participation; if you signed up to participate and did not receive this, please speak to the Rector.

Coffee Hour Rota – is being taken over by The Society of Mary Ward of this parish. Each Sunday, we will be giving you a chance to sign up for an available date to host this opportunity for hospitality to our fellow parishioners, friends, and visitors. We will also send you a reminder early in the week before you serve so that you don’t forget. If you are new to hosting Coffee Hour and would like to, but don’t want to do it on your own, we can help you find someone to pair up with. Many hands may light work, and hosting coffee hour is both an important ministry of the parish and a fun thing to do. NOTE: in summer months, along with our more modest Sunday liturgy, it is fine to have a more modest coffee hour, offering drinkables and light snacks. For further information speak to Patti Barnes or Phoebe Pettingell.

Solemn Evensong and Benediction – will be offered on Sunday 5 August (Eve of the Feast of the Transfiguration) at 5:30 pm. The guest preacher (and officiant at Evensong) will be the Rev. Canon Jeremy Haselock, recently retired Canon Precentor at Norwich Cathedral in England, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. The Schola Cantorum will interrupt their summer break to sing works of Heinrich Schütz, Harvey Burgett, Edward Elgar, and Marcel Dupré. Mark your calendars now and don’t miss what promises to be a splendid choral service.

Choir Season 2018-2019 – begins on Sunday 30 September. Sung Masses with Cantors singing the Plainchant Minor Propers (Introit, Gradual, etc.) begin on Sunday 2 September (Sunday in the Labor Day Weekend). Meanwhile, see the next announcement …

Sunday 10 a.m. Masses during the Summer – take on a simpler (and somewhat briefer) form, following closely the texts and rubrics of The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 and adding a fifth hymn to the usual four. It is vitally important to keep up our attendance during these months; our prayers and presence at Mass express our love for God and our neighbor, bringing real blessings both in our own lives and in those of our fellow parishioners. (If there are any favorite hymns you’d like us to sing during the summer months, please contact Fr. Alexander, who will try his best to accommodate all reasonable requests!)

Sunday School and Nursery – We need volunteers to assume responsibility for organizing Sunday School for the 2018-2019 Program Year (beginning in September). Please speak to Fr. Alexander or one of the Wardens (Tom Bledsoe and Bill Dilworth) if you would like to learn more and / or contribute your time to this crucial aspect of parish life.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS 

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, Richard, Norman, John, Shannah, Sister Carolyn, Lynne, William, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Elizabeth, Sally, Sandy, John, Phebe, Ed, Gregory, Richard, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Jonathan, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Douglas, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, James, and Louis.

Birthdays this week: Modu Johnson (Wednesday 6/20).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: J. Carter Brown (17 June 2002), Terry Wilkes (22 June 1999), and Dorothy Van Slyck Eagles (23 June 1997). Those in whose memory flowers are given: Iolanda Pisaturo.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma): The Most Rev’d Stephen Than Myint Oo, Archbishop of Myanmar and Bishop of Yangon; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the campers, counselors and staff of the Episcopal Conference Center as they begin another summer of fun and faith.

THE SUNDAY ROTA 

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC J Ihnen; Thurifer L Verdelotti
Lector – J Steiny
Ushers – George Ryan and Karl Benziger
Coffee Hour – Martin and Magdalena Pehalova

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S 

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Saturday 23 June
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

17 June
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 6, Year Two

Monday 18 June
Bernard Mizeki, Catechist and Martyr in Rhodesia, 1896 (R)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6:00 pm

Tuesday 19 June
Gervase and Protase, Martyrs at Milan, 2nd cent. (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Wednesday 20 June
FERIA (G)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm

Thursday 21 June
Aloysius Gonzaga, Jesuit, 1591 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 22 June
Alban, First Martyr in Britain, c. 304 (R)
Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, 431 (W)
Thomas More, Scholar, and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, Martyrs, 1535 (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 23 June
Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely, c. 678 (W)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

24 June
THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (W)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (24 June)

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Psalm 85
Isaiah 40:1-11
Acts 13:14b-26
Luke 1:57-80

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 10 June 2018

God confronts Adam and Eve
Byzantine Mosaic, 12th-13th Century
Monreale Cathedral, Sicily

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS

Third Sunday After Pentecost - Proper 5, Year B
Psalm 130
Genesis 3:8-15
2 Corinthians 4:13—5:1
Mark 3:20-35

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer Book Discussion Group – Fr. Alexander is forming an online discussion group to read together Scott Gunn and Melody Shobe’s new book Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices –suitable both for those relatively new to our tradition and those who would like a refresher. Those interested in participating are asked to email the Rector; at the time of writing only one space is left, so act now to reserve your place! An introductory organizational email will be sent this week to those who have indicated the desire to participate.

Reliquary Case – The newly-mounted display case on the wall of the S. Stephen Altar, between the Altarpiece and the door to the Priests’ Sacristy, holds a reliquary containing both a first-class relic and a hand-painted Greek icon of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr. The case and the reliquary have been given by Jacob Ihnen; the relic and the icon by Fr. Alexander.

Antique Needlepoint – On the stairwell landing between the first and second floors of the Guildhouse, there is a newly-mounted needlepoint depiction of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 2:8-13). Dated 1854, it is the work of Mary Ann Sturge, Great-Grandmother of Fr. Harrington M. Gordon, who crafted it at the age of 13 on board ship from England to the United States. Our heartfelt thanks to Fr. and Mrs. Gordon for their gift to S. Stephen’s of this precious family heirloom and fine example of nineteenth-century religious folk art.

Sunday Masses during the Summer Months – take on a simplified (and somewhat briefer) form, following closely the texts and rubrics of The Book of Common Prayer, 1979. It is vitally important to keep up our attendance during the summer months; our prayers and presence at Mass express our love for God and our neighbor, bringing real blessings both in our own lives and in those of our fellow parishioners.

Coffee Hour Rota – We need someone to take over the responsibility of organizing the Coffee Hour rota. Please speak to Fr. Alexander or Cathy Bledsoe if you are interested in learning more.

Sunday School and Nursery – We need volunteers to assume responsibility for organizing the staffing of the nursery (effective immediately) and for organizing Sunday School for the 2018-2019 Program Year (beginning in September). Please speak to Fr. Alexander or one of the Wardens (Tom Bledsoe and Bill Dilworth) if you would like to learn more and / or contribute your time and effort to this crucial aspect of parish life.

Epiphany Soup Kitchen – The ESK Board has need of more members, and especially someone who has experience and skill in grant writing. If you or someone you know might be interested in serving in this way, please be in touch with Bruce Lennihan. (ESK is hosted at S. Stephen's but is an independent non-profit corporation with its own Board separate from the parish and Vestry.)

FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, Richard, Norman, John, Shannah, Sister Carolyn, Lynne, William, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Elizabeth, Sally, Sandy, John, Phebe, Ed, Gregory, Richard, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Jonathan, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Douglas, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, James, and Louis.

Birthdays this week: Althea "Deedee" Latimer (Wednesday 6/13), Charles Andrews (Thursday 6/14), DeOnte Latimer (Thursday 6/14), and Jason Ashley (Saturday 6/16).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Warren Davis Phillips (13 June 1986), Palmer Congdon (14 June 1989), and Agnes McCoy (16 June 1984).

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico: The Most Rev’d Francisco Moreno, Presiding Bishop of La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico & Bishop of Northern Mexico; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the people and clergy of St. Barnabas, Warwick.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC J Ihnen; Thurifer F Pisaturo
Lector – P Martin
Ushers – Patricia Barnes and Bobby Rose
Coffee Hour – Modu Johnson

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Tuesday 12 June

Vestry Meeting, Library, 7:00 pm

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S 

Monday 11 June
ESK Board Meeting 7:00 pm (Great Hall)

Saturday 16 June
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

10 June
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 5, Year Two

Monday 11 June
SAINT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE (R)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6:00 pm

Tuesday 12 June
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Wednesday 13 June
Anthony of Padua, Priest & Doctor, 1231 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm

Thursday 14 June
Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 15 June
Evelyn Underhill, Spiritual Writer, 1941 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 16 June
Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, 1752 (W)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

17 June
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (17 June)

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost - Proper 6, Year B
Psalm 92:1-4,11-14
Ezekiel 17:22-24
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
Mark 4:26-34

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 3 June 2018

Francisco Sainz de Maza, Corpus Christi Procession (1944)

FROM THE RECTOR

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi -- celebrated at S. Stephen's on the Third Sunday after Pentecost by kind permission of the Bishop of Rhode Island -- is a joyous feast, giving thanks for Our Lord's gift of himself in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. It is also the choir's last Sunday before their summer break, and the occasion of Sunday School Recognition and the annual Parish Barbecue. Overall, it's an important occasion in our parish life, not to be missed if at all possible. -- Fr. John D. Alexander 

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

Corpus Christi
Psalm 116
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
1 Corinthians 11:23-29
John 6:47-58

THIS SUNDAY’S MUSIC 

Josquin des Prez (c. 1450-1521)— Missa Pange lingua

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)— O sacrum convivium

Edward Elgar (1857-1934)— O Salutaris

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Choir Season Concludes Today – Sincere and heartfelt thanks to James Busby and the Schola Cantorum for another splendid program year of liturgical music. During the summer months we have the opportunity to sing hymns and congregational Mass settings. (If you have any favorite hymns you would like to sing – ideally, from the 1982 Hymnal – please let Fr. Alexander or James Busby know; no promises, but we will do our best to accommodate all reasonable requests!) The 2018-2019 choir season is scheduled to begin on Sunday 30 September.

Sunday School Recognition – takes place today during the 10 am Mass today. We have had an excellent program this year thanks to Alison Huff, Rose Callanan, and everyone who has participated. (See the notice below concerning next year’s program.)

Parish Barbecue – Please join us for after the 10:00 am Solemn Mass for the annual Parish Barbecue featuring hamburgers, hotdogs, and many other dishes provided by parishioners. All are welcome and invited!

Monthly Requiem – for the departed of this parish whose year’s mind falls during June will be offered tomorrow, Monday 4 June, at 6:00 pm (preceded by Evening Prayer at 5:30 pm). If you have any names to add to those to be remembered, please let Fr. Alexander know. See GAS announcement below.

Guild of All Souls: St. Stephen, Proto-Martyr Branch – S. Stephen’s celebrates a parish Requiem Mass on the First Monday of most months at the 6:00 pm Mass. Departed members of the parish whose anniversaries fall during the month are remembered in prayer, and anyone may submit additional names of the departed.

Summer Book Discussion Group – Fr. Alexander is forming an online discussion group to read together Scott Gunn and Melody Shobe’s new book Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices –suitable both for those relatively new to our tradition and those who would like a refresher. Those interested in participating are asked to email the Rector; spaces are limited and filling up quickly so please act now to reserve your place!

Thank you – to those parishioners and friends of S. Stephen’s who made the trip to St. John’s, Newport, this past Thursday to celebrate the Feast of the Visitation. Fr. Alexander preached and served as Deacon, and three members of our acolyte corps served at the altar in a lovely service sung by the Newport County Choir School. Well done to all involved!

Coffee Hour Rota – We need someone to take over the responsibility of organizing the rota of Coffee Hour hosts. Please speak to Fr. Alexander or Cathy Bledsoe if you might be interested.

Sunday School and Nursery – We need volunteers to assume responsibility for organizing the staffing of the nursery (effective immediately) and for organizing Sunday School for the 2018-2019 Program Year (beginning in September). Please speak to Fr. Alexander or one of the Wardens (Tom Bledsoe and Bill Dilworth) if you would like to learn more and / or contribute your time and effort to this crucial aspect of parish life.

Epiphany Soup Kitchen – The ESK Board has need of more members, and especially someone who has experience and skill in grant writing. If you or someone you know might be interested in serving in this way, please be in touch with Bruce Lennihan. (ESK is hosted at S. Stephen's but is an independent non-profit corporation with its own Board separate from the parish and Vestry.)

FOR YOUR PRAYERS 

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, Richard, Norman, John, Shannah, Sister Carolyn, Lynne, William, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Elizabeth, Sally, Sandy, John, Phebe, Ed, Gregory, Richard, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Jonathan, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Douglas, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, James, and Louis.

Birthdays this week: Jane Malone (Friday 6/8).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Rosamond Hine (3 June 1998), Janis Gay (3 June 1984), William Milligan Sloan (4 June 1994), Cameron Duke Stebbins (4 June 1997), Sarah Elizabeth MacIntyre (5 June 1990), Arthur Giglio (5 June 1990), and Arria Sargent Huntington (7 June 1996). Recently Departed: Mary Louise McCole.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the Anglican Church of Melanesia: The Most Rev’d George Takeli, Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia and Bishop of Central Melanesia; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the people and clergy of Church of the Holy Spirit, Charlestown and of Grace Church, Providence and of St. Columba’s, Middletown.

THE SUNDAY ROTA 

Acolytes – MC R Noble; SD J Ihnen; Thurifers J Starks, A Alexander; Crucifer F Pisaturo; Torches L Verdelotti, G Benziger
Lector – RG Noble
Ushers – Joy D’Ambra and Nancy Gingrich
Coffee Hour – Hooks for coffee setup and everyone else for BBQ preparation.

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S 

PARISH PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Monday 4 June
Guild of All Souls 6:00 pm (Lady Chapel)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Saturday 9 June
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

3 June
CORPUS CHRISTI SUNDAY (W)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Solemn Mass, Procession, & Benediction 10:00 am

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 4, Year Two

Monday 4 June
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Requiem Mass for June Departed (Black) 6:00 pm

Tuesday 5 June
Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary, Martyr, 754 (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Wednesday 6 June
Norbert, Archbishop of Magdeburg, 1134 (W)
Philip the Evangelist, Deacon, 1st Century
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm

Thursday 7 June
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 8 June
THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 9 June
Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597 (W)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

10 June
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Sung Mass 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (10 June)

The Third Sunday After Pentecost, Year B
Psalm 130
Genesis 3:8-15
2 Corinthians 4:13—5:1
Mark 3:20-35