Saint Clement’s Episcopal Church May 2012 Newsletter

Rector’s Letter My dear People, First I must say thank you to everyone who made Holy Week and Easter such a moving time. Following Our Lord through his Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection in the ceremonies of the Church is an experience that millions have found transforming for their spiritual lives. These ceremonies don’t just happen; their preparation and execution takes a lot of work from a lot of people. So thank you to those who rehearsed the Masses and ceremonies, arranged the beautiful flowers at the Altar of Repose on Maundy Thursday and the whole church at Easter, and those who prepared and served the refreshments at the receptions. Now May is ahead of us, and there is a lot going on. Bishop Rodney Michel, our Assisting Bishop, is coming to make a Parish Visitation on Ascension Day, which will culminate in his presiding and preaching at the High Mass at 7 o’clock that evening. Bishop Michel has graciously agreed to become Bishop Protector of the Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady of Clemency, and I will admit him to this office on Ascension Day. As Master of the Guardians, I will also add to our number several new Priest and Lay Guardians. The Guardians have the duty of praying for St Clement’s, and they themselves are remembered by name on the same day every month at the Shrine Prayers and Novena. That same evening, Bishop Michel will receive one of our new servers, Sebastian Morris, into the Episcopal Church. Weather permitting, we will have a festive reception in the garden that evening. Congratulations are due to Ethan Jewett, our Curate, who has just finished the last requirements for his degree of Master of Divinity from Seabury-Western in Chicago. Ethan has been doing the last course from here and so has had a lot of homework to do as well as beginning to work in the parish. One splendid initiative has been a Bible study he has been conducting for some twenty or so of the residents of Atria (which used to be called Sterling Glen) the senior living residence next door to the church. This has been much appreciated, and has generated an interest in St Clement’s from some residents. Unfortunately, one or two of them are confined to wheelchairs and cannot get into the church, since we have steps at both entrances. However, I have talked with the Atria management team, and they have agreed to pay half the cost of a wheelchair ramp at the Cherry St entrance. There are only three steps there, so

a small folding metal ramp should be adequate. This can be stored in church and laid down when needed. I have been preparing three couples for their weddings, which will all take place in May. Only one couple are regular St Clement’s members, Jeff McGeary and Iryna Kliuchko, though the others have been from time to time. Since Jeff is in the Army, his and Iryna’s wedding will be in the Valley Forge Military Academy Chapel. It is one of a parish priest’s great privileges to be present and to help at some of the most important moments of his parishioners’ lives, at Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages and Funerals. Deep bonds of friendship are formed, and I am happy to say that I am still in touch with parishioners from Edinburgh, Salisbury, Inverness, Ankara, Stockholm, London, Gibraltar and Milan. In fact, this Newsletter will be read by friends from all these places, whether on line or in paper form. Many thanks to Ron Emrich who edits the Newsletter and Marc Coleman who produces it, as well as to those who contribute articles for it, such as the historical notes that Brother Steven Hawes, a former archivist of the parish, has been sending from Mirfield in Yorkshire, where he is a member of the Community of the Resurrection.

cont’d on pg. 3

Kalendar May 2012 1 2 3 4 5

T W Th F S

ST PHILIP & ST JAMES St Athanasius, Bishop & Doctor St Alexander & Companions, Martyrs St Monica, Mother of St Augustine Of Our Lady

The Bishop Thelogians Persecuted Christians Mothers Society of Mary

6 Su EASTER 4 (St John ante Portam Latinam) The Parish 7 M St Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr The Church in Poland 8 T Apparition of St Michael, Archangel Protection of the Angels 9 W St Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop & Doctor The Orthodox Churches 10 Th St Antoninus, Bishop Society of King Charles Ss Gordian & Epimachus, Martyrs the Martyr 11 F Monthly Requiem The Faithful Departed 12 S St Nereus & Companions, Martyrs Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament 13 Su ROGATION SUNDAY The Parish (St Robert Bellarmine) 14 M St Boniface, Bishop & Martyr The Churches in Germany 15 T St John Baptist de la Salle Christian Teachers 16 W St Ubaldus, Bishop Missionaries 17 Th ASCENSION DAY An increase in Faith 18 F St Venantius, Martyr The Churches in Italy 19 S St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury Bishop Rodney Michel St Peter Celestine, Pope Pope Benedict 20 Su 21 M 22 T 23 W 24 Th 25 F 26 S

SUNDAY AFTER THE ASCENSION (St Bernardine of Siena) Of the Ascension Of the Ascension Of the Ascension Of the Ascension St Gregory VII, Pope St Urban I, Pope & Martyr St Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury

The Parish Increase in Vocations The Southwark Deanery Church of the Ascension, Chicago Guild of All Souls Society of St John the Evangelist Archbishop of Canterbury

27 Su PENTECOST The Parish (The Venerable Bede, Priest & Doctor) 28 M Whit Monday St Mary’s Soup Kitchen 29 T Whit Tuesday Confirmands 30 W Ember Day Seminarians 31 Th St Petronilla, Virgin Sisters of the Holy Nativity

Wednesday Mass Schedule Change The time of the Mass on Wednesdays has been changed from 7 a.m. to 12.10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday Masses remain at 7 a.m. and Mondays and Thursdays at 12.10 p.m. with Saturday Mass remaining at 10 a.m.

Rector’s Letter cont’d from pg. 1

“May is Mary’s Month” says the Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and we have our May procession in honour of Our Lady at the High Mass on Sunday, May 6, when we crown the statue of Our Lady of Clemency with roses, traditionally her special flower. Mary is the one who, by saying “Yes” to God made the Incarnation possible. We owe her the greatest reverence and should delight in calling her our Mother and asking for her prayers. Your friend and Rector.

CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC SCHEDULE MAY 2012

To Encourage Abundant Giving St Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, is grateful to the people for their gifts in support for his continued ministry. We the people of St Clement’s, whose reach is worldwide through our website and other outreach ministries, are grateful stewards of our worship through our own pledges and generous giving by the congregation and our many friends. Yet, the needs of the people around us in Philadelphia are great, and our historic commitment not only to our own church but to the wider community means we, like St. Paul, are also grateful recipients of the additional generosity of our own people and many others. Dr Laurie Fromm, Chairman of the Vestry Finance Committee, would like to hear from anyone who is interested in being part of a fund-raising group for St Clement’s. Ideas and energy are welcome, as the group implements plans such as a parish dinner, planned for late September, to support the Helping Others fund. All who can give the gifts of time, energy and ideas are welcome to join in. Dr. Fromm can be contacted at drlaurie@ yahoo.com.

SUNDAY, 6 MAY, 11 AM EASTER IV: MAY FESTIVAL Missa Paschalis, Orlandus Lassus Rise up, my love, my fair one, Healey Willan Regina Coeli, Antonio Lotti Scherzo, Maurice Duruflé Fugue on the name BACH (No. 2), Robert Schumann SUNDAY, 13 MAY, 11 AM ROGATION SUNDAY Mass in A Major ‘Horns’, Antonio Lotti I Sat down under his shadow, Edward Bairstow Regina Coeli, Francisco Guerrero A Song of Sunshine, Alfred Hollins A Trumpet Minuet, Hollins THURSDAY, 17 MAY, 7 PM ASCENSION DAY Ecce Sacerdos, Edward Elgar Missa ‘Ascendens Christus in altum’, Tomás Luis de Victoria Ascendens Christus in altum, Victoria Prière du Christ montant vers son Pére, Olivier Messiaen Alleluyas, Simon Preston SUNDAY, 20 MAY, 11 AM

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION Missa ‘Ascendo ad Patrem’, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Ascendo ad Patrem, Palestrina Regina Coeli (for 7 voices), Lassus Prière du Christ montant vers son Pére, Olivier Messiaen Alleluyas, Simon Preston

SUNDAY, 27 MAY, 11 AM PENTECOST Missa ‘Ego flos campi, Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, T. Tertius Noble Regina Coeli, (congregational): Easter Hymn Choral varié, Maurice Duruflé Komm, Heiliger Geist, Johann Sebastian Bach

Mary Believed

by a Redemptorist writer How far away is Mary? She lived a long time ago, and in dignity she is so far above us that people lose sight of her as a warm, living woman. But that is a mistake, because all she was and is should draw us closer to her. If ever we needed her, we need her now, when the cold wind of doubt blows all around us, because she is the strong-hearted woman, the believer. She needed a faith even greater than ours. Think how incredulity must have welled up in her mind when it was announced to her that, while remaining a virgin, she would become a mother. And when that promise came true, she had to believe that the fragile little bundle in her arms was the Saviour of the world. And then mysterious and frightening things began to happen. Simple shepherds knelt beside her. A wise man in the Temple promised her a living martyrdom, a sword of sorrow. A jealous king made the first move against the life of her Child. So often refugees lose heart as they plod on, and Mary and Joseph must have been tempted to give up the struggle to find the way back home, tempted to settle wherever they might be tolerated. But, in faith, they carried with them the Glory which was to be the glory of Israel, and Israel was the home to which they must return. Finally, this young family settled in Nazareth, to live there for years, which the gospels cover in a few sentences, years in which Mary needed faith to shine through her puzzlement. There was the time when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, lost to his parents for three days until they found him in the Temple. In her relief, his mother asks, “But why?” Because, he says, he has to be about his Father’s business. And, the gospel says, they did not understand what he was saying to them. But Mary pondered all these things in her heart, and the mystery of them must have called forth her most fervent acts of faith. But apart from this, life in Nazareth was so ordinary that Mary must have wondered just how the promises regarding her Son would be fulfilled. Later, Christ would return to preach in his home town and would be rejected because his childhood had been so ordinary as

the barefoot son of the local carpenter. The people had known him as a child and as a young man, and he was no one to take special note of. But Mary, their neighbour and the child’s mother, had believed. There were no private miracles in her life to make it easy. She believed through hundreds of washdays, thousands of meals, uncounted acts of motherly tenderness. Mary believed that her Son was to be the Saviour. That makes her all the more magnificent when we see her beneath the cross. As far as we can see from Scripture, Mary did not know all about her Son’s mission. That does not take anything away from her dignity but rather spotlights her glory. She did not live with her head in heaven. She was not miraculously preserved from the harshness of life. Her feet were firmly planted in the dust of Palestine, her heart open to the human feelings of fear, loneliness, weariness and wonder. To see her stand in the total darkness of Calvary and cling to God when all human signs pointed to a blank, impenetrable dead end, is to see her as a brilliant flame of raw faith in the dark of history’s darkest evening. She is the Mother of God and the Mother of all his people. But she is also one of us. In this she is our glory. She understands the darkness. She knows the pressures that crush the human spirit. But she is a living message to each one of us, that man must believe, must cling to God. She will not let us forget. She is one of us – and she believed.

A continuation of the historical notes by Brother Steven Hawes, C.R.

Following the parish mission of 1874 conducted by two priests of the English house of the Cowley Fathers, Charles Grafton SSJE and Luke Rivington SSJE, the Society of S. John the Evangelist was invited in 1876 by the Vestry to take charge of the parish. The output of spiritual writings by the Cowley Fathers resident on the old Clergy House at 2026 Cherry St was phenomenal. Father Oliver S. Prescott SSJE was Rector from 1876 to 1881. During the ritualist controversy of 1879, he wrote a letter to the Rev’d Daniel R. Goodwin, then President of the Diocesan Standing Committee, entitled “Is Fairness in Religious Controversy Impossible?” We are unaware of any major published works of Father Prescott apart from his sermons and the letters between him and the Episcopal Church authorities. He did however compose a poem, which was printed in one of the early St. Clement’s magazines. On the other hand, Father Prescott’s successor produced an extensive list of books and tracts. He was Father Basil Maturin SSJE. His writings include Mysteries of Life: Meditations on the Seven Words from the Cross – Three Hours Service on Good Friday, 1882; Preparation for Holy Communion and Thanksgiving after Receiving (undated); Confession and Absolution, 1891; Principles and Practices of the Spiritual life, 1896. In the frontispiece of this book, the author dedicates this volume to the congregation of St. Clement’s Church, Philadelphia. One of his tracts was The Resurrection of the Body – a Sermon preached on Low Sunday, 20th April,1884, in St. Clement’s Church, Philadelphia. The sermon was fifteen pages long, which gives an indication of the length of Father

cont’d on pg. 8

Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries, & the Departed Our lists of dates to be remembered in the Prayer List and in the Sunday leaflet are woefully outof-date. Please provide birthdays, anniversaries and those who are departed to the Rector, or by mail or e-mail, or on the Guest register in the Narthex so that all can be remembered.

The Children’s Garden takes shape as St. Clement’s & Clementine Montessori School volunteers toil on the first Gardening Day of the season

News & Notes Summer Quartets seeking sponsors As usual, from the Sunday after Corpus Christi – this year Sunday, June 10 – the High Mass will be at 10 a.m. and will be sung by a Quartet drawn from our Choir. Each Mass can be sponsored by a parishioner or a friend of St Clement’s, the cost being $380.00. The donor’s name and intention (in memory of someone, or in thanksgiving, or for a special intention) will be published in the pew leaflet on the appropriate Sunday. The full Choir will sing on Wednesday, August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, and will resume again from Sunday October 7, when the High Mass will again be at 11 a.m. Please contact the Rector about sponsoring a Summer Quartet. Confirmation Bishop Rodney Michel, the Assisting Bishop for our Diocese, is coming to St Clement’s on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 17. The Bishop will preside and preach at the High Mass that evening at 7 p.m. and will administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to anyone wishing to be confirmed. He will also receive into the Episcopal Church anyone who is coming to us from the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Churches. Garden The Gardening Group had a successful first spring clean-up on April 14. Anyone interested in helping with the garden – clearing, planting weeding and planning for exciting changes and improvements – this Summer should contact Ron Emrich, our Rector’s Warden. Guild of All Souls The monthly meeting of the Guild of All Souls will be on Thursday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. Vespers of the Departed will be offered, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. One of the devotional societies that have a long history at St. Clement’s,

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the Guild of All Souls is an Anglican society dedicated to praying for the souls of the Faithful Departed, and teaching the Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints. All are welcome. Wed., May 2: Sat. May 5: Sun. May 6: Sat. May 12:

Southwark Deanery Clergy meet at St Clement’s. Wedding of Reid Graves & Rochelle Gianaula. May Procession of Our Lady. Wedding of Jeffrey McGeary & Iryna Kliuchko Sun. May 13: Rogation Procession & Blessing of St Francis Thurs. May 17: Ascension Day High Mass 7 p.m. Bishop Rodney Michel will preside and preach. Sun. May 20: Vestry Meeting after High Mass Mon. May 21: Concert for American Guild of Organists All are welcome Sun. May 27: Wedding of Andrew Pitts & Ashley Haak.

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Help St. Clement’s Get the Word Out The Rev. Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate The other day while I was walking my dog, Becket, outside St. Clement’s, I noticed a woman snapping pictures of the church’s exterior. I approached her and said, “the inside is even more magnificent, would you like to see it?” She seemed a little startled, but happily followed me inside the building, and wandered around for a while gazing at the stunning interior: the golden chancel, the statues, the vibrant stained glass. This was not an unusual occurrence. In fact, I often encounter people on the sidewalk looking at St. Clements, perusing the signs, and wondering what kind of church we are. On occasion, I even get the opportunity to explain to folks what “Anglo-Catholic” means, but that is a rare privilege. Despite the signs positioned in front of the church, our identity is not obvious to the casual observer and requires better explanation. We need to get the word out about who we are and what we have to offer. This is why the Rector has asked me to gather together a team of people to begin work on a comprehensive plan for parish communication and outreach. This may sound like a big job, but the good news is that St. Clement’s location and outstanding Web presence already provide us with very good visibility for this project. The recent Saturday work day for the gardening group drew a lot of attention from the neighborhood, which was receptive to our invitations to come in and see what we are doing with the garden. In addition, Facebook was flooded by posts and messages raving about the beautiful pictures from Holy Week taken by our own Marc Coleman. This is undoubtedly a good start, but it will take a team of people with diverse gifts to build upon such strengths. It will require individuals with expertise in marketing, community organizing, IT, public relations, journalism, and many other fields. Beyond these technical gifts for communication, it will take people who are willing to engage in hands-on outreach to the local community, so that St. Clement’s can build relationships and meet the needs of others as the Gospel commands us to do. We have already made forays in this direction by volunteering for Winter Shelter, but we can do much more. As an initial step of this communication and outreach project, I invite all those who have skills, ideas or energy to contribute to contact me at [email protected]. I will also be approaching individuals on a one-on-one basis to invite them to participate as their availability allows. Much of this work can be conducted by e-mail, but once a team has been assembled,

I will be inviting folks to participate in a short retreat, most likely on a Saturday morning or afternoon, so that we can pool what we’ve accomplished and coordinate our efforts better. But the best thing you can do for the present is to invite a friend to church and share with them why St. Clement’s is important to you. A church is not really about the building, but about the relationships the building makes possible: our relationships with God, each other, and the community beyond our walls.

Saint Clement’s Church

An Anglo-Catholic Parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania 2013 Appletree St. | Philadelphia, PA 19107 www.s-clements.org | 215.563.1876 Rev’d Canon W. Gordon Reid, Rector The Rev’d Ethan Alexander Jewett, Curate Peter Richard Conte, Organist & Choirmaster Bernard Kunkel, Assistant Organist Anthony Paonessa, Sexton Vestry Anne R. Bower, Ph.D. John Bower-Marty Will Sears Bricker Ron Emrich, Rector’s Warden Dr. Jeff Ezell Dr. Laurentine Fromm, Finance Chair Juliet Geldi-Riggall, Property Chair Paul T. Goings Todd R. Grundy, Treasurer Thomas Gorczynski Donna Johnson, Clerk L. Curt Mangel, Accounting Warden

Saint Clement’s Episcopal Church 2013 Appletree Street Philadelphia, PA 19103

Historical Notes cont’d from pg. 5 Maturin’s sermons; it was reported that he could preach to a spell-bound congregation for an hour! Father Maturin continued to write after he was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1897. His other popular books included Laws of the Spiritual life and Practical Studies of the Parables of Our Lord, both published in 1908. Self-Knowledge and Self-Discipline followed in 1909, and his last two books, Christian Self-Mastery and The Price of Unity, were both published in 1912. When Father Maturin resigned as Rector in 1889, he was succeeded by Father Duncan Convers SSJE, who was ill during his Rectorship and lived part of the time in the Mission House at Cowley in England. However, when he was at St. Clement’s, his published sermons comprised as many pages as those of Father Maturin. Many years later in 1925, he wrote an article for the American Church Monthly called Early Attempts to Organize Religious Communities.

Notes:

Church, Clergy House, and Parish Hall being prepared to be moved 40 feet west to widen 20th Street, 1929

Want to help at St. Clement’s? We need your help:

Ushers and Greeters are needed for the Sunday 11:00 am Mass | Flower-lovers needed to help with floral arranging Your contribution of simple finger food for Sunday Coffee hours is always welcomed | Help in the Garden Please speak to the Rector, the Wardens, or a Greeter or Usher if you can help