03.10.2023 A letter from Mother Jennie C. Olbrych, our interim rector

Dear Members and Friends of the Church of the Holy Communion,

Grace and Peace to each of you this day,

 

It was a fine thing to wake up to a gentle spring rain this morning.  As I looked out of my window, the trees are leafing out, and it appears that spring is indeed upon us once again.

St Hildegard of Bingen used a phrase she probably invented to speak of God’s power to bring life out of death.  In Latin, it’s the word viriditas, and it means “greening” or a restoration of life and vitality.  May this spring be a time of viriditas for you and for the CHC.

Speaking of spring, please don’t forget to “Spring” forward on Sunday as we turn our clocks forward an hour.

Thank you to so many of you for your warm welcome.  I am grateful to be among you.  My letter of agreement with your vestry calls for me to be present in the office two days during the week and on Sundays.  The weekdays will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and I am available for visits and phone calls along with conducting the regular administrative work of the Church.  I will keep my own calendar, so please reach out.    The email is InterimRector@holycomm.org.

The Wednesday 8:00 am Mass is continuing. The liturgy is Holy Eucharist, Rt. I. as is the Friday noon Stations of the Cross.

The 7:30 am Morning Prayer is suspended at the present time.

This past week I’ve been pondering how three years ago, we were on the verge of Covid, and it was the last “normal” week before the shutdown.  There are many lessons from that time and, I hope, in our relief to be somewhat back to normal, that we don’t forget what emerged as most important during that frightening and uncertain time:  the heroes among us (teachers, grocery store workers, docs, nurses, and other medical personnel, and so many other who attempted to keep critical services functioning); the indispensable place of community and the need to tend to mental health.  Here is a thoughtful article from Yale Medicine on the same topic.  8 Lessons We Can Learn From the COVID-19 Pandemic > News > Yale Medicine

One holdover from Covid for me has been the usefulness of weekly Zoom bible study, and I commend to you our Wednesday Lenten study.  This past week we looked at the intriguing encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well.  Fr. Palmer Kennedy will be preaching this Sunday, and we are hopeful he will take on this text (but will forgive him if he doesn’t!).

When you come to Church, I hope you will look around and notice the  exterior Spring cleaning that our energetic Jr. Warden, Mr. Kelley Poe,  has been undertaking.  Our “street face” is already looking perked up.

Please put on your calendars:

  •  March 19th – Our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley will be with us on the 19th (for those in church I misspoke- it is not this Sunday but the next!).  Reception follows Church.
  •  March 20th – the CAJM Nehemiah Assembly. Please see Mary Neal Berkaw for tickets.
  •  April 2 – Palm-Passion Sunday. The full Holy Week and Easter Day schedule will be coming to you shortly.

 

Hope to see you all on Sunday,

Yours in the Lamb,

Jennie+

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