Hello,
Coming Up:
Campfire Communion at the Christ Church rectory: Wednesday, August 27 with fellowship to follow.
Big Ben Bus Tour! Thursday, August 27, 10:45am pick up at the Roberta Bondar Pavillion (main parking lot at the big tent. One hour tour of the town: $21.50 for adults; $16 for seniors. Book your tickets online: https://saultlocktours.ca/bus-tour/ (or phone 705-989-4682). Check out the link for other times and pick up locations if you’d like.
Next movie night: Friday, August 28, 6pm. We’ll be watching “Grease” with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (I didn’t manage to get a copy of “High School Musical” but “Grease” has fun music too). The September movie is likely going to be “Jesus Christ Superstar”…more music 
Yard Sale! Saturday, August 29, 8:30am – 12:30pm in the Trinity Centre.
Next $5 monthly meal is Friday, September 4. Penne & meatballs, vegetables, sundaes. 5pm take-out and 5:30pm eat-in. Please email me or phone 705-254-1692 to order by Wednesday, September 2. Thanks.
Miss Marie Boat Tour!! Thursday, September 10, 10am; $48 for adults, $35 for seniors. Book your tickets online: https://saultlocktours.ca/cruises/lock-tour/ or phone: 705-989-4985.
St. Luke’s Cathedral is having a fall fundraiser at Icebreakers. The info is below:
A Liturgical Note For You: Resisting Temptation…
We’ve been talking about the way in which we acknowledge people on our Christian calendar. This note is a long “heads up” for those who are doing advance liturgical planning. You may have noticed October 4th is a Sunday this year. Why would I point this out? Because many people believe that having a pet blessing on the memorial of Francis of Assisi is a great way to attract new people to join our churches. (It’s not really, but that’s another story…). Some people actually move memorials and commemorations onto a Sunday – a huge “no-no”. We only move observances to a Sunday if our church is named after the person (and, even then, there are times during our year when we can’t do that). If you look on page 15 of our Book of Alternative Services, you’ll see a list of occasions that take precedence of a Sunday. You’ll also see that Francis isn’t on that list. This is where resisting temptation comes in…
Please don’t bump the usual feast of our Lord Jesus Christ in order to celebrate Francis. Why not? Our Christian calendar is meant to form and transform us into the people of God – following God’s way of life in God’s kingdom. We are meant to be immersing ourselves in the events of our great Salvation Story. What we do or don’t do sends a message. If we, for example, always transfer the feast of the Epiphany and the feast of the Ascension to a Sunday, we are quite likely sending the message that our worship of God is not important enough to get us out on a day of the week other than Sunday. That really, in many cases, is not true. If you offer the worship on the actual day, people will make the effort to come out. I was disappointed to read in the McCausland, on the entry for Ascension, that people were reluctant to give up on the expectation that the Thursday worship on the Day of the Ascension would be well attended but now realize that transfer to the Sunday is inevitable (p.99). I very much disagree. If we don’t loudly send the message that worship together is important, that being the church together is important, that celebrating Holy Days on the actual day is important, we will be drowned out by the dominant voice of our culture which says it isn’t important.
So what can you do about Francis? You can have a separate shorter worship service on the Sunday – before or after the main liturgy – in order to bless animals. You can move Francis to the day you’re having your “midweek” worship or another convenient day and time.
For Your Devotions:
Monday, August 24th is the Holy Day of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. Bartholomew is listed as one of the 12 apostles but, other than that, we don’t hear about him. Since Bartholomew is actually a surname (son of Tolmai), the theory out there is that this apostle is Nathaniel – the one called with Philip – of whom Jesus says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (See John 1:43-50). Legend says that Bartholomew was flayed and beheaded on the order of an Armenian king named Astyages. For more info: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Bartholomew
Thursday, August 27th is the commemoration of Monnica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo. Monnica was born to Christian parents in North Africa and became increasingly devout as she aged. She was thrilled when Augustine converted to Christianity and was baptized in 387 at the age of 32. It was on her way home from this joyous occasion that Monnica fell ill and died. For more information: http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/153.html
Friday, August 28th is the memorial of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher of the Faith. Augustine was born in 354 in North Africa. He took a very round-about way to Christianity but was extremely influential once he got there. Many of his writings and sermons have survived and offer up his, sometimes controversial, theological perspectives. He was the Bishop of Hippo from 396 until his death in 430. If you’d like to read more, check this out: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Augustine
Saturday, August 29th is the Holy Day of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. If you’d like to refresh your memory on the details of this event and learn some interesting, non-scriptural legends, check out the website that follows. For example, after Herod had ordered John’s beheading, the prophet even in death was unrelenting in voicing his condemnation of Herod’s wrong-doing. Far from being whimsical or superstitious, these legends offer commentary on the vital roles of the people in this Gospel story. https://oca.org/saints/lives/2007/08/29/102419-the-beheading-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptis
In the joy of Christ,
Susan
Deanery of Algoma 