Good day everyone,

Raising Money for God’s Mission in Madagascar:  With the Archbishop’s approval, the Anglican Missions Service Committee is initiating a diocesan-wide fundraiser to collect money for the inner city school and for the orphanage in Madagascar that Mary Sherwood founded many years ago.  Mary had been our primary fundraiser – travelling across Canada and the U.S – but is now incapable of doing the work that was her passion. The children still need our help though. We are asking congregations to designate the final Sunday of each month as the Sunday when people place their loose change – or whatever they choose to give – into a jar of some sort.  I have attached the information (see “download” at the very end) for you to share with your congregations with your incumbent’s go ahead of course. This information was sent to all of the territorial archdeacons in June so you may already know about this.  Please consider helping us with this endeavour. Thank you very much. 

Ever wonder why the oil used in baptism is scented?  Why do we anoint people once they’re baptized anyway?  The practice of anointing the newly baptized with scented oil has been around basically for as long as there have been baptisms. Because the oil is scented – usually with balsam and often with a fragrant spice like cloves or cinnamon – it is called chrism. This anointing was originally lavish (perfumed and abundant), as you would anoint a king, a bride, and a high priest. Over the years, this anointing has become a simple cross on the person’s forehead after the water bath.  

What does the anointing mean?  It signifies both the bestowing of the Holy Spirit and the sealing of the contract between Christ and the newly baptized. We sign the cross in oil on the person’s forehead as we say, “I sign you with the cross, and mark you as Christ’s own forever.” Anointing with chrism at baptism takes its primary meaning from Jesus’ anointing as our great High Priest and our King.  The word “Christ” means “anointed one.”  At our baptism, we are anointed into Christ and into his priesthood in which all believers share.  We also share in his kingdom and the Church is often called the “Bride of Christ.”  Here you have all three original uses of lavish scented anointings all rolled into one. As with Scripture itself, the actions we take in our liturgy are rich with layers of meaning.  All of the words surrounding the anointing come from the Greek word chriein – to anoint – and point to our connection with Christ: Christ, chrism, Christian, chrismation, chrisom. 

Paul writes: “But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment” (2 Corinthians 1:21, 22).  A “first installment” is a contractual guarantee that God will fulfill his promise to us – we will have eternal life with God in a world brought to perfection.  The cross on our foreheads proclaims our eternal identity. Together as the Church, Christ’s body, we are the Spirit-anointed ones of the Anointed One.  

(information taken from The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship, edited by Peter E. Fink, pp.56-57).

A jam-packed week of observances this time…

For Your Devotions:

Monday, August 8th is the memorial of Dominic, Priest and Friar, who died in 1221. Dominic was a Spanish aristocrat who was concerned with the violence used to combat heresy. He founded the Order of Preachers to combat heresy with sound theology and teaching rather than with violence. He gave up all his possessions and devoted his life to instructing others – especially those who had wandered from the church to practice strange non-Christian practices. The order became known as the Dominicans or “Black Friars” in England. To read more go to p.234:  For All the Saints PDF

Wednesday, August 10th is the memorial of Laurence, Deacon and Martyr at Rome in 258. You really must read about this deacon of Rome. He was reportedly roasted alive (yes, ‘roasted’) after being very cunningly cheeky. Check it out: http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/223.html

Thursday, August 11th is the memorial of Abbess Clare of Assisi who died in 1253. Clare founded the Second Order of Assisi known as the “Poor Clares” because she advocated for the rule of “perfect poverty”…even the community itself was forbidden to own property. Why was a woman from the 1200’s called the patron of television? Find out here:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Clare-of-Assisi  and then here:  http://taylormarshall.com/2011/08/why-is-st-clare-patron-saint-of.html

Friday, August 12th is the commemoration of the Consecration of Charles Inglis, First Anglican Bishop in Canada, 1787. Charles was an Irishman who worked in Pennsylvania and then New York City after being ordained. How did he end up in Canada?  He supported the British during the American Revolution and so his church was burned and the property confiscated. He moved to Nova Scotia and was consecrated as bishop on this date in 1787 which marks the official beginning of the Anglican Church of Canada. If you’d like to learn more, check out p.240: http://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.r74.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf

Saturday, August 13th is the memorial of Jeremy Taylor, Bishop and Spiritual director, died 1667. He was born in the early 1600’s and became one of the religious scholars known as the “Caroline Divines.” In fact, he was often referred to as the “Shakespeare of Divines” because of his poetic mode of writing. Taylor was chaplain for King Charles I but was imprisoned when Cromwell overthrew the monarchy and banned worship services of the Church of England. For more info see  p.242  http://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.r74.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf

In the joy of Christ,

Susan