"This is the day..."

 This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Join us for online Holy Eucharist with sermon and organ music tomorrow at 10am

 

Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: 

Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Join us for online Holy Eucharist with sermon and organ music tomorrow at 10am ~ HERE or HERE

Link to enjoy Organ Music only ~ HERE or HERE

Link for the Sunday Sermon only ~ HERE or HERE

Please also see news from the Diocese below, including 9am worship with the Bishop at 9am

Visitations with Bishop Gutiérrez have been online since last year. These happen on Sundays (sometimes twice) and during the week. Dreaming is a huge part of the meeting. Here, with St. John the Evangelist in Essington earlier in the week. This Sunday, 1/31, join Bishop Gutiérrez for the Eucharist at 9 a.m. on Facebook and the One Love Channel. The guest preacher for the service is the Rev. Peter M. Carey, St. Mary's, Cathedral Road. This is for Clergy, Wardens, Vestries and anyone else involved in preparing their parochial reports. The 2020 Parochial Report is now online. Although 2020 was a year like no other, parochial reports are to be filed by March 1. Join us on 2/2. On 2/18 join us for the continuing series Bread for the Journey where we are joined by acclaimed performer Reggie Harris. In this creative session of story, song, and shared discussion, Harris will lead us in considering the way our history forms us. Details. Join us on 2/13 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 for a virtual celebration of the Blessed Absalom Jones, the first African American priest in The Episcopal Church who was a member of St. Peter’s Church in Phila. and was ordained in our diocese. The celebration includes music and worship. Details. On 2/16 and 2/18, join in Healing Communities, a training that was developed in response to the effects of the ‘drug war’ and mass incarceration among urban families and communities in cities across the country with the understanding that faith communities play an essential role. Details. St. George's College in Jerusalem is offering a free self-paced Lenten study. Six sessions for groups and individuals exploring the geography of the Holy Land, following Jesus from Galilee to Golgotha. Each session will reflect on the theme with questions for exploration. Details. Rise in Glory. It is with great sadness that we announce that the Rev. Bob Smith and the Rev. John Martin both died this week. The Rev. Smith served at St. Paul's, Doylestown, interim at St. Andrew's, West Vincent, St. Mary's, Wayne, All Saints', Torresdale, and St. Luke and the Epiphany. Bob was rector of Church of the Good Shepherd from 2004-2012. He also served on the Board of Trustees of Episcopal Community Services. The Rev. Martin served as rector of Christ Church and St. Michael's (1982-1988), Church of the Redeemer, Springfield ( 2003-2004), St. John's, Bala Cynwyd (2001-2003), and Holy Innocents and St. Paul's (1999-2001). He also served as interim at St. James, Langhorne and St. John's, Essington.   ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania | 23 E. Airy Street, Norristown, PA 19401

"seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves" 

from our Baptismal Covenant

Dear Friends,

In the midst of our current times when we are living amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, and also a pandemic of fear and mistrust of our fellow women and men, it is a good time for us to reflect upon all the ways that we can live out our Baptismal Covenant to "seek and serve Christ in all persons."  Certainly, there is much work to do, and one area we can work on is on becoming anti-racist. 

Our Deanery will be offering a wonderful Dialogue Series on Race and Faith over the course of the next several months.  I highly encourage you to consider joining us for this wonderful opportunity.  

The Wissahickon Deanery of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is offering Sacred Ground: A Film-Based Dialogue Series on Race & Faith in 10 sessions on Mondays from 7 p.m. to 8:30 from March 1 to June 21. The seminar, which will be held bi-weekly on Zoom is free and requires pre-registration.

 
Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith.  Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. This series is open to all, and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people.  

Participation requires a commitment to reading articles and viewing videos between sessions. All materials will be accessible via online links.  Registration deadline is Feb. 20.  Learn more and register here.  For more information contact the Rev. Barbara Ballenger, bballenger@stmatinec.org, the Rev. Carol Duncan at caroldican@yahoo.com or the Rev David Morris at fatherdavidj@comcast.net.

One of the wonderful aspects of this series is that we are doing this work among folks from a group of Episcopal Churches, so that we can interact with our Episcopal siblings, and learn from each other. 

The Rev. Peter M. Carey, Rector

St. Mary's Episcopal Church - Cathedral Road

www.stmaryscathedralroad.com/

revpetermcarey@gmail.com

"Be always joyful; Pray continually; Give thanks whatever happens."  - 

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Begin to see your self as gift, love it as gift, from God's hand, and learn how the neighbor too is a gift, to himself or herself, and to you."  -Rowan Williams

This Sunday, Join Bishop Gutiérrez for the Eucharist at 9am. Guest preacher is the Rev. Peter M. Carey

 

https://episcopalpa.online.church/

Holy Eucharist (online) at St. Mary's Episcopal Church ~ Sunday, 31 January 2021

 Holy Eucharist (online) at St. Mary's Episcopal Church ~ Sunday, 31 January 2021

Music for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

 

Sermon for the 4th Sunday after the Epiphany preached by the Rev. Peter M. Carey

 

25 January 2021 Update from Bishop Daniel G.P. Gutierrez

 

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,     to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79

My siblings in Christ, The days are starting to lengthen and with it our hope for the days ahead is strengthened and renewed. But the brightest light is Jesus Christ and in him all things will be restored. As I stated in my letter of January 13, we will move into our modified Phase II protocols starting February 6. At that time churches may resume in-person worship at a limited 10% capacity and pastoral services may resume without special permission. (All COVID updates and resources can be found here.) As we previously announced, suggestions for Ash Wednesday can be found here. If you have a particular circumstance that would require exceeding these limits, I will consider them on a case-by-case basis. Please email me directly, copying Canon Shawn Wamsley, swamsley@diopa.org, and Canon Kirk Berlenbach, kberlenbach@diopa.org. We will continue to closely monitor the numbers and update you as to when we may move to a less restrictive phase.  In terms of the vaccine, as you know, our efforts were instrumental in getting clergy classified as essential workers (Phase 1b). Canon Toneh Smyth is continuing to lead our efforts to get clergy registered and vaccinated as soon as possible. However, supplies remain very limited and access to it is taking longer than hoped. We will keep you apprised as we get more information. We have posted updates to the vaccine process here. If you have questions about the vaccine please contact Canon Toneh Smyth at tsmyth@diopa.org. We look forward in hope to the time when we may safely gather in-person again. In the meantime, we journey together faithfully following the light of Jesus Christ. You are in my daily prayers and I am grateful to be your shepherd. In Christ,

Bishop Daniel

Tender mercy

 

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,

 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Luke 1:78-79

Blessed Absalom Jones

 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me         to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives     and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free”  Luke 4:18

My Siblings in Christ, The weekend of February 13th our diocese will celebrate the feast of Blessed Absalom Jones. The Rev. Absalom Jones was born into slavery and became the first black priest ordained in The Episcopal Church - ordained right here in our diocese. This bold and prophetic action testifies to the historic, revolutionary character of our diocese and had a profound impact on the entirety of The Episcopal Church. Our celebration of Blessed Absalom will take place in two parts. The first will be an online service of worship and celebration on Saturday, February 13, from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. The Rev. Canon Jordan Casson and the Absalom Jones Planning Committee will offer an engaging presentation on the legacy of Absalom Jones in our diocese followed by uplifting worship from The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. Please register for the celebration here: http://absalomjonesvideo.com/ It is my sincere hope that everyone in our diocese will attend this online service. Not only is it an opportunity to gather for worship, it is also a chance to deepen our understanding of this pioneer of racial justice and reaffirm our commitment to confronting and dismantling the sin of systemic racism. In his Petition to the United States Congress in 1799, Jones wrote, “…the extending of justice and equity to all Classes would be a means of drawing down the blessing of Heaven upon this Land, for the Peace and Prosperity of which, and the real happiness of every member of the Community…” The second part of our celebration of Blessed Absalom continues in our churches on Sunday the 14th as I have requested that his propers be substituted for the normal readings. In this way, even more of us may find inspiration in his legacy.  Through our commemoration of this saint and the ensuing work of the Loving Presence initiative, we are taking vital steps towards becoming the Beloved Community that Jesus Christ calls us to be. Please join me in commemorating this great and beloved son of our diocese.  Bishop Daniel Gutierrez

Rest in peace and Rise in Power, Hank Aaron #44

 

Rest in peace and Rise in Power, Hank Aaron #44

WH Auden ~ The Twelve

 WH Auden ~ The Twelve

I

Without arms or charm of culture,

Persons of no importance

From an unimportant Province,

They did as the Spirit bid,

Went forth into a joyless world

Of swords and rhetoric

To bring it joy.

When they heard the Word, some demurred, some mocked, some were shocked: but many were stirred and the Word spread. Lives long dead were quickened to life; the sick were healed by the Truth revealed; released into peace from the gin of old sin, men forgot themselves in the glory of the story told by the Twelve.

Then the Dark Lord, adored by this world, perceived the threat of the Light to his might. From his throne he spoke to his own. The loud crowd, the sedate engines of State, were moved by his will to kill. It was done. One by one, they were caught, tortured, and slain.

II

O Lord, my God,

Though I forsake thee

Forsake me not,

But guide me as I walk

Through the valley of mistrust,

And let the cry of my disbelieving absence

Come unto thee,

Thou who declared unto Moses:

"I shall be there."

III

Children play about the ancestral graves, for the dead no longer walk.

Excellent still in their splendour are the antique statues: but can do neither good nor evil.

Beautiful still are the starry heavens: but our fate is not written there.

Holy still is speech, but there is no sacred tongue: the Truth may be told in all.

Twelve as the winds and the months are those who taught us these things: envisaging each in an oval glory, let us praise them all with a merry noise.

Words by W.H. Auden