News from the Congregation March 26, 2021
‘Marian Spirituality’| Sunday Soup Kitchen Volunteers Needed | HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE Sunday Program: 11 am Palm Sunday Service |Weekday Programs (Tuesday: 10:30 am Online Holy Tuesday Service; Wednesday: 6:30 pm YESS Bible Study Thursday: 7:00 pm Online Maundy Thursday Service, Friday: 12 pm Online Good Friday, Saturday: 7:00 pm Online Holy Saturday Service, Sunday: 11:00 am Online Easter Sunday Service.)
Canon Lee
All programs led by the Vicar will be on break for Holy Week and Easter Week. These include the Open Space with Vicar; Bible Studies on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings; Angelus and Contemplative Prayer Service on Fridays at noon. All programs will resume Sunday, April 11.
To help us enter into the spirit of this most holy week of the Christian year, I commend to your attention this moving testimony in the Living Church. Here is a taste:
I view the defining problem of modernity as the idol of the autonomous self, and when I tried to think of what Christian word could be spoken to those suffering the cruel service of this idol I was drawn immediately to Mary and to her humility, openness, and suppleness in the hands of God.
A church that is blessed because it humbly receives the gift announced by the Angel is the church that will have the heart and spirit to convert the stony self-sufficiency of our time. A missionary church is gift-dependent and not self-sufficient.
Marsha and Bob
We wish you a meaningful and blessed Holy Week and Easter Week.
HOLY WEEK AT THE CATHEDRAL
Links to Individual Services can be found here: Holy Week at the Cathedral - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org)
Notes on Holy Week Services - The Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy, Sub Dean
Palm Sunday Service | March 28, 2021 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
The last week of the 40-day season of Lent, Holy Week, begins with Passion Sunday, commonly called Palm Sunday. The liturgy centers on the proclamation of the record of Jesus' betrayal, trial, suffering, death, and burial. The accounts given by Matthew, Mark, and Luke are read in a three-year rotation. This year, the reading comes from the Gospel According to Mark. The liturgy of Passion Sunday begins with a remembrance of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. It includes the blessing of palm branches, which members of the assembly then carry in procession and take home to use as objects of devotion. This year, while most of the service will be virtual, people are invited to gather on the steps of the Cathedral for the blessing and distribution of palms at 11:00 AM, following state health and safety guidelines, and weather permitting.
Holy Tuesday Service | March 30, 2021 10:30 am - 11:30 am
In the Diocese of New York, as in many other dioceses, the people gather on a day in Holy Week to celebrate the renewal of their clergy’s ordination vows and to bless the Chrism for the following year. As the name suggests, Chrism is used to anoint people after their Christening, that is, their Baptism. Only the Bishop may consecrate Chrism, so the clergy carry the oil home to their congregation from this service and use it throughout the year. Usually, the Eucharist is celebrated. This year, because of COVID restrictions, we will instead celebrate sung Morning Prayer, the Bishop presiding and the deans (priests who oversee regions of the Diocese) and representatives of the diocesan-wide community of deacons, physically present. The service will be live-streamed, and all the baptized members of the Diocese, lay and ordained, are encouraged to participate virtually.
Maundy Thursday Service | April 1, 2021 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday form a three-day observance called the Paschal Triduum. In the liturgical reckoning as in Jewish reckoning, the day begins at sundown. So the observance of the Friday/Saturday/Sunday feast begins as darkness falls on Thursday. The first service of the Triduum celebrates Jesus' self-offering and the Church’s participation in it even today: the community where Jesus continues his ministry. Normally, the members of the assembly wash one another’s feet according to Jesus’ mandate when, at his Last Supper, he washed the feet of his disciples as a servant might in those days. The Latin word for mandate is mandatum, the root of the word “maundy.” This year, members of our online worshipping community and others have set aside $1.00 for each of the days of Lent. Their gifts of $40 have made it possible for Cathedral Community Cares (CCC) to procure socks and sneakers for the people who come to us every week in search of care. During the online service today, those Lenten offerings will be presented by the Cathedral Chapter to our colleagues at CCC.
Good Friday Service | 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm (end time is approximate):
The second liturgy of Good Friday in the Book of Common Prayer has three principal segments: readings from Scripture culminating in the proclamation of the Passion According to John, a series of ancient prayers for the whole Church and the entire world, the veneration of a cross, and, in some places, the reception of Holy Communion consecrated the night before. This year, because we will not gather in the Cathedral, we will not receive Communion. The readings (and sermon) and prayers will be entirely virtual, beginning at noon. The veneration of the Cross, however, will occur in-person on the steps of the Cathedral beginning at approximately 12:30 PM, and will be live-streamed as the completion of the virtual service. People are welcomed and encouraged to join the Chapter on the steps. The Cross will remain there for veneration until 3:00 PM.
Holy Saturday Service | April 3, 2021 7:00 pm - 8: 00 pm and Easter Sunday Service | April 4, 2021 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Easter Day is the pinnacle of the Christian year. It celebrates that Jesus is risen and alive, and that he continues his ministry with his community of disciples in the Church. Two of the places where the Christian community encounters Jesus are Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, and so Easter is the principal day for these two Sacraments.
This year, unfortunately, we will not be able to hold a public celebration of either. Instead, after Easter begins at sundown on Holy Saturday, we will celebrate a virtual service of readings and music, reminiscent of both the Great Vigil of Easter and Christmas Lessons and Carols. The joyful but contemplative tone of this service will lead to exuberance on Sunday morning when we will celebrate a Service of the Word with our Bishop preaching.
GIVE/SERVE
CCC - Volunteer Opportunity at Sunday Soup Kitchen
Every Sunday from 8:30 am to about 11:00 am, Cathedral Community Cares needs 3 Congregation volunteers to help with preparing and distributing food, and, beginning this week, staffing St Saviour's own CCC table where clients can pick up winter wear, Bibles, and toiletries. Please CLICK HERE to access the new volunteer sign-up page on St Saviour's website. Shifts are open through the end of April. Thank you to all the volunteers from St. Saviour who have generously given of their time week after week!
CCC - February Clothes Drive
CCC requests warm hats, gloves, and coats for their Clothing Closet clients. The Clothing Closet accepts gently used, freshly laundered clothes. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, clothes MUST be laundered before donating. Drop-off Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
SAVE THE DATE: Coffee Hour Conversation with the Cathedral’s Director of Development
Sunday, April 11 at 12:00 PM
What is the difference between giving to the Cathedral and giving to the Congregation? What are the benefits of giving to the Cathedral? To the Congregation? Come to this special coffee hour to meet Priscilla Bayley, the Cathedral’s Director of Development, who will be in conversation with the Vicar. They will address these topics and answer any questions you might have.
THIS SUNDAY, March 28, 2021
9:30 AM - Open Space with the Vicar (cancelled)
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!
10:00 AM - In the Beginning: A Study of Genesis (cancelled)
Join the Vicar for a study of the first book of the Bible. Discover Genesis, not as a collection of ancient mythological stories, but as the Word of God addressing our fundamental and deepest needs. This Sunday will focus on: Genesis 9 “The Promises of God, Part I”
11:00 AM - Palm Sunday Congregation Watch Party for Cathedral Worship Service
Watch the Cathedral worship service on Zoom with other members of the Congregation. As a way to maintain a prayerful atmosphere, we will be turning off Zoom chat for the duration of the service.
You can also watch the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
11:45 PM - Vicar and Friends (cancelled)
Join the Vicar and occasional guests right after the service for a brief time to say hello and check in with other members of the congregation.
12:00 PM - Digital Coffee Half-Hour
Join us at this week’s Digital Coffee Hour to meet members of the congregation.
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Monday-Saturday | 8:30 AM Morning Prayer | 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
Wednesdays | 6:30 PM - YESS Bible Study
Join the Young Episcopalians of Saint Saviour as they read through the book of Exodus. This week, we focus on This week, we focus on Exodus Chapter 13. No preparation needed.
Wednesdays | 7:00 PM - Open Space with the Vicar (cancelled)
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!
Wednesdays | 7:30 PM - Wednesday Bible Study (cancelled)
Join the Vicar for a study of Paul's Letter to the Romans. The source of so many changed lives and pivotal moments throughout Christian history, Paul's greatest epistle invites us to transformation in our own lives and time.
Wednesdays | 8:30 PM - Congregation Compline (cancelled)
Thursdays | 6:30 PM - Education for Ministry
Education for Ministry is designed for lay people who want to delve more deeply but are not necessarily interested in ordination; EfM classes provide a more formal study of scriptures and the history of the faith. Current Topic: “Living into the Journey with God”
Fridays | 12:00 PM - Midday Prayer and Meditation (cancelled)
The Angelus and 10 minutes of silent meditation.
Fridays | 12:15 PM - Open Space with the Vicar (cancelled)
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!