PARISH NOTES
Sunday 13 January 2019
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| Rogier Van Der Weyden, Baptism of Christ (c. 1455) Central Panel of the St. John Altarpiece, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany |
FROM THE RECTOR
On the First Sunday after the Epiphany we commemorate the Baptism of Christ, known in Eastern Orthodoxy as the “Theophany,” a key moment in the cycle of Christmas-Epiphany celebrations. The words “Epiphany” and “Theophany” signify the revelation, manifestation, or showing forth of Christ’s divinity at key moments during his earthly life. The liturgical commemoration of Christ’s Baptism in the River Jordan affords us an occasion to recommit ourselves to our own baptismal promises, and to rejoice in the promise of eternal life given us in the baptismal waters. – Fr. John D. Alexander
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-16,21-22
William Byrd (1538-1623) – Mass for Four Voices
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016) – Jesus autem hodie
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.
The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle (January 18th) – a major feast of the church year will be kept this Friday with Noonday Prayer at 12 noon, and Low Mass following at 12:10 pm.
Monthly Requiem – for the departed of this parish whose year’s mind falls during January will be offered during Mass this Saturday, 19 January, at 10 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. This Mass is sponsored by the Guild of All Souls, St. Stephen Protomartyr Branch: all are welcome and invited to attend!
Nominations Committee – The following is the list of candidates who have agreed to be nominated for election at the Annual Parish Meeting on January 27, 2019:
· One Vestry Member for a four-year term (expires January 2023) – Sharon Lloyd Clark
· One Vestry Member for a two-year term (expires January 2021) – Leana Latimer Hooks
· Junior Warden (to be elected by Vestry; three year term; expires January 2022) – Alison Huff
· Clerk of the Vestry (one-year term) – Molly Bledsoe Ellis
· Treasurer (one-year term) – Muriel Jobbers
· Two Diocesan Convention Delegates (one-year term) – Francesco Pisaturo, Jacob Ihnen
Acolytes – MC F Pisaturo, SD J Ihnen, Thurifer L Verdelotti, Crucifer J Ihnen, Torches R Noble & G Benziger
Lector – P Pettingell
Ushers – Bruce Lennihan and Karl Benziger
Coffee Hour – Karl and Klara Benziger
PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS
Saturday 19 January
Guild of All Souls 10 am (Lady Chapel)
EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S
Sunday 13 thru Monday 21 January
Winter Break Providence (Brown University) – Various Times (Great Hall)
Saturday 19 January
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)
LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE
13 January
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST (W)
Morning Prayer 8 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Solemn Mass and Procession 10 am
Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Epiphany I, Year One
Monday 14 January
Kentigern (Mungo), Bishop & Missionary in Scotland, 612 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm
Tuesday 15 January
Paul of Thebes, Hermit, c. 345 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm
Wednesday 16 January
Richard Meux Benson, Monk, Founder of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, 1915 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm
Thursday 17 January
Anthony, Abbot in Egypt, 356 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm
Friday 18 January
THE CONFESSION OF SAINT PETER: SAINT PETER’S CHAIR AT ROME (W)
Noonday Prayer 12 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm
Saturday 19 January
Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Requiem Mass 10 am (Black)
20 January
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY (G)
Morning Prayer 8 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Solemn Mass 10 am
NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (20 January)
Second Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C)
Isaiah 62:1-5
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Christ (Year C)
Isaiah 43:1-7 Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-16,21-22
THIS SUNDAY’S MUSIC
William Byrd (1538-1623) – Mass for Four Voices
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016) – Jesus autem hodie
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.
The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle (January 18th) – a major feast of the church year will be kept this Friday with Noonday Prayer at 12 noon, and Low Mass following at 12:10 pm.
Monthly Requiem – for the departed of this parish whose year’s mind falls during January will be offered during Mass this Saturday, 19 January, at 10 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. This Mass is sponsored by the Guild of All Souls, St. Stephen Protomartyr Branch: all are welcome and invited to attend!
Rector’s Online Book Group – begins this evening on Sunday 13 January at 7 pm. The format will be an online discussion of C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce (1945)— a satiric fantasy novel of a bus ride in the Afterlife. If you would like to participate - or if you'd like to find out more about what's involved – please speak to Fr. Alexander today. (For an excellent report on the previous book group that met this past summer and autumn, see the article by J. Jennifer Jones in the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany issue of The S. Stephen.)
Nominations Committee – The following is the list of candidates who have agreed to be nominated for election at the Annual Parish Meeting on January 27, 2019:
· One Vestry Member for a four-year term (expires January 2023) – Sharon Lloyd Clark
· One Vestry Member for a two-year term (expires January 2021) – Leana Latimer Hooks
· Junior Warden (to be elected by Vestry; three year term; expires January 2022) – Alison Huff
· Clerk of the Vestry (one-year term) – Molly Bledsoe Ellis
· Treasurer (one-year term) – Muriel Jobbers
· Two Diocesan Convention Delegates (one-year term) – Francesco Pisaturo, Jacob Ihnen
· Two Diocesan Convention Alternates (one-year term) – Nancy Gingrich, Richard Noble
Thank you to the Nominations Committee for its excellent work. According to the Parish By-Laws, nominations-by-petition must be received by the Rector no later than two weeks before the Annual Meeting (i.e., today) with the signatures of at least five members of the parish and a statement of consent from the person being nominated.
Winter Break Providence – From Sunday the 13th through Monday the 21st of January, the Guild House will be the principal venue for Brown University Swearer Center’s “Winter Break Providence” program, “a weeklong intensive living learning program which explores local issues such as homelessness, urban education, equitable health care, economic justice, incarceration and environmental justice. During the week, students meet with policy makers, service providers, politicians, activists, and community members to better understand both the context for these issues and the skills and commitment required to create meaningful social change.” So, if you’re around the church during the coming week, please extend a warm S. Stephen’s welcome to any groups of students you may encounter on the premises!
Annual Parish Meeting Luncheon – As always, we are planning a meal to accompany this important gathering immediately following the 10 am Mass on Sunday 27 January 2019. We need lots of help: from bringing food and drink, to volunteering to help set up beforehand and clean up afterwards. Please call or email Susan in the parish office to let us know how you can help.
Royal Martyr Day Celebration – Evening Prayer will be celebrated in commemoration of Charles Stuart, King of England and Martyr (1649) at 6 pm on Wednesday 30 January at the Church of the Holy Nativity in Weymouth, Massachusetts. At the reception following, Fr. Harold Birkenhead, Rector, will sign copies of his new book, Investigating Cromwell: In the Matter of the Murder of King Charles I. Please let Fr. Alexander know if you are interested in traveling to Weymouth to take part in what promises to be an inspiring and memorable evening.
Candlemas – Our joint celebrations of major feasts continue with Mass for the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple at Saint John’s, Newport, on Saturday 2 February at 11 am. The music will feature the “Little Organ Mass” of Joseph Haydn. Fr. Alexander will preach. Please mark it in your diary to attend this principal feast of the Church Year, marking the fortieth day after Christmas.
Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Richard, Norman, John, James, Shannah, Terri, Sister Carolyn, Lynne, Fred-Munro, William, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Sandy, John, Phebe, Jack, Richard, Ann, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, Roger, and James.
Birthdays this week: Jason Connell (Jan 13); Zachary Painter (Jan 13); Ladwaune Edwards (Jan 17)
The faithful departed: (No Year’s Mind Anniversaries this week); Pray for the souls of the founders, benefactors, and all departed clergy and parishioners of S. Stephen’s. Recently Departed: the Rev. Gregory Howe.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer – Pray for the Anglican Church of Australia: The Most Revd Philip Leslie Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne & Primate of Australia. (No Diocesan Cycle of Prayer listing for this week)
Thank you to the Nominations Committee for its excellent work. According to the Parish By-Laws, nominations-by-petition must be received by the Rector no later than two weeks before the Annual Meeting (i.e., today) with the signatures of at least five members of the parish and a statement of consent from the person being nominated.
Winter Break Providence – From Sunday the 13th through Monday the 21st of January, the Guild House will be the principal venue for Brown University Swearer Center’s “Winter Break Providence” program, “a weeklong intensive living learning program which explores local issues such as homelessness, urban education, equitable health care, economic justice, incarceration and environmental justice. During the week, students meet with policy makers, service providers, politicians, activists, and community members to better understand both the context for these issues and the skills and commitment required to create meaningful social change.” So, if you’re around the church during the coming week, please extend a warm S. Stephen’s welcome to any groups of students you may encounter on the premises!
Annual Parish Meeting Luncheon – As always, we are planning a meal to accompany this important gathering immediately following the 10 am Mass on Sunday 27 January 2019. We need lots of help: from bringing food and drink, to volunteering to help set up beforehand and clean up afterwards. Please call or email Susan in the parish office to let us know how you can help.
Royal Martyr Day Celebration – Evening Prayer will be celebrated in commemoration of Charles Stuart, King of England and Martyr (1649) at 6 pm on Wednesday 30 January at the Church of the Holy Nativity in Weymouth, Massachusetts. At the reception following, Fr. Harold Birkenhead, Rector, will sign copies of his new book, Investigating Cromwell: In the Matter of the Murder of King Charles I. Please let Fr. Alexander know if you are interested in traveling to Weymouth to take part in what promises to be an inspiring and memorable evening.
Candlemas – Our joint celebrations of major feasts continue with Mass for the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple at Saint John’s, Newport, on Saturday 2 February at 11 am. The music will feature the “Little Organ Mass” of Joseph Haydn. Fr. Alexander will preach. Please mark it in your diary to attend this principal feast of the Church Year, marking the fortieth day after Christmas.
FOR YOUR PRAYERS
Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Richard, Norman, John, James, Shannah, Terri, Sister Carolyn, Lynne, Fred-Munro, William, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Sandy, John, Phebe, Jack, Richard, Ann, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, Roger, and James.
Birthdays this week: Jason Connell (Jan 13); Zachary Painter (Jan 13); Ladwaune Edwards (Jan 17)
The faithful departed: (No Year’s Mind Anniversaries this week); Pray for the souls of the founders, benefactors, and all departed clergy and parishioners of S. Stephen’s. Recently Departed: the Rev. Gregory Howe.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer – Pray for the Anglican Church of Australia: The Most Revd Philip Leslie Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne & Primate of Australia. (No Diocesan Cycle of Prayer listing for this week)
THE SUNDAY ROTA
Lector – P Pettingell
Ushers – Bruce Lennihan and Karl Benziger
Coffee Hour – Karl and Klara Benziger
THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S
PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS
Saturday 19 January
Guild of All Souls 10 am (Lady Chapel)
EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S
Sunday 13 thru Monday 21 January
Winter Break Providence (Brown University) – Various Times (Great Hall)
Saturday 19 January
Epiphany Soup Kitchen 2:30 pm (Great Hall)
LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE
13 January
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST (W)
Morning Prayer 8 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Solemn Mass and Procession 10 am
Daily Mass and Office Lectionaries: Epiphany I, Year One
Monday 14 January
Kentigern (Mungo), Bishop & Missionary in Scotland, 612 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm
Tuesday 15 January
Paul of Thebes, Hermit, c. 345 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm
Wednesday 16 January
Richard Meux Benson, Monk, Founder of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, 1915 (W)
Evening Prayer 5:30 pm
Low Mass 6 pm
Thursday 17 January
Anthony, Abbot in Egypt, 356 (W)
Noonday Prayer 12 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm
Friday 18 January
THE CONFESSION OF SAINT PETER: SAINT PETER’S CHAIR AT ROME (W)
Noonday Prayer 12 noon
Low Mass 12:10 pm
Saturday 19 January
Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095
Morning Prayer 9:30 am
Requiem Mass 10 am (Black)
20 January
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY (G)
Morning Prayer 8 am
Low Mass 8:10 am
Solemn Mass 10 am
NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (20 January)
Second Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C)
Isaiah 62:1-5
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
