Good day,
Here’s what’s happening in the deanery:
4pm, Sunday, May 5 there is an Evensong at the Cathedral. This one is special because it also includes the awards for the boys’ and girls’ junior auxiliary. Plus…there will be cake afterward! Hope to see you there. The poster is below for more information.
The Guild of St. Joseph monthly breakfast will be Saturday, May 11th beginning at 8:30am at the Trinity Centre. Please join us for food, fellowship, and good conversation about our faith.
A Liturgical Note For You:
If you have an Anglican Church calendar hanging around, you’ll notice that this week is the only spot of red in a sea of white. On Thursday, April 25th it is the Holy Day of St. Mark the Evangelist. Why is it red, you ask? We turn to the Orthodox Church for a little help in this:
Red: This is the color of heat, passion, love, life and life-giving energy, and for this very reason red became the symbol of the resurrection – the victory of life over death. The Anglican Church also associates red with the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the giver of life.” But at the same time, it is the color of blood and torments, and the color of Christ’s sacrifice. Martyrs (like Stephen) are depicted in red clothing on icons.
Well then, if martyrs are associated with red, why are Tuesday and Wednesday not red as well? We acknowledge martyrs on those days too. The answer is that it is not red because we are in the most important season of the church year – Easter – and Easter is white. Holy Days are important feasts in the church and so Mark’s acknowledgement does have us changing from white to red. Commemorations and memorials, however, are considered lesser observances on the calendar and so, since Tuesday is a commemoration and Wednesday marks a memorial, we do not change from white unless your church has a special connection to the saints being acknowledged.
For Your Devotions:
Tuesday, April 23rd is the commemoration of George, Patron of England, Martyr in the 4th century. George was a Roman soldier and a Christian. In those days, that was not allowed – Christians could not be soldiers and Roman Emperors didn’t want Christians in their armies…in fact, some Roman Emperors didn’t want Christians around – period. So, you know this story isn’t going to end well…George actually died without having been baptized as a Christian. This was a very common practice because people believed that if they sinned after their baptism then those sins stayed with them. As a soldier who was expected to kill people, George didn’t want that sin within him when he died and so he planned to be baptized when he retired from the army. He didn’t get the chance. The emperor, Diocletian, wanted to purge Christianity from his empire and so embarked on one of the bloodiest persecutions ever. George was tortured and decapitated but his martyrdom was seen as a baptism in itself – suffering for his beliefs just as Christ had. To read more p.148: http://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.r74.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf
Wednesday, April 24th is the memorial of the Martyrs of the Twentieth Century. This may seem hard to believe but, in the 20th century, there were more martyrs – those who died for their belief in Christ and the way of God’s kingdom – than at any other time in our history. There are too many to list here…those who died in the Soviet Union, in Germany, and in dozens of other places around the globe…so please read more on p.150: http://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.r74.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf
Thursday, April 25th is the Holy Day of St. Mark the Evangelist. Mark – the author of our earliest Gospel, in the 60’s AD – is a name mentioned a number of times in the New Testament. He is believed to be a traveling companion of Paul and he is also speculated as being one of Jesus’ 72 disciples as well as the young man who runs away at the time of Jesus’ arrest. The Egyptian church names Mark as its founder and legend has it that Mark died in Alexandria. His symbol is a lion. Scholars believe Mark was writing during the first period of really intense Christian persecutions so for some interesting thoughts on how this shaped his Gospel, please read p.152: http://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.r74.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf
In the joy of the risen Christ,
Susan
Deanery of Algoma 