Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas! 

 

Michael Charles Laberge, 58, formerly of Middlebury

December 21, 2023

MICHAEL CHARLES LABERGE

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Michael Charles Laberge of Bonita Springs, Florida., (formerly of Middlebury, Vt.) passed away suddenly on November 22, 2023, following a short illness.

Michael was born in Burlington, Vt., on November 19, 1965, to Robert W. Laberge, Sr. and Laura Sherman Laberge (who both predeceased him). Michael grew up in New Haven, Vt., before moving to Middlebury in 1976. Michael quickly made many friends due to his sense of humor and memorable laugh. Michael was voted class president in his sophomore, junior, and senior classes at Middlebury Union High School. Michael also attended Boys State.

Michael was a natural athlete and would excel in any athletic activity he chose to pursue, most notably on the football field where he was dominant on offense and defense. Michael was voted co-captain of the football team his senior year at Middlebury. He was chosen to play in the annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl game, where he was also named co-captain of the Vermont team.

Michael went on to attend Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts, and also played football for the Red Demons (now Bulldogs). After graduating, Michael moved to Florida where he started his own insurance business. Being a people person, Michael also worked as a waiter at the well-known Bubble Room Restaurant on Captiva Island, Florida, and The Pewter Mug North in Naples, Florida.

Michael is survived by his children Allison, Joshua and Jordan. He is also survived by his sister Patty (Steve) Laberge Hathaway, brothers Bill (Nicole) Laberge, Jeff (Jill) Laberge, Jim (Kristin) Laberge and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Michael was also predeceased by his brother Steve Laberge.

There are no calling hours at this time. A celebration of life will be scheduled for late spring/early summer 2024. An announcement for the celebration will be made at a later date.

Annunciation to Mary, Rilke

 

Annunciation to Mary

by Rainer Maria Rilke

The angel’s entrance (you must realize)
was not what made her frightened. The surprise
he gave her by his coming was no more
than sun or moon-beam stirring on the floor
would give another, — she had long since grown
used to the form that angels wear, descending;
never imaging this coming-down
was hard for them. (O it’s past comprehending,
how pure she was. Did not one day, a hind
that rested in a wood, watchfully staring,
feel her deep influence, and did it not
conceive the unicorn, then, without pairing,
the pure beast, beast which light begot, — )
No, not to see him enter, but to find
the youthful angel’s countenance inclined
so near to her; that when he looked, and she
looked up at him, their looks so merged in one
the world outside grew vacant, suddenly,
and all things being seen, endured and done
were crowded into them: just she and he
eye and its pasture, visions and its view,
here at the point and at this point alone:-
see, this arouses fear. Such fear both knew.

From The Life of Mary by Rainer Maria Rilke – From Selected Work, Vol. II Poetry, translated by J.B. Leishman, Hogarth Press, © 1960.

Annunciation to Mary, Rainer Maria Rilke

 

Annunciation to Mary

by Rainer Maria Rilke

The angel’s entrance (you must realize)
was not what made her frightened. The surprise
he gave her by his coming was no more
than sun or moon-beam stirring on the floor
would give another, — she had long since grown
used to the form that angels wear, descending;
never imaging this coming-down
was hard for them. (O it’s past comprehending,
how pure she was. Did not one day, a hind
that rested in a wood, watchfully staring,
feel her deep influence, and did it not
conceive the unicorn, then, without pairing,
the pure beast, beast which light begot, — )
No, not to see him enter, but to find
the youthful angel’s countenance inclined
so near to her; that when he looked, and she
looked up at him, their looks so merged in one
the world outside grew vacant, suddenly,
and all things being seen, endured and done
were crowded into them: just she and he
eye and its pasture, visions and its view,
here at the point and at this point alone:-
see, this arouses fear. Such fear both knew.

From The Life of Mary by Rainer Maria Rilke – From Selected Work, Vol. II Poetry, translated by J.B. Leishman, Hogarth Press, © 1960.

2023 Advent and Christmas Schedule at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

   2023 Advent and Christmas Schedule at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

2023 Advent and Christmas Schedule at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

  2023 Advent and Christmas Schedule at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

 

 

Simon Barenbaum, 97, formerly of East Middlebury

November 22, 2023

MILFORD, Mass. — Simon Barenbaum died on Nov. 18, 2023, in Milford, Mass., with his daughters by his side. He was 97 years old.

He was born in 1926 to Israel Barenbaum and Esther Zevko Barenbaum, traveling actors in the Yiddish theater. Their troupe was in Latvia at the time of his birth, and settled in Paris when he was very young. In the late 1930s, when they performed in Britain, Simon learned English, which would prove essential to his later endeavors.

The Barenbaums were in Paris in June 1940 when the Nazi occupation began. Simon was 14. His beloved older brother, Kadia, was ordered to report to the French police, and never returned home.

In 1942, Simon’s father, and then he and his mother, were detained in Drancy, a transit camp outside Paris. Just before they were to be deported, they were saved by a friend who told the authorities they were his employees, needed to make fur coats and boots for the Nazis. That fall, they were allowed to return to Paris.

At age 16, Simon joined a group of Jewish Boy Scouts who were making false ID cards. He managed to obtain some for his family, and they left for Draguignan in the south of France, where they had friends. There, they lived a relatively normal life for two years. Simon’s prowess at soccer earned him a place on the local team.

American paratroopers landed in the area in August of 1944. Hoping to hasten liberation, Simon offered to help them, using his proficient English. The head of the local Resistance gave him a mission, and he was able to help the Americans to gain military advantage. Simon was able to participate in several other missions, and to act as a guide and go-between, averting further attacks.

Soon after he returned to Draguignan, his family learned that Kadia had died of typhus at Auschwitz. After the war, the family moved back to Paris. Simon studied at the Sorbonne, and met Colette Jacot, who would become his first wife.

In 1950, Simon and his parents moved to the United States so that he could continue his studies. He married Colette in 1951, and taught French at Brown University while working toward his Ph.D. He and Colette had a daughter, Nicole. Sadly, in 1954, Colette succumbed to cancer. Some time afterwards, Simon met and married Ruth Schwarzkopf, sister of General Norman Schwarzkopf. After earning his Ph.D., he moved with Ruth, Nicole, and daughter Myriam to Oberlin, where he would teach French language and literature and direct French plays for 13 years. Son Kadia, born in Oberlin, was named after Simon’s brother.

The family moved to Middlebury in 1970, drawn by the strong languages program there. At Middlebury, Simon continued to inspire students with his love of French language, culture, and theater. He directed students in French plays, and assigned a project to create “Vous Allez à Montréal?,” a free travel guide in French offering walking tours and more, which he continued to update for many years. His love for Francophone Canada expanded as he took a series of week-long bike trips in Quebec.

After retiring from Middlebury in 1992, Simon became more involved in promoting Francophony in Northern Vermont. He helped found the Alliance Française of Vermont: Cercle Québecois (now the AFLCR). In 1992, he launched “Les Boulangers,” a French conversation group that met weekly in Bristol. That group continues in Middlebury, with some members having attended for decades. He also edited a newsletter announcing Francophone activities and events in the area, and created a monthly program, Chronique Francophone, for Middlebury Community Television. He organized “Chez Roland” social lunches in Rutland and Burlington.

In 1999, the Vermont Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French named him “Ambassador of French” for the many ways he promoted the learning and speaking of French.

Simon also spoke frequently to Vermont high school students about his experiences of surviving the Holocaust. He remained politically active, assisting with projects through the local Friends’ group. He and Ruth loved and cared for their garden in East Middlebury.

After Ruth died in 2022, Simon moved to Massachusetts to be near Nicole. Nicole and Myriam helped him to keep “Les Boulangers” going online each week. The group gave him a much-needed connection to his community in Middlebury, and the chance to share songs, poems, and texts related to France. He became known at his senior living center for breaking into song during Happy Hour and whenever else he felt so moved.

Friends and family appreciated Simon’s courage, enthusiasm, creativity, generosity, and sense of humor. As one friend said, “His memory will always evoke his irrepressible optimism, dignity, and devotion to others, to life and learning.”

He is survived by his daughters, Nicole Barenbaum of Mendon, Mass., and Myriam Barenbaum of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; son, Kadia Barenbaum of Burlington, Vt.; grandsons Joshua Scheufler of Nashville, Tenn., and Jake Miller of New York, N.Y.; and great-granddaughter, Olive Colette Potts Scheufler. ◊

The Dalai Lama on limit-setting

Back in the fall of 1990, the Dalai Lama visited my hometown, Middlebury, Vermont, for a symposium on "Spirit and Nature," which featured leaders and scholars from Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim world views. The question of how religion and spirituality might aid (or block) an environmental ethic was an important one then, and (it could be argued) the issue is even more important today. I had the pleasure of going to all the sessions, while on a break from my senior year in college. There is a book that was produced with transcripts from all the presentations and there is also a video that was produced by Bill Moyers by the same name, "Spirit and Nature."

I was excited to find this short clip (1 minute) on YouTube of an interchange between Moyers and the Dalai Lama about where reverence for the environment (in this case a mosquito) might have boundaries. What I find most wonderful about this interchange is not only the Dalai Lama's rich practice of his 'belief,' but also his wonderful spirit of humor, lightness, and playfulness ... check it out HERE. (Oh, and whoever loaded it on YouTube called it "the Dalai Lama kills a mosquito," however, it seems that isn't quite accurate...but I don't want to spoil the punchline...)

Do check it out; priceless.

Plagiarizing Buechner

 

This short poem by J. Pittman McGehee appears in his book Growing Down.

When a young priest, I

wrote a note to noted

author/theologian, Frederick

Buechner. I asked forgiveness

for all the plagiarizing I

had done of his good work

and thanked him for this

profound influence on my

theological world view.

By return mail on lined

paper from a legal pad he wrote:

"I was sitting by the sea, wondering

if the world wanted another word

from me, and your letter came."

Frederick Buechner's Obituary in the New York Times ~ August, 2022

Advent Credo

 

 

Allan Boesak

Advent Credo

It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—
This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life;

It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction—
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.

It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever—
This is true: Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful councilor, mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of peace.

It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—
This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo I am with you, even until the end of the world.

It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers—
This is true: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall have dreams.

It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history—
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship God in spirit and in truth.

So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ—the life of the world.

Allan Boesak (born 1946) is a South African pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and author of fifteen books. This poem is taken from his book Walking on Thorns (Eerdmans, 1984), and is often but wrongly attributed to Daniel Berrigan.

Posted November 2023 on "Journey with Jesus" website

2023 Advent and Christmas Schedule at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

  2023 Advent and Christmas Schedule at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

Advent Credo, by Allan Boesak

 

Allan Boesak

Advent Credo

It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—
This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life;

It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction—
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.

It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever—
This is true: Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful councilor, mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of peace.

It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—
This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo I am with you, even until the end of the world.

It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers—
This is true: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall have dreams.

It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history—
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship God in spirit and in truth.

So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ—the life of the world.

Allan Boesak (born 1946) is a South African pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and author of fifteen books. This poem is taken from his book Walking on Thorns (Eerdmans, 1984), and is often but wrongly attributed to Daniel Berrigan.

Posted November 2023 on "Journey with Jesus" website

3 December 2023 ~ 1st Sunday of Advent Holy Eucharist

 

The Eucharist

 

“The church is the only community in the world that has as its central symbolic act, an act that is called, “Thanks.” The Eucharist. You know Eucharist is Greek for “Thanks.” 

And participation in the Eucharist is an act of gratitude for the abundance that the creator God gives to the world.

And I think that the neighborly economy can only be funded by gratitude. It is all a gift! I did not make any of it, produce any of it, it is a gift! But the extraction economy wants to think, “It’s mine!” “I made it, I own it, I can do what I want, I don’t have to be grateful to anybody.”

Which leads me to think that participation in the Eucharist is the most subversive thing we can do.

But notice what the long history of the church has done to the Eucharist. It has siphoned off its danger into something about sin and salvation and getting right with God, rather than a meal for the neighborhood. The African Americans in the United Church of Christ calls the Eucharist “The Welcome Table.” All are welcome, no restrictions. All are welcome because there is more than enough.”

-Walter Brueggemann

Sagittarius C

 

From UVA Magazine A Star Is Born: UVA Undergrad Leads Team Studying Stellar Formation

Application

 Dear Church: “Understanding your pulpit is vacant, I should like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications. I've been a preacher with much success and also have had some successes as a writer. Some say I'm a good organizer. I've been a leader most places I've been. I'm over 50 years of age and have never preached in one place for more than three years. In some places, I have left town after my work caused riots and disturbances. I must admit I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any real wrongdoing. My health is not too good, through I still accomplish a great deal. The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities. I've not gotten along well with religious leaders in the towns where I have preached. In fact, some have threatened me, and even attacked me physically. I am not too good at keeping records. I have been known to forget whom I have baptized. However, if you can use me, I promise to do my best for you." ~ The Apostle Paul