PARISH NOTES
Sunday 16 September 2018

Cima da Conegliano, Saint Helena of Constantinople (1495)

National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

FROM THE RECTOR

A key topic in Christian theology sometimes goes under the heading of “the Person and Work of Jesus Christ” – i.e. who Jesus is, and what he does. The technical terms are “Christology,” the theology of Christ, and “Soteriology,” the theology of salvation. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers: “You are the Christ.” But when Jesus explains the sufferings that he must undergo, Peter protests. He gets the “Who Jesus is” question right, but he misses the “What Jesus does” question completely. To be fully Christian, we need to understand to the best of our ability not only who Jesus is and what he does, but also how we may respond to his call: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – Fr. John D. Alexander

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 19, Year B

Psalm 116:1-8

Isaiah 50:4-9a

James 3:1-12

Mark 8:27-38

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.       

Volunteer for Acolyte Rota – Fr. Alexander is seeking parishioners who would like to be trained to serve as acolytes for the 10:00 am Mass on Sundays and for special services throughout the year. Please get in touch with him if you are willing or know someone else who would be. Thank you!

Calling All Lovers of Cooking – Each Sunday this academic year, a meal will follow Evening Prayer with the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD. Would you please consider volunteering and signing up to provide a meal for the undergraduate and graduate students at Brown and RISD? The need for meals will begin next Sunday, September 16, at 6:00 pm. We’d be more than happy to have you sit down and eat with us and join in conversation. Thank you!

Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (September 21^st) – a major feast of the church year, will be kept on Friday with Noonday Prayer at 12:00 noon, and Low Mass following at 12:10 pm.

College Ministry – The Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) continues next Sunday with Evening Prayer at 5:30, with dinner and conversation to follow. All undergraduate and graduate students are welcome and invited to attend!    

FOR YOUR PRAYERS

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

Birthdays this week: Dolores Bliss (Saturday 9/22).

The faithful departed:  Year’s Mind: Hana Widmer (21 September 2010). Recently Departed: Jane Benziger and Stanley M. Paduch Jr.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan: The Most Rev’d Ezekiel Kumir Kondo, Archbishop of the Province of Sudan & Bishop of Khartoum; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for the people and clergy of Sts. Matthew and Mark, Barrington and of St. Matthew's, Jamestown.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – MC J Ihnen, Thurifer J Starks, Crucifer W Dilworth, Torches L Verdelotti and F Pisaturo

Lector – T Oakes

Ushers – Phoebe Pettingell and George Ryan

Coffee Hour – Nancy, Tom, and Louis

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Friday 21 September

RUF  4:00-11:00 pm (Great Hall)

Saturday 22 September

Epiphany Soup Kitchen  2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

16 September

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)     

Morning Prayer  8:00 am

Low Mass  8:10 am

Sung Mass  10:00 am

Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 19, Year Two

Monday 17 September

Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, Visionary, 1179 (W)

Lambert, Bishop of Maastricht, Martyr, c. 705 (R)

Evening Prayer  5:30 pm

Low Mass  6:00 pm

Tuesday 18 September

Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, Tractarian, 1882 (W)

Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon

Low Mass  12:10 pm

Wednesday 19 September

Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690 (W)

Evening Prayer  5:30 pm

Low Mass  6:00 pm

                                      

Thursday 20 September

John Coleridge Patteson, First Bishop of Melanesia, and Companions, Martyrs, 1871 (R)

Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon

Low Mass  12:10 pm

Friday 21 September

SAINT MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (R)

Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon

Low Mass  12:10 pm

Saturday 22 September

FERIA (G)

Morning Prayer  9:30 am

Low Mass  10:00 am

23 September

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)

Morning Prayer  8:00 am

Low Mass  8:10 am

Sung Mass  10:00 am

Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (23 September)

Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 20, Year B

Psalm 54

Jeremiah 11:18-20

James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a

Mark 9:30-37

PARISH NOTES
Sunday 9 September 2018

Jesus Healing a Deaf-Mute. Ottheinrich Bible (c. 1430). Bavarian State Library. Munich, Germany.

FROM THE RECTOR

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus fulfills prophecy: “Then … [shall] the ears of the deaf [be] unstopped; … and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:5-6). Inhabitants of the Gentile region known as the Decapolis bring to Jesus a deaf and mute man, beseeching him to lay his hand upon him. But Jesus goes several steps further. Taking the man aside, he puts his fingers in his ears, spits and touches his tongue, looks up to heaven, heaves a deep sigh, and commands: “Ephatha: Be opened!” Notable is the sheer physicality of the healing. Speaking and acting with the authority of God, Jesus nonetheless engages the man in the fullness of their shared corporeality in a way that the more sensitive souls among us might find gross and disgusting. What then does this episode have to teach us about how Jesus engages with the members of his Body, the Church, to unstop our ears and release our tongues? Join us this Sunday as we explore this question in depth. – Fr. John D. Alexander

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 18, Year B 

Psalm 146

Isaiah 35:4-7a

James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-18

Mark 7:31-37

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. 

Volunteer for Acolyte Rota – Fr. Alexander is seeking parishioners who would be willing to be trained to serve as acolytes for the 10:00 am service on Sundays and for special services throughout the year. Please get in touch with him if you are willing or might know someone else who would be. Thank you! 

Calling All Lovers of Cooking – Each Sunday this academic year, a meal will follow Evening Prayer with the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD. Would you please consider volunteering and signing up to provide a meal to minister to the undergraduate and graduate students at Brown and RISD? The need for meals will begin next Sunday, September 16, at 6:00 pm. We’d be more than happy to have you sit down and eat with us and also join us in conversation. Thank you! 

Vestry Meeting – The first Vestry meeting of the new program year will take place this Tuesday, September 11, at 7:00 in the Library. 

Holy Cross Day (September 14th) – a major feast of the church year, will be kept on Friday with Noonday Prayer at 12:00 noon, with Low Mass following at 12:10 pm. 

Monthly Requiem – for the departed of this parish whose year’s mind falls during September will be offered this Saturday, 15 September, at 10:00 am (preceded by Morning Prayer at 9:30 am). 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 – Starting this coming Saturday, S. Stephen’s will celebrate a parish Requiem Mass on the Third Saturday of most months at the 10:00 am 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. 

College Ministry – The Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) continues next Sunday with Evening Prayer at 5:30, with dinner and conversation to follow. All undergraduate and graduate students are welcome and invited to attend! 

Weekday Services in Rector’s Office – Please note that during the hot summer weather, weekday Offices and Masses may be held in the air-conditioned comfort of the Rector’s Office instead of in the Lady Chapel. If the Church doors are closed at the appointed time, please enter through the Guild House doors; once you are inside, the parish office is the first door on your left. 

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, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, and James. 

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Mary J. Seamans (10 September 1987), Michele Leighton (11 September 2009), James F. Littlefield (13 September 1986), Margaret Chase (13 September 1998), and George R. Finch (13 September 2009). Recently Departed: Nina Hinson. 

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for the people and clergy of Holy Cross, Middletown and of Church of the Redeemer, Providence. 

THE SUNDAY ROTA 

Acolytes – MC R Noble, Thurifer L Verdelotti, Crucifer J Ihnen, Torches W Dilworth and L Rejto

Lector – P Pettingell 

Ushers – Bruce Lennihan and Julia Steiny 

Coffee Hour – Jacob Ihnen 

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S 

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS 

Tuesday 11 September 

Vestry Meeting 7:00 pm (Library) 

Saturday 15 September 

Guild of All Souls 10:00 am (Lady Chapel) 

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S 

Friday 14 September 

RUF 4:00-11:00 pm (Great Hall) 

Saturday 15 September 

Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall) 

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE 

9 September 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G) 

Morning Prayer  8:00 am 

Low Mass  8:10 am 

Sung Mass  10:00 am 

Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm 

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 18, Year Two 

Monday 10 September 

Finnian, Abbot of Moville, 589 (W) 

Alexander Crummell, Priest, 1898 (W) 

Evening Prayer  5:30 pm 

Low Mass  6:00 pm 

Tuesday 11 September 

FERIA (G) 

Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon 

Low Mass  12:10 pm 

Wednesday 12 September 

John Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York, 1830 (W) 

Evening Prayer  5:30 pm 

Low Mass  6:00 pm 

Thursday 13 September 

John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, Teacher, 407 (W) 

Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon 

Low Mass  12:10 pm 

Friday 14 September 

HOLY CROSS DAY (R) 

Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon 

Low Mass  12:10 pm 

Saturday 15 September 

Our Lady of Sorrows (Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary) 

Morning Prayer  9:30 am 

Requiem Mass  10:00 am (Black) 

16 September 

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G) 

Morning Prayer  8:00 am 

Low Mass  8:10 am 

Sung Mass  10:00 am 

Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm 

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (16 September) 

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 19, Year B 

Psalm 116:1-8

Isaiah 50:4-9a

James 3:1-12

Mark 8:27-38

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 2 September 2018

El nacimiento de la Virgen María by Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen, Oil on Panel, late 15th or early 16th century, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 17, Year B
Psalm 15
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Welcome to S. Stephen’s – especially to our visitors and guests! We’re glad to have you with 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.

Public Holiday Schedule – On Labor Day (Monday), we will hold Morning Prayer at 9:30 am, with Low Mass following at 10:00 am.

The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8th) – a major feast of the church year, will be kept on Saturday with Morning Prayer at 9:30 am, with Low Mass following at 10:00 am. If you come to celebrate this feast, you are cordially invited to stay afterward for the meeting of the Society of Mary (please see announcement below).

Society of Mary – The next meeting will be held this Saturday, September 8, 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.

Epiphany Soup Kitchen (ESK) – S. Stephen’s next turn to provide the volunteers for the Epiphany Soup Kitchen is Saturday September 8. Please let Bruce Lennihan know if you can help. If you have any friends who might want to help, feel free to invite them. We arrive around 2:00 and finish up around 5:00.

College Ministry – The Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) kicks off next Sunday with Evening Prayer at 5:30, with dinner and conversation to follow. All undergraduate and graduate students are welcome and invited to attend!

Rector’s Vacation – Fr. Alexander is taking a vacation and is scheduled to return this Tuesday, September 4. During his absence, Fr. Pearson may be contacted at 610-513-2548 for any urgent pastoral needs.

Weekday Services in Rector’s Office – Please note that during the hot summer weather, weekday Offices and Masses may be held in the air-conditioned comfort of the Rector’s Office instead of in the Lady Chapel. If the Church doors are closed at the appointed time, please enter through the Guild House doors; once you are inside, the parish office is the first door on your left.

Sung Mass – with Minor Propers sung by the Cantors resumes today, Sunday 2 September. The Choir Season resumes on Sunday 30 September.

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, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, and James. We pray also for the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, as he recovers from prostate surgery.

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Robert Thomas McElligott (2 September 1989), Malcolm Donald Hyman (4 September 2009), Alan Peter Maynard, Priest (7 September 2006). Recently Departed: Anne Bower and Nina Hinson.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Anglican Church of South America: The Most Rev’d Gregory James Venables, Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of South America & Bishop of Argentina; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for a blessing upon all human labor and for those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC F Pisaturo; Thurifer J Starks
Lector – J Steiny
Ushers – Bruce Lennihan and Patricia Barnes
Coffee Hour – Leana Hooks

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS

Saturday 8 September

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

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Tuesday 4 September
RUF Small Group Leaders' Meeting  8:00-11:00 pm (Great Hall)

Wednesday 5 September
RUF Leader Meeting  8:00-11:00 pm (Library)

Thursday 6 September
RUF Late Night S'mores  8:00-11:00 pm (Driveway)

Friday 7 September
RUF Kick-Off Night  4:00-11:00 pm (Great Hall)

Saturday 8 September
Epiphany Soup Kitchen  2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

2 September
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer  8:00 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Sung Mass  10:00 am

Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Proper 17, Year Two

Monday 3 September
Phoebe, Companion of Saint Paul, Deaconess, 1st century (W)
Morning Prayer  9:30 am
Low Mass  10:00 am

Tuesday 4 September
Birinus, Bishop of Dorchester, Apostle of Wessex, 650 (W)
Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

Wednesday 5 September
Boris & Gleb (Romanus & David), Princes, Martyrs, 1015 (R)
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6:00 pm

Thursday 6 September
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

Friday 7 September
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer  12:00 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

Saturday 8 September
THE BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Blue)
Morning Prayer  9:30 am
Low Mass  10:00 am
Holy Rosary  10:30 am

9 September
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer  8:00 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Sung Mass  10:00 am
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (9 September)

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 18, Year B
Psalm 146
Isaiah 35:4-7a
James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-18
Mark 7:31-37

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 26 August 2018

Detail of Harleian ms. 3244, folios 27-28, showing an allegorical knight preparing to battle the seven deadly sins with the "Scutum Fidei" diagram of the Trinity as his shield. This is part of a ca. 1255-1265 illustration to the Summa Vitiorum or "Treatise on the Vices" by William Peraldus. For additional detail, follow this link.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 16, Year B
Psalm 34:15-22
Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:56-69

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Welcome to S. Stephen’s – especially to our visitors and guests! We’re glad to have you with 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.

Calling all bakers – Our ever-popular lemonade, coffee, and sweets stand on the church steps needs contributions and donations for Brown Student Move-In Week (8/27 through 9/2) and for Student Orientation/Convocation Weekend (9/1 through 9/4). All kinds of goodies are needed, including vegan and gluten-free options. Please consider helping with this important ministry which raises the profile of S. Stephen’s and helps attract students for our the Episcopal Ministry at Brown/RISD (EMBR) program run by Jacob Ihnen. Thank you!

Rector’s Vacation – Fr. Alexander is taking a vacation and is scheduled to return on September 4. During his absence, Fr. Pearson may be contacted at 610-513-2548 for any urgent pastoral needs.

Weekday Services in Rector’s Office – Please note that during the hot summer weather, weekday Offices and Masses may be held in the air-conditioned comfort of the Rector’s Office instead of in the Lady Chapel. If the Church doors are closed at the appointed time, please enter through the Guild House doors; once you are inside, the parish office is the first door on your left.

Choir Season – resumes on Sunday 30 September. In the meantime, the Sung Mass with Minor Propers sung by the Cantors will resume during the Labor Day weekend on Sunday 2 September. Kudos to everyone for the enthusiastic congregational singing during the summer months!

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, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, and James. We pray also for the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, as he recovers from prostate surgery.

Birthdays this week: Patricia Barnes (Sunday 8/26) and Simon Newby (Wednesday 8/29).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Sheila Kathleen Beresford (26 August 1986) and Eleanor Fayerweather (30 August 1992). Recently Departed: Anne Bower, Katherine H. Jordan, Priest, and Stephen P. Cowardin, Priest.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Anglican Church of Southern Africa: The Most Rev’d Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Capetown and Primate of Southern Africa; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for students and leaders of our campus ministries at the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC J Ihnen; Thurifer F Pisaturo
Lector – P Martin
Ushers – Tom Bledsoe and Joy D'Ambra
Coffee Hour – Muriel Jobbers and Tom & Cathy

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Saturday 1 September
RUF Pancake Breakfast  9:00-11:00 am (Driveway)

Saturday 1 September
Epiphany Soup Kitchen  2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

26 August
FOURTEENTH 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 16, Year Two

Monday 27 August
Monica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6:00 pm

Tuesday 28 August
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher, 430 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Wednesday 29 August
Beheading of John the Baptist (R)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6:00 pm

Thursday 30 August
Charles Chapman Grafton, Bishop of Fond du Lac, 1912 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 31 August
Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 651 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 1 September
Giles of Provence, Hermit, c. 710 (W)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

2 September
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Sung Mass 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (2 September)

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 17, Year B
Psalm 15
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 19 August 2018

Icon of Christ the Saviour, Bread of Life, 18th century, Sumy, Ukraine.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 15, Year B
Psalm 34:9-14
Proverbs 9:1-6
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Welcome to S. Stephen’s – especially to our visitors and guests! We’re glad to have you with 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.

Rector’s Vacation – Fr. Alexander is taking a vacation and is scheduled to return on September 4. During his absence, Fr. Pearson may be contacted at 610-513-2548 for any urgent pastoral needs.

Saint Bartholomew the Apostle (August 24th) – a major feast of the church year, will be kept on Friday with Noonday Prayer at 12:00 Noon and Low Mass at 12:10 pm.

Weekday Services in Rector’s Office – Please note that during the hot summer weather, weekday Offices and Masses may be held in the air-conditioned comfort of the Rector’s Office instead of in the Lady Chapel. If the Church doors are closed at the appointed time, please enter through the Guild House doors; once you are inside, the parish office is the first door on your left.

Choir Season – resumes on Sunday 30 September. In the meantime, the Sung Mass with Minor Propers sung by the Cantors will resume during the Labor Day weekend on Sunday 2 September. Kudos to everyone for the enthusiastic congregational singing during the summer months!

Sunday School and Nursery – Some good news: We have engaged Naomi Subotnick to run the Nursery on Sunday mornings during the 10 am Mass. Please join in welcoming Naomi to the S. Stephen’s team! Also: we now have two volunteers to teach Sunday School in the coming program year. We thank Modu Johnson and Nancy Carlson for contributing their 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, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, and James. We pray also for the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, as he recovers from prostate surgery.

Birthdays this week: Joel McCoy (Tuesday 8/21).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Frank B. Mauk (20 August 1987), Edith Woolsey Nutt (22 August 2005), Robert E. Latham (23 August 1999), Phoebe Robertson (23 August 2016), Thomas Edward Goode (24 August 1991), and Florence Thorpe (24 August 1994). Recently Departed: Katherine H. Jordan, Priest and Stephen P. Cowardin, Priest.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for The Church of South India (United): The Most Rev’d Thomas Kanjirappally Oommen, Moderator of CSI & Bishop of Madhya Kerala; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for the Commission on Ministry and members of our diocese who walk with those discerning the ministries to which God calls them.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC J Ihnen; Thurifer R Noble
Lector – M Johnson
Ushers – Bobby Rose and Chris Martel
Coffee Hour – Society of Mary

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Tuesday 21 August
ESK Board Meeting  7:00 pm (Great Hall)

Saturday 25 August
Epiphany Soup Kitchen  2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

19 August
THIRTEENTH 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 15, Year Two

Monday 20 August
Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot, Teacher, 1153 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6:00 pm

Tuesday 21 August
Jane Frances de Chantal, Founder of the Order of the Visitation, 1641 (W)
Abraham of Smolensk, Abbot, 1221 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Wednesday 22 August
Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Blue)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6:00 pm

Thursday 23 August
Rose of Lima, Dominican Nun, 1617 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 24 August
SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 25 August
Louis, King of France, 1270 (W)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

26 August
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (26 August)

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 16, Year B
Psalm 34:15-22
Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:56-69

PARISH NOTES

Sunday 12 August 2018

Juan de Juanes, The Savior with the Eucharist (1545-1550)
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

FROM THE RECTOR

At every Eucharist, we administer Holy Communion using the words "The Body of Christ, the Bread of heaven." The older formula is even more explicit: "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life." The theology underlying both forms derives in part from this Sunday's Gospel from John 6, known as "the Eucharistic Discourse," in which Jesus identifies himself - indeed his flesh - as "the Bread of Life," and "the living Bread which came down from heaven." He promises that those who eat this bread shall live for ever. Some of the early Church Fathers thus described the Eucharistic Bread and Wine, the Body and Blood of Christ, as "the medicine of immortality." It gives us a pledge and foretaste of the heavenly banquet. Join us this Sunday and every Sunday as we gather at the altar to receive "the Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven." 
- Fr. John D. Alexander

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 14, Year B
Psalm 34:1-8
1 Kings 19:4-8
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
John 6:35, 41-51

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.

Weekday Services in Rector’s Office – Please note that during the hot summer weather, weekday Offices and Masses may be held in the air-conditioned comfort of the Rector’s Office instead of in the Lady Chapel. If the Church doors are closed at the appointed time, please enter through the Guild House doors; once you are inside, the parish office is the first door on your left.

Monthly Requiem – for the departed of this parish whose year’s mind falls during August will be offered tomorrow, Monday 13 August, 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.

Thank you – to all who helped make last Sunday’s choral Evensong and Benediction such a success: splendid liturgy and music; an excellent sermon by our visiting preacher; contingents of visitors from St. John’s, Newport, and All Saints, Ashmont; many visitors from the wider diocese and community; a lively reception with food and drink provided by parishioners; attendance of 114 people; and a collection of over $2,000. Most of all: an offering of worship and devotion to God in Christ in the best S. Stephen’s tradition. Job well done, everyone!

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – This summer, we are joining forces with our fellow Anglo-Catholic parishes of Saint John’s, Newport and All Saints, Ashmont to celebrate this principal Marian feast at 7 pm this Wednesday, 15 August. The Mass will be at the Parish of All Saints, 209 Ashmont Street, Dorchester, MA. Website: Allsaints.net. The church is blessed with a spacious parking lot. Please speak to Jacob Ihnen or Fr. Alexander if you need a ride or would be willing to volunteer your services as a driver for other S. Stephen’s parishioners. (Please note that Noonday Prayer and Low Mass will be offered at S. Stephen's at 12 noon for those who cannot make the trip to Ashmont.)

Choir Season – resumes on Sunday 30 September. In the meantime, the Sung Mass with Minor Propers sung by the Cantors will resume during the Labor Day weekend on Sunday 2 September. Kudos to everyone for the enthusiastic congregational singing during the summer months!

Sunday School and Nursery – Some good news: We have engaged Naomi Subotnick to run the Nursery on Sunday mornings during the 10 am Mass. Please join in welcoming Naomi to the S. Stephen’s team! Also: one generous and talented individual has volunteered to teach Sunday School in the coming program year, but we need at least one more volunteer to alternate with her and cover the Sundays she cannot be here. Please speak to Fr. Alexander or one of the Wardens (Tom Bledsoe or Bill Dilworth) 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, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Betsy, Rhoda, William, James, and Louis. We pray also for the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, as he recovers from prostate surgery.

Birthdays this week: Catherine Bledsoe (Sunday 8/12), Phoebe Pettingell (Tuesday 8/14), Patricia Fuller (Wednesday 8/15), and Bruce Lennihan (Friday 8/17)

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: J. Thomas Kershaw (14 August 2001), C. Jane Latham (14 August 2016), Myra F. Craven (15 August 1985), Naomi Lane Babson Grieder (15 August 1985), and Sybil Moss (16 August 2006). Recently Departed: Stephen P. Cowardin (Priest).

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for Church of the Province of South East Asia: The Most Rev’d Ng Moon Hing, Archbishop of South East Asia & Bishop of West Malaysia; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for the people and clergy of St. Mary's, Portsmouth and of St. Mary's, East Providence and for the leadership, staff, and students of St. Mary's Home for Children.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – Acolyte/MC J Ihnen; Thurifer F Pisaturo
Lector – P Pettingell
Ushers – Bruce Lennihan and Simon Newby
Coffee Hour – TBD

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS

Monday 13 August
Guild of All Souls 6:30 pm (Lady Chapel OR Rector's Office)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Saturday 18 August
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

12 August
TWELFTH 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 14, Year Two

Monday 13 August
Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor, Teacher, 1667
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Requiem Mass 6:00 pm (Black)

Tuesday 14 August
Maximilian Kolbe, Friar, Martyr, 1941 (R)
Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Seminarian, Civil Rights Worker, Martyr, 1965 (R)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Wednesday 15 August
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (W)
Noonday Prayer 12 pm
Low Mass 12:10 pm
Solemn Mass 7:00 pm (at All Saints, Ashmont)
(Please note changes in times from the normal Wednesday schedule)

Thursday 16 August
Stephen, King of Hungary, 1038 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Friday 17 August
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer 12:00 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm

Saturday 18 August
FERIA (G)
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Low Mass 10:00 am

19 August
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (G)
Morning Prayer 8:00 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Mass with Hymns 10:00 am

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (19 August)

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 15, Year B
Psalm 34:9-14
Proverbs 9:1-6
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58