Staying Safe and Staying Connected
Good Morning Saint Stephen’s Church,
We continue our life of daily prayer. The Lord be with you!
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Today’s Prayer
O eternal Trinity
Eternal Trinity!
O fire and deep well of charity!
O you who are madly in love
with your creature!
O eternal truth!
O eternal fire!
O eternal wisdom!
Grant us your gentle and eternal benediction.
Amen.
– Catherine of Siena, 1380
Catherine of Siena was the youngest of twenty-five children of a wealthy dyer. She joined a Dominican lay sisterhood when she was only sixteen. She had numerous visions and frequently felt abandoned by God. As a nurse she cared for patients that others disliked to treat – those with leprosy or cancer. Catherine was a courageous worker in time of severe plague; she visited prisoners condemned to death; she arbitrated feuds and prepared notorious sinners for confession.
During the great schism of the papacy, with rival popes in Rome and Avignon, Catherine wrote tirelessly to princes, kings, and popes, urging them to restore the unity of the Church. She even went to Rome to advocate for this cause.
Besides her many letters to many people, Catherine wrote her Dialogue, a mystical work dictated in ecstasy. Exhausted and paralyzed, she died at the age of thirty-three.
From Our Prayers of the People
For the special needs and concerns of our congregation.
For people throughout the world: in places of war and strife, and for all victims of violence and oppression.
For the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, that wisdom and courage may prevail in the cause of peace.
For the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and for all who affected by violence and war;
For those who have taken up arms, whether aggressively or defensively, that a spirit of peace may reign in their hearts and in their lands.
For our allies around the world in harm’s way: for those who are still trying to leave Afghanistan and the Ukraine; may God be with them and their families.
For comfort and healing for all who are affected by the Coronavirus around the world: for physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the sick and the suffering, and for those administering vaccinations, may God grant them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience, and may God keep them healthy and safe.
For all historical acts of injustice and oppression: especially those perpetrated against native, Black, Hispanic and various Asian Americans in this abundant land, that we may recognize racism in ourselves, in our church, in our society, and recognize the times we have failed to take action.
For a reverence for the earth as God’s own creation: that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to God’s honor and glory, and for wisdom, guidance, and persistence as we face the challenges of climate change and work for the flourishing and health of all the earth.
For those on the Parish Prayer Chain: Candace, Daryl, Joan, Charline, Ralph, Mary Ann, Joe, Jeanne, Theresa, Josh, Donald, Judith, David .
For our Government Leaders: Joseph Biden, President of the United States; Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State; Gary McCarthy, Mayor of Schenectady.
For our Church Leaders: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop; Michael G. Smith and Carol Gallagher, Assisting Bishops; James and Dennie, our priests; Pat, our deacon emeritus and Allison, our Lay Reader.
For those who are imprisoned: those particularly vulnerable at this time, especially the women in the Schenectady County Jail.
For Members who request our prayers for strength and healing: Mary Ann, David, Janet, Marilyn, Eunice, Ruth, Mary Frances, Vincent, Priscilla, Joe, and all their families.
For Budd and Carole– today is their wedding anniversary!
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: The Diocese on the Lake – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) (Owerri Province).
For all who have died: Bruce Tatge, Sarah Wylie, Margaret Law, Nancy Burnham, Caroline Ottaviano, Jeanette Ackner, George Lauder, and Clinton Williams
For one another.
Something to share
Be a Gardener
Be a gardener
Dig and ditch
Toil and sweat,
And turn the earth upside down
And seek the deepness
And water the plants in time.
Continue this work
And make sweet floods to run
And noble and abundant fruits
To spring.
Take this food and drink
And carry it to God
As your true worship
~Julian of Norwich, Translator Unknown (Sacred Voices, edited by Mary Ford-Grabowsky)
Smells of Good Food
Truth never frightens.
I remember once walking out in the winter
to greet my father as he returned from work.
He was a little late that night
and I waited by a street corner near our house.
The cold can enliven thanks, my wool coat
became a sacred robe, how happy I felt to be alive.
I waited in a world of magic,
smells of good food,
the street lamps, the smoke coming from chimneys,
the candles burning in windows,
the snow.
Angels feasted, as I did, on existence and God kept saying,
“Have more of what I made.”
I saw him coming. We ran into each other’s arms
and he lifted me as he so often had –
twirled me through the air,
his hands beneath
my arms.
That is what the Truth does:
lifts and lets us
fly.
– Catherine of Siena
News and Updates
The May Messenger:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZHaRAB__mvUA2nELfNm-cxjB4ZQIEeKT/view?usp=sharing
Organ Concert – featuring Joey Fala celebrating the centennial of the American Guild of Organists in Eastern NY. Mr. Fala earned a master’s degree in organ performance from Yale, after completing degrees in architecture and lighting at RPI. He was organ scholar at Duke University and is currently the director of music at University Presbyterian Church, Chapel Hill. He will play works by Franck, Alain, Bach, Howells, Hindemith, and will premiere a piece by Alfred V. Fedak written for the occasion.
The Eastern NY chapter was founded in September, 1920, and currently consists of over 100 organists, choir directors, and organ enthusiasts. The chapter has brought world class musicians to the area for concerts and workshops, and has fostered organists through mutual support and scholarships.
Eastern NY Chapter, American Guild of Organists
Centennial Celebration Concert
Saturday, April 30, 2022, 3:00 PM
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 107 State Street, Albany
Free will offering
Schenectady Community Ministries – Looking for a summer internship where you can make a positive impact on your community? Join the team at SiCM! SiCM is looking for interns ages 17+ to help out the Summer Meals program. Apply today! Visit sicm.us/what-we-do/summer-meals/ and download the application. Deadline is April 30 or until positions are filled.
Confirmation – Bp. Michael Smith will hold a regional confirmation service at All Saints’ Cathedral on Saturday, May 14th at 10am. A group from St. Stephen’s will be confirmed and others will attend. If you are interested, perhaps transportation could be arranged. Please contact me, james.ross.mcd@gmail.com.
Reminders
If you have an update/news, a prayer or poem or something inspirational you would like us to share with the congregation, please send it to us. Please also send us any prayer requests. We will incorporate these into the Daily Prayers as best we can: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com.
Prayerbook Morning Prayer in Zoom – each morning. Join Dennie and me for an inter-active service of Morning Prayer at 9 am. Time to bring your prayer concerns will be provided. (contact Becky for the link: becky.holder@gmail.com).
If you need a prayerbook, and are not in a position to purchase one, please contact me: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com. I will make sure you have your own Book of Common Prayer.
Masks are optional for all gatherings at the church.
Our office email is: office@st-stephens.church.
Our goal is for all of us to stay in touch and connected.
Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be at your back,
May the sun shine upon your face,
he rains fall soft upon soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Be of good courage. We are in this together, and we will be together again soon. God bless you and may God be with us in the days ahead.