Spirit of the Eagle – February 2014
Rector’s Reflections
It is the Dead of Winter, which is a term that refers to coldest, bleakest part of the season of winter, and that is certainly what we have been experiencing lately with bitterly cold temperatures and torrents of snow. Still our modern technology keeps much of this season at arms-length, uncomfortable, but definitely manageable. We can have light at the touch of a button and heat at the turn of dial, but that was not the case for people of just a little over a hundred years ago. Light could only be obtained by candles or oil lamps and warmth could only be found by standing in front of a fire. In those days, by the time of the dead of winter, people were desperate for the promise of light and warmth and they found it in the Church, in the celebration of the Feast of Purification of the Saint Mary the Virgin otherwise known as Candlemas. In this service, where the Church candles and any that the congregation brought from their home would be blessed, followed by a procession of light when the candles were lit and pierced the darkness of the Dead of Winter with the promise of ‘the light that has come into the world’, Our Lord Jesus Christ. On February 2nd St. John’s will celebrate the ancient Feast of Candlemas, come and join us as we pierce the darkness of the Dead of Winter with ‘the light of Life’, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus. God Bless.
+Fr. Bryan Newman+
Wednesday Night Service
Our Wednesday night Holy Communion service is an excellent way to rejuvenate our spirits as we face the balance of our week. There is nothing quite like taking a pause from the daily grind at mid-week to refresh ourselves by receiving our ‘spiritual food for our spiritual journey’. I want to encourage all of you who have made the effort to attend Wednesday services, as it is just the kind of boost you need to complete your week. In February we will be celebrating the feasts of St. Agatha, St. Valentine, St. Joseph of Arimathea, and St. Matthias on the last Wednesday of the month. I hope to see you all there!
Choir Practice and Services
We have a small dedicated group that works diligently to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, won’t you consider singing with them? Practice is every Wednesday at 7 pm. As always we need more choir members and if you would like to help us make a joyful noise unto the Lord we would love to have you join the Choir!
Vestry Meeting
The date for our Vestry Meeting for February is tentatively set for the SECOND Wednesday of the month, February 12th, at 7:00 PM, as Fr. Newman will be travelling during the 3rd week of the month. If you are a member of the Vestry, please make plans to be present. If the 2nd Wednesday is inconvenient for any of you please let Fr. Newman as soon as possible.
The Flight of the Eagle
It was Fr. Stork, (of fond memory to many in this Parish) who shared a record of his activities with the Parish on a regular basis. It is in his honor and inspiration that we include the ‘Flight of the Eagle’ which is a record of my activities as your pastor over the month just past. Below are the visits and other events, I made in the month of January. Unfortunately, with the inclement weather and my mother recuperating from a heart attack my visits to our shut-ins were very limited. However I was able to do a few. I prayed with those I visited and gave them Holy Communion and Anointed them when needed.
+God Bless, Fr. Bryan Newman+
1/17 Visited Don Prigge @ Elmcroft Nursing Home
1/19 Visited Dom Benedict @ Rosedale Green
Spiritual Tidbits for February from Father Tim
Bl. George Herbert, C., Poet and Divine (1593-1633) Feast Day, 27th of February. Educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where his classical scholarship and musical ability secured him a Fellowship in 1614. He became Public Orator of the university in 1620, and his success seemed to mark him out for the career of a courtier. The death of James I, however, and the influence of his friend Nicolas Ferrar, led him to study divinity, and in 1626 he was presented to a prebend in Huntingdonshire.
In 1630 he was ordained priest, and persuaded by William Laud to accept the rectory of Fugglestone with Bemerton, Near Salisbury, where in piety and humble devotion to duty he spent his last years.
Herbert’s most famous prose work, A Priest in the Temple; or the Country Parson (1652), outlines a sober and well-balanced ideal of the English clergyman. In a simple and homely language Herbert shows him as a well-read divine, temperate in all things, a man of duty and prayer, devoted to his flock, who has come to be the model of future generations. His collection of poems entitled The Temple was entrusted to Nicolas Ferrar on his deathbed and first published in 1633.
Herbert was a man of deep religious conviction and remarkable poetic gifts, masterly in handling both metre and metaphor. The “conceits” in his verse are, with very few exceptions, still acceptable thanks to their genuine aptness and wit. His influence is acknowledged in the life and work of Henry Vaughan, in the hymns of Charles Wesley, in the criticism of Samuel T. Coleridge, and in G.M. Hopkin’s poetry. Among his compositions in current use as hymns are “The God of love my Shepherd is” (Ps. 23), “Teach me, my God and King” and “Let all the world in every corner sing”.
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What a winter thus far! The cold weather tends to make each of us reluctant to leave the hearth at home, however, we must not forget the cold nights our Saviour spent out in the wilderness, and use His holy example to be at church to worship every chance we receive. The start of the new year is well under way and the “gesima” days are upon us. Like Blessed George Herbert let’s be men and women of “duty and prayer”, full of zeal for our Lord. Speak with God frequently by prayer and ask that all your desires may be right desires, and love to have your daily devotions regular and holy. ~ Father Tim
•••
Do all the parts of your duty as earnestly as if the salvation of all the world, and the whole glory of God, and the confusion of all devils, and all that you hope or desire, did depend upon every one action. Rev. Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living, Holy Dying, Of Zeal (Pg. 182)
February Spirituality Class
Please join me after Mass on the 23rd of February as we review and discuss Section IX: Of Repentance and Section X: Of Preparation to, and the Manner how to receive, the holy Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper from the devotional classic book Holy Living and Holy Dying by the Caroline Divine Reverend Jeremy Taylor (known as the Shakespeare of the Divines). I believe it will be both helpful to our spirituality and our modern day minds to understand how our forefathers in 17th century England viewed and reverenced the Lord’s Day. I will have each participant a folder you can use in class and take home to study. These devotional excerpts were admired by John Wesley for their spiritual usefulness and by Samuel Coleridge for their literary quality. I hope to see you in class and bring a loved one with you! ~ Father Tim
•••
“Thou that hast given so much to me give me one thing more, a grateful heart: not thankful when it pleaseth me, as if Thy blessings had spare days, but such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.” ~ George Herbert
•••
A grateful heart will keep you warm in the coldest of storms. Come to Saint John’s with a grateful heart, go to family and friends with a grateful heart, go out into the world with a grateful heart and you will never lose sight of God. Remember this; even if you lose everything in this world except God, you have regained all. Stay warm! ~ Father Tim
February Birthdays & Anniversaries
Kathleen Brady – Birthday – February 2
Sally Whalen – Birthday – February 6
Ruth & Mike Lenz – Anniversary – February 16
Louise Becker – Birthday – February 18
Carrie Moore – Birthday – February 18
Isabelle McHale – Birthday – February 20
Bob Petrie – Birthday – February 23
Mike Whalen – Birthday – February 27
Jack Murray – Birthday – February 28
End of the Month Club
The End of the Month Club will meet on February 20 at Strong’s Pizzeria, Monmouth Street, Newport at 1:00 pm. This is the pizza place owned by Brenda Strong’s relatives, who made the delicious pizzas for St Nicholas’ visit. Call for rides.
A Message from your Sr. Warden
Just a reminder that all parishioners are welcome and encouraged to attend Vestry Meetings. We meet the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. If you come to present a proposal for any purchase or expense item, the Vestry requests that you have a cost breakdown, and multiple bids. This will help with consideration of your request.
On a separate note, I just want to remind everyone that you can purchase altar flowers or the sanctuary candle on any Sunday in thanksgiving for a birthday, anniversary, etc. or in honor of a loved one. Flowers are $25 and the candles are $3. It’s a great way to acknowledge someone special in your life! Please contact a member of the Altar Guild.
Thank you,
Rich Seyberth
Family Promise Program
As a support church to the host church, United Church of Christ in Fort Thomas. SJC spent $89.42 for groceries for lunch and breakfast food for the three families in the Family Promise Program (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network) during the week of January 12th. Three mothers and six children ages seventeen months, one, 2 two year old, seven, and eight are in the program. Your generous support with your monetary donations is very much appreciated. The next rotation is the week of March 23,2014.
Brenda Strong, Coordinator
2nd Annual Gratitude Luncheon on February 16
In celebration of winning their fight against cancer, Kathy Hougham and Robert Hooks will once again host their Gratitude Luncheon after mass on February 16. The menu will include: roasted pork, roasted turkey, tossed green salad, potato casserole and a green vegetable. Desserts will be needed, so please bring your favorite dessert to share with those who attend. All proceeds from the donation bowl will go to the ACW to help defray the costs of their spaghetti dinner.
