Saturday, March 30, 2019

PARISH NOTES 
Sunday 31 March 2019 

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Return of the Prodigal Son (1667-1670) National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

FROM THE RECTOR

Mid-Lent Sunday (a.k.a. Mothering Sunday, Rose Sunday, and Laetare (“Rejoice”) Sunday) lightens the Lenten mood a bit before we enter the home stretch towards Palm Sunday and Holy Week. It reminds us that Lent is not all dreary gloom and gloom. Rightly understood, the season’s fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are occasions of joy. The first word of the Introit states Mid-Lent Sunday’s thematic exhortation: “Rejoice!” This year’s appointed Gospel, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, emphasizes this theme: as the father declares to the jealous older brother, “It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” This Gospel challenges us: Are we willing not only to repent of our own sins, but also to forgive those who have sinned against us, and indeed to rejoice in our reconciliation? Are we indeed willing to accept the invitation to join the party and “make merry” in the cosmic celebration of God’s Kingdom? – Fr. John D. Alexander

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 32
Joshua 5:9-12
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

THIS SUNDAY’S MUSIC

Plainchant—Missa IV (Cunctipotens Genitor Deus)


Ned Rorem (b. 1923)—Sing, my soul, His wondrous love

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.

Society of Mary – meets this Saturday, April 6, 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.

Holy Week and Easter – the schedule of services for Holy Week and Easter, including the liturgies of the Triduum Sacrum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil), is available on the parish website at sstephens.org/holy-week-2019. We hope that all parishioners will note the service dates and times and make every effort to attend.

Vigil at the Altar of Repose – There is a signup sheet in the narthex for the Vigil in the Lady Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, which begins on Maundy Thursday, 18 April, after the completion of the 7:30 pm Liturgy, and ends at midnight. Come watch with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

Lent Supper and Lecture Series – takes place on the Sundays in Lent, continuing tonight, March 31—a great opportunity for food, fellowship, intellectual stimulation, and spiritual enrichment. Each evening begins with a pot luck supper at 6 pm: all participants are asked to bring a food item to share – such as bread, cheese, soup, casserole, pasta, or salad. (Dishes containing meat are perfectly appropriate, but during Lent the Church discourages sweets, cakes, cookies, etc., as well as alcoholic beverages.) The program starts at approximately 7 pm, featuring the Rev. Canon Jeremy Matthew Haselock, retired Vice Dean and Canon Precentor of Norwich Cathedral, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. Canon Haselock’s topic is “The Sacrament of Easter: An Introduction to the Liturgy of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.” Each evening concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 8 pm in the Lady Chapel. All are cordially invited to attend all or any part of the evening.

Ecumenical Stations – This year, the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) is teaming up with the Brown-RISD Catholic Community (BRCC) to offer Stations of the Cross at S. Stephen’s at 6 pm on Fridays in Lent through April 12. This is a great opportunity to experience this moving devotion anew or indeed for the first time! (Advance Notice: on Friday 12 April, concluding our series of Lenten Stations of the Cross, we will end with a Fish Fry in the Great Hall. Stay tuned for more details.)

Sorrowful Mysteries – Another opportunity for regular Lenten devotion is recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am (following 10 am Mass and 9:30 am Morning Prayer) through April 13th (except on March 23rd). These devotions are sponsored by the Our Lady of Providence Ward of the Society of Mary. All are welcome; no prior experience needed!

No EMBR Meeting – tonight, Sunday, 31 March, as Brown concludes its Spring Recess.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, George, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Richard, Ethel, Henry, Norman, John, Shannah, Terri, Lynne, Fred-Munro, William, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Sandy, John, Phebe, Jack, Richard, Ann, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Gail, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, Roger, and James.

Birthdays this week: Richard Noble (Thursday 4/4).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Elizabeth Kershaw (31 March 2007), Richard Sherman Nutt (1 April 2006), Roy Sumner Bent, Sr. (4 April 1986), and Kathryne Farnum Ripley (6 April 1990). Recently Departed: Angelica Garlatti, the Rev. Vernon Austin, SSC, Priest, and Theodora Shaw.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean: The Most Rev’d James Richard Wong Yin Song, Archbishop, Province of Indian Ocean & Bishop of the Seychelles; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for clergy widows and widowers of the Diocese.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – MC F Pisaturo, SD J Ihnen, Thurifer L Verdelotti, Torches R Noble and B Rose
Lector – M Johnson
Ushers – Tom Oakes and Ernest Drew
Coffee Hour – Susan Rozzero

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS

Sunday 31 March
Lenten Supper and Lecture Series  6-8:30 pm (Great Hall/Lady Chapel)

Saturday 6 April
Society of Mary  10:30 am (Lady Chapel/Great Hall)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Friday 5 April
Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) Meeting  4-11 pm (Great Hall)

Saturday 6 April
Epiphany Soup Kitchen  2:30 pm (Great Hall)

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE
31 March
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT: Laetare Sunday (Rose)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

Daily Office Lectionary: Week of Lent IV, Year One
Daily Mass Lectionary: Week of Lent IV


1 April
Monday in Lent IV (V)
Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, Teacher, 1872
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

2 April
Tuesday in Lent IV (V)
James Lloyd Breck, Priest, Founder of Nashotah House, 1876
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

3 April
Wednesday in Lent IV (V)
Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

4 April
Thursday in Lent IV (V)
Isidore, Archbishop of Seville, Teacher, 636
Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader, Martyr, 1968

Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

5 April
Friday in Lent IV (V)
Vincent Ferrer, Priest, Dominican Friar, Missionary, 1419
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm
Ecumenical Stations of the Cross  6 pm

6 April
Saturday in Lent IV (V)
Morning Prayer  9:30 am
Low Mass  10 am
Holy Rosary  10:30 pm

7 April
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT (V)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (7 April)

Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 126
Isaiah 43:16-21
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

PARISH NOTES 
Sunday 24 March 2019 

Dirk Bouts, Moses and the Burning Bush, c. 1465-1470
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

FROM THE RECTOR

What is the difference between a warning and a threat? In their simplest form, both usually comprise a statement of some imminent danger, such as a “winter storm warning” or a “terror threat.” At a slightly more complex level, they combine two elements, namely a present course of action, and unpleasant consequences. For example: “Current levels of production and consumption will make the earth uninhabitable within a century.” Is that a threat, or a warning, or both? A variant on this two-part form is “Do x or suffer y”—Move out of your house by nightfall or be burned out (threat); Move inland or risk being drowned in the approaching hurricane (warning). The difference turns on the malevolent or benevolent intentions of the speaker. A threat serves the speaker’s interests and is intended to frighten and intimidate; a warning serves the recipient’s interests and is intended to protect and save.

In terms of this distinction, it is clear that God frequently warns but never threatens us. In this Sunday’s Epistle, Saint Paul writes of disobedient Israelites who perished in the wilderness: “Now these things are warnings for us, not to desire evil …” In this Sunday’s Gospel, speaking of Pilate’s recent massacre of a group of Galileans, and the collapse of a tower in Jerusalem, Jesus repeats the solemn warning: “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” During Lent, the Church’s liturgy pays a bit more attention than usual to such divine warnings. But they are precisely warnings, not threats. They are always given for our good by the God who loves us and desires nothing more than our salvation and life. – Fr. John D. Alexander




THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

Third Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 63:1-8
Exodus 3:1-15
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9


THIS SUNDAY’S MUSIC

Plainchant—Missa XIII (Stelliferi Conditor orbis)


Herbert Howells (1892 – 1983)—Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks


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 Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ – a principal holy day of the Church year, will be kept with Sung Mass in the Lady Chapel tomorrow, Monday 25 March, at 7 pm. Canon Haselock will preach.

Vigil at the Altar of Repose – There is a signup sheet in the narthex for the Vigil in the Lady Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, which begins on Maundy Thursday, 18 April, after the completion of the 7:30 pm Liturgy, and ends at midnight. Come watch with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

Lent Supper and Lecture Series – takes place on the Sundays in Lent, continuing tonight, March 24—a great opportunity for food, fellowship, intellectual stimulation, and spiritual enrichment. Each evening begins with a pot luck supper at 6 pm: all participants are asked to bring a food item to share – such as bread, cheese, soup, casserole, pasta, or salad. (Dishes containing meat are perfectly appropriate, but during Lent the Church discourages sweets, cakes, cookies, etc., as well as alcoholic beverages.) The program starts at approximately 7 pm, featuring the Rev. Canon Jeremy Matthew Haselock, retired Vice Dean and Canon Precentor of Norwich Cathedral, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. Canon Haselock’s topic is “The Sacrament of Easter: An Introduction to the Liturgy of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.” Each evening concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 8 pm in the Lady Chapel. All are cordially invited to attend all or any part of the evening.

Ecumenical Stations – This year, the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) is teaming up with the Brown-RISD Catholic Community (BRCC) to offer Stations of the Cross at S. Stephen’s at 6 pm on Fridays in Lent through April 12. This is a great opportunity to experience this moving devotion anew or indeed for the first time! (Advance Notice: on Friday 12 April, concluding our series of Lenten Stations of the Cross, we will end with a Fish Fry in the Great Hall. Stay tuned for more details.)

Sorrowful Mysteries – Another opportunity for regular Lenten devotion is recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am (following 10 am Mass and 9:30 am Morning Prayer) through April 13th (except on March 23rd). These devotions are sponsored by the Our Lady of Providence Ward of the Society of Mary. All are welcome; no prior experience needed!

No EMBR Meetings – tonight, 24 March, or next Sunday, 31 March, as Brown will be on Spring Recess.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, George, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Richard, Ethel, Henry, Norman, John, Shannah, Terri, Lynne, Fred-Munro, William, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Sandy, John, Phebe, Jack, Richard, Ann, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Gail, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, Roger, and James.

Birthdays this week: Emily MacLean (Saturday 3/30).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Virginia Marie Disley (24 March 1990), John F. Brazil (26 March 1982), Bette Drayton (26 March 2004), Dorothy Adams Bellman (27 March 2005), Mary Weis (29 March 1993), and Charles John McCloughan (23 March 1984). Recently Departed: Angelica Garlatti and the Rev. Vernon Austin, SSC, Priest.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui: The Most Rev’d Paul Kwong, Archbishop of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui & Bishop of Hong Kong Island; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for those who are preparing to serve God as ordained ministers in the church.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – MC B Rose, SD F Pisaturo, Thurifer R Noble, Torches C Sylvia and G Benziger
Lector – K Lester
Ushers – Sharon Lloyd Clark and Bruce Lennihan
Coffee Hour – Muriel Jobbers

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS

Sunday 24 March
Lenten Supper and Lecture Series  6-8:30 pm (Great Hall/Lady Chapel)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

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

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

24 March
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT (V)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

Daily Office Lectionary: Week of Lent III, Year One
Daily Mass Lectionary: Week of Lent III


25 March
THE ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (W)
Evening Prayer (said)  5:30 pm
Sung Mass  7 pm

26 March
Tuesday in Lent III (V)
Harriet Monsell, Founder of the Community of Saint John the Baptist, Clewer, 1883
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

27 March
Wednesday in Lent III (V)
Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, and of Western New York, 1922
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

28 March
Thursday in Lent III (V)
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

29 March
Friday in Lent III (V)
John Keble, Priest, Tractarian, 1866
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm
Ecumenical Stations of the Cross  6 pm

30 March
Saturday in Lent III (V)
Innocent of Alaska, Bishop, 1879
Morning Prayer  9:30 am
Low Mass  10 am
Holy Rosary  10:30 pm

31 March
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT (Rose)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (31 March)

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 32
Joshua 5:9-12
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

PARISH NOTES 
Sunday 17 March 2019 

David Roberts, Jerusalem (1839)
Color lithograph. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

FROM THE RECTOR

Journeying towards Jerusalem: In the first installment of the Lenten lecture series last Sunday, Canon Jeremy Haselock emphasized the importance of the early Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the development of the Western Church’s Holy Week and Easter liturgies. Pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the great annual festivals was, of course, ancient Jewish practice. Jesus himself was making the pilgrimage for Passover when he was betrayed, arrested, tried, and crucified. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, still in Galilee, Jesus has set out “on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying towards Jerusalem” (Luke 13:22). Some Pharisees approach Jesus and warn him: “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you” (13:31). The threat is more than credible, as Herod has already beheaded John the Baptist. But Jesus refuses to be intimidated. He must continue, casting out demons and performing cures along the way, “for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem” (13:33). At the beginning of Lent, we began our own spiritual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday, we shall liturgically re-enact our Lord’s entry into the holy city. In the meantime, we continue on the way of our Lenten disciplines. Just as Jesus refused to be deterred from his pilgrimage, so we need to be steadfast in perseverance on ours. May God grant us the grace to complete the good work he has begun in us. – Fr. John D. Alexander



THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

Second Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 27
Genesis 15:1-12,17-18
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Luke 13:31-35


THIS SUNDAY’S MUSIC

Plainchant—Missa XI (Orbis factor)


Johann Christenius (1565 – 1626)—Jerusalem die du tötest die Propheten

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.

Saint Joseph (March 19th) – a major feast of the church year will be kept this Tuesday with Noonday Prayer at 12 noon, and Low Mass following at 12:10 pm.

Lent Supper and Lecture Series – takes place on the Sundays in Lent, continuing tonight, March 17—a great opportunity for food, fellowship, intellectual stimulation, and spiritual enrichment. Each evening begins with a pot luck supper at 6 pm: all participants are asked to bring a food item to share – such as bread, soup, or salad. (Dishes containing meat are perfectly appropriate, but during Lent we discourage sweets, cakes, cookies, etc., as well as alcoholic beverages.) The program starts at approximately 7 pm, featuring the Rev. Canon Jeremy Matthew Haselock, retired Vice Dean and Canon Precentor of Norwich Cathedral, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. Canon Haselock’s topic will be “The Sacrament of Easter: An Introduction to the Liturgy of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.” Each evening concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 8 pm in the Lady Chapel. All are cordially invited to attend all or any part of the evening.

Ecumenical Stations – This year, the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) is teaming up with the Brown-RISD Catholic Community (BRCC) to offer Stations of the Cross at S. Stephen’s at 6 pm on Fridays in Lent through April 12. This is a great opportunity to experience this moving devotion anew or indeed for the first time! (Advance Notice: on Friday 12 April, concluding our series of Lenten Stations of the Cross, we will end with a Fish Fry in the Great Hall. Stay tuned for more details.)

Sorrowful Mysteries – Another opportunity for regular Lenten devotion is recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am (following 10 am Mass and 9:30 am Morning Prayer) through April 13th (except on March 23rd). These devotions are sponsored by the Our Lady of Providence Ward of the Society of Mary. All are welcome; no prior experience needed!

Spring Organ Recital – This Friday 22 March at 7:30 pm, we welcome International Concert Organist Katelyn Emerson, who will be offering an organ recital on the Goddard Memorial Organ at S. Stephen’s. This event is co-sponsored by the RI American Guild of Organists (RIAGO) and S. Stephen’s Church.

Lenten Quiet Day – is this Saturday 23 March with meditations by the Rev. Carlos de la Torre. A Quiet Day is like a mini-retreat without going away. The program begins with Morning Prayer and Mass at 9 am and concludes with tea at 2 pm. In between we have coffee, lunch, and three addresses interspersed with periods of silent reflection and prayer: the perfect opportunity for deepening Lenten devotion and preparing spiritually for Holy Week and Easter. Fr. Carlos de la Torre is Curate at Christ Church, and Director of Saint Hilda's House, New Haven, CT. He will soon be taking up his new call as Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, Bellefonte, in central Pennsylvania.

The Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ – a principal holy day of the Church year, will be kept with Sung Mass in the Lady Chapel on Monday 25 March at 7 pm. Canon Haselock will preach.

College Ministry – The Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) welcomes all students, both undergraduate and graduate, to join us in fellowship this semester. EMBR meets every Sunday at 5:30 pm for Evening Prayer, followed by a meal. All are most welcome and invited!



FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, George, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Richard, Ethel, Henry, Norman, John, Shannah, Terri, Lynne, Fred-Munro, William, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Sandy, John, Phebe, Jack, Richard, Ann, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Gail, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, Roger, and James.

Birthdays this week: Jon Berberian (Monday 3/18), Betty Jane Berberian (Thursday 3/21), and Ernest Drew (Friday 3/22).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Betty Louise Claunch (18 March 1999), Edna Brazil (19 March 2008), Richard A. Mayforth (22 March 1998), and Corinne Esther Joslin (23 March 1984). Recently Departed: Florence T. Bustamante, Elias Bustamante, James Stephen Clarke, and Angelica Garlatti.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the Church of England: The Most Rev’d and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for the members and ministries of the Episcopal Church Women.


THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – MC J Ihnen, SD R Noble, Thurifer J Starks, Torches TBD and F Pisaturo
Lector – A Campbell
Ushers – Simon Newby and Joy D’Ambra
Coffee Hour – Society of Mary


THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS

Sunday 17 March
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm (Lady Chapel)
Lenten Supper and Lecture Series  6-8:30 pm (Great Hall/Lady Chapel)

Friday 22 March
Organ Recital  7:30 pm (Nave)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

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

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

17 March
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT (V)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

Daily Office Lectionary: Week of Lent II, Year One
Daily Mass Lectionary: Week of Lent II


18 March
Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386 (W)
Edward, King and Martyr, 978
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

19 March
SAINT JOSEPH (W)
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

20 March
Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 687 (W)
Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1711
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

21 March
Thursday in Lent II (V)
Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1556
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

22 March
Friday in Lent II (V)
James de Koven, Priest, 1879
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm
Ecumenical Stations of the Cross  6 pm

23 March
Saturday in Lent II (V)
Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary of Armenia, c. 332
Morning Prayer  9 am
Low Mass  9:30 am
Noonday Prayer  12:15 pm

24 March
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT (V)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (24 March)

Third Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 63:1-8
Exodus 3:1-15
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

Altar Mosaic, Dominus Flevit Church
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem

Thursday, March 7, 2019

PARISH NOTES 
Sunday 10 March 2019 

Philips Augustijn Immenraet, Temptation of Christ (1663)
Oil on copper. Museum of John Paul II Collection, Warsaw, Poland

FROM THE RECTOR

The first Sunday of Lent confronts us with the Temptations of Christ in the wilderness and, by extension, the temptations that we all face in our endeavors to live the Christian life. The pattern of diabolical temptation recounted in this Sunday’s Gospel is worth studying for what it can teach us about the forms in which temptations can will come to us today. And our Lord’s responses similarly teach us how to resist temptation: because he has overcome the Tempter, we can do so too, in Him. Join us as we begin the Lenten season exploring this crucial topic. – Fr. John D. Alexander



THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

First Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13


THIS SUNDAY’S MUSIC

Plainchant—Missa XV (Dominator Deus)


R. Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958)—Prayer to the Father of Heaven


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.

Lent 2019 Issue of The S. Stephen – is available online for viewing here. This issue of our parish magazine contains features on Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory, and the martyrdom of our patron saint. Read the Rector's Annual Meeting Sermon and Address, and much more. Hard copies have been mailed, and additional copies may be picked up in the Narthex. To be added to our mailing list, please contact the parish office.

Blue Heron Concert – Today, 10 March at 4 pm, Blue Heron, Boston’s premier Renaissance choir, continues its Ockeghem series with one of his most celebrated works, the astoundingly complex yet captivatingly beautiful Missa Prolationum, constructed (like Bach’s Goldberg Variations) as a series of canons at different intervals—but Ockeghem’s are double canons, in which four sung parts are generated from two written ones. A truly mind-expanding musical experience, here at S. Stephen’s Church! For ticket pricing and more information, click here.

Monthly Commemoration of the Departed –whose year’s mind falls during March will be offered Saturday 16 March 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!

Volunteers Needed – S. Stephen’s next turn for supplying the volunteers for the Epiphany Soup Kitchen (ESK) will be Saturday, March 16 from 2:30-5:30 pm. If you can help, please let Bruce Lennihan know. We need at least 5 to 6 volunteers. ESK served 67 people February 23 and 81 the week before. This is a wonderful opportunity to serve Christ by serving the hungry.

Lent Supper and Lecture Series – takes place on the Sundays in Lent, beginning tonight, March 10—a great opportunity for food, fellowship, intellectual stimulation, and spiritual enrichment. Each evening begins with a pot luck supper at 6 pm: all participants are asked to bring a food item to share – such as bread, soup, or salad. (Dishes containing meat are perfectly appropriate, but during Lent we discourage sweets, cakes, cookies, etc., as well as alcoholic beverages.) The program starts at approximately 7 pm, featuring the Rev. Canon Jeremy Matthew Haselock, retired Vice Dean and Canon Precentor of Norwich Cathedral, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. Canon Haselock’s topic will be “The Sacrament of Easter: An Introduction to the Liturgy of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.” Each evening concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 8 pm in the Lady Chapel. All are cordially invited to attend all or any part of the evening.

Ecumenical Stations – This year, the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) is teaming up with the Brown-RISD Catholic Community (BRCC) to offer Stations of the Cross at S. Stephen’s at 6 pm on Fridays in Lent, continuing this Friday, March 15. This is a great opportunity to experience this moving devotion anew or indeed for the first time! (Advance Notice: on Friday 12 April, concluding our series of Lenten Stations of the Cross, we will end with a Fish Fry in the Great Hall. Stay tuned for more details.)

Sorrowful Mysteries – Another opportunity for regular Lenten devotions is recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am (following 10 am Mass and 9:30 am Morning Prayer), continuing March 16. These devotions are sponsored by the Our Lady of Providence Ward of the Society of Mary. All are welcome; no prior experience needed!

Spring Organ Recital – On Friday 22 March at 7:30 pm, we welcome International Concert Organist Katelyn Emerson, who will be offering an organ recital on the Goddard Memorial Organ at S. Stephen’s. This event is co-sponsored by the RI American Guild of Organists (RIAGO) and S. Stephen’s Church.

Lenten Quiet Day – will be on Saturday 23 March with meditations by the Rev. Carlos de la Torre. A Quiet Day is like a mini-retreat without going away. The program begins with Morning Prayer and Mass at 9 am and concludes with tea at 2 pm. In between we have coffee, lunch, and three addresses interspersed with periods of silent reflection and prayer: the perfect opportunity for deepening Lenten devotion and preparing spiritually for Holy Week and Easter. Fr. Carlos de la Torre is Curate at Christ Church, and Director of Saint Hilda's House, New Haven, CT. He will soon be taking up his new call as Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, Bellefonte, in central Pennsylvania.

College Ministry – The Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) welcomes all students, both undergraduate and graduate, to join us in fellowship this semester. EMBR meets every Sunday at 5:30 pm for Evening Prayer, followed by a meal. All are most welcome and invited!

FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, George, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Richard, Ethel, Henry, Norman, John, Shannah, Terri, Lynne, Fred-Munro, William, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Sandy, John, Phebe, Jack, Richard, Ann, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Gail, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, Roger, and James.

Birthdays this week: Thomas Oakes (Monday 3/11).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Robert Russell Sandstrom (10 March 2016), Donald S. Chase (11 March 1998), Frank Chace (11 March 1993), George Freemont Bliven (13 March 1983), Elizabeth Grinnell Allen (13 March 1985), Ransom Widmer (13 March 2016), and Eleanor Retallick (13 March 2009). Recently Departed: Florence T. Bustamante, Elias Bustamante, and James Stephen Clarke.

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the Province de L'Eglise Anglicane Du Congo: The Most Rev’d Zacharie Masimango Katanda, Archbishop of the Congo & Bishop of Kindu; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for Episcopal Charities and the ministries and agencies the fund supports.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – MC R Noble, SD F Pisaturo, Thurifer L Verdelotti, Torches C Sylvia and G Benziger
Lector – E Alexander
Ushers – Julia Steiny and Louis Verdelotti
Coffee Hour – Modu Johnson

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS

Sunday 10 March
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm (Lady Chapel)
Lenten Supper and Lecture Series  6-8:30 pm (Great Hall/Lady Chapel)

Tuesday 12 March
Vestry Meeting  7 pm (Library)

Saturday 16 March
Guild of All Souls  10 am (Lady Chapel)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Friday 15 March
Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) Meeting  4-11 pm (Great Hall)

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

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

10 March
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT (V)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

Daily Office Lectionary: Week of Lent I, Year One
Daily Mass Lectionary: Week of Lent I


11 March
Monday in Lent I (V)
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

12 March
Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 (W)
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

13 March
Wednesday in Lent I (V)
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

14 March
Thursday in Lent I (V)
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

15 March
Friday in Lent I (V)
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm
Ecumenical Stations of the Cross  6 pm

16 March
Saturday in Lent I
Morning Prayer  9:30 am
Low Mass with Commemoration of March Departed  10 am (V)
Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)  10:30 am

17 March
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT (V)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  8 pm

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (17 March)

Second Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 27
Genesis 15:1-12,17-18
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Luke 13:31-35

Friday, March 1, 2019

PARISH NOTES 
Sunday 3 March 2019 

Pietro Perugino, Transfiguration, between 1497 and 1500
Fresco, Collegio del Cambio, Perugia, Italy

FROM THE RECTOR

A key theme of the Last Sunday after the Epiphany is “veils.” In the reading from Exodus, Moses has to veil himself when he has been in the Lord’s presence lest the brightness of his face terrify the people. In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes of a veil over people’s minds that prevents their fully understanding the Scriptures. In the Gospel reading, the “veil” of our Lord’s human nature momentarily becomes translucent so that the light of his divine glory shines through. Veiling and unveiling images is an important ritual component of the Lenten season now almost upon us. What sorts of literal and figurative “veils” are necessary in our religious and spiritual lives? And when can we expect, “with unveiled face” to behold the glory of the Lord? Join us this Sunday as we engage these sublime questions. – Fr. John D. Alexander


THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS 

Last Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C)
Psalm 99
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2
Luke 9:28-36


THIS SUNDAY’S MUSIC

Nico Muhly (b. 1981)—Bright Mass with Canons


Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)—See, see, the Word is Incarnate


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.

Volunteers Needed – S. Stephen’s next turn for supplying the volunteers for the Epiphany Soup Kitchen (ESK) will be Saturday, March 16 from 2:30-5:30 pm. If you can help, please let Bruce Lennihan know. We need at least 5 to 6 volunteers. ESK served 67 people February 23 and 81 the week before. This is a wonderful opportunity to serve Christ by serving the hungry.

Guest Organist – We welcome Leo Abbott, Emeritus Music Director of Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, as our guest organist today.

Rector’s Online Book Group – concludes its discussion of C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, chapters eleven through fourteen, this evening, Sunday 3 March, from 8 to 9 pm.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper – is this Tuesday, March 5, from 5:30 – 7 pm in our Great Hall. Pancakes are all you can eat. Tickets are available for $5 at the door or at Coffee Hour. All proceeds support our Sunday School Ministry. Come enjoy a final culinary indulgence before Lent, and bring your palms from last year’s Palm Sunday to be burnt to make new ashes for Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday – Solemn Mass with the Imposition of Ashes will be offered at 7 pm this Wednesday, March 6. The music will include Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere mei, Deus; and Thomas Tallis’s In ieiunio et fletu. Ashes will also be available at the following services: Morning Prayer and Blessing of Ashes, 9 am; Noonday Prayer, 12 pm; Evening Prayer, 5:30 pm. Make a good start to Lent by observing this principal fasting day of the Church year.

Sunday Evening Series – will take place on the five Sundays in Lent, starting March 10—a great opportunity for food, fellowship, intellectual stimulation, and spiritual enrichment. Each evening begins with a pot luck supper at 6 pm: all participants are asked to bring a food item to share – such as bread, soup, or salad. The program starts at approximately 7 pm, featuring the Rev. Canon Jeremy Matthew Haselock, retired Vice Dean and Canon Precentor of Norwich Cathedral, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen. Canon Haselock’s topic will be “The Sacrament of Easter: An Introduction to the Liturgy of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.” Each evening concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 8 pm in the Lady Chapel. All are cordially invited to attend all or any part of the evening.

Ecumenical Stations – This year, the Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) is teaming up with the Brown-RISD Catholic Community (BRCC) to offer Stations of the Cross at S. Stephen’s at 6 pm on Fridays in Lent, beginning this Friday, March 8. This is a great opportunity to experience this moving devotion anew or indeed for the first time! (Advance Notice: on Friday 12 April, concluding our series of Lenten Stations of the Cross, we will end with a Fish Fry in the Great Hall. Stay tuned for more details.)

Sorrowful Mysteries – Another opportunity for regular Lenten devotions will be recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am (following 10 am Mass and 9:30 am Morning Prayer), beginning March 9th. All are welcome; no prior experience needed!

Blue Heron Concert – On Sunday 10 March at 4 pm, Blue Heron, Boston’s premier Renaissance choir, continues its Ockeghem series with one of his most celebrated works, the astoundingly complex yet captivatingly beautiful Missa Prolationum, constructed (like Bach’s Goldberg Variations) as a series of canons at different intervals—but Ockeghem’s are double canons, in which four sung parts are generated from two written ones. A truly mind-expanding musical experience, here at S. Stephen’s Church! For ticket pricing and more information, click here.

Spring Organ Recital – On Friday 22 March at 7:30 pm, please join us for an organ recital with International Concert Organist Katelyn Emerson. This event is co-sponsored by the RI American Guild of Organists (RIAGO) and S. Stephen’s Church.

Lenten Quiet Day – will be on Saturday 23 March with meditations by the Rev. Carlos de la Torre. A Quiet Day is like a mini-retreat without going away. The program begins with Morning Prayer and Mass at 9 am and concludes with tea at 2 pm. In between we have coffee, lunch, and three addresses interspersed with periods of silent reflection and prayer: the perfect opportunity for deepening Lenten devotion and preparing spiritually for Holy Week and Easter. Fr. Carlos de la Torre is Curate at Christ Church, and Director of Saint Hilda's House, New Haven, CT. He will soon be taking up his new call as Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, Bellefonte, in central Pennsylvania.

College Ministry – The Episcopal Ministry at Brown and RISD (EMBR) welcomes all students, both undergraduate and graduate, to join us in fellowship this semester. EMBR meets every Sunday at 5:30 pm for Evening Prayer, followed by a meal. All are most welcome and invited!

FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Prayers have been requested for: Elizabeth, George, Hannah, Kaitlyn, Mary, Richard, Henry, Norman, John, James, Shannah, Terri, Lynne, Fred-Munro, William, Gus, Leonard, Harrington, Joan, Sandy, John, Phebe, Jack, Richard, Ann, Colin, Sandy, Kiersten, Beverly, Gail, Deborah, Bryan, Angela, Bobby, Beverly, Allora, Carlos, Rhoda, William, Roger, and James.

Birthdays this week: George Ryan (Wednesday 3/6).

The faithful departed: Year’s Mind: Howard Johnson (4 March 2015), Josephine Garrett Brown (7 March 1989), Hilda Grace Stevens (7 March 1991), Susan B. Brazil (8 March 2018), and Ruth Hannah Godfrey (9 March 1987).

Anglican and Diocesan Cycles of Prayer – In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we are asked to pray for the Iglesia Anglicana de Chile: The Most Rev’d Héctor (Tito) Zavala Muñoz, Bishop of Santiago & Primate; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, for our retired Bishops, George Hunt and Geralyn Wolf and for all retired clergy of our Diocese.

THE SUNDAY ROTA

Acolytes – MC D Malo, SD J Ihnen, Thurifer R Noble, Torches G Benziger and C Sylvia
Lector – RG Noble
Ushers – Karl Benziger and Bobby Rose
Coffee Hour – Karl and Klara Benziger

THIS WEEK AT S. STEPHEN’S

PARISH PROGRAMS, EVENTS & MEETINGS

Sunday 3 March
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm (Lady Chapel)
Rector’s Online Book Group  8-9 pm (Videoconference)

EXTRA-PAROCHIAL EVENTS HOSTED AT S. STEPHEN’S

Friday 8 March
Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) Meeting  4-11 pm (Great Hall)

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

LITURGICAL CALENDAR & SERVICE SCHEDULE

3 March
THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY (W)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Sung Mass  10 am
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm

Daily Mass Lectionary: Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One (Monday and Tuesday); Ash Wednesday and Weekdays Following (Wednesday through Saturday, except as noted below)
Daily Office Lectionary: Week of Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One

Monday 4 March
FERIA (G)
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Low Mass  6 pm

Tuesday 5 March
FERIA (G)
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

Wednesday 6 March
ASH WEDNESDAY (V) – (Imposition of Ashes available at all services)
Morning Prayer and Blessing of Ashes  9 am
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Evening Prayer  5:30 pm
Solemn Mass  7 pm

Thursday 7 March
Perpetua, Felicity, and Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 202 (R)
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm

8 March
Friday after Ash Wednesday (V)
Edward King, Bishop of Lincoln, 1910
Noonday Prayer  12 noon
Low Mass  12:10 pm
Ecumenical Stations of the Cross  6 pm

Saturday 9 March
Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394 (W)
Morning Prayer  9:30 am
Low Mass  10 am
Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)  10:30 am

10 March
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT (V)
Morning Prayer  8 am
Low Mass  8:10 am
Solemn Mass  10 am
Evening Prayer w/ EMBR  5:30 pm
Benediction  8 pm

NEXT SUNDAY'S READINGS (10 March)

First Sunday in Lent (Year C)
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

Marko Ivan Rupnik, S. J. Moses Veiled (Detail), c. 2012
Mosaic, Collegio San Lorenzo da Brindisi, Rome, Italy