Dearly Beloved,
It has been a while since I last sent out a parish news email. January was a somewhat quiet month as we took a “breather” from all of our activities of the Christmas season. All of our worship times and education classes were well attended throughout the month. We did have a bit of excitement last Sunday as ice coated our area and we had to cancel our worship services on that day. I did a live-stream that morning at 11:00 a.m. from my house. Unfortunately, I got kicked off the internet after about 20 minutes but you can still hear the scripture and my message for the day here on our website (allsaintsmillsriver.org).
Regarding Inclement Weather
If we have to cancel Sunday services due to weather, I will generally make that call on Sunday morning before 6:00 a.m. There are several ways by which I communicate with you about any cancellations. First of all, I will send out an email, so please check your email first thing on those days where weather is a possible issue. Next, check the parish website. It will be immediately updated once the email goes out. I cannot stress enough how the website is the single, best place to see what is currently happening in the parish. Also, if you are member of our texting prayer chain, you will receive a message on your phone. If you are a Facebook user, our parish Facebook Page will also have a notification posted to it. Finally, the telephone answering machine at the church will also have a message on it if we must cancel.
Presently, it looks as if we may have another snow event this weekend. Of course, weather forecasts are very fluid and change quickly, so keep your eyes open for any communication from me.
Adult Sunday School
This coming Sunday, at 9:45 a.m., our Adult Sunday School class will look at the moral implications of the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in our country and across the world. Our teenagers will join us in the class, as we use classic moral theology and Christian ethics to discuss this topic. (Should weather become an issue, this class will occur on Wednesday, February 10, immediately following the 6:00 p.m. Holy Communion). This class will be recorded and posted on our website.
Lent Is Almost Here
Ash Wednesday is February 17 this year. The schedule for that day is as follows:
- 7:00 a.m., Imposition of Ashes & Holy Communion
- 12:00 p.m., Penitential Office, Imposition of Ashes, & Holy Communion
- 7:00 p.m., Penitential Office, Imposition of Ashes, & Holy Communion (This is a solemn celebration. The choir will be present and incense will be used)
Lent is that time of year in which we make special devotion to our Lord in the Christian Duties of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Morning and Evening Prayer will be offered daily and we will also walk the Way of the Cross in church. The Lenten Schedule is found here on our website. Make your plans now to make this a holy Lent.
Also, please bring your palm fronds and crosses from last year to the church. These are burned for the ashes on Ash Wednesday.
Pancake Breakfast
Next Sunday, February 14, the Ladies of All Saints will host a special pancake breakfast with all the fixings for our parish family in honor of St. Valentine’s Day. Please plan on joining us that Sunday at 9:45 a.m. in the parish hall. There will be no Sunday school that day. As you enjoy breakfast, the Craft Market Committee will update everyone on our 2021 Craft Market and the exciting plans we have for this year’s event.
Lenten Study
Last year, our Lenten Study was rudely interrupted by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we are going to start all over again. The study will be the video series 24 Hours That Changed the World. We will begin on Wednesday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m., our usual Bible Study time. Remember, Wednesdays are days of abstinence during Lent, so bring your favorite meatless dish with you for dinner. For those who are interested in this class but cannot travel at night, Dss. Cynthia will also present this study on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m., beginning on February 23. Please let her know so she can plan appropriately for the Tuesday class.
Vestry Meeting
The Vestry meets this coming Monday, February 8, at 6:30 p.m., in the parish hall for its regular monthly meeting.
We are in the midst of the pre-Lenten season with all the Sundays that have those funny name names: Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima. Below I have included a brief primer on what this short season is all about.
That is about all the news I have for you this week. Please remember to keep praying for one another and for those for whom no one else will pray this day. I will see you in church…or online!
Blessings,
Fr. Erich
This Week in the Parish
Sunday, February 7, Sexagesima
8:30 a.m. Holy Communion: in person
9:45 a.m. Sunday School Classes
11:00 a.m. Holy Communion: in person and live-streamed
Monday, February 8
6:30 p.m., Vestry Meeting
Tuesday, February 9
11:00 a.m., Holy Communion: limited seating
11:00 a.m., Book Study
Wednesday, February 10
6:00 p.m., Holy Communion: in person and live-streamed
6:30 p.m., Choir Practice
The Pre-Lenten Season
The three Sundays before Lent are called Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima. The Latin names for these Sundays signify that they are the seventieth, sixtieth, and fiftieth days (approximately) before Easter.
The season of Pre-Lent is a time of preparation for the great fast of Lent. It is meant to call us back from our Christmas feasting and joy in order to prepare ourselves for fasting and humiliation in the approaching time of Lent. (Wheatley). This is why purple vestments have been traditionally used during this season.
The Epistles and Gospels appointed for these three Sundays encourage us to reflect upon the virtues that are necessary for holiness of life. Such reflection is necessary at this time because a renewal of holiness is the object of our Lenten fast.
A virtue is a good habit. It is the settled, established disposition of a power of the soul to act properly and well. While there are some virtues which relate strictly to the operation of the intellect, such as sanity and artistic skill, there are others which relate to the mind as it guides our natural desires and our power of choice. These latter are called moral virtues, and they make our acts upright.
There are four cardinal or principal moral virtues: prudence, courage, temperance, and justice. They were known to the ancient world, and adorned the lives of many notable pagans. As such, they were acquired virtues, ingrained in the soul by ceaseless practice and hard discipline. Their aims, no matter how noble, were strictly natural, having to do with man’s happiness in this life.
With baptism into Jesus Christ come other virtues, of which human effort is incapable. These are the infused virtues. Infused virtues are the virtues which the Holy Ghost plants and nurtures in the souls of Christ’s members. The object of these virtues is man’s supernatural happiness and eternal blessedness.
Chief among the infused virtues are faith, hope, and charity, known as the theological virtues. Through these virtues, the Holy Ghost gives Christians an aptitude for holiness of life. Yet this aptitude and potential for holiness must find expression and perfection in our everyday activity. Thus, the theological virtues express themselves through the cardinal virtues of prudence, courage, temperance, and justice.
Let us, therefore, begin the Pre-Lenten season with minds open to learn about the virtues, that we may be fervent in prayer for them, and for blessedness during our Lenten fast.
-COMMON PRAYER:A Commentary on the Prayer Book Lectionary
